Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Pixel Fold: Rapid evolution?
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Intro
Google joined the foldable game with the original Pixel Fold, launched in June 2023, and now we have a successor - the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Google decided to change the naming scheme and nest the second iteration of its foldable under the main flagship Pixel lineup.
There are changes all over the place, from the updated design in line with the other Pixel 9 devices, to the new aspect ratio, camera and overall dimensions, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold takes things to another level.
There are changes all over the place, from the updated design in line with the other Pixel 9 devices, to the new aspect ratio, camera and overall dimensions, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold takes things to another level.
But how does it compare to the original Pixel Fold, and which one should you choose if you're new to the folding Pixel game? And most importantly, should you upgrade to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold if you already own the original Pixel Fold? We're going to answer these pressing questions and see the foldable evolution in action in our detailed Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Pixel Fold comparison.
Here we go!
Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Pixel Fold main differences:
| Pixel 9 Pro Fold | Pixel Fold |
|---|---|
| Larger but not much heavier device, thinner and more similar to the Galaxy Z Fold lineup | Wider when folded, different aspect ratio |
| Larger main and cover displays, 8 inches and 6.3 inches respectively | A smaller 7.6-inch main display, and smaller 5.8-inch cover display |
| Triple camera, same setup but with new algorithms | Triple camera setup, main, ultrawide and telephoto |
| More RAM with a 16GB option | Less memory - 12GB RAM |
| Storage upgrade to a faster UFS 4.0 memory | Slower UFS 3.1 onboard storage |
| Smaller 4,650mAh battery with potentially shorter battery life | A bigger 4,831mAh battery |
| Faster 45W wired charging | Wired and wireless charging (30W PD 3.0) |
Table of Contents:
Also read:
- Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Pixel 9 Pro XL: The feud of the tongue-twisters
- Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: The foldable market is becoming crowded
- Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: here comes the rivalry!
Design and Display Quality
Trimming things down
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold flies the banner of a brand new design language, one that's been spread through the whole Pixel 9 lineup. The phone is narrower and taller than the original Pixel Fold, but also thinner and lighter. The original Pixel Fold measures 139.7 x 158.7 x 5.8 mm unfolded, and 139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1 mm folded, and its weight is pretty substantial at 283 grams. The new Pixel 9 Pro Fold trims down its size and weight, it's just 257 grams, and 155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5mm folded and 155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1mm unfolded.
As you can see, the new device is almost a perfect square when unfolded, and this 5mm thickness is pretty rad. As far as building materials go, we have Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 covering the outer screen and the back of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Gorilla Glass Victus on the Pixel Fold. The overall design is similar but the new phone has a square camera bump and it's a bit more angular and flat all around.
Both the original Pixel Fold and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are available in just two color options: Porcelain and Obsidian.
Moving to the display portion of both devices, there are some changes to be mentioned. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold features a 6.3-inch OLED cover screen with resolution of 1080 x 2424 pixels and pixel density of around 422 PPI. This screen an aspect ratio of 20:9 and can do 60Hz and 120Hz (it's not an LTPO panel). Google says it can produce 1800 nits of brightness in HDR mode and up to 2700 nits of total peak brightness.
The cover screen of the original Pixel Fold comes at 5.8-inches with a resolution of 1080 x 2092 pixels, resulting in around 408 PPI. The aspect ratio here is 17.4:9 ratio, and the brightness figures - 1200 nits HDR, and 1550 nits peak. All in all, the cover screen of the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold looks like a nice upgrade over the original one.
Let's unfold the inner magic of both phones. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold sports a bigger 8-inch flexible panel inside, with 2076 x 2152 pixels and 373 PPI pixel density. This panel is an LTPO and can dynamically switch between 1Hz and 120Hz. Google upgraded the brightness of this panel as well, citing the same 1800 nits HDR and 2700 nits peak brightness.
In comparison, the original Pixel Fold comes with a 7.6-inch, 1840 x 2208 pixels inner screen (378PPI), capable of refreshing 120 times per second, but not dynamically. The brightness is also a bit lower with 1000 nits (HBM), and 1450 nits (peak). In our review we were able to measure 973 nits, so we have to test the new phone and see how much of an improvement in brightness are we getting.
Performance and Software
Tensor evolution
The original Pixel Fold launched at an odd time compared to the other Pixel releases, and consequently, it sports the Tensor G2 chipset. The inclusion of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in the regular flagship series means that the new phone comes with the latest Tensor G4 chipset. And that's a two-generation leap in terms of hardware between the Pixel Fold and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Another improvement concerns the available RAM and the type of storage. The original Pixel Fold sports 12GB of RAM and comes equipped with UFS 3.1 storage, while the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with 16GB of RAM onboard and faster UFS 4.0 storage. The reason behind the bump in RAM is probably due to AI requirements.
