Google Pixel Fold vs Pixel 9 Pro Fold: Should you upgrade?

Google announced its newest foldable smartphone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, in August 2024. 

Despite Google’s slightly confusing name conventions, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is actually only the company’s second foldable, following on from the original Pixel Fold launched in 2023. The ‘9 Pro’ brings the naming in line with Google’s latest flagship smartphone, the Pixel 9 Pro, likely intended to cut down on confusion from users wondering how the foldable measures to up to Google’s latest flagship range. 

The question is, how much has the foldable changed in a year? Keep reading to learn how the Pixel 9 Pro Fold compares to the 2023 Pixel Fold in terms of price, design, camera, performance and battery life. 

We also recommend visiting our guide to the best foldable phones if you’re still unsure which foldable is right for you, with brands like Samsung, Honor, Motorola and OnePlus all throwing their hats into the ring alongside Google. 

Price 

The Google Pixel Fold launched in June 2023 with a steep starting price of £1749/$1799. Luckily, the foldable has since seen its price reduced to just £1399 on Amazon. 

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold carries the same £1749/$1799 price sticker at launch. The device has been available to buy since September 2024. 

Design and screen 

• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a larger set of displays 
• The 9 Pro Fold also has brighter displays 
• The 9 Pro Fold has a higher contrast ratio 

Both the inner and outer screens on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are bigger and brighter than those found on the previous Pixel Fold. 

The original Pixel Fold had a 5.8-inch OLED cover screen with a 2092 x 1080 resolution, 60-120Hz refresh rate and up to 1550 nits of brightness. The outer display also offered full HDR support, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and support for 16 million colours. 

The OLED cover screen on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is larger at 6.3 inches and has a slightly higher 2424 x 1080 resolution, along with the same 60-120Hz refresh rate. It’s also brighter at up to 2700 nits and has an increased contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1. It also offers the same HDR support and 16 million colours. 

Moving onto the inner folding display, the Pixel Fold had a 7.6-inch OLED screen with a 2208 x 1840 resolution and an up to 120Hz refresh rate. The screen could also hit 1450 nits at peak brightness. 

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s inner display, on the other hand, is 8 inches in size and has a 2152 x 2076 resolution. The OLED screen has the same up to 120Hz refresh rate, but offers up to 2700 nits at peak brightness, almost doubling the brightness of its predecessor. The screen also has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, HDR support and support for up to 16 million colours. 

While we enjoyed the display on the Pixel Fold for binging content, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is simply bigger and brighter. That said, the crease is noticeable on both models compared to many rival foldables.

Winner: Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Camera 

• The two foldables share similar camera layouts 
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s ultra-wide camera features autofocus 
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes more advanced software features 

When it comes to their individual camera arrays, the Pixel Fold and Pixel 9 Pro Fold pack a similar number and variety of sensors. 

Both foldables are led by 48-megapixel main cameras and include 10.8-megapixel telephoto cameras. The Pixel Fold also features a 10.8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, whereas the 9 Pro Fold has a 10.5-megapixel ultra-wide camera with autofocus support. 

Both rear cameras are also capable of recording 4K video at up to 60fps. 

However, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is backed by a wider array of smart camera features with many powered by Google’s Gemini AI or the G3/G4 chipsets. This includes Add Me to ensure everyone is in your group photo, Best Take to combine multiple photos into one and video features like the Audio Magic Eraser to erase audible distractions. 

We found the camera array on the first Pixel Fold to be very impressive for a first-gen device, with the main camera delivering pin-sharp detail and vibrant colours, along with natural and true-to-life skin tones. The same goes for the Pixel 9 Fold Pro, which is also equipped with a wider array of AI camera and editing tools than its predecessor (though it does fall slightly behind the Pixel 9 Pro at the same time).

Winner: Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Performance and features 

• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes the Tensor G4 chipset 
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold packs more RAM 
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold supports Gemini AI 

A year newer than the Pixel Fold, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is powered by a more up-to-date chipset. 

The Pixel Fold runs on the Google Tensor G2 with 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is powered by the Google Tensor G4 with 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. 

You can see how the performance compares in our benchmark tests: 

We found that the Tensor G2 in the Pixel Fold offered solid everyday performance, though it does fall behind rivalling Snapdragon chipsets in terms of pure power. The Tensor G2 focuses more on AI processing power, making the Pixel Fold’s strength its software.

The Tensor G4 displays a similar leaning toward AI smarts over performance, albeit two generations of Tensor on. AI tasks are snappy, however, and there are some AI tools the Tensor G2 simply isn’t equipped to handle. This includes the Pixel Studio image generator.

Winner: Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Battery life 

• The Google Pixel Fold has a slightly larger battery 
• Google claims that both can last the same number of hours 
• Both phones offer fast charging and wireless charging 

The two Pixel foldables have very similarly sized batteries, but the 4821 mAh one in the Pixel Fold is larger than the 4,650 mAh battery in the newer Pixel 9 Pro Fold. 

Despite this difference in size, Google claims that both foldables have a 24+ hour battery life or up to 72 hours in Extreme Battery Saver mode. We found we were able to just about make it through a full day with both models.

Both foldables also support up to 21W fast charging, as well as Qi wireless charging.

Winner: Google Pixel Fold

Verdict 

We found the Pixel 9 Pro Fold a welcome reboot on the Pixel Fold that is better built, nicer to use and just feels more high-end in general.