Google - Pixel 9 Pro Fold 5G 256GB (Unlocked) - Obsidian

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is not only the best foldable that I have ever used (previous Z Fold 3 & 4 owner), but this is the best phone I have ever owned. Part of that is because of the software and this is where Android really shines. First they have taken a few steps to combat spam/robo calls, by screen and allowing you to block them with one button. I typically get 2-3 per day and the last 2 days I haven't received any. I am sure I will still get them but they seem less frequent. Second is the call notes feature, which transcribes and takes notes of the conversation. when activated, it plays a brief message that the other caller can hear letting them know the conversation is being recorded and then once the call is over you can view the notes from the call. This comes in handy when having discussions while driving or when unable to take notes. They also have these google assistant routines when you set alarms which allows the weather or calendar agenda to be displayed when the alarm rings. The hardware is the second reason this phone is my favorite. The outside screen is similar to any bar style phone and just slightly wider than the Z Fold device which makes the screen so much more usable. When open the phone feels like the equivalent of having 2 monitors for your computer. Runnings 2 apps side by side is what this phone was made for. The camera's are great even though I have taken man pics with them yet. Overall this is the best phone I have ever had and would highly recommend this to anyone in the market for a foldable.

Foldables used to be a novelty. They have since evolved and become a more accepted segment of smartphones. While the basic concept may appear the same, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold cleverly sets itself apart from the competition with its unique set of features you may have not initially realized you needed. As packaged: • Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold • USB-C Cable • Sim Removal Tool • Support/Warranty Booklet My Obsidian Black Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold shipped with 256GB of storage and a stunning 16GB RAM; multitasking is effortless! It is powered by Google’s Tensor G4 processor. Tasks were accomplished moderately quickly with no signs of lag in my experience. Booting is literally instantaneous compared to other Android devices with a “phone starting” phase in the boot sequence. It is hard not to notice how incredibly thin the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is, especially when unfolded. Each half is just about 0.2 inches thick, 3 inches wide and 6.1 inches tall making the device very portable when folded. It weighs about 258g and sports a 6.3-inch external display and a massive 8-inch internal display. Both displays are OLED ensuring deep blacks and stunning contrasts; they are also bright maxing out brightness at about 2700 nits. The external display is capable of 1080 x 2424 resolution while the inner maxes out at 2076 x 2152. While both displays are capable of a 120Hz refresh rate (for smoothness), it must be noted that the inner can vary from 1Hz thru 120Hz with the external capable of either 60Hz or 120Hz. Naturally, it may be desirable to maintain the 120Hz refresh rate for the displays but it is good to know what options they offer with regards to their variability. Power saving modes, for example, typically reduce the refresh rate to help conserve energy. To ensure durability, the external display is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover glass although an additional screen protector would not hurt in my opinion. Ultra Thin Glass is employed for the inner display. The hinge mechanism on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is composed of a multi-alloy steel. It is satisfying to open and close. When closed, both halves of the device fold perfectly on top of each other helping make the Pixel 9 Pro Fold very portable. Unfolding, the inner display opens up a full 180 degrees and masks the crease very well, in my opinion. Google states the hinge is covered by an” aerospace-grade high-strength aluminum alloy.” A silky matte Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is the material chosen for the back; the remaining device is a satin metal frame. There is a power/fingerprint sensor and a volume rocker on the right-hand of the device when opened. In my experience, the fingerprint sensor has been accurate every single time. The rear of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold houses three cameras: a 48MP wide, a 10.5MP ultrawide and a 10.8MP telephoto lens. Both the inner and outer displays have 10MP cameras. The only port on the device is a USB Type-C. For 5G connectivity, Pixel 9 Pro Fold is compatible with the 5G mmWave and Sub 6GHz Model GGH2X networks. It is also backwards compatible with most 4G LTE bands. All four GSM bands (850, 900, 1800 and 1900) are accessible. SIMs can either be a physical nano SIM or an electronic, eSIM. Satellite SOS is a new technology whereby users can communicate with