25 million foldables shipped last year, and most people still don’t trust them as daily drivers. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is Google’s second swing at fixing that confidence problem, and this time it’s walking straight into the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and OnePlus Open crossfire.
Google is clearly positioning this as a no-compromise flagship, not an experiment. So the big question is simple: does it finally justify buying a foldable over a great slab phone, or are we still paying extra to beta test the future?
Pixel 9 Pro Fold design: finally grown-up hardware
Compared to the original Pixel Fold, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold looks like it hit the gym and fired its stylist. The bezels are tighter, the hinge gap is gone, and the whole thing feels less prototype and more mainstream flagship.
The outer display now runs a taller, more usable aspect ratio, far closer to Galaxy Z Fold 6 than the squat remote-control vibe of last year. That means typing on the cover screen actually feels normal, which matters if you email or chat all day.
Inside, Google sticks with a book-style foldable design: a large inner OLED with a central crease, slim bezels, and a floating tablet experience. Compared to OnePlus Open, the crease is still more visible, and that will annoy anyone spoiled by OnePlus’ near-flat panel.
However, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is thinner than Samsung’s Z Fold 6 when open and feels better balanced in one hand. That said, Samsung still wins on sheer industrial refinement, especially around hinge tolerance and long-term confidence.
Displays and aspect ratios: Google finally gets it
Foldables live or die by their screens, and here the Pixel 9 Pro Fold at least plays in the same league as Z Fold 6 and OnePlus Open. Expect a 120 Hz OLED outer screen with high brightness and a big inner panel that pushes near-flagship laptop brightness for HDR video.
The real upgrade is the aspect ratio tuning. Last year’s Pixel Fold felt great for reading but awkward for some apps. Now Google has basically admitted Samsung and OnePlus had the better idea. The cover screen is taller, the inner display less squat, and multitasking layouts feel more natural.
Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Google’s inner screen is slightly wider, which helps split-screen use and media. Versus the OnePlus Open, it is still a bit more square and less cinematic, but better for docs and web pages.
However, OnePlus still holds the crown for the least intrusive crease and the most tablet-like experience. Pixel beats it on polish and Google services integration, but OnePlus’ panel is still the one screen nerds will lust after.
Performance, battery and heat: Tensor vs Snapdragon again
Here is where Google keeps making the same risky bet. While Samsung and OnePlus lean on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 8 Gen 2 chips, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold uses Google’s own Tensor G4.
Tensor G4 is built for on-device AI tricks: real-time transcription, advanced photo editing, and smarter Assistant and Gemini-style features. For daily use, animations feel smooth, and paired with 12 GB or 16 GB of RAM, multitasking on the big screen is easy.
However, heavy gaming or long camera sessions still push Tensor chips into higher temperatures faster than Snapdragon rivals. So if you marathon Genshin Impact or record 4K60 video for more than 15 minutes, you should expect warmth and possible throttling.
Battery life will likely land behind the Z Fold 6 and OnePlus Open, which both benefit from more efficient Qualcomm silicon. Early indications suggest a full day is fine for mixed use, but power users may still be hunting chargers by late evening.
Cameras: Pixel 9 Pro Fold takes the photography fight seriously
If there is one place Pixel foldables should dominate, it is camera performance. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold pulls in a camera stack closer to the Pixel 9 Pro than a compromise-filled foldable.
You get a high-resolution main sensor, a competent ultra-wide, and a proper telephoto lens with meaningful optical zoom. That instantly puts it ahead of Samsung’s Z Fold 6 for stills, where Pixel image processing regularly produces cleaner low-light shots and more natural detail.
OnePlus Open is still seriously competitive here, especially with color and dynamic range tuned with Hasselblad branding. However, Pixel’s computational photography, from Night Sight to Motion Blur, tends to produce more consistent results.
Crucially, you can use the outer screen as a viewfinder for the rear cameras, just like Samsung and OnePlus. That means much better selfies and vlogging, though Google’s video performance still trails Apple and struggles to beat Samsung in stabilization.
Software, AI, and foldable UX: Google’s real advantage
On the software side, this is Google’s home turf. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold ships with Android tuned for large screens, plus Google’s own multitasking tweaks and AI features.
App continuity between inner and outer screens feels smoother than the first Pixel Fold, and windowing is more intuitive. Drag-and-drop between apps is faster, and more first-party Google apps finally respect the larger canvas.
AI is everywhere: live translation, voice typing that actually keeps up, context-aware suggestions on the big screen, and advanced photo tools that are basically Photoshop lite built in. Meanwhile, Samsung leans on its Galaxy AI layer and OnePlus relies more on raw performance and cleaner UI.
The problem is third-party app support is still inconsistent. TikTok, banking apps, and some region-specific services still treat foldables like weird tablets. Google is fixing this slowly, but foldable UX still feels like a premium experiment, not a mature standard.
Price, value, and who should actually buy this
Let’s talk money, because this is where Google risks losing the plot. Expect Pixel 9 Pro Fold pricing in the $1,699+ range, right in line with Galaxy Z Fold 6 and usually higher than a discounted OnePlus Open.
That means we are paying flagship laptop money for a device that still comes with durability questions, resale risk, and niche app support. For most users, a $999 Pixel 9 Pro or Galaxy S24+ is the smarter buy.
However, if you specifically want a foldable and live inside Google’s ecosystem, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold suddenly looks very tempting. It offers cleaner software than Samsung, better cameras than OnePlus Open in most conditions, and a more balanced design than the first Pixel Fold.
The bottom line is Pixel 9 Pro Fold is finally a foldable you could daily-drive without feeling like a tester, but that does not mean you should.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs rivals: should you trust Google this time?
So where does the Pixel 9 Pro Fold actually land? Against the Galaxy Z Fold 6, it wins on cameras, aspect ratios for many users, and Google-first features. Against the OnePlus Open, it loses on crease and raw performance, but hits back with better software support and updates.
If you want the safest long-term foldable with the strongest durability track record, the Z Fold 6 is still the conservative choice. If you want the best “tablet in your pocket” feeling and a less visible crease, OnePlus Open remains a killer deal, especially on sale.
If you want Google’s vision of Android plus a foldable form factor, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is finally good enough to recommend. Just go in knowing you are paying extra for novelty, and that Tensor’s heat and battery trade-offs still matter.
Ultimately, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold proves Google is serious about foldables, but it does not solve every problem in one generation. The future looks promising, but for now this is a luxury toy for enthusiasts, not a mainstream default. If you are buying it, do it with open eyes and a backup charger.