Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Is a Sleek Foldable With Compromised Cameras

After the Pixel Fold landed to mixed reception last year, Google is taking another swing at a folding phone. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold doubles down on the productivity benefits of a large inner display and features Google’s newest and best AI features. However, the latest expensive Pixel phone still lacks the photo features of the Pixel 9 Pro series.

A New Design and a Big Internal Display

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold features a new, more durable design. In its folded form, it works like a traditional phone and has similar dimensions. The device is 6.1 inches tall (155.2 millimeters), three inches wide (77.1 millimeters), and 0.4 inches (10.5 millimeters) deep, just 0.1 inches (two millimeters) thicker than the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL.

The front external screen is a 6.3-inch Actua display with 1,080 x 2,424 pixels and 422 PPI resolution. The OLED has a variable refresh rate of 60 to 120Hz. The screen can get as bright as 1,800 nits when viewing HDR content and can peak at up to 2,700 nits in certain situations.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold springs to life when unfolded. Its internal screen is an eight-inch Super Actua Flex display with 2,076 x 2,152 pixels. The OLED has 373 PPI resolution, a variable refresh rate from one to 120Hz, and brightness up to 1,600 nits for HDR and 2,700 nits of overall peak brightness.

When unfolded, the device is still 6.1 inches (155.2 millimeters) tall, of course, but is 5.9 inches (150.2 millimeters) wide and 0.2 inches (5.1 millimeters) thick.

The device weighs 9.1 ounces (257 grams) in total, which is 1.3 ounces (36 grams) heavier than the new Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Camera Features

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has camera features that put it in between the standard Pixel 9 device and the Pixel 9 Pro series smartphones. That said, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s main (wide) camera has a smaller image sensor than the rest of the Pixel 9 family. This is common for foldables, as there is less space to include the latest, largest camera modules. In most cases, there’s a compromise regarding photo features.

Specifically, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 48-megapixel Quad PD wide camera with a Type 1/2 image sensor, f/1.7 lens, and 82-degree field of view. The Pixel 9, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL all have the identical 50-megapixel Octa PD Wide Camera with a Type 1/1.31 sensor.

Moving to the ultrawide camera, this is another area where the 9 Pro Fold comes up short compared to its 9-series siblings. The folding phone has a 10.5-megapixel Dual PD ultrawide camera with an f/2.2 aperture, a 127-degree field of view, and a small Type 1/3.4 sensor. The three other Pixel 9 smartphones all have a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera with a Type 1/2.55 sensor.

However, unlike the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a telephoto camera, albeit not the same as the Pixel 9 Pro. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 10.8-megapixel Dual PD telephoto camera, an f/3.1 lens, and 5x optical zoom. The sensor is a Type 1/3.2, whereas the 9 Pro’s 48-megapixel telephoto camera, which also has 5x zoom, has a Type 1/2.55 sensor.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has two more cameras — its front-facing modules for both usage scenarios (folded and unfolded). Both are 10-megapixel Dual PD cameras with f/2.2 lenses.

Additional camera features include Super Res Zoom up to 20x, Pro controls, Macro Focus, Night Sight, Hands-free astrophotography, Portrait mode, Face Unblur, Long Exposure, Panorama, and more. There’s also the new AI-powered Add Me mode, which is featured in the other new Pixel 9 phones. This lets a person snap a group photo, hand the phone to someone else, and jump in for a subsequent shot. AI then combines these two images to include everyone in the frame.

As for video, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has Night Sight Video, promising improved video quality in low-light situations. It also uses AI noise reduction to further improve the quality of footage. The rear camera can shoot 4K/60p video in standard modes and slo-mo video up to 240 frames per second. When using the rear camera, users can also shoot 10-bit HDR video.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold Has AI and Productivity in Spades

Beyond some photo and video modes that leverage AI to improve quality, there are also Magic Eraser and Magic Editor modes that help photographers improve their shots after the fact through suggested crops, object removal, and generative fill.

The device also features Pixel Screenshots, a new Pixel-exclusive AI feature that uses Gemini Nano to save, organize, and recall important information from screenshots. The device includes Gemini Assistant to answer questions, help digest information, and perform on-device functions and tasks. Like with the Pixel 9 Pro, the 9 Pro Fold comes with a year of access to Google One AI Premium at no additional cost, which includes Gemini Advanced, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, and 2TB of cloud storage.

A significant benefit of the Pixel Fold’s design is the dual-screen workflow. This allows users to work with two apps simultaneously. Google’s latest Tensor G4 chip and 16GB of RAM drive this performance. As Ted Kritsonis explains in PetaPixel‘s Pixel 9 Pro Fold Hands-on Impressions, the dual-screen design is also great for photographers. By partially folding the device, users basically have a tabletop tripod with them at all times. The multi-screen design also makes it easy to frame shots, including selfies.

Pricing and Availability

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold packs a lot of exciting technology and has a price to match. The device is available to order now ahead of a September 4th launch, starting at $1,799 for the 256GB model. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes in two colors: Obsidian and Porcelain. Like other Pixel devices, it ships with Android 14 and promises seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates.

Image credits: Google