The top 10 Google Pixel 9 Pro features

Flagship smartphones come with a hefty price tag, and foldable phones raise the bar even further. While the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold hasn’t had a price hike, it’s hard to justify spending $1,800 on a smartphone. If you’re considering an upgrade, weigh the features that make the Pixel 9 Pro Fold stand out. Google set a high bar with the original Pixel Fold, one of the best foldable phones, and expectations are high for its successor. We explore the top features to help you decide if this new foldable is worth your money.

1 Dual display marvel

Bringing multitasking to a new level

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold features an 8-inch Super Actua Flex inner display with a 2,076 x 2,152 OLED display. The display offers over 16 million colors, deep blacks, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Supporting HDR and reaching up to 1,800 nits, this screen delivers an immersive experience. The 6.3-inch outer screen, featuring a 1,080 x 2,424 OLED display and 2,700 nits peak brightness, ensures clarity even under bright sunlight.

This innovative dual-screen design unlocks a new set of possibilities. Capture selfies and group photos using the high-resolution rear camera. The outer screen is a convenient preview to get the perfect shot.

Video calls are more engaging. With participants visible on both screens, group conversations become more interactive. And when it’s time to multitask, the dual screens allow you to attend a video call on one screen while jotting down notes or browsing the web on the other, without missing a beat.

2 Maximum pixel, minimum bulk

Unfolds the largest display with a slim 5.1mm profile

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold redefines foldable technology with its slim design. It has the largest inner display of any mobile device and is one of the thinnest foldable on the market. It measures 10.5mm when unfolded and 5.1mm when folded, making it convenient to carry.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold features a taller and narrower cover screen than its predecessor. A slimmer, more refined look has replaced the bulky bezels of the old design, thanks to the new hinge made from multi-alloy steel and covered in aerospace-grade aluminum alloy.

3 Powered by Tensor G4 and Gemini

Get the right info right when you need it

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s Gemini AI assistant integrates Google’s AI capabilities into the phone, leveraging the full potential of the new Tensor G4 processor. This processor allows Gemini to deliver advanced multitasking features that seamlessly adapt to your personal and professional needs.

For example, it can pull party details from a Gmail invitation, help plan your event by creating lists and reminders, and suggest nearby bakeries through Google Maps. This deep integration ensures Gemini provides highly relevant insights and actions based on the content you view and your queries.

Your purchase also comes with a one-year Google One subscription, which expands Gemini’s capabilities. The plan includes Gemini Advanced, which offers deeper integration with Gmail and Google Docs, allowing for more complex tasks like summarizing emails and drafting documents. The plan also includes 2TB of cloud storage, ensuring extensive space for data backup and convenient access to your files and photos from any device.

4 Pixel Screenshots

A smarter way to capture and recall​​​​​

Pixel Screenshots saves, organizes, and recalls items from screenshots, making it useful for professionals and students. For instance, when you take a screenshot of a meeting presentation, Gemini generates a title like “Q3 Sales Meeting” and summarizes key points, such as revenue targets and deadlines. If you snap a screenshot of a recipe, it might label it as “Spaghetti Bolognese” and highlight the ingredients and cooking steps.

Searching for screenshots is also simple. Type “flight details” or say, “What’s the Wi-Fi code from the café?” Gemini surfaces the relevant screenshot. The app suggests actions, like offering a “Search in Maps” button if it detects an address in your screenshot. Plus, you can set reminders for screenshots, like prompting you to revisit a screenshot of an article when you have more time.

Unlike Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature, Google chose a more secure approach. In Pixel Screenshots, the AI only processes the photos you save on your device to keep them private. You can turn it off at any time.

5 Call Notes

Never forget important details again​​

Call Notes stores a private summary of your conversations, allowing for quick retrieval of information like appointment times, addresses, or call-back numbers. When you turn on Call Notes, the details and transcript are securely saved in your call log. The feature operates on your device for privacy. All callers are notified when it’s in use.

6 Three lenses, perfect pictures

New levels of intelligence in photography

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold features a triple rear camera system comprising a 48MP wide lens, a 10.5MP ultrawide lens, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens. Google also overhauled its imaging pipeline, ensuring photos are more true-to-life with perfect contrast, exposure, color balance, and shadow detail.

