OPINION: Google has launched its new slate of Pixel devices earlier than usual this year, getting ahead of Apple and coming just a few weeks after Samsung showed off its new foldable range.
The move is a smart one by the search engine giant. I’ve always felt the traditional October launch for Pixel devices came too late, shoehorned into a very busy period of releases and often forgot about as a result. Now, this August release comes at a relatively slow period with no other huge launches aiming to grab the attention.
It’s also allowed Google to merge two product lines, the futuristic foldable Fold and the more traditional numbered Pixel phones. In 2023, the first Pixel Fold came out earlier in the year, whereas the Pixel 8 arrived after the iPhone 15 – this year we’re getting foldable and candybar phones together.
Google’s latest round of devices includes three traditional phones in the form of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. it also includes the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the successor to the original Pixel Fold and, upon early inspection, looks to be what the Pixel Fold should have been when it first launched.
The Pixel Fold was a bit of an outlier from the rest of the foldable competition. It had a passport-shaped body with a very wide outer screen and squat overall dimensions. It resulted in a dense, heavy device that was actually more useable when it was closed rather than opened out like a book, quite the opposite of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
When I picked up the Fold for the first time, it felt like the first-gen product it was. A nice idea, but one that lacked the correct execution, both in the hardware and software.
Our reviewer Lewis said as much in the conclusion of his review, “The Google Pixel Fold will be a great foldable – just probably not until the second-gen device. There’s a lot of promise from the foldable, but early manufacturing issues like a noticeable crease and a hinge that doesn’t open completely flat stop it from being an instant recommendation, especially at the ultra-high price.”
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Google has waited a little over a year to follow up the Pixel Fold, and it looks to have been the right decision. The new naming scheme, tying it into the Pixel 9 series as a whole almost feels like a reboot. This isn’t the Pixel Fold 2, but a foldable version of the Pixel 9 Pro.
Most of the 9 Pro’s headline features are on the Pro Fold, including the same Tensor G4 chip, 16GB RAM, 45w charging support and plenty of Google Gemini features.
The camera isn’t quite on par with the standard Pixel 9 Pro, an issue that likely comes down to not having enough space in the chassis to fit in all the components. There’s a 48MP main camera, but only 10.8MP and 10.5MP sensors behind the telephoto and ultrawide lenses
Still, Google is offsetting this will its wealth of AI camera features so we’ll have to see what the results are when we get the Fold in for review.
Out of all our issues with the Pixel Fold’s design, the dodgy hinge and its inability to fold completely flat stood out. It’s great, then, to see Google has focussed on this as one of the main areas to update. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an updated hinge that allows it to sit fully flat without you having to press it into place.
There are other durability improvements too, including Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass for added scratch resistance. I’ll have to wait to get the phone into Trusted Reviews Labs to see whether or not the crease has been reduced, or even completely eradicated.
The overall look of the phone has been changed too. I am going to miss the squashed passport look for the excellent outer display, however I think the more traditional aspect ratio and the new 8-inch inner display will work better on the whole. The outer 20:9 panel matches up with the OnePlus Open, a foldable we love even a year after its release, and it should make for a similar overall shape to the OnePlus device.
Importantly, the Pro 9 Fold is thinner and nearly 30g lighter than the outgoing model, both of which should help make it more comfortable to hold and use for longer periods.
Of course, I will need to properly test the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to see how it really stacks up against not only its predecessor but also the best foldable phones on the market. However, from first impressions, this reboot seems to fix many of the issues that plagued the original Pixel Fold. A smarter design, a larger focus on durability and a reduction in weight and thickness are all steps in the right direction.