the primary book-style foldable I would purchase

E-book-style foldables simply have not labored with the best way I take advantage of a smartphone — till now.

Do not get me flawed, I just like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the important thing competitors for Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold within the North American market. It is a solid-feeling smartphone, and this 12 months, Samsung refined the foldable’s design in a number of significant methods. The machine feels nice when unfolded, however utilizing its Cowl Show stays a painfully cramped expertise. Typing is annoying, looking the web with Firefox feels too confined, and, on prime of that, the higher half of the machine is oddly heavy, making it really feel just like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 might tumble out of my hand at any second.

The oddly named Pixel 9 Professional Fold (simply name it the Fold 2, Google) solves this downside with its wider cowl show and impressively skinny design. I would not go as far as to say it feels precisely like a traditional smartphone when it is not unfolded, but it surely’s far nearer than I anticipated. This has remodeled how I take advantage of the foldable, and for the primary time, I really feel like I can fit a book-style foldable smartphone in my life.

Advisable

Pixel 9 Professional Fold

Google’s Pixel 9 Professional Fold goals to resolve the unique Pixel Fold’s key points due to its thinner and lighter design, Tensor G4 chip and extra fluid hinge.

Professionals

• Wider cowl show
• Refined, sturdy construct
• Inside display appears to be like nice

Cons

• Heavy, cumbersome design
• Digicam lags behind Pixel 9 Professional
• Occasional software program efficiency points

Worth, availability, and specs

Accessible now beginning at $1,799

Google’s Pixel 9 Professional Fold is accessible beginning at $1,799 in porcelain and obsidian, directly from Google and a number of other different retailers. The foldable’s 6.3-inch, 60-120Hz OLED exterior show has a decision of 1080 x 2424 pixels. Brightness reaches 1,800 nits for HDR, with peak brightness at 2,700 nits. The unfolded 8-inch, 1-120Hz inside ultra-thin glass display, which Google calls its (LPTO) Tremendous Actua Flex show, encompasses a decision of two,076 x 2,152 pixels. Its brightness hits 1,600 nits for HDR and a couple of,700 nits at peak brightness.

Different specs embody 16GB of RAM, both 256GB or 512GB of storage, and Google’s Tensor G4 chip. The rear triple-camera setup features a foremost f/1.7 48-megapixel huge shooter, an f/2.2 10.5-megapixel ultra-wide digital camera, and an f/3.1 10.8-megapixel telephoto digital camera able to as much as 5x optical zoom. The entrance digital camera is an f/2.2 10-megapixel lens, and the interior digital camera can be an f/2.2 10-megapixel shooter.

When folded, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold is 10.5mm thick, and when unfolded, it is a skinny 5.1mm. The foldable smartphone weighs roughly 9oz (about 256g) and encompasses a 4,650 mAh battery. It is also IPX8 licensed, that means it might probably deal with being submerged in 39 inches (roughly 1 meter) of water for as much as half-hour. Since it is a foldable, I would not advocate anybody really take a look at this, but it surely’s good to know the very costly smartphone will not die if it by chance will get just a little moist.

Pixel 9 Professional XL construct and design

Google’s new foldable affords a notable design improve over the unique Pixel Fold

To say the Pixel 9 Professional Fold is almost a whole redesign in comparison with the unique Pixel Fold would virtually be an understatement. Throughout my roughly week-long expertise with the machine, it has been, at instances, tough to understand simply how far Google’s burgeoning foldable line has are available such a brief time frame. With all of those adjustments, there’s lots to unpack design-wise.

First off, there’s now a quite sizable digital camera bump on the again that homes the rear digital camera array. I discussed this in my Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 XL review, however I am not keen on the brand new digital camera bump. It is not a deal-breaker, but it surely appears to be like prefer it was plopped onto the rear of the smartphone in a haphazard means. I a lot favor the Pixel 8’s visor-like array or the center-set digital camera bump the unique Pixel Fold provided.

Similar to the Pixel 9 Professional line, the world surrounding the digital camera bump encompasses a premium-feeling matte again that does an honest job of repelling grease and smudges. The perimeters of the machine are squared off but additionally rounded, making it simpler to grip when folded and unfolded. In a cool design twist, the hinge is totally squared, giving the Pixel 9 Professional Fold a singular design aptitude that helps it stand out from different smartphones.

Talking of the hinge, it feels way more stable this 12 months. That stated, it is not fairly as fluid because the Z Fold 6’s hinge, and it makes an odd crackling noise, but it surely’s shut. Fortunately, the brand new hinge design additionally permits the machine to fold completely flat with out feeling such as you’re pushing the foldable show previous its restrict, as with the unique Fold.

The Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s bezels have been lowered each inside and outdoors the telephone, they usually look similar to the Z Fold 6’s. In the event you put a case on Google’s foldable (and also you most likely ought to, given it is a expensive telephone), the bezels seem artificially expanded. This clearly is not the case, but it surely barely cheapens the look of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold and is value preserving in thoughts when you plan to make use of a case.