The telephoto lens features 5x optical zoom and up to 20x Super Res Zoom, perfect for detailed shots of distant subjects. However, the standout is the new AI capabilities, which bring a new level of intelligence to photography.

Add me​​​​​

Think of a time when you wanted to take a perfect photo with your friend in front of the Statue of Liberty, but one of you had to step aside to take the shot or ask a stranger to do it. Rather than handing your phone to a stranger, Add Me makes this easy.

The Add me mode asks you to scan your surroundings. Then, you photograph your friend in front of Lady Liberty, switch places, and they take your picture. The app overlays a ghosted image of your friend in the camera preview, helping you align the shot. The two images are merged to make it look like you were side by side the whole time.

Reimagine​​

Reimagine is the latest feature added to Google’s Magic Editor. With this new tool, when you select an area of the photo, a text box appears in that spot and you can describe what you want to see in that place. The more specific you are in your description, the better your results will be. For example, to add a flower garden to a plain field, type “blooming garden with colorful flowers” and watch it happen. The more descriptive you are, the better your results will be.

Reimagine is especially effective when used on backgrounds and objects rather than on people.

Auto Frame

Like Reimagine, Auto Frame is part of Magic Editor. When editing a photo, selecting Auto Frame gives you four framing options. It might extend the background above or to the right, tweak the crop, and improve the composition. These adjustments create a polished and well-balanced photo.

Made You Look

Capturing a child’s perfect smile can be difficult, especially when they’re easily distracted. With Made You Look, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold solves this by displaying a fun animation on the outer screen, drawing your child’s focus as you take the shot.

Tripod-free long exposures and astrophotography

Stabilizing the camera is a constant challenge in photography, especially when taking photos of stars or long exposures that require the aperture to stay open longer. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold addresses this by offering a tripod-free solution. In tabletop mode, the phone balances well. Activate the Night Sight feature, and within minutes, you’ll have a high-resolution image that was once very difficult to capture.

7 Pixel Studio

Your creative playground​​​​​​​

Pixel Studio is another new addition to Google’s AI arsenal, offering a unique image generation experience. Powered by an on-device diffusion model on the Tensor G4 and the Imagen 3 text-to-image model in the cloud, Pixel Studio turns your ideas into images with customizable styles and personal stickers. According to Google, the app requires an internet connection to work.

8 Your data, your security

How the Pixel 9 Pro Fold keeps you safe

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has advanced security features to safeguard your data and device. Here are some of the security measures that ensure your safety and privacy.

Pixel VPN

The device includes Google’s VPN, which is provided at no extra charge and encrypts your internet connection to secure your online activities. This protection is valuable when using public Wi-Fi, ensuring your browsing, streaming, and downloads remain private and safe from threats.

Malware and phishing defense

The phone features advanced spam protection in Google Phone and Messages, effectively filtering out potentially harmful communications before they reach you. It also has integrated anti-malware and anti-phishing technologies that work around the clock to protect your device from harmful software and websites.

9 7 years of updates

Long-term support for your Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Google guarantees seven years of updates for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, ensuring your device remains current with the latest software improvements and security patches. This long-term support ensures your device remains reliable, secure, and a wise investment.

10 Google’s Satellite SOS

A competitor to Apple’s Emergency SOS

Google’s Satellite SOS, a competitor to Apple’s Emergency SOS (available only on iPhones), offers similar functionality. When you’re out of signal range, tap the Satellite SOS button to fill out a questionnaire describing your emergency, and you’re connected with an emergency service provider for text-based communication. It’s also possible to notify emergency contacts. Like Apple’s solution, Google’s Satellite SOS works no matter which carrier you use.

A worthy upgrade

The Pixel lineup always sets a high bar with its impressive AI features, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold continues Google’s tradition. It improves the consumer experience by expanding on the best capabilities that Pixel phones offer. It seems Google listened to feedback, as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold addresses many of the original model’s weaknesses. With shipments beginning in September, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold could be worth its price as your next daily driver.