Review: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold goes bigger, possibly better than Samsung

Meet Google’s new answer to Samsung’s folding phone range. It’s bigger but is it better? We find out.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $2699 for the 256GB model.

Google’s new folding phone may be just the perfect device for your grandma. Although the US tech giant likely won’t appreciate its most advanced smartphone to date being likened to a toy for grandparents, I do have a theory.

You remember the iPad generation? No, not toddlers playing games from the pram but the middle-aged folk you’d see at a tourist attraction whipping out a device the size of a dinner plate to snap a picture. Those people now have a new friend.

It’s an incredibly smart device that not only allows them to play Wordle, solitaire or Words with Friends at a size that’s easy to see but also to make calls and send text messages outside Apple’s ecosystem. It takes much better pictures, folds up to a reasonable size to carry in a pocket and has a few cool AI-powered features.

Members of the media view the new Google Pixel Fold phone during a developers conference last year. Picture: AFP

The only issue is the price, which starts at $2699 for the 256GB model.

Don’t get me wrong; by all accounts the Google Pixel Pro 9 Fold is an impressive smartphone.

And if we were to compare it with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5, we’d be leaning towards Google because of the phone’s size, shape and weight.

But there’s something about Google smartphones being so simple to use that I can’t get past thinking they’re an older person’s phone. That and the fact I’ve met only one person under the age of 30, also a journalist (sorry, Gary), with a folding phone.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold weighs in at 257g, which is heavier than its Samsung counterpart.

Let’s jump into the specs. On its size, this to us is one of the highlights, arriving much wider than the Z Fold5, so much so it appears like a regular phone when folded, even 1mm shorter and wider alongside the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

It weighs just 257g, which is heavier than its Samsung counterpart, but the size difference and weight distribution mean you won’t feel it. And in the pocket you wouldn’t know the difference between Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL and the 9 Pro Fold.

When unfolded, you’re getting yourself an 8-inch tablet that is quite nice in the hand.

You know those times when you strain your eyes looking at a smartphone, wishing things were slightly bigger? They’re all but gone with this device.

Like any good folding phone it has split-screen functionality, allowing multi-taskers to use several apps at once.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold camera system is pretty cool.

The Fold packs a 4650mAh battery, slightly smaller than the Pro XL’s 5060mAh, and promises up to 72 hours’ use in extreme battery saver mode. While the battery is slightly smaller than what you’d get in most premium smartphones, it is to be expected given the limitations of a folding device.

But the device is kind of limited. There’s no stylus option and limited accessories compared with competitors.

The camera system is pretty cool, with a 48-megapixel wide lens, a 10.5-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto lens on the rear and a 10-megapixel selfie lens on the front.

The new range comes with some features from Google’s AI product Gemini, such as the ability to pull information from screenshots. The verdict? We like it, a lot even. I can’t say I’m ready to jump from iPhone, but I’ve had fun playing around with this one.