Google's Audacious Pixel 9 Pro Fold Reshapes the Smartphone Landscape. Google's second attempt at a foldable phone definitely has people buzzing. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold should finally be the first foldable that makes real, practical sense for day-to-day life. At just 10.5mm thick when closed and weighing a surprising 257 grams, it doesn't feel like the bulky compromise everyone feared. Rather than clunkily making the leap, it shifts fluidly from standard smartphone to pocket-sized tablet without the gag-reflex jolt of past devices. At first, I thought it was distracting. We'll get into that, though.
The inner 8-inch display is one to gawk at. Truly, no hyperbole here! Bright enough (2,700 nits) to browse outdoors, whereas the outer 6.3-inch display pretty much functions as a typical smartphone would. Remember how when foldables first launched, they made you rely on a small, awkward outside screen? Those days are now behind us.
From updates to its big screen Google TV interface to new features in its Android operating system, there are some genuinely useful AI features powered by Google's Tensor G4 chip that don't feel gimmicky. With Pixel Screenshots, you can search through saved images by using natural language and with the Add Me camera hack you'll finally never have to be left out of a photo again. Smart technology digitally places you into group shots you've captured.
Despite the folding form factor, the camera system definitely stands tall next to non-folding flagships, as the 48MP main sensor and 10.8MP ultrawide shoot the kind of quality, flagship-grade photos you'd hope for given this phone's price. Built to last with a hinge tested for 200,000 folds and seven years of guaranteed updates, Google is definitely marketing this $1,799 device as an investment rather than a showy gamble.
What's most interesting though, is how Google has tackled the issues that hurt the early foldables. The one-handed use feels practical with the narrower cover screen, and the Gemini AI integration doesn't seem tacked on. It tackles transcription and contextual assistance that genuinely cuts down on time.
As the speculation has begun for next year's Pixel 10 Pro Fold—potentially packing the new Tensor G5 chip, improved battery life, and perhaps even a reduced price—the success of Google in foldables this time around shows us that Google isn't treating foldables like the gimmick some think it is. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold isn't the only reason why that's true. It's doing more than being a rad piece of technology to advance the argument that this is how phones were always supposed to change.
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