Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold launches in September with major hardware upgrades for $1,799

Ben Schoon | Aug 13 2024 - 10:01 am PT

A little over a year after launching its first foldable, Google is back with a sequel in the drastically-improved Pixel 9 Pro Fold which will be available next month.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a device mainly full of hardware improvements, and that starts with big changes to the displays.

The outer display is now a 6.3-inch panel that’s nearly the same as what you see on the base Pixel 9 both in terms of size and aspect ratio (20:9). As such, the inner display has also been updated, ditching the super-wide and short aspect ratio of the previous Fold for a taller display that’s closer to a square, like other popular foldables such as the OnePlus Open. The new “Super Actua Flex” panel is also bigger at 8 inches and much brighter with a peak brightness of 2,700 nits (the outer display gets just as bright). That’s also the biggest foldable display you can get in the US today.

Google has also updated the hardware with a satin finish across the aluminum build, and an updated hinge too. The new design unfolds flat and weighs in at 257g, over 25g (about 10%) lighter than the previous model.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also immediately wins the title of being the thinnest foldable available in the United States, a title it’s likely to hold for a while. The foldable is just 10.5mm thick when folded, over 13% thinner than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Under the hood, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold matches the specs of the rest of the Pixel 9 Pro lineup. It has Google’s Tensor G4 chip, 16GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of storage, and “24+ hour” battery life. The actual battery size is 4,650 mAh, slightly down from the previous generation.

Other specs and features from the rest of the Pixel 9 series supported on Fold include support for Satellite SOS, the Titan M2 security chip alongside Google VPN at no cost, and Android 14 out of the box with 7 years of Android, security, and Feature Drop updates. Pixel 9 Pro Fold also gets Google’s new Gemini features and “Pixel Screenshots,” which uses AI to help you find information from past screenshots you’ve taken.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also picks up the improved Face Unlock that Google launched on Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, along with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The camera setup on Pixel 9 Pro Fold is similar to its predecessor, but not quite on par with the 9 Pro and Pro XL. The main 48MP camera is paired with a 10.5MP ultrawide and a 10.8MP 5x telephoto camera. There are then two 10MP sensors on the outer and inner displays for selfies, video calls, and Face Unlock.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s cameras can also use Video Boost, the new “Add Me” feature, and also introduces “Made You Look,” a new feature that uses the outer display to keep someone’s attention while taking a picture from the inner display.

Pixel 9 camera adds 8K video, Add Me, plus more enhancements

Google will only launch the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in two colors, Obsidian and Porcelain, but sales are expanding this year to many more regions across Europe and the rest of the world.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold will launch slightly after the rest of the Pixel 9 series, hitting store shelves and shipping to customers on September 4. Pre-orders are open today.