1 min readGoogle is finally bringing a foldable smartphone to Australia.
Announced alongside the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Pixel 9 Fold picks up where 2023's Pixel Fold left off. The finer points of the formula have been refined in the time since the original Pixel Fold hit overseas markets last year, but that core idea here is much the same. Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold line, it's a smartphone with a small screen that gets bigger when you need it to.
Unsurprisingly, Google is looking to play up the flexible form factor here as a point of difference. The Pixel 9 Fold is almost as thin as the Pixel 9 Pro XL, with an IP8X rating for water and dust resistance and a reworked hinge made of aerospace-grade aluminium.
Under the hood, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold runs on the same Google Tensor G4 processor as its siblings. It also ships with 16GB of RAM, the latest version of Android, the promise of 7 years of software and security updates and a full year of access to Google's Gemini Live AI subscription.
One thing you aren't getting here is a truly flagship rear camera setup. If you want that, the Pixel 9 Pro will be a better bet. The back of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is host to a triple-lens camera that consists of a 48MP wide angle lens, a 10.5MP ultrawide angle lens and a 10.8MP telephoto lens.
Like other foldable brands, Google has also thought up a few novel features that make use of this specific form factor. For instance, you can play animations on the external display to catch the attention of a distracted portrait subject.
In another move that's straight out of the Samsung playbook, the company is also talking up gaming on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and has said it will be working with game developers to make sure that popular titles play nice with the Fold's specific screen specifications.
In Australia, pricing for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $2699. The device will be available in two colors: Porcelain and Obsidian and two sizes: 256GB and 512GB. Google's second-generation foldable will go on preorder from 14 August 2024 ahead of its 4 September 2024 launch late.