Google despatched me the official Pixel 9 Pro Fold case alongside the smartphone, and I am impressed with it thus far. I am at all times nervous about dropping foldable smartphones, no matter how sturdy they really feel, and the case affords a bit of additional peace of thoughts. Nevertheless, the a part of the case that runs alongside the hinge and the quilt display’s bezels attaches with adhesive that may seemingly put on away over time (I additionally would have most popular the case to cowl the complete hinge). Nonetheless, I can not actually think about utilizing the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, or any foldable smartphone, and not using a sturdy case.

General, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s {hardware} feels way more refined and sturdy than the unique Fold, but it surely’s nonetheless a foldable. In the event you’re the kind of one who drops their telephone ceaselessly, a folding smartphone most likely is not for you.

Pixel 9 Professional Fold show

The foldable’s expansive 8-inch display feels and appears nice

First off, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold options the identical 6.3-inch exterior show measurement because the Pixel 9 Professional, making it really comfy to make use of when folded. Which means that when it is folded, it appears to be like and looks like a barely thicker common smartphone, in contrast to the unique Pixel Fold, which had a shorter and barely too-wide show that I discovered very awkward to carry with one hand throughout my temporary time utilizing it.

Together with the show measurement, the truth that it is solely 10.5mm thick, in comparison with the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s 12.1mm, contributes to creating the Pixel 9 Professional Fold really feel extra like an everyday smartphone when utilizing its exterior display. Trying on the Pixel 9 Professional Fold when it is fully flat is actually spectacular and jogs my memory of seeing the super-thin M4 iPad Pro for the primary time. Foldable display know-how has come a good distance in a really brief interval, and that is on show right here with Google’s newest foldable.

For me, the lacking hyperlink relating to book-style foldable smartphones is the usable cowl display. (As a result of I’m tired of scratching review devices, I shortly put a glass display protector on it, which you’ll see in a number of photographs on this evaluate.) In my week with the foldable, I’ve primarily used the Pixel 9 Professional Fold like an everyday smartphone. It is solely once I wish to watch Netflix, YouTube, use the Kobo app to learn a e book, or learn one of many numerous articles I’ve saved in Pocket, that I open the foldable smartphone and use its expansive 8-inch display. In the case of studying or watching video content material, the bigger 8-inch display is an absolute pleasure to make use of.

This offers me a comparatively normal-feeling smartphone that may remodel right into a sprawling pill once I need it to, and that is form of the dream, proper? On a aspect word, I discover myself utilizing the outside show or one half of the inside show when the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s display is open to observe content material on YouTube whereas doing senseless duties like washing the dishes or preparing for mattress. The propped-up show affords a fantastic viewing expertise, making it simpler to passively look at content material when your consideration is split.

With all that raving positivity out of the best way, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s folded expertise is not excellent. First off, it is quite heavy. This implies utilizing the foldable for lengthy intervals with one hand is not a fantastic expertise, and when it is unfolded, the machine can really feel quite unwieldy resulting from its bigger measurement. In actual fact, I really favor the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s 7.6-inch interior display as a result of it is simpler and extra pure to carry in any orientation.

Nonetheless, I would take the comfy 20:9 entrance display facet ratio, on condition that’s how I take advantage of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold more often than not. It is value noting which you can nonetheless really feel and see the fold within the display when the smartphone is completely flat. It is most likely nearly as seen because the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s crease. I did not discover it to be a lot of a problem, however when you had been hoping the Pixel 9 Professional Fold can be the primary machine to get rid of the dreaded fold, you will be disillusioned with Google’s second-generation foldable — it’s there, and you may nonetheless see it.

Much like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s folding show looks like glass and does not have the plasticky really feel of earlier foldable smartphones. The show high quality is crisp and clear, it doesn’t matter what content material you are consuming, however the folding display is sadly tough to view underneath direct daylight, regardless of its spectacular 2,700 nits of peak brightness (which is definitely 100 nits greater than the Fold 6, although the display appears to be like dimmer when evaluating each units). I largely used the foldable indoors throughout my time with it, however underneath direct daylight, the folding display could be fairly exhausting to see.

Pixel 9 Professional Fold digital camera

AI options and digital camera instruments galore

I will not dive too deeply into the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s digital camera efficiency, however its digital camera capabilities lag behind the Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL. The principle f/1.7 48-megapixel digital camera affords very related high quality, however the f/3.1 10.8-megapixel telephoto lens encompasses a larger aperture, regardless of nonetheless providing as much as 5x optical zoom, resulting in grainier photographs in low gentle. The ultra-wide additionally measures in at f/2.2 10.5 megapixels, lagging behind the opposite units within the Pixel 9 lineup and snapping photographs that are not fairly as sharp. The ten-megapixel f/2.2 selfie and inside digital camera additionally don’t examine to the spectacular f/2.2 42-megapixel shooter the Pixel 9 Professional affords. Generally, photographs typically are inclined to lack the distinction the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Professional sequence’ cameras supply.

