Your Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold questions, answered

After months of rumors and leaks, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is finally here. Ahead of our review of Google’s foldable reinvention, I’m here to answer the questions that Android Police readers left for us last week. While I won’t be able to get to every topic — again, full review coming very soon — this should give those commenters, and readers across the internet, a good idea as to what to expect from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

If you didn’t get a response in for this round, keep an eye out during product launches for your questions. In fact, you can ask anything about the Pixel Watch 3 right now.

11 How’s the battery life hold up under real world conditions?

Asked by Mark and Adam

By far the most pressing question asked by our readers, and it has a fairly simple answer. It’s about what you’d expect from a Tensor G4-powered foldable. All three regular Pixel 9s impressed us with some pretty rock-solid battery life, and unsurprisingly, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold follows suit. But I’d also say it depends on which display you’re using more often. On days where I have the device unfolded more than folded, my screen-on time is vastly shorter than if I prioritize the main screen. Still, I usually end up with around 5 hours of screen-on time, which is a little shorter than what I’ve seen on my smaller Pixel 9 Pro.

I haven’t had to recharge in the middle of a day yet, if that gives you any idea of my real world testing, though I’ve come close to considering it. I wish this device charged faster than its max of 27W — this is an $1,800 “Pro” phone, Google, get it up to speed — but overnight charging hasn’t been an issue. I’ll have a few occasions before my final review to really put the Pixel 9 Pro Fold through its paces, though, especially as far as longevity is concerned.

10 Which AI features are actually useful to everyday users?

Asked by Mark

My thoughts from the Pixel 9 Pro review I wrote apply to this phone. Pixel Studio is either ironically hilarious or a total nightmare, depending on how you approach it. I haven’t used Pixel Screenshots nearly as much as I anticipated — turns out my screenshots aren’t all that interesting. Gemini continues to improve, though it has gotten some really basic questions embarrassingly wrong, like the amount of time between Wednesday afternoon and kickoff for Thursday Night Football (which it said was 15 hours, lol).

My take on the Pixel 9 series matches most of the rest of the industry: These are really good phones, and also, there’s a bunch of AI tools here you probably won’t use. I’m really curious to see the state of Pixel — and Google — in five years, because if these apps can’t quite get their hooks in me, I’m not sure they’re gonna get their hooks in non-enthusiasts.

9 How’s the hinge and internal screen quality compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6?

Asked by Frank

This is an interesting question, because previously, Google was well behind the competition. With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the hinge feels on par with both Samsung and OnePlus, in ways that might be too similar to really put on paper. But hey, let’s try anyway.

First, let’s revisit the original Pixel Fold’s hinge, which does have at least one big benefit over other foldables. No matter what angle you placed those two displays at, it would never shut open or closed. The obvious downside here, of course, came from its inability to fold open at 180 degrees without being forced, but hey, that’s generation-old hardware at this point. Let’s talk about what’s working now.

To my fingers, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s hinge feels closest to the OnePlus Open’s, though with just a little more rigidity as you open the main display. The magnets feel quite good, delivering a more satisfying feeling than what you get on the Open, an effect that is far more in line with the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Samsung’s phone, however, has a springiness that I don’t quite feel on Google’s latest foldable, something that you may or may not like. If you’re between the two phones, it’s worth trying out both in person.

I will say, Google’s hinge has far less wiggle between the two halves of the phones than Samsung’s delivers, which might be a turn-off for some. I haven’t been particularly impressed with the fit and finish on the Korean giant’s output in 2024, and I’d say this is another prime example.

As for the internal screen quality, I’d say the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are about even. Both are bright and punchy, both still have noticeable creases, and both are less reflective than their earlier counterparts (though not as anti-reflective as the Open). One thing that did take me aback as I compared these two panels, though, was just how much larger the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels. If you’re looking for an expansive foldable display, the Pixel is the one to get.

8 How’s the Pixel 9 Pro Fold work with wireless charging stands?

Asked by 2JZ_NOS

I don’t have a Pixel Stand on hand — it wouldn’t work anyway, and it sounds like it might be too late to buy one — but I do have a Spigen-brand wireless charging stand on my desk, and I’d say it’s a mixed bag. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which starts charging immediately, I have to hold the Pixel 9 Pro Fold up about half an inch from the stand’s lip, wait for it to start charging, and then set it down. It does charge at this point, but it’s really finicky. It’s clear the alignment of these coils isn’t great; maybe Google should’ve considered adding, I don’t know, magnets or something.

