The device Google should have made the first time around
In the evolving story of how we carry the world in our pockets, Google has returned with a second attempt at the folding phone — thinner, brighter, and more considered than its predecessor. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold arrives at $1,799, not as a radical reinvention, but as a quiet correction: a device that asks whether thoughtful design and software intelligence can hold their own against raw processing power. It is a question the foldable market, still finding its footing, has not yet fully answered.
- Google's first foldable left room for doubt — the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a direct response, arriving slimmer, lighter, and with screens that now claim the largest foldable display real estate in the U.S.
- At 5.1mm unfolded and nearly an ounce lighter than its predecessor, the device undercuts Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 on thinness — but benchmarks reveal it trails both Samsung and OnePlus in raw processing speed.
- The Tensor G4 chip powers a suite of AI features — group photo merging, call transcription, and image search — that attempt to reframe the performance conversation around intelligence rather than speed.
- A missing Video Boost feature and a modest camera hardware update signal that this is still a device navigating trade-offs, not one that has resolved them.
- Seven years of software support and a price held steady at $1,799 position the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as a long-term bet — one whose true standing in the foldable race will sharpen as real-world testing accumulates.
Google's second foldable phone feels like the device the company meant to build from the start. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold arrives at $1,799 — unchanged in price from its predecessor — but meaningfully changed in form: thinner, lighter, and equipped with larger screens on both sides of the fold.
The physical refinements are immediately apparent. A stainless steel hinge and aluminum alloy cover bring the unfolded thickness down to 5.1mm, edging past Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 at 5.6mm. The phone also sheds nearly an ounce compared to the original Fold. Inside, the display grows to 8 inches — the largest foldable screen currently sold in the United States — while the cover screen expands from 5.8 to 6.3 inches. Both panels reach a claimed peak brightness of 2,700 nits, with testing landing close at 2,319.
Powering the device is the Tensor G4 chip, a generational leap from the G2 found in the original Fold. The honest caveat: Google's in-house silicon has never led on raw performance, and benchmarks confirm the Pixel 9 Pro Fold falls behind Snapdragon-equipped rivals like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the OnePlus Open. What the Tensor G4 does well is AI — enabling features like Add Me for compositing group photos, Call Notes for recording and summarizing conversations, and Pixel Screenshots for searching image content. A year of Gemini Advanced is bundled in.
Camera hardware saw only minor changes — the ultrawide lens actually lost a fraction of a megapixel — but software tools like Reimagine, which edits photos via text prompts, help close the gap. Notably absent are Video Boost and Super Res Zoom video features available on other Pixel 9 models.
The phone launches with Android 14 and has since received Android 15, backed by a newly extended seven-year software and security support window — a substantial upgrade over the original Fold's coverage. Available in Obsidian and Porcelain with 256GB or 512GB of storage, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a more complete product than its predecessor, even if the question of whether refinement alone can match the competition remains open.
Google's second foldable phone is here, and it looks like the device the company should have made the first time around. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold arrives at $1,799—the same price as its predecessor—with a noticeably thinner frame, larger screens on both the inside and outside, and a fresh set of AI-powered features that lean on the new Tensor G4 chip.
The physical improvements are the first thing you notice. The hinge is now stainless steel with an aluminum alloy cover, and it's been engineered to make the phone slimmer: 5.1mm when unfolded, compared to 5.8mm on the original Pixel Fold. That might sound like a small difference, but it's enough to beat Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6, which measures 5.6mm. The phone also weighs nearly a full ounce less than its predecessor, making it easier to slip into a pocket. The camera module has been redesigned too, moving from a horizontal bar across the back to a rectangular array with stacked lenses.
What really sets this version apart is the screen real estate. Google has trimmed the bezels around the interior display, expanding it to 8 inches—the largest foldable screen currently available in the United States. The cover display grew as well, from 5.8 inches to 6.3 inches, thanks to a narrower aspect ratio. Both screens are brighter than before, with Google claiming a peak brightness of 2,700 nits. Testing showed the phone reached 2,319 nits, which is close enough to the company's promise.
Under the hood sits the Tensor G4, a significant jump from the Tensor G2 in the original Fold. But here's the catch: Google's homemade chips have never been performance powerhouses, and benchmarks confirm the Pixel 9 Pro Fold lags behind rivals using Snapdragon processors. The Galaxy Z Fold 6, which launched a month earlier at $1,899, outperforms it in raw speed. The OnePlus Open, still the cheapest option at $1,699, also edges ahead on processing power.
What the Tensor G4 does deliver is AI. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes features like Add Me, which lets you insert yourself into group photos by merging two shots together, and Call Notes, which records and summarizes phone conversations. There's also Pixel Screenshots, allowing you to search the contents of images you've captured. Google includes a year's subscription to Gemini Advanced, its more capable chatbot. Camera hardware barely changed—the ultrawide lens actually dropped from 10.8MP to 10.5MP—but Google compensated with software smarts. The Reimagine feature lets you edit photos using text prompts, and Made You Look displays animations on the cover screen to catch kids' attention while shooting.
One notable absence: the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is missing some video features available on other Pixel 9 models, including Video Boost with AI, which upscales 4K footage to 8K resolution. It also doesn't support 20x lossless video with Super Res Zoom.
The phone launches running Android 14 but has since received the Android 15 update. Google is also extending software support to seven years of updates and security patches, a significant improvement over the three years of software updates and five years of security coverage the original Fold received. The device is available now in Obsidian and Porcelain, with 256GB or 512GB storage options, at major retailers, carriers, and the Google Store. Whether these refinements are enough to compete with Samsung and OnePlus will become clearer as reviewers put the device through its paces.
Citas Notables
This is the phone we wish the original Pixel Fold had been from day one— Tom's Guide reviewer John Velasco
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold absolutely annihilated the Z Fold 6 in camera testing— Tom's Guide testing
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Google keep calling this the "Pro Fold" instead of just the Pixel Fold 2?
It's part of the Pixel 9 lineup—the company wanted to signal that this is a premium device alongside the Pixel 9 Pro phone. The naming also lets them position it as a more serious competitor in the foldable market.
The original Pixel Fold came out less than a year ago. Why redesign it so quickly?
Google delayed the second-generation foldable so it could ship with the Tensor G4 chip, which powers the entire Pixel 9 series. That meant a bigger jump in processing power, even if the raw performance still trails Samsung and OnePlus.
You mentioned the camera hardware actually got worse—the ultrawide sensor dropped in megapixels. How is that an upgrade?
Google is betting on software over hardware. The AI-powered photo features like Reimagine and Add Me are supposed to compensate. In testing, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold actually outperformed the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in camera quality, so the strategy seems to be working.
What's the real weakness here?
Performance. The Tensor G4 just isn't competitive with Snapdragon chips. If you care about speed and gaming, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or OnePlus Open will feel snappier. Google's strength is in AI and photography, not raw power.
Is the price justified?
At $1,799, it's the same as the original Fold but $100 cheaper than Samsung's new Z Fold 6. You're getting a thinner phone, bigger screens, and a year of Gemini Advanced. Whether that's worth it depends on whether you value Google's AI features or Samsung's performance and ecosystem.
What's the most surprising thing about this phone?
That Google managed to make it thinner than Samsung's foldable while also expanding the screens. The engineering on the hinge is genuinely impressive—it's a real refinement over the first generation.