Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: A Review of Its Unique Features and High Price

INTRO

• Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold smartphone has a foldable screen.
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a sleek and thin phone even though it has the newest technology.
• One of Google's flagship smartphones is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

For the past few years, companies have been producing foldable phones; Samsung is one among them. It wasn't until 2023 that consumers could finally purchase a foldable phone, in my opinion, with the OnePlus Open. This was due to the fact that the Open was nearly identical to a conventional phone, in contrast to the previous folding phones, such as the Pixel Fold, which was not released in India. It was useful and sensible. Phone manufacturers have now adopted the design philosophy introduced by Open.

Google is jumping on the bandwagon with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. As a result, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has basically just one drawback and is a very useful phone with all the benefits of a folding screen.

It's also one of the best foldable phones available in India, in my opinion, thanks to Google's clean Android and a slew of Gemini AI features, but it's pricey at Rs 1,72,999. However, when you consider that it is also distinct and rather price, Rs 1,72,999 isn't a bad amount to pay for exclusivity in a nation where Coldplay concert tickets are sold for 10X on the black market and hundreds of people wait in queue to purchase the newest iPhone within the first hour of its release.

Whether the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is worth the money is not the better question to ask. The question is instead: with its foldable screen, can it give you more than just a replacement for your ordinary phone? Indeed, but there are restrictions. That's my response on this count.

Perfect design

Smartphone manufacturers are gradually but unquestionably deciding on the fundamentals of a foldable phone design. The concept is that the phone's top screen, in clamshell form, ought to be sufficiently large and functional to function as a standard phone. When the inner, larger screen is opened, the gadget resembles a little tablet. It must also be tiny, light, and sleek in order to be carried like a regular phone. All of these categories are well-served by the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

The phone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, is stylish. Its metal body is smooth but not shiny, and it comes in an obsidian shade, which is similar to a deep grey. I just prefer my phones this way. The hinge, which is hardly perceptible, is the only glossy component. The phone has outstanding build quality overall. It has a substantial, high-end feel. The phone has a Pixel-like appearance due to the camera island's nearly square form and excessively rounded sides.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold weighs less than other phones in its class at 257 grammes. In contrast, the weight of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 227 grammes. You can easily use and carry the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for the entire day due to its lightweight design. The 9 Pro Fold's thin design—it folds down to about 10 mm in thickness—also helps. When unfurled, it only has 5.1 mm of thickness!

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's design makes it a simple gadget to use, especially while using the outer screen in standard phone mode. Unlike many other foldable phones that we have seen, this screen is of a high calibre. This screen is essentially the same as the one found in the standard Pixel 9, which we thought had great colour and brightness. The inner screen measures 8 inches in width when unfolded. Watching videos on this screen is delightful, as it has a sharp quality and is a fantastic screen overall.

Nevertheless, foldable screens are still a developing technology. Compared to the displays of typical high-end phones, they are more reflective because to the protective coating that covers them. In well-lit or sunlit environments, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold exhibits odd reflections despite its exceptionally high brightness.

The crease, what about it? That is also in place. Furthermore, because foldable screens are still under development, this is the case. Though it's not as noticeable as it once was, this wrinkle is present on all foldable phones. When I saw the Pixel 9 Pro Fold from an angle, I could see the fold. The good news is that the wrinkle is not as noticeable when I hold the phone in my hands and gaze down at it, which is how we use our phones. You can feel the wrinkle when you move your finger over the screen.

Of course, one of the main reasons I still suggest that most people get a normal phone is the crease. Although the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has minimised the crease to the best of its ability given current technology, perfectionists and those who find even pixel-level display flaws upsetting will still be bothered by the crease.

When the phone is unfolded, its sturdy hinge allows it to open completely flat. In a similar vein, there is no visible space between its two sides when it is folded. This is the ideal design for a foldable phone. The absence of a grip, a nub, or a small alcove in the frame where you could dig your fingers to unfold the phone is one feature, though, that I dislike. Right now, unfolding the phone takes an extra second or two because the fingers have nothing to grip onto. You also have to be careful not to let it fall out of your hands as you are trying to pry it open.

