Since August 18, 2024, I have been using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Quite convinced by Google Pixels in general, carried by the enthusiasm of the first folding smartphone marketed in France by the Mountain View brand, I decided to try the adventure of the folding smartphone in book format again when it was released. After five months, here is a complete and slightly more in-depth feedback, but also more personal, than what a classic test written in a few days can provide.
Bulky design
From the first event where I had to take photos with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it jumped out at me: the guy is really bulky. It's hard to say exactly where this impression comes from. It is probably multifactorial: the thinness of 10.5 mm (folded format), far from the best on the market (9.2 mm for the Honor Magic V3); the necessarily more massive flat edges, or the weight of 257 g all the same.
One thing is certain: this impression has only been confirmed over the weeks. So much so that I got into the habit of making a slight wrist movement to unfold the smartphone to avoid having to handle it with two hands every time I wanted to put it in landscape position to take a photo or watch a video with the external screen. For photos, you almost always find yourself holding it at arm's length and fingers in a rather uncomfortable position. In your pocket, however, the animal is rather discreet, I had no reason to complain.
Recently, I was able to get my hands on the Huawei Mate X6. And while it's difficult for me to recommend it to you for multiple reasons (read the hands-on while waiting for the full test), if there were to be a match between the Huawei and the Google on design, the Google smartphone would be obliterated. Holding both in my hand confirmed the discomfort I felt with the Pixel.
Durability that questions
Another point that only a long-term test can raise and that I must emphasize: I have some doubts about the long-term durability of this device. And this for four reasons.
A doubt about the solidity of the edges
First point that tends to prove a certain solidity too. I am not proud of it, I dropped the Pixel 9 Pro Fold twice outdoors in these five months (I will spare you the small everyday falls indoors). But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining, this allowed me to detect that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold marks particularly quickly. I am relying on my experience as a smartphone tester (I test around thirty devices per year) and it seems to me that in the high-end segment, robustness has reached an impressive level in recent years. It is rare for a simple fall to mark the device to the extent that the Pixel was marked.
However, it could also be argued that despite some rather violent falls, the smartphone held up. So it's a mixed bag.
Scratch on the screen
Second stop regarding the condition of the phone, the screen on the front. Phone screens are also better and better protected. In principle, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold should also be well served with Gorilla Glass Victus2. Except that in the five months spent with it, I managed to give it a big scratch on the lower part of the screen. And this has, a priori nothing to do with the aforementioned falls, since it appeared suddenly.
To be more precise, it got on the glass after using an important function of a folding smartphone, the flex mode, that is to say when the screen is semi-folded around 90 degrees. This can be useful for watching a video while placing your phone without a support for example. In any case, to use the smartphone in Flex mode, there are not 36 solutions, you are obliged to stick the front screen against your table. However, in my case, it is this action that caused the appearance of a scratch. Probably a bit of dust that was a bit too big had invited itself onto my desk.
Here again, it should be noted that this problem could be due to bad luck, and that is perfectly acceptable. But we were still surprised by the appearance of such a large scratch on the device. Let's qualify one point, however: if the scratch can be felt under the finger, it does not harm the viewing of the screen when it is bright.
Dead pixels on the internal screen
Third element, and this time much more worrying for the durability of the device: the one I am testing already has its share of dead pixels in the middle of the folding screen. These appeared suddenly, without any warning and a priori, for no apparent reason. If they are easily forgotten when using the entire surface of the screen, as soon as they find themselves in the middle of a black area (this is the case when watching a film for example) it is difficult to ignore them. Knowing that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold costs 1900 euros when it was released and that the cost of the part can be estimated at 900 euros, let's hope that if the same thing happens to you, Google will let you use the warranty.
A battery already limited
The last annoying point for long-term use of the Pixel is its autonomy. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, like all recent Pixels, will be updated for 7 years. This is a good thing. But will it really be possible to use it for this entire period? Because after almost 6 months, its battery is already showing small signs of weakness. On a typical day, after 3 hours of use in the morning (mostly on mobile data), I generally reach 50% of remaining battery life at noon. As a result, if I don't go through the charging box, I tend to end the day not far from 0%. At a time when the battery life of high-end phones has become excessively good again for some models, this poor performance seems like a step backwards.
