Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Review: This Folding Phone Is A Winner
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Software, User Experience, And AI
While Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold initially shipped with Android 14, it was soon upgraded to Android 15. Google’s Pixel UI continues to deliver a simple yet ultra-polished Android experience, and remains an absolute delight to use. But it’s call assistance features like Call Screen, Direct My Call, and Hold For Me, that really set Google’s software apart, and one of the main reasons people are so loyal to Pixel phones.Now Playing, which shows whatever song is currently playing near you on the lock screen, is another great feature that’s unique to Pixel handsets. Google’s Recorder app, which transcribes voice recordings in real time, still leads the category. And when it comes to AI, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes Google’s Circle To Search, Gemini, and Gemini Live. You also get access to Google Photos’ full suite of AI tools, which are very useful.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also comes with Google Photos’ new cloud-based generative AI features, some of which are more gimmicky. Besides letting you delete, move, and scale objects in images, Reimagine lets you replace objects with AI-prompted content (with mixed results), Auto frame reframes photos (but unfortunately, you can’t specify the final aspect ratio), and Stylized generates stylized versions of your pictures.
Multitasking is another area where the Pixel 9 Pro Fold shines. With Split Screen, you can run two apps side-by-side from the dock, adjust their width, and even drag-and-drop images and text between them. Tabletop mode is similar to Samsung's Flex Mode, and optimizes the layout of select apps (Camera, YouTube) when the device is partially open by placing content on top half and controls on the bottom half of the inner display.
As you’d expect, our Pixel 9 Pro Fold review unit shipped with Google’s familiar suite of apps pre-installed. Otherwise, it was free of bloatware. This is pretty normal for unlocked Pixel handsets (when setup without a SIM installed), but carrier versions might include a few unwanted apps. More importantly, Google is committed to delivering seven years of OS upgrades and security updates for all Pixel phones, which is excellent, representing better overall long term value for this device.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Review Summary
In short, Google’s new Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a winner. Alongside the Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL, it represents a major turning point for Google. With these new handsets, the hardware is no longer playing second (or third) fiddle to the software. You’re getting the same premium, thin and light design as the OnePlus Open, but now with Google’s outstanding Android experience and exceptional computational photography chops. It’s basically the best of both worlds, and it really sets this book-style folding phone apart.
We’re also big fans of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s beautiful displays, excellent cameras, and quality speakers. But obviously, there’s still some room for improvement here. Google’s Tensor G4 performance still lags behind the competition, and this device's charging speeds are comparatively slow. Plus at $1799, this premium folding phone is not cheap. Despite these shortcomings, we feel the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the best book-style folding phone available in the US currently, and among our top five favorite handsets of 2024.
