Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: Bigger, mostly better

When the original Pixel Fold debuted in 2023, Google demonstrated how a few tweaks to its aspect ratio can make a foldable much less unwieldy. But for all the impressive technology that went into the device, I discovered it also doubled as a great e-reader. The Pixel Fold was a formidable entrant, which has only been rivaled by the OnePlus Open. The addition of those products, along with others from companies like Oppo, have opened the field in a nice way. The competition has pushed innovation, rather than being content to let Samsung rest on its laurels. By the time it was ready to announce the Fold’s successor, Google had enough confidence in the product to fully integrate it into its flagship line. There will never be Pixels 2 through 8. Instead, Google gave the world the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, slotting the device in as a kind of ultra-premium sibling to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. That, frankly, is just branding. At the end of the day, it means nothing for consumers. What matters is that the Fold is back, bigger and better than before. The “bigger” part initially gave me pause. One of the things I liked most about the original Pixel Fold was that it felt more manageable than Samsung’s versions. It’s something of an inevitability that foldables join the rest of the smartphone space in the great screen embiggening.

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