first responders via satellites should they be outside cellular or Wi-Fi service coverage areas. There is an elaborate demo that simulates an off-grid scenario (cellular and Wi-Fi connections are actually suspended at some point during the demo); the lifesaving potential of this feature cannot be overemphasized. Wi-Fi 7 standard can be utilized provided there is access to the appropriate wireless router. Bluetooth version 5.3 with top notch encryption and energy efficiencies are packaged onboard for communication. A 4650 mAh battery powers the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. In my daily use, it has made it through the day with significant browsing, moderate calling & texting all while serving as a mobile hotspot for another device. It is capable of both wireless and tethered fast charging via a compatible 45W USB-C charger. Similar to other manufacturers, Google does not provide a charging adapter. Although the camera array protrudes, I was still able to get my Pixel 9 Pro Fold to charge wirelessly in my car, suggesting a wide area of the device’s back is capable of charging it. Other manufacturer’s I have encountered typically concentrate the technology to the central area of the device’s back. To help deal with the rigors of daily life, the device has an IPX8 water resistance, which sadly implies it is neither waterproof nor dustproof. While the hardware specifications are impressive, Google’s own Android OS and its synergy with the hardware is, in my opinion, one of the greatest selling points of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Google is renowned for data and thus does not come as a surprise the ease at which this data is made available to you. An example is a direct link to the street view of a contact address. My other Android devices would show the location in Google Maps but Google takes it a step further. Calling businesses via their contact numbers lists the business name in the call log. If a all you may remember about a song is how to hum it, Google will listen and identify for you. Being very familiar with data and the daily threats we face, Google provides a free VPN in selected countries. Google VPN hides/masks browsing data which can be particularly useful when connected to public Wi-Fi. It can also be enabled for your cellular provider if you so choose. Other foldables typically focus on the larger inner display when opened and expansive outcome. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold stands out by actually utilizing all displays in the accomplishment of tasks such as those listed below: • Made You Look – External display captivates younger subjects (i.e. babies, toddlers etc.) with animation as their picture is taken • Rear Camera Selfie – A user is able to harness the rear cameras for selfies. The external display provides a preview • Dual Screen Preview – As a user prepares to take a picture, the subjects are able to see the preview on the external display Google’s AI Gemini, already impressive, receives an update to an advanced version should you opt in for the trial. Inputs can be either text, speech or visual (picture). Responses are quick and conversational, at times even suggesting follow-up questions. Gmail storage sizes get upgraded to 2TB for the trial. Reimagine is a clever tool that also uses AI to edit pictures. It is powerful and can be fun, especially when altering scenes/scenarios. AI is used for processing camera images to enhance after capture. Night Sight is a feature that helps reduce the occurrence of grainy pictures due to low light. Add Me is another feature worth mentioning as two users are able to get a picture together by initially taking turns capturing each other which ultimately get stitched for the final image. In closing, Google is a good data curator and it thus comes as no surprise their devices would take advantage of this. The user’s needs are constantly anticipated so the needed task/data request can be effortlessly completed. With a promise of seven years of OS and security updates, there is no doubt the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will only get smarter.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is my first foldable phone. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if foldables were a gimmick or not, but now that I’ve used it for a little over a week, I’m not sure if I could go back to a “normal phone”. The fact that I can fit a larger tablet-like device in my pocket is amazing. When folded, you get a full-size “normal” experience as the Pro Fold’s 6.3” Super Actua OLED outer display is the exact same size as the non-foldable Pixel 9. The real party trick is when you unfold it and are greeted to an expansive 8” almost-square OLED screen that just gives you so much more room for whatever you are doing. Both the outer and inner displays support HDR and have their own 10MP dual PD selfie cameras. The 8” inner display also supports LTPO technology which allows it to run between 1-120Hz. You might think that a foldable would be a thicker device, but I was shocked to find it’s not much thicker than my iPhone 15 Pro. When