Here is what I want in a foldable phone:
- The design of Honor’s Magic V3.
- The multitasking features of Samsung’s Z Fold series.
- The camera system and software of Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Large-format foldable phones—those that unfurl into something like a small tablet—are great for watching videos, reading, and playing games. They also excel at productivity by letting you view two regular-sized apps at the same time, and they’re easier to type on with your thumbs.
But even as a foldable phone fan, I’ll admit that every current option has some kind of glaring compromise. While the pieces for a perfect foldable phone are all there, we just need one phone that puts them all together.
What the Pixel 9 Pro Fold gets right
My impetus for thinking about all this is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google’s second attempt at a foldable phone. Having bought a Samsung Fold5 last fall, I was eager to see how a foldable Pixel would compare.
For the most part, I’ve enjoyed my time with Pixel 9 Pro Fold: It’s slimmer than Samsung’s book-style foldables, and there’s a satisfying springiness when the phone folds open and shut.
Google’s Pixel software also still represents Android at its best. Google’s default apps have some smart features, such as call screening in the Phone app and the “Bedtime” mode in the Clock app, and the Material You design language just looks sharper to me than Samsung’s software aesthetics. In many ways, Pixel phones are simpler to use than a iPhone, and that’s true of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
What I’ve appreciated most is the camera system. While the Pixel 9 Pro Fold uses smaller sensors than the rest of the Pixel 9 series, the cameras still have the can’t-miss quality that’s long been a hallmark of Google’s phones. I’m willing to trade some low-light detail for knowing that if I snap a hurried photo of my kids while they’re playing, it’s not going to get messed up by motion blur or a laggy shutter. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s 5X telephoto lens also comes in handy, as does the “Made You Look” feature that shows goofy animations on the outer screen to attract kids’ attention.