Speaking of AI, the new Pixel 9 Pro fold is part of the "elite" Pro models that will receive on-device multi-modal Gemini Nano. This ties to the new TPU model in the Tensor G4 silicon, which is specifically designed for high performance machine learning operations (up to 48 tokens per second). Now, the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold will also receive one year of Gemini Advanced for free, and this subscription includes Gemini Live, a conversational, more advanced form of Google's AI.
The original Pixel Fold feels rather dated with its Tensor G2 silicon and can't do much of the AI magic that's available to its successor, and furthermore, with seven years of software updates, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will outlive its predecessor by a mile. Stay tuned for synthetic benchmarks and a breakdown of all AI tricks that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold brings to the table shortly.
Camera
Software magic
The camera hardware inside the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold is not much different than the one found on its predecessor. We have a 48 MP wide main camera, a 10.5 MP ultrawide with Macro
capabilities, and a 10.8 MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and up to 20x Super Res Zoom. The main improvements come from the post-processing algorithms, though. Thanks to the Tensor G4, there are new AI camera tricks onboard, including new Panorama mode, a feature called Add me (which allows people to switch while taking group photos and edit in the photographer), some new capabilities in Magic Editor, and the ability to upscale videos to 8K resolution.
This section is nothing without some empirical evidence, also known as image and video samples, so stay tuned, as we will add side-by-side samples soon.
Battery Life and Charging
Believe it or not, the battery of the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold has shrunk in comparison with the one in the original Pixel Fold. We're talking about a substantial almost 200mAh loss. The new phone comes with a 4650mAh cell, while the predecessor sports a 4821mAh battery. Both are two separate cells in the two wings of the foldables.
This battery downgrade was necessary to keep the weight and size low on the new phone. It seems that the trimming has taken its toll, but we'll have to run our battery tests to assess the battery life of the new model versus the old one.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
One area where the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold beats its predecessor, though, is charging.
When it comes to charging, the original Pixel Fold supports only 21W of wired charging, which we won't dare to even call "fast charging," so there was room for improvement. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with 45W wired fast charging support, and Google cites "hours of power in minutes of charge" which sounds as vague as they come, so we'll need to test this one as well.
When it comes to charging, the original Pixel Fold supports only 21W of wired charging, which we won't dare to even call "fast charging," so there was room for improvement. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with 45W wired fast charging support, and Google cites "hours of power in minutes of charge" which sounds as vague as they come, so we'll need to test this one as well.
Specs Comparison
| Specs | Pixel 9 Pro Fold | Pixel Fold |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 155.2 height x 150.2 width x 5.1 depth (mm) Folded: 155.2 height x 77.1 width x 10.5 depth (mm) | Unfolded: 139.7 x 158.7 x 5.8 mm Folded: 139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1 mm |
| Weight | 257 g | 283 g |
| Screen | 8-inch main screen OLED 1-120Hz 6.3-inch cover screen 60-120Hz | 7.6-inch main screen OLED 120Hz 5.8-inch cover screen 120Hz |
| Processor | Google Tensor G4 (3nm) | Google Tensor G2 (5nm) |
| RAM, Storage and Price | 16/256GB for $1,799 | 12/256GB for $1,599 |
| Cameras | Main camera — 48MP Ultra-wide camera — 10.5MP 5x telephoto camera — 10.8MP Cover-display selfie camera — 10MP Inner display selfie camera — 10MP | Main camera — 48MP Ultra-wide camera — 10.8MP 5x telephoto camera — 10.8MP Cover-display selfie camera — 9.5MP Inner display selfie camera — 8MP |
| Battery Size | 4,650mAh | 4,821 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 45W Wired PD3.0 Wireless | 21W wired 7.5W wireless |
Which one should you buy?
The answer to this question is rather simple this time. Given the generation gap in the hardware (and software), the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the better choice here. Things get more complicated if you already own the original Pixel Fold. We advise you to find a good trade-in deal and get the new phone.
If you want alternatives, there's always the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and a bunch of Far East models that offer some amazing specs at not much higher price, such as the upcoming Honor Magic V3, Xiaomi Mix Fold 4, etc.
We're doing some tests as we type this, so expect this comparison to blossom with some benchmark numbers, camera samples and widgets shortly.
We're doing some tests as we type this, so expect this comparison to blossom with some benchmark numbers, camera samples and widgets shortly.
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