Google has stunned everyone by announcing that its next foldable will be called the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, rather than the previously expected Pixel Fold 2.
The Pixel Fold was unquestionably one of the greatest folding phones available, with a thin, premium design, amazing cameras, and excellent displays. But there were a few major negatives, namely the hefty price.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is expected to forego the Pixel Fold’s unique design in favor of a larger display and fewer bezels. And a rebranding is anticipated to bring it closer to the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro this time.
What else will Google’s next wave of foldable devices surprise us with? Let’s find out.
When will the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold be released?
In an official teaser film, Google stated that a launch event will take place on August 13, 2024. The usage of ‘IX’ – the Roman numeral for 9 – in the headline almost guarantees that the Pixel 9 lineup will be launched.
In another teaser, Google said that their upcoming foldable will be dubbed the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. As a result, it is almost inevitable that Google’s next foldable will be released on August 13th.
For comparison, Google released the original Pixel Fold in May 2023. While an upgrade cycle has yet to be decided, seeing a new model by the end of 2024 is not surprising.
How much will the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold cost?
Pricing is currently subject to conjecture. The original Pixel Fold starts at £1,749/$1,799, which is fairly comparable to the £1,799/$1,899.99 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
However, at £1,699.99/€1,999, the Honor Magic V2 is less expensive than both. There’s also the OnePlus Open, which remains the most affordable of the bunch, starting at £1,599/$1,799.
Unfortunately, it appears that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will not be getting any cheaper. In fact, it is likely to cost substantially more.
According to Deelabs, leaked pricing from a French shop indicates that the 256GB model will cost €1,899, and the 512GB version will cost €2,029. It remains to be seen how accurate this will be.
What specs and features will the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold have?
The most recent Google Pixel 9 leaks, provided by 91mobiles (in collaboration with leaker OnLeaks) and Android Authority, offer a thorough look at the impending Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
They reveal vital details about the phone. If this is accurate, Google will have few surprises to reveal at the event.
Design
In February 2024, popular leaker OnLeaks (via SmartPrix) released CAD-based renders of the device, providing the most detailed look yet.
Based on this, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a bigger, rounder outer display and a new camera module, which differs from prior Pixel designs. When folded, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold measures 155.2 x 77.1 x 10.54 mm, which is thinner than the initial 12.1mm.
The new camera module is divided into two pieces that contain three cameras, a flash, and a microphone. This aligns with early Pixel 9 renders (also from OnLeaks), which have a very similar camera module design.
According to leaker MysteryLupin (via GSMArena) and 91mobiles, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be available in Porcelain and Obsidian colors.
According to 91mobiles, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will have a more classic foldable design, including a taller, narrower cover display and an almost square folding screen. Both panels will have higher brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate.
Display
According to Android Authority, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will lose its distinct form factor in favor of a bigger display that is more in line with the competition.
The Pixel Fold has a 5.8-inch outside display with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,092, a 120 Hz refresh rate, 408 PPI, and an HDR brightness of 1,200 nits. The inside display is 7.6 inches and has a resolution of 2,208 x 1,840, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, 380 PPI, and an HDR brightness of 1,000 nits.
In comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is expected to have a 6.24-inch outer display with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,424, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, 425 PPI, and an HDR brightness of 1,800 nits. The internal display might be larger, at 8.0 inches, with a resolution of 2,152 x 2,076, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, 374 PPI, and an HDR brightness of 1,600 nits.
The latest leak from 91mobiles and OnLeaks likewise claims very similar dimensions, with a 6.3-inch display when folded and an 8-inch display when unfurled.
If accurate, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will have a more typical foldable form factor, with a nearly square aspect ratio for the inner display, as opposed to the Pixel Fold’s short and wide design. To account for the size adjustments, the displays’ resolution and PPI (pixels per inch) will need to be significantly changed. However, this should result in increased display quality and overall user experience.
Performance
An unnamed source told Android Authority that Google is internally testing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold with the Tensor G4 chipset (codenamed “zumapro”), as opposed to previous versions that used the Tensor G3 (codenamed “zuma”).
If this is accurate, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will most likely be powered by the same processor as the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. However, even the Tensor G3 would be a huge improvement over the existing Tensor G2.
The Tensor G4 is expected to offer minor enhancements over the G3, while it is unclear what these may be.
According to the Android Authority leak, prototype variants of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold include 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, both of which are improvements. A recent leak from 91mobiles suggests that the phone would have 16GB of RAM.
As a reminder, the original Pixel Fold came with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
The increase to 16GB of RAM is noteworthy since it would be the first time Google has released a smartphone with more than 12GB of RAM. According to The Information, this improvement appears to support Google’s objective of improving on-device AI capabilities through its assistant, Pixie.
Cameras
According to a leak from 91mobiles, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will have a 10MP selfie camera, a 48MP main camera, a 10.5MP ultrawide sensor, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens. Based on this, the interior display camera could have been removed.
The original model included five lenses: 48Mp main, 10.8Mp ultrawide, 10.8Mp telephoto, 9.5Mp front, and 8Mp inner.
Overall, camera performance was excellent, so it’s not surprising that Google would leave the hardware alone. Even if such is the case, there may be advancements in software image processing.
Battery
MySmartPrice discovered a certification for a forthcoming, undisclosed Pixel model.
The handset in issue has a 4942mAh battery, making it likely that it is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The previous model had a 4800mAh battery, thus this would be a good upgrade.
As we mentioned in our Pixel Fold review, some days ended with battery levels still hovering around 20-25%, while others required charging in the evening. A larger and better optimized battery could increase battery life and consistency.
Software
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold will almost certainly run Android 14, at the very least. Because of the earlier launch date in 2024, Android 15 will most likely not be available out of the box, but it won’t be for long.
The leaked materials also reveal some of the expected features of the Pixel 9 lineup. Notable mentions include the Gemini AI assistant, Circle to Search, and a feature that lets users search via their screenshots.
The Pixel 9 series will also have emergency SOS with crisis warnings, seven years of security and feature updates, and one year of free access to Google’s advanced AI model, Gemini.
This is all the information we have right now, but we’ll keep updating this article as more facts become available. In the meantime, check out the greatest foldables and Android phones to see how the Pixel 9 Pro Fold stacks up.