Pixel-style photos
Let's move on to another element that didn't seem to me to be at the level expected for a high-end Google Pixel: photography. Pixels are known for being good camera phones, whether you like their style or not, in their own very specific style, they manage to stand out quite well. But the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold seemed a notch below to me.
When the Pixel is doing very well good.
One point particularly bothered me: the photos taken by pressing the X2 icon of the camera in low light often seemed to share the same problem. The post-processing, well known to Pixels, will accentuate the microcontrasts. But in the specific case mentioned above, I found myself with large areas of noise, completely failed patches and completely absent from the scenes I was trying to photograph. I also noticed quite noisy results in video, with unsavoury compression artifacts.
More generally, I was struck by a clear difference in quality with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which I used for part of October. The folding smartphone suffered from the comparison on the sharpness, the level of clarity, but also its shutter speed and its HDR management. Too many shots came out with questionable aesthetics from my time with the Fold, where other smartphones fared much better in the same conditions.
So be careful, we're being a bit picky here. The photo quality of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold nevertheless remains above the masses. We find some of what makes Pixel photos charming, the warm colorimetry, the instance on microcontrasts, a rather successful portrait mode, etc. But on closer inspection, and after 5 months of use, the level of photo quality is not aligned with the asking price, far from it.
The advantages are there despite everything…
Reading the points mentioned so far, one might think that I would not regret the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for a penny. But if there is one point that I will regret, it is its screens, and in particular the folding one of course.
Already the screen on the front, for a folding smartphone, is very efficient. I did not have to suffer from a screen ratio that is too narrow as is always the case on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. I may have grumbled a little about the thick borders around the screen, but you end up getting used to it.
The internal screen, the one that folds, totally convinced me. It will be very difficult for me to go back to a classic smartphone as I have become accustomed to opening the smartphone in two to look at photos, consult an Excel spreadsheet, read a long article, or check my bank account.
To watch content too, the contract is largely fulfilled. The Oled screen, its vibrant colors, its high brightness, its infinite contrasts have made the Pixel 9 Pro Fold a small portable TV for everyday use. In this, the promise of replacing a tablet for YouTube or a few series is fulfilled. On the other hand, as with any folding smartphone in book format, it still seems to me that the ratio of the internal screen is not the best for watching video content, since it often leaves a lot of space for black borders. On the other hand, as said above, for anything that is productivity, it is a big yes.
The Pixel Experience interface also helps a lot on this front. It is pleasant, fluid, with polished animations and a unique work on the color, on the use of the Google account at all levels. In short, what is a strength on traditional Pixels is just as much on a folding Pixel. The Mountain View firm also added a small shortcut bar that is rather functional. The multitasking mode, although limited to two applications, is very easy to use.
The only point that we could regret: it is impossible to create two different layouts for the external screen and the internal screen, something that the Samsung Galaxy Fold offers. But that is not essential for all that.
…but a bad impression of early adopter
To conclude this longer-term review during which we did not seek to be exhaustive, but rather to highlight the salient points, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, sad to say, did not convince us as much as it should have.
With a price of 1900 euros, it is however the opposite that we have the right to expect. When you pay such a sum for a device, it should suit us largely, and for many years.
Here it pays the price for the many doubts about its solidity. Although we cannot completely rule out bad luck, the Pixel Fold accumulates early problems. Worse still, its protruding size ended up tiring us out, tiring us out. The most embarrassing moment was probably when I was taking photos, all for a sometimes average result, in difficult conditions certainly.
This size cannot be put down to the chosen format alone. Indeed, there are folding smartphones in book format that are much more pleasant to handle on a daily basis.
In the end, the experience was not that unpleasant. I would have a hard time going back for the entire interface once the smartphone is unfolded. So this is a mixed assessment that I give you.
But to come back to the price, this is probably its biggest problem. This is only a second generation product for Google and it shows. As a result, you can quickly feel like you're paying extra as an early adopter, all to wipe the pots. While it's normal to accept some concessions, those noted in this test seem prohibitive. At least at 1900 euros. If you find the Pixel Fold at a more affordable price, the adventure may still be worth trying. Just remember to put a case and a screen protector on the front.
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