Google unveiled the Pixel 9 Pro Fold - with Tensor G4, Gemini, bigger screen and a price of $1799

At the Made by Google 2024 event, the company confirmed a change in the naming scheme for its smartphones and introduced the foldable Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which is now part of the main Pixel lineup.

The "Pro" portion of the name highlights the powerful hardware and premium price, and likely suggests the potential for more affordable foldable Google Pixel smartphones in the future. The price of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is indeed steep—set at $1799.

The new Pixel 9 Pro Fold resembles its main competitor, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which is advantageous as it indicates comparable, if not superior, specifications. The most significant hardware change is the upgrade from a 7.6″ screen (the same size as that of the Galaxy Fold 6) to an 8″ internal display. For comparison, the latest Apple iPad Mini has a display that is only 0.3″ larger.

The primary foldable OLED display boasts a resolution of 2076 x 2152 and a pixel density of 373 PPI. Its maximum refresh rate is 120 Hz, and it can reach a brightness of 2700 nits. The external display has increased in size from 5.8″ to 6.3″. It has an even higher pixel density of 422 PPI and a resolution of 1080 x 2424. The smaller screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

The device is also thinner than its predecessor—measuring 10.2 mm when folded and 5.1 mm when open. The 4650 mAh battery, according to Google, is expected to last over 24 hours. This figure extends to 72 hours in extreme battery saver mode. Like the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup, the foldable smartphone is powered by Google's new Tensor G4 processor. It features 16 GB of RAM and offers storage options of either 256 GB or 512 GB.

The back of the phone features a more pronounced camera panel, housing three lenses: a 48 MP wide-angle lens, a 10.5 MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10.8 MP telephoto lens. The latter provides 5x optical zoom and 20x digital zoom through Super Res Zoom.

All Pixel 9 models come equipped with Google's AI assistant Gemini, which is active by default. The device includes a one-year subscription to Google One AI Premium, featuring Gemini Advanced, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, as well as 2 TB of Google Cloud storage. The phone guarantees 7 years of OS and security updates and comes with new Pixel Drop features. The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be available for general purchase starting September 4.

Source: Google, TechCrunch