We’ve reviewed both the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, with the former earning a solid four-star rating while the latter boasts 4.5-stars from us.
Part of the same Pixel 9 series line-up which launched this year, aside from one being a foldable and the other being a traditional candybar handset, how do the two differ?
To help you determine which handset is better suited for you, we’ve compared the specs of the premium Pixel handsets to determine which smartphone really comes out on top.
Price
Perhaps unsurprisingly as a foldable handset, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the pricier option of the two with an RRP of £1749/$1799 whereas the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a starting price tag of £1099/$1099.
Design
- Pixel 9 Pro XL has an IP68 resistance rating
- The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is taller but weighs more than the Pixel 9 Pro XL
- There are more colours available for the Pixel 9 Pro XL
The most obvious difference between the two is that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a foldable while the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a traditional candybar smartphone. Because of this, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold weighs more at 257g compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 221g.
Even so, when the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is closed its external display measures at 155.2mm (height) x 77.1mm (width) x 10.5mm (depth) whereas the Pixel 9 Pro XL is taller but thinner at 162.8 mm (height) x 76.6 mm (width) x 8.5 mm (depth).
Otherwise all Pixel 9 series handsets sport a new design with flat edges, rounded corners and an all-new camera bar at the rear. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also features a more rigid hinge, made from aerospace-grade high-strength aluminium which allows the screen to fold completely flat, a key feature missing from its predecessor, the Google Pixel Fold.
The two handsets are decked in Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for extra durability and drop-resistance, however the Pixel 9 Pro XL sports an IP68 rating which means it is both dust and water resistant. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold on the other hand has just an IPX8 rating.
The XL comes in a choice of four colours, including Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel and Obsidian whereas the Fold is more limited in its options with just Obsidian and Porcelain available.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Screens
- The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 6.8-inch OLED display
- There are two screen on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, a 6.3-inch external and an 8-inch internal display
- The Pixel 9 Pro XL can reach 3000 nits of brightness
The 9 Pro Fold’s 6.3-inch external display is more traditional and feels like you’re using the similarly-sized Pixel 9 Pro handset. This is especially noteworthy as we found this makes the external screen much more usable than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 which is much taller and narrower than a typical smartphone.
Open the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and you’ll be greeted with a stunning 8-inch display which, like the external screen, has a 1-120Hz refresh rate. Google has also fixed the aspect ratio issue with the original Pixel Fold where apps would display incorrectly or weren’t optimised for the larger display.
Although Google has undoubtedly made improvements, the phone still falls short in one key area: the crease of the internal screen. The crease is clearly visible when using the handset which we think is a huge issue, considering that other foldables such as the OnePlus Open have managed to completely hide it.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL boasts a huge 6.8-inch Super Actua OLED display, one inch bigger than last year’s Pixel 8 Pro. It can also reach 3000 nits of peak brightness whereas the Pixel 9 Pro Fold reaches slightly less at 2700 nits, however it’s worth noting that the difference here is arguably negligible.
Finally, much like the Fold, the Pro XL also has a 1-120Hz refresh rate and has HDR10 Plus support for a better quality picture.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Cameras
- The Pixel 9 Pro XL has 48MP ultrawide and telephoto lenses while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s are 10.5MP and 10.8MP respectively
- The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has two 10MP selfie lenses
- Google’s AI-powered photo editing suite gets new additions across the two handsets
In terms of sheer number of cameras, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has the most with a total of five spread throughout the handset while the Pixel 9 Pro XL has four. Even so, quantity doesn’t guarantee quality and we found the secondary lenses of the 9 Pro Fold to be disappointing, especially when compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Made up of a 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide and 48MP 5x telephoto lenses, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is easily one of the best camera phones available. Regardless of which camera you use, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is capable of taking stunning photos with the classic “true-to-life” Pixel finish, even in low-light environments.
Having said that, we were especially impressed by the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 48MP 5x telephoto lens which, although lacking the extreme zoom of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, still manages to take high quality images.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold on the other hand is made up of a 48MP main, a 10.5MP ultrawide and a 10.8MP telephoto zoom lens. Although the main lens stands out comfortably as the best of the trio, the ultrawide and telephoto lenses fall short as the handset has to rely on AI to keep shots detailed.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also sports two of the same 10MP selfie cameras while the Pixel 9 Pro XL boasts a high-res 42MP ultrawide front camera.
