Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: the ideal foldable phone design

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Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: the ideal foldable phone design
Author: Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor
Published: Sep, 12 2024 06:00

Book-style foldable is just like a regular phone when closed but opens to reveal large and bright tablet screen. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Google has cracked the foldable formula on its second attempt by creating a slightly chunkier Pixel 9 Pro that opens up for a large 8in tablet screen on the inside, beating Samsung at its own game.

 [Samuel Gibbs]
Image Credit: the Guardian [Samuel Gibbs]

Compared with the previous efforts, from the squat and fat passport-shaped Pixel Fold to Samsung’s many long and thin Galaxy Z Folds, the new Pixel’s simple shape seems so familiar and easy to use you wonder why it took so long for anyone to try it.

 [The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold held in a hand showing the lockscreen while the phone is shut.]
Image Credit: the Guardian [The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold held in a hand showing the lockscreen while the phone is shut.]

While it may seem odd to praise a £1,749 (€1,899/$1,799/A$2,699) cutting-edge gadget for being most like a “normal” phone that costs half as much, the shape and size of the various foldables’ internal screens has never been an issue. Instead, the closed form has always felt like a huge compromise until now.

 [The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold open at a 45-degree angle.]
Image Credit: the Guardian [The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold open at a 45-degree angle.]

Smaller rivals such as the OnePlus Open and Honor’s Magic V series have come close but the Pixel tops the lot. You can simply forget it is anything but a slightly heavy, ordinary 6.3in phone and go about your day, until you need the great-looking 8in tablet screen on the inside.

 [The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold with the Gemini app open next to the Chrome app displaying the Guardian website.]
Image Credit: the Guardian [The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold with the Gemini app open next to the Chrome app displaying the Guardian website.]

The square shape of the tablet screen makes it ideal for using two apps side by side but less well suited to widescreen video, requiring big black bars at the top and bottom. The crease necessary to allow the screen to fold in the middle is less noticeable than previous versions but it is still a compromise common to all folding displays alongside their softer, less durable materials. Otherwise, the display is crisp and smooth, rivalling the best on the market, with a very high brightness that makes using it outdoors much easier than previous versions.

 [The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold playing Netflix on a partially folded screen.]
Image Credit: the Guardian [The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold playing Netflix on a partially folded screen.]

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