Using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's internal hardware is comparable to that of the Pixel 9 Pro XL. This indicates that it has a 256GB storage capacity, 16GB of RAM, and the Tensor G4 chipset inside. There is just one version available.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold can be used in two ways, as previously mentioned: first, by using its outer display like a standard 6.3-inch phone. Furthermore, you may use its internal screen as a device to extend the display for your entertainment needs, such as gaming or watching content, or to run two apps side by side or create a larger canvas for editing photos or videos. 

Depending on how you use it, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a reasonably speedy phone. There are no lags or scrolling problems. The nicest part is that it doesn't overheat while you're playing games. Regarding the displays, they are both excellent and can sustain a frame rate of 120 Hz Hz, which is significant when using apps like Instagram.

Google offers unique UI in its apps so that users may take full advantage of the larger display. The apps employ tablet UI when in landscape mode, albeit it is a little strange to change the orientation considering the square shape of the phone when it is unfurled. That means you get a two-pane user interface in Gmail. The emails and their content are on the left and right, respectively. In a similar vein, other apps have also been tailored to work on larger screens.

I became accustomed to a routine as I used the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. I seldom unfolded the phone for most everyday tasks, such as making calls, reading and replying to texts, etc. However, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's foldable screen transformed it into an incredibly large-screen gadget for viewing, gaming, or reading. It was useful and enjoyable.

It is possible that the stereo speaker system could have been improved. At higher volumes, the speakers' lack of weight and richness prevents the content from being genuinely pleasurable. Put another way, I liked using earbuds to listen to content while watching anything on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also includes software that is powered by Google Gemini AI, as we have seen with other Pixel devices. The functions that the Gemini AI powers sometimes seem unnecessary. However, there are times when they seem miraculous, especially with the Gemini Live that can have natural voice chats.

Your experience with Gemini AI will differ based on your use case and level of AI dependency.

One area where the Pixel 9 Pro Fold could have performed better is battery life. This year's Fold has a 4650 mAh lesser battery than the Pro XL. This results in a battery life of around 12 to 14 hours when combined with a larger screen, that is, assuming you are using the larger screen frequently. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold can be used for one whole day, but no longer. You would have to charge it by about midnight.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold camera performance

This review has stated multiple times that foldable phones are still in the early stages of development. Foldable phones frequently feature subpar technology because of their moving parts, space constraints resulting from the hinge, and their exceptionally thin design. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's camera setup makes this clear. Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's camera performance is excellent, especially considering that it's a Pixel phone and Google needs to uphold its reputation. Yet, it falls short of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which I evaluated a few weeks back, in terms of excellence. And the hardware in the camera is different, which is the straightforward explanation for it.

Google has opted to use a smaller principal image sensor in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in order to keep the device's profile thinner. The 48-megapixel sensor of this picture sensor is used. Despite the phone having a 5X telephoto lens, the lenses are also different, with the telephoto lens having a smaller aperture at F3.1, for example. Because of its differing camera technology, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold performs worse in low light conditions than the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Let me use a few key points to briefly explain the Pixel 9 Pro Fold camera performance:

•  The Pixel 9 Pro Fold cameras function remarkably well in bright lighting. Take a look at the picture of the bread pakoda or the fruits and vegetables to see how many details they catch. 
•  The colours in images captured with the Pixel 9 pro Fold are superb, regardless of the lighting conditions.
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold camera takes notably softer photos in low light. Detail is lost, especially when using the telephoto 5X lens.
• When there is enough light, the video recording is crisp; in low light, it seems grainy. This is comparable to still photography performance.
• I adore how Google has made the most of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's distinctive appearance and all of its selfie camera capabilities. Using the back cameras for selfies is made possible by a function that is simply AMAZING. View the comparison image that is integrated into this piece.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold worth buying?

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is, in my opinion, one of the most inventive and entertaining phones available after more than two weeks of use. Additionally, it is remarkably useful and functional for a foldable phone. It has an extremely elegant and stylish design. It has amazing screens, exceptional software and capabilities, and a camera system that works well.

However, I also think that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, like other excellent folding phones, will always be a flagship device, valued more for its exclusivity and distinctiveness than for the things it can accomplish. Perfectionist that I am, I can't really enjoy the Pixel 9 Pro Fold because of that crease in the inside screen. 

I can't suggest it highly enough because of that as well. Go ahead and get it if you want a special and distinctive phone that you can fold and unfold to wow guests at a party or acquaintances. Opt for the Pixel 9 Pro XL instead, if you want the greatest Pixel this year and possibly one of the best phones ever manufactured.