In true Pixel fashion, the 9 Pro Fold and 9 Pro XL are equipped with Google’s AI-powered photo editing suite which include Magic Editor and Best Take. There are also some new additions across the two handsets such as Add Me which allows photographers to be added into group shots.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, however, includes the exclusive Made You Look tool which displays a fun animation on the external display to help encourage children to look at the camera when taking a photo.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Performance
- Google’s Tensor G4 chipset powers the Pixel 9 series
- Each handset is equipped with 16GB of RAM for fast speeds
- The Pixel 9 Pro XL can offer up to 1TB of storage while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold only reaches 512GB
All Pixel 9 handsets run on Google’s Tensor G4 chipset, a capable processor that favours AI performance over sheer power. As the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold run on the same chipset (and 16GB RAM), performance shouldn’t influence your decision.
We found that each handset ran smoothly, with apps generally opening quickly and games playing well, despite the widened benchmark gap between Tensor G4 and its chipset competitors such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Performance is especially admirable when performing AI tasks, with photo editing tasks getting to work in seconds.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Pixel 9 Pro XL also tended to get considerably hot when gaming, especially in more graphically intensive titles. If you’re after a gaming handset then we would discourage opting for a Google device.
The biggest difference between the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Pixel 9 Pro XL’s performance comes from their respective storage options. While the Pixel 9 Pro XL can offer up to 1TB of storage space, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold can only reach 512GB.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Software
- Google’s Tensor G4 chipset allows the handsets to run multimodal AI on-device
- The Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes multitasking tools for the internal screen
- Google offer seven years of OS updates for the Pixel 9 series
Much like the performance of the two handsets, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Pixel 9 Pro XL don’t have many software differences between them and each come with Pixel-exclusive apps installed, including Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio and an updated Weather app that offers daily weather reports.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold boasts multitasking features for the internal screen, which allows two apps to be used side-by-side and resized. Close the phone and simply swipe up on the outer screen to open the app you were using on the inside.
Perhaps most notably, the two handsets are able to run multimodal AI on-device, thanks to the Tensor G4 chipset. This running of multimodal AI allows the handsets to process images, audio and text for faster responses especially when Gemini Live is in use.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Battery life
- There’s a larger battery cell on the Pixel 9 Pro XL
- The Pixel 9 Pro XL has faster charging speeds at 37W
- We found the Pixel 9 Pro XL can comfortably last two days
Although the Pixel 9 Pro Fold can last for about a day without needing a recharge, it doesn’t quite match the prowess of the Pixel 9 Pro XL which we found can easily last for a second day, even with heavy use. This isn’t surprising considering the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s battery is smaller at 4650mAh compared to the XL’s 5060mAh.
We found after 60 minutes of Netflix streaming, the Fold lost 9% of its battery while the XL fared slightly better at 6%.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also can’t match the charging speeds of the 9 Pro XL, with a full charge taking over 100 minutes while the 9 Pro XL takes 80 minutes. Even so, this still falls short of other Android alternatives such as the OnePlus 12.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Verdict
If you want to finally try a foldable handset then the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a great choice as it boasts the same chipset and software as the rest of the Pixel 9 line-up. However, if you’re looking for a smartphone that has a larger battery life and superior camera quality then the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a better-suited option, especially as it’s considerably cheaper than the Fold.
Buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Pro XL if…
You want the best possible Pixel camera setup, thanks to its impressive 48MP ultrawide and 5x telephoto lenses and its suite of AI-powered editing tools. Plus, its 6.8-inch Super Actua display means everything from streaming content to gaming looks visually stunning.
Buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold if…
You’re keen to try a foldable handset that can also be used as both an impressively large portable tablet and as a more standard-sized candybar Android handset.
Also consider:
If you’re certain you want a foldable handset then we’d recommend considering the OnePlus Open, which was awarded a near-perfect 4.5-star rating.
If you’re looking for a smaller and cheaper Pixel alternative then consider the flagship Pixel 9 or the 6.3-inch Pixel 9 Pro.