unfolded, it’s even thinner, and is in fact the thinnest foldable on the market. The phone’s hinges are sturdy, and it does take a bit of effort to unfold, definitely a two-handed job and longer fingernails will help. I’m guessing this is by design as they expect the hinges to get looser over time. With the larger screen, I’ve found it enjoyable to read web articles, comics, books and to get some work done in Outlook and Teams. According to Google, this is the largest screen ever on a smartphone. For me, it’s much easier to type without error on the larger on-screen keyboard. You can use two phone apps at once, side-by-side, just like a tablet. As far as the screen’s crease, I’ve found it to only be noticeable on black or almost black content, or when viewing from an angle. Most of the time, you will not see it at all. Google also nailed transitioning from one screen the other. You'll start to do something on the outer screen, then open it up and that same app will seamlessly adapt it's content to the larger screen. Because it folds, there are five camera lenses on this device, three in the rear and both the inner and outer screen have their own. This allows the phone to do some unique tricks such as using the outer screen when unfolded to take a higher quality rear-camera selfie or use the Fold exclusive “Make You Look” feature that will distract young children to get them to look into the camera. There’s also a tabletop photo mode where you can set it on a table, get in the picture and “wave” to the phone to take the shot. My favorite is the ability for Google Translate to be able to show content on both screens in conversation mode. The person you are speaking to can easily read your translation on the outer screen and then respond in their own language which gets translated back to you on the inner screen. The Fold's rear camera array comes equipped with a 48MP Quad PD Wide lens, a 10.5 MP Dual PD Ultrawide lens, and finally a 10.8MP Dual PD Telephoto lens. While you can still capture excellent photos, these lenses are not as good as the ones found on the non-folding Pixel 9 Pro or 9 Pro XL. Those phones (and even the older Pixel 8 Pro) come with better ultrawide and telephoto lenses that sport 48 MP and Quad PD. The Fold is also limited to 4K video recording while the Pixel Pro 9 and 9 XL can shoot 8K. As far as camera features go, I was highly impressed with the macro mode, as I was able to get in very close to small objects and the Pixel was able to capture clear, in-focus photos and every grain of dust. The Night Sight feature, which allows you to take low-light photo and video was less impressive. In most comparison shots I found that I had better contrast, color and less noise on my iPhone than the Pixel. “Add Me” is a nifty feature that works but can be tricky to get people to look like they were actually near each other. The Magic Editor has a “Reimagine” feature that uses generative AI to edit your photos. If the sky in your original photo is drab, you can make it blue or add some clouds or even birds. (side note, when I tried this, it added so many birds to the sky it looked like a scene from the classic horror movie The Birds!) If the grass is dead in your backyard, you can select it and have Magic Editor Reimagine a lush green lawn. There are Magic Eraser features, which can remove people in the background of your photos or unwanted sounds like a car horn from your video. For the most part, the AI tools either work or they don’t. You can get exceptional results but then a lot of times not, or you will get weird artifacts in you photo like in one case I got a lot of extra reflections that didn’t exist on a picture of a metallic object. Battery life has been excellent so far. I have not had any issues getting through an entire day and Google claims it will go 72-hours in “Extreme Battery Saver” mode, which I haven’t had a need to try yet. The Fold does also support Qi wireless charging. Pros: - Smartphone or Tablet? - Incredibly Thin when Unfolded - Superb Battery Life - 6.3” Outer 1080x2424 OLED Display with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at 60-120Hz - 8” Inner 2076x2152 OLED Display at 1-120Hz - Tensor G4 Processor with 16GB RAM and Titan M2 Security - Support for Face and Fingerprint Unlock - 256GB of Storage (512 optional) - Easy Multitasking with Split-Screen - Wifi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 - 7 Years of OS and Security Updates - Physical Sim Card Slot and eSIM - Free Google VPN - 2 Years Free Satellite SOS Service - 12-month trial of Google One AI Premium Cons: - Expensive - Lesser Camera Hardware than Other Pixel 9 Pros Overall – the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold blurs the line between a phone and tablet. It’s a tablet that can fit in your pocket but at the same time can be a normal Pixel 9 phone if you want it to. I think at some point all premium phones will be foldable because there are so many benefits to the larger screen. It comes down to whether you want to be an early adopter of the technology and if you do Google’s latest foldable is the best you can currently buy.