Pixel 9 Pro Fold One Year Later: How Google Caught Up To Samsung In Just Two Generations

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold was 1 of my favourite gadgets of 2024 to nan constituent wherever it moreover landed connected our database of nan biggest winners of nan year. Not only was it a worthy replacement to Samsung's long-running Galaxy Z Fold phones, its straightforward creation erstwhile again proved that keeping things elemental is often nan wisest measurement to go. It turns out, nan champion attack to foldable telephone creation is to make thing that's nan aforesaid size and style arsenic a regular handset, but conscionable happens to person a large elastic show hidden inside.

However, aft utilizing nan Pixel 9 Pro Fold (which I will mention to arsenic nan P9PF for short) for conscionable awkward of a year, I wanted to re-review nan instrumentality to bespeak connected really it held up aft 11 months of deterioration and tear and to see what Google mightiness beryllium capable to amended connected nan adjacent model.

Design and features

Google figured retired thing erstwhile it shifted distant from nan short and squat dimensions of nan original Pixel Fold for its 2nd foldable phone. By making nan Pixel 9 Pro Fold's exterior show fundamentally nan aforesaid size arsenic a normal Pixel 9, nan institution eliminated immoderate disorder for erstwhile you conscionable want to quickly nonstop a text, cheque a representation aliases doomscroll connected societal media. The evident downside to this is that erstwhile you unfastened nan telephone up, its interior show has fundamentally a quadrate facet ratio, which isn't awesome for watching movies. However, pinch an accrued size of 8 inches across, nan P9PF still has 1 of nan largest elastic panels around, truthful it's not for illustration anyone was really hurting for surface existent estate. And for worldly for illustration games, comics aliases ebooks, it's arguably moreover better. If manufacturers were capable to bring nan value of foldables down, they mightiness termination nan marketplace for mini tablets (nine inches and under) overnight.

On apical of that, dissimilar Samsung’s foldables, nan Pixel 9 Pro Fold didn't really sacrifice connected camera value aliases features. It has a 5x optical zoom conscionable for illustration you get connected a modular Pixel 9 Pro, and while it doesn't person nan aforesaid main sensor, you'd beryllium hard-pressed to show unless you do immoderate superior side-by-side pixel peeping. Plus, you get nosy devices for illustration Look astatine Me that are only imaginable owed to its foldable design, not to mention different nifty features for illustration Add Me.

Granted, Google's Tensor G4 spot lags down balanced Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. But it's still accelerated capable for everything I’ve thrown astatine it, speech from possibly hardcore video editing aliases nan astir demanding games. And I support that foldable phones are still nan champion devices for mobile trading paper apps for illustration Marvel Snap aliases Pokémon TCG Pocket. The beingness of a large surface that tin beryllium deployed aliases hidden distant astatine a moment's announcement is cleanable for matches that only past a mates of minutes, truthful you tin compression a information successful beautiful overmuch anyplace aliases immoderate time.

Durability

I'm not a instrumentality of cases. That’s existent moreover connected foldables, because while they are much vulnerable than a emblematic smartphone, nan added bulk and heft that comes pinch astir aftermarket protectors are conscionable benignant of annoying. Furthermore, particularly successful caller years, astir foldables are mostly reliable capable to withstand life's mundane drops and tumbles. Unless you're retired location regularly burying your telephone successful nan soil aliases dropping it connected concrete, my acquisition pinch erstwhile foldables (from both Samsung and Google) has maine emotion comparatively assured astir their wide durability.

That said, I did make 1 mini alteration erstwhile surviving pinch nan P9PF. Instead of a case, I installed a tegument from Dbrand (which I bought myself) to springiness nan telephone a mini other cushion successful nan back. Granted, location are still respective scratches and dings connected its framework and beforehand screen. But that was benignant of nan point. I wanted to spot really Google's second-gen foldable would clasp up pinch minimal protection and this telephone has astir apt taken much of a beating than immoderate instrumentality I've owned to date.

Fun fact: I changeable and edited nan review photos for nan Pixel 9 Pro Fold conscionable an hr earlier I had to spell to nan infirmary for nan commencement of my daughter. And successful nan clip since, nan P9PF has been spat up on, crawled on, walked connected by my three-year-old boy and fallen retired of my pouch during bathtime a countless number of times. And for nan astir part, it's taken those hits for illustration a boxer pinch an robust chin (or successful Google's case, aluminum).

If you're really trying to maximize resale value, you whitethorn want thing much substantial. For everyone else, nan summation of a tegument and a surface protector for its exterior show is each you really need. My Pixel 9 Pro Fold's interior surface is still pristine aft almost a year. Yes, it has a crease, but if that's an issue, you whitethorn ne'er beryllium capable to ain a foldable phone. Or astatine nan very least, not successful nan adjacent future. Meanwhile, nan blemishes elsewhere aren't distracting capable to make utilizing nan P9PF immoderate little enjoyable. Though everyone is different, truthful you whitethorn consciousness otherwise.

Potential concerns

The 1 imaginable rumor going guardant is that successful conscionable nan past mates of weeks, I've noticed nan telephone occasionally takes longer to move connected nan soul show aft opening it up. It doesn’t hap each clip and it'll usually hole itself successful a fewer seconds aliases aft a mates taps. Furthermore, sometimes nan phone's SIM paper will extremity moving too, which tin beryllium addressed by resetting nan Pixel's net connections.

While I haven't been capable to corroborate if this is owed to a package update (like a caller Android patch) aliases thing loose wrong (possibly a shaky show cable), it sounds very akin to a thread I spotted precocious on Reddit. Based connected nan post, nan proprietor of that P9PF takes overmuch amended attraction of their telephone than I do, which suggests nan origin whitethorn beryllium related to build value aliases its underlying creation alternatively of elemental deterioration and tear. Regardless, if you ain a Pixel 9 Pro Fold and person besides tally into this issue, fto maine cognize truthful I tin analyse this further.

Future outlook

Even pinch a imaginable work telephone clouding nan early of my Pixel 9 Pro Fold, I've thoroughly enjoyed my clip pinch it complete nan past year. Pairing a bigger elastic surface pinch best-in-class cameras and a elemental but very effective creation is simply a winning look for a modern foldable. And while I don't expect a afloat redesign this twelvemonth aft nan large jump we sewage from nan OG Pixel Fold, if Google tin tweak small things for illustration nan awkward-looking area successful nan apical near of its exterior display, amended durability and possibly summation nan artillery capacity successful summation to its accustomed assortment of yearly AI-powered devices and features, nan Pixel 10 Pro Fold could beryllium a very coagulated followup.

However, nan presence of nan Galaxy Z Fold 7 intends Google has immoderate activity to do. I'm waiting to spot what nan adjacent foldable Pixel brings (and hopefully nan OnePlus Open 2 arsenic well) earlier picking which telephone I want to usage for nan adjacent year. Unless Google aliases OnePlus tin lucifer nan exquisite thinness, fantabulous capacity and improved artillery life connected Samsung's latest flagship, I consciousness for illustration I'm going to beryllium doing nan gadget type of nan distracted fellow meme each clip I spell to prime up a importantly thicker rival. That said, things for illustration Google's package and superior cameras mightiness propulsion maine back.

But possibly nan astir awesome point is that aft conscionable 2 generations, nan Pixel Fold statement has almost wholly caught up to nan latest Z Fold pinch nan chance to propulsion up adjacent week. And for anyone who's ever considering getting a foldable telephone (or possibly moreover their second, 3rd aliases fourth), that's precisely nan benignant of title I for illustration to see.