With all of this in thoughts, does the Pixel 9 Professional Fold snap good photographs? Sure, it undoubtedly does, they simply received’t be one of the best on the market, and given the foldable’s price, that is disappointing. However, this might be a trade-off value making when you’re bought on the smartphone-tablet dream. In the event you’re within the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, you’re seemingly shopping for it since you need the power to hold a pill round in your pocket, quite than a images powerhouse. Nonetheless, the choice to not supply the identical digital camera array within the Pixel 9 Professional Fold because the Pixel 9 Professional is disappointing, given Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 6 options practically the identical shooters because the Galaxy S24 Extremely.

All the key AI options are right here, together with the controversial “Reimagine,” which lets you add practically something to photos with prompts; Magic Eraser, which removes objects from photos with a fast circle; Zoom Improve for photographs; Gemini/Gemini Stay, and extra. In the case of AI-powered options, Google didn’t maintain something again from the Pixel 9 Professional Fold. “Made You Look,” which exhibits a cute animation on the exterior display to get a child’s consideration when snapping a photograph, isn’t one thing I’ll use fairly often, however I can see it coming in helpful given how tough it’s to keep up a toddler’s focus. There’s additionally Twin Display screen Preview, which shows a preview of the {photograph} you take on the outer display. Once more, I seemingly will not use this function typically, however I can see it being helpful when you take photographs of individuals ceaselessly.

Pixel 9 Professional Fold efficiency

First rate battery life and benchmark efficiency

Efficiency has been respectable throughout my roughly week-long expertise with the Pixel 9 Professional Fold. I’ve encountered just a few situations of slowdown and apps which have randomly crashed or lagged. Generally, apps additionally get caught when transitioning between the quilt display and the primary display. I don’t suppose that is the fault of Google’s Tensor G4 chip, however quite a problem with the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s software program expertise not being as easy because the extra mature foldable OS like One UI on the Galaxy Fold 6.

That stated, the expertise has been typically stable when it comes to efficiency. Battery life isn’t mind-blowing, however I might get roughly a full day (till round 7 p.m.) earlier than needing to prime up. Extra intensive actions, like watching motion pictures or enjoying video games, have a tendency to empty the battery a bit extra shortly than my expertise with the Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Professional XL. I feel this seemingly has to do with the truth that the exterior show doesn’t function LTPO know-how, that means it might probably solely go from 60-120Hz and never 1-120Hz just like the Pixel 9 Professional line’s display or the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s inside show.

Relating to Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold scores 2,969 for single-core and 4,777 for multi-core.

Pixel 9 Professional Fold software program

App optimization and multitasking

Not each app takes full benefit of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s 8-inch unfolded show, however the telephone is an unlimited enchancment over the unique Fold. It may possibly nonetheless be irritating at instances, although. For instance, some apps are oddly minimize off on the inside display. Nevertheless, for probably the most half, nearly all of apps look as you’d anticipate in panorama and portrait mode when the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s display is unfolded. Much like Samsung’s foldables, all the important thing apps take full benefit of the bigger 8-inch display, together with Gmail, Docs, Maintain, YouTube, and extra.

The expertise of splitting two apps between each side of the folding show is superb and straightforward to do, due to the taskbar that seems while you swipe up from the underside of the smartphone. You are restricted to simply two apps, in contrast to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, however I haven’t discovered this to be a problem. I can not consider a state of affairs the place I’d need greater than two apps working on the similar time on my telephone.

The Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s sound lags behind different units within the Pixel 9 lineup. It may possibly get lots loud, but it surely sounds hole and simply distorts at larger volumes. In actual fact, I am really stunned at how lackluster it’s in comparison with different high-end smartphones.

Do you have to purchase the Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold?

There’s lots to love about Google’s 2nd gen foldable

The Pixel 9 Professional Fold is extraordinarily costly at $1,799, but when I had been available in the market for a book-style foldable, I’d decide it over the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as a result of I admire its wider cowl show, which permits me to make use of the machine like a traditional smartphone. This fulfills the dream of getting a tiny pill in my pocket always, and I favor that over a barely extra comfortable-to-use inside folding display. Nonetheless, there are compromises, together with its hefty weight and digital camera specs that lag behind the top-tier Pixel 9 Professional sequence.

Does the Pixel 9 Professional Fold nonetheless snap glorious photographs? Undoubtedly. However they don’t seem to be nearly as good as what the Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL are able to taking. Nevertheless, if the thought of carrying each a smartphone and a large pill round with you always is interesting, there’s lots to love about Google’s Pixel 9 Professional Fold.

This machine was offered to Pocket-lint by Google.

Advisable

Pixel 9 Professional Fold