The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google's latest foldable phone, has arrived. This new model, which follows the original Pixel Fold, was revealed at the Made by Google event in August, shortly after Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event in July.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold seems like an upgrade to last year's Pixel Fold in nearly every way. From new screens to a thinner lighter design and lots of AI features. Despite all of the new additions, Google's new book-style phone comes out at a time when Samsung still dominates the book-style foldable market in the US. The South Korean company just released its sixth generation of the Z Fold. That's a large shadow for Google to find its way out under, but at least on paper, the 9 Pro Fold seems like it stands a chance.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799, a full $100 less than Samsung's $1,900 Galaxy Z Fold 6.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an 8-inch internal screen.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNETThe Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 6.3-inch OLED cover display that opens like a book to reveal an 8-inch OLED inner display. The back cover houses three rear cameras, including a 5x telephoto camera. Two selfie cameras round out the camera setup. Those consist of a 10-megapixel camera on the cover screen, and another one on the inner display.
Since last year, Google has managed to reduce the weight of its flagship foldable device by 26 grams (nearly a full ounce). The Pixel 9 Pro Fold weighs 257 grams, compared to 283 grams in 2023. But it's still heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold 6., which weighs 239 grams. The Pixel Fold 9 Pro does have the edge in terms of thinness, though. It outslims the Z Fold 6 by just under 2mm.
Here is the Galaxy Z Fold 6's 7.6-inch screen.
Lisa Eadiccico/CNETThat thinner design comes with an IPX8 rating for water resistance, meaning it can be submerged under 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes, the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 6. However, Samsung's foldable is rated IP48 meaning and the "4" in the IP-rating means that the Fold 6 can resist solid objects greater than 1 millimeter. Fine particles are still a potential threat, but it should keep out larger dirt grains compared to the 9 Pro Fold.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a larger inner screen than the Z Fold 6, a slightly bigger battery, a higher-resolution front camera, and more RAM. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Z Fold 6 gets 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage for a higher price of $1,900. (You can scroll down to our specs chart below for the granular details.)
Taking a picture of your kids can be challenging. And Made You Look aims to help by putting playful animations on the cover screen to help keep your children looking at the camera.
Rich Peterson/CNETSize is a factor for consideration when deciding on a device as the heft of book-style foldable phones has been a drawback for shoppers when it comes to adopting this subcategory of smartphones. The Honor Magic V3 and Xiaomi Mix Fold 4, which are tied for the title of world's lightest book-style foldable phone, weigh 226 grams.
Google promises seven years of Android OS updates for the Pixel Fold 9 Pro, which matches the OS upgrades on the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
For more information on how the Pixel 9 Pro Fold stacks up against the Galaxy Z Fold 6, take a look at our specs chart below for a side-by-side comparison.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6
| 6.3-inch OLED; 2,424 x 1,080 pixels; 60-120 Hz variable refresh rate | 6.3-inch AMOLED; 2,376x968 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate |
| 8-inch OLED; 2,152 x 2,076 pixels, 1-120 Hz variable refresh rate (LTPO) | 7.6-inch AMOLED; 2,160x1,856 pixels;1-120Hz variable refresh rate |
| Cover: 422 ppi; Internal: 373 ppi | Cover: 410 ppi; Internal: 374 ppi |
| Open: 6.1x5.9x0.2 in; Closed: 6.1x3x0.4 in | Open: 6.04x5.21x0.22 in; Closed: 6.04x2.68x0.48 in |
| Open: 155x150x5.1 mm; Closed: 155x76.2x10.16 mm | Open: 153.5x132.5x5.6mm; Closed: 153.5x68.1x12.1mm |
| 257g (9.1 oz) | 239g (8.43 oz) |
| Android 14 | Android 14 |
| 48-megapixel (wide), 10.5-megapixel (ultrawide), 10.8-megapixel (5x telephoto) | 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) |
| 10-megapixel (inner screen); 10-megapixel (cover screen) | 4-megapixel (inner screen under-display); 10-megapixel (cover screen) |
| 4K | 8K |
| Tensor G4 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| 16GB + 256GB, 512GB | 12GB + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| None | None |
| 4,650 mAh | 4,400 mAh |
| Side | Side |
| USB-C | USB-C |
| None | None |
| IPX8 rating, 7 years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates, Satellite SOS, Wi-Fi 7, ultrawideband chip, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover and back glass, cover screen peek brightness 2,700 nits, internal screen peek brightness 2,700 nits, 45W wired fast charging (Charger not included), Qi-certified, free Google VPN, Super Res Zoom, Add Me, Face Unblur, Made You Look, Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Best Take and Video Boost | IP48 rating, 25W wired charging, wireless charging and powershare, 3x optical zoom (up to 10x digital and 30x Space Zoom with AI Super Resolution tech) |
| $1,799 (256GB) | $1,900 (256GB) |
| Converts to £1,410 (256GB) | £1,799 (256GB) |
| Converts to AU$2,770 (256GB) | AU$2,749 (256GB) |
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