7 How’s durability and performance?

Asked by APMember

I’m not sure how much I can speak to durability. I’ve propped it up in my shower to listen to podcasts, as I do with practically every phone I’ve ever held, and as you’d expect from an IPX8 phone, I’ve had no issues. I haven’t dropped it yet (though I’ve come close — the thing nearly crashed onto a cement sidewalk before I caught it like a bar of soap), and I’m hoping I never do. If you’re concerned about drops, definitely get a case for this one.

Performance is a little easier to answer, since I’ve been using Tensor G4-powered phones for nearly a month now. This chipset might not be the leap in performance some buyers were hoping for, but I’m personally thrilled with its battery performance and thermals. Granted, both of those things are worse on the Fold than the regular Pixel 9 Pro, thanks to its foldable design. You will feel this phone get warmer than its non-folding siblings, and there’s not much you can do about it.

6 How is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s utility over the regular Pixel 9? Do you really ever unfold it, and if so, why?

Asked by Jeff

Great question. I wrote about this in its own article, but part of my review process with this phone has been attempting to meet it on its own level. When can I use the big screen to my heart’s content, and more importantly, when can’t I? No matter how usable the front display is, I find I’m still pretty frustrated when an app doesn’t scale well on the display people are actually buying this phone for. It’s been five years, Android devs — time to get up to speed.

5 Does it support display output?

Asked by Benjamin

It does! Plug and play, baby — all you need is a USB-C to HDMI adapter and you’re good to go.

Asked by Robert

I owe friend-of-the-site Michael Fisher — aka Mr. Mobile — for this one, but the Kindle app finally supports dual column reading on the main display in portrait mode. I can’t tell you how annoying it was to have to rotate every previous foldable to achieve a true book-like setup, but finally, the future is now. And hey, shamless plug, he told me this fact on this week’s Android Police podcast, which you can listen to below.

Likewise, video is mostly good, especially in portrait mode, where the speakers are aligned to fire up and down rather than left and right. That might sound like a downgrade, but turn the device to landscape and it’s a poor experience. If you’re holding the phone, your hands are bound to cover at least one of the adjacent centered speakers.

Gaming is, for me, a real disappointment. I don’t play a lot of mobile games, and those I do enjoy just don’t scale well on the main display. I got back into Pokemon Go this summer as a way to get outside and moving, and I’ve really enjoyed coming back to the game for the first time since, like, 2019. But practically every menu is unreadable on the main screen. Likewise, I recently picked up Dragon Quest V after hearing a pretty loving, in-depth discussion on the podcast Into the Aether, and I’ll be waiting to play it until I switch back to the Pixel 9 Pro. It just doesn’t support the foldable display.

Really, it’s going to depend on what you’re looking to play. At the very least, the 6.3-inch outer screen means you’ll always have a backup if something doesn’t scale the way you’d expect.

3 How does the camera compare to that of the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 8 Pro?

Asked by Justin

My earliest impressions are pretty mixed, which isn’t too surprising for a foldable. In good lighting, you can expect that standard Pixel look from the primary lens, but once you start shooting in darker environments, the results get a little dicey. For example, I’ve noticed quite a few of my 5x samples are actually captured using digital zoom, not the dedicated lens on the back of this device. Night Sight is also a problem here, as my campfire photo sample below proves.

I’m still in the middle of my review period, and I’ll have plenty of additional thoughts in the coming weeks, but here’s where my current thoughts lie: If you’re planning on buying the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for its camera, make sure you temper your expectations. The shot quality here is much more in line with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or OnePlus Open, though without the Hasselblad color science of the latter that I enjoyed so much last year. I don’t think anyone’s going to be fully unsatisfied with the shooter here, but don’t go in expecting shots at the level of Google’s other “Pixel 9 Pro” phones.

2 Can we get a camera comparison with the non-foldable Pros?

Asked by Jeff

This is coming soon — keep an eye out in the coming weeks. Lots of camera tests to hit with these phones, and back-to-back review periods haven’t made it easy.

1 Is it worth upgrading from the OG Pixel Fold?

Asked by David

Unfortunately for your wallet, yes. I, of course, mean this in the most financially literate way possible — you should not upgrade from your Pixel Fold without scoring a good trade-in deal. If you don’t have the money, don’t stress it, as I imagine the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (ugh, are we really sticking with this?) will deliver an even more enticing package than this one. But if you aren’t happy with your Pixel Fold, especially when it comes to thermal performance, build quality, or weight, all three of those things are improved on this year’s model.