Pixel 9 Pro Fold impressions: Stellar hardware and battery life with one downside

Ben Schoon | Sep 3 2024 - 10:00 am PT

I’ve spent the past few days with Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which is a stunning year-over-year upgrade from the company’s first foldable. Ahead of our full review, here’s what has made an impact for me after a bit of time using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold – the hardware, the battery, and the software.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold – poorly named as it may be – is what many have been waiting for in a foldable. That’s been a big part of my takeaway thus far, and that largely comes down to the improved hardware. The design Google settled on is super-thin at 10.5mm and you absolutely feel that in day to day use. When closed, it feels like a normal phone in a way I’ve never experienced in any other foldable (sold in the States).

As our Andrew Romero perfectly put it recently, it’s “like a normal slab phone – just with secrets.”

Hardware improvements also go beyond just the new aspect ratio and thinness. The 9 Pro Fold is still heavy for a foldable, but a big improvement over the prior model, and feels appropriately heavy for its size in my book. The hinge is also far better this year, unfolding completely flat and closing with a satisfying “thunk.” The display crease is better too, but even if it were invisible, the super-reflective finish of the display still makes it seem worse than it really is.

That new form factor isn’t without other faults too.

The new aspect ratio is worse at triggering tablet app layouts in my use so far, something that the original Fold was the best in the industry with. Now, behavior is similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and OnePlus Open, where you’ll often get stuck with a stretched-out phone version of an app.

As mentioned, this is frustrating mainly because it’s something the original Pixel Fold was really good at. Gmail is a great example of the problem. The app has a wonderful layout for tablets and foldables, but because the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a mere 5mm taller than it is wide when unfolded, Gmail doesn’t take advantage of the added screen space at all. Files by Google does the same.

This won’t apply to every app though. In fact, there are plenty that work as they should. Spotify, YouTube, Google Keep, Instagram, and others still recognize that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s inner display is big enough to act as a tablet. Even some games run on the “portrait” layout as if it’s landscape.

But I think the 9 Pro Fold will reset Google’s progress on tablets apps just a little bit, and I’m curious to see how quickly the company will react to that.

Gmail on Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Google Keep on Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Instagram on Pixel 9 Pro Fold
YouTube on Pixel 9 Pro Fold

The other issue I’ve noticed with the new aspect ratio is that, when you rotate the Fold to utilize those extra few millimeters of width for a video, many apps are cropped anyway due to the selfie camera.

But, on the whole, this entire package is a truly incredible upgrade. It feels delightful in day-to-day use, and I’m also happy to report it doesn’t come with any major downsides on battery life.

In the few days I’ve been using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold so far, battery life has been nothing short of impressive. Despite having a smaller battery a 4,650 mAh compared to both the original Pixel Fold and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the numbers so far are beating both of those devices. I’ve been easily hitting the same 3-4 hours of screen time over a full day of use as I was on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and even managed over 6 hours over a full day (with a 10% boost from a wired Android Auto session). One heavy morning of use included a 1.5 hour Zoom call followed by hours of videos and social media on the inner display, with the device racking up 6 hours of total screen time by 8pm with 25% still left in the tank.

Battery life is very much a subjective stat, but for me, this battery life is easily matching the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and is on par with my experience with the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

My only hesitation with the battery life is that, on the first Pixel Fold, I also started out with pretty great battery life. The 9 Pro Fold is going way beyond what the original ever offered me, but I’m still curious to see how it’s going to hold up with a bit more time. And I suppose this solid battery life shouldn’t be a total shock either, given the Pixel 9 Pro XL is also such a big upgrade in this department. If anything, the big problem in power is with wireless charging, as I’ve had problems beyond just the Pixel Stand.

But I am happy to see that my biggest complaint with the original Pixel Fold has largely been solved. Tensor G4 no longer tries to burn my hands for simply using the device. This device still runs on the warm side, as many foldables do, and occasionally gets a bit warmer than I’d prefer, but it’s a drastic improvement over the Pixel Fold.

I’ll be taking the Fold through IFA, a tech conference in Berlin, Germany this week as I continue to get together my full review of the device. But, based on first impressions alone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is not only as good as I’d hoped it would be, it’s arguably even better.

Google’s new foldable is available for pre-order now, and currently available the most quickly via Best Buy.