Pixel 9 Pro Fold Coming Soon – What Google Can Learn from the Galaxy Z Fold 6

Samsung announced its new foldable device, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, earlier this month, with just a week to go until it hits stores on July 24. Hopefully Google was paying attention throughout the launch process, because it holds a lot of lessons for how the company should handle the next version of its foldable smartphone.

It will be the successor to the Pixel Fold and will be incorporated into the Pixel 9 lineup as a foldable (sorry) device and will be rebranded as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Google has a Made by Google hardware event scheduled for August 13 where the new foldable smartphone is expected to be unveiled.

The changes Google plans to make to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold seem pretty much set in stone at this point. Still, there are a few do's and one very big don't for the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and we're hoping Google follows suit with the foldable Pixel.

Adding AI features specific to foldable devices

Galaxy Z Fold 6's sketch-to-image feature in action (Image credit: Future)

There's no doubt that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will have AI capabilities, which, along with great mobile photography, is a hallmark of the Pixel series. And with the new foldable phone launching as part of the Pixel 9 series, it's likely that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will have the Tensor G4 chipset, which will enable a host of new AI-driven capabilities.

Hopefully some of these features are aware that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has multiple screens and can fold in half, because some of the Galaxy AI features introduced in the Galaxy Z Fold 6 certainly know that.

Interpreter mode isn't necessarily a new Galaxy AI feature, but Samsung has adapted it to take advantage of the phone's internal and external displays on both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. Now, when you're having a conversation with someone who speaks a different language, you'll see a real-time transcript on each display.

Sketch to Image takes advantage of the Galaxy Z Fold 6's S Pen support and expanded drawing space, and with the help of generative AI, transforms the sketches you make into more detailed illustrations. Google Gemini will pop up on the phone's cover display to answer your questions without even having to open the Z Fold 6.

Will the Pixel 9 Pro Fold offer similar features? It's hard to say at this point, as the AI ​​features rumored to be on the Pixel 9 phone, such as Add Me for better group photos and screenshot search, work just as well on the traditional phone as on the foldable. The Pixel 9 Pro phone may come with a year of free access to Google Gemini Advanced, and the Fold will likely be included in that perk. But again, this isn't necessarily unique to the foldable phone design.

Hopefully the “Made by Google” event will shed a bit more light on Google's AI plans, especially as they relate to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Extend battery life

(Image courtesy of Tom's Guide)

The original Pixel Fold's battery life was good, lasting 10 hours and 21 minutes when we tested the phone by surfing the web before it ran out of battery. The Pixel Fold's time was slightly better than the average smartphone result, but it's not bad considering the Fold has to keep its gigantic 7.6-inch screen running all the time.

Samsung's Galaxy Fold smartphones have similar issues, although the Z Fold 6 has made some progress in this area. The new phone averaged 10 hours and 35 minutes, which is only a slight improvement over the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but despite the increased battery life, there has been no increase in battery size.

The same challenge applies to Google and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold: extend the battery life of the original Pixel Fold by whatever means necessary. Perhaps that means a bigger battery than before. Or maybe it means the Tensor G4 is more power-efficient than its predecessor. But however Google does it, it's important to get more battery life out of its new foldable phone.

Addressing display issues

(Image courtesy of Tom's Guide)

Perhaps the biggest complaint about the Galaxy Z Fold models so far has been about the phone's external display, specifically its narrow aspect ratio. People found the slim screen difficult to type on, especially when compared to devices like the Pixel Fold, which has a wider cover display.

Samsung has addressed this issue with the Galaxy Z Fold 6, increasing the size of the cover display from 6.2 inches to 6.3 inches. The result is a slightly wider display that's easier to work on than before. In our Z Fold 6 review, we certainly found that the screen feels less cramped.

There's nothing wrong with the Pixel Fold's cover display, but that doesn't mean other parts of it need attention. What I'm thinking is the bezels that surround the original Pixel Fold's inner display: they're just too thick for a phone that claims to have a modern look.

(Image courtesy of Google)

We won't know how well Google nails this until we see the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in person, but the early signs are promising: The image above is taken from a video teaser posted by Google itself ahead of the launch event, and the bezels certainly do seem to be narrower.

Lighten

(Image courtesy of SmartPrix)

Samsung seems to be continuing to work on making its super-sized foldable smartphones easier to carry. Last year's Galaxy Z Fold 5 introduced a flex hinge that made the foldable smartphone slimmer than its predecessor. The change also helped make the Z Fold 5 0.3 ounces lighter. The weight savings continue with this year's Galaxy Z Fold 6, with the new phone being 0.5 ounces lighter than the Z Fold 5.

If any smartphone needs to undergo an aggressive weight-loss program, it's the Pixel Fold. The device weighs 10 ounces, 1.5 ounces heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It's unclear whether Google plans to tweak the Fold's design to make it a bit slimmer, but creating a foldable smartphone that's easy to carry around seems high on the to-do list.

Don't raise the price

Now Samsung has done something Google should never have done: raised the price of its Pixel Fold successor. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is $100 more expensive than its predecessor, starting at $1,899.

Samsung likely has a reason for raising prices, but the company hasn't explicitly said what it is. “The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are our best foldables, setting a new standard for mobile innovation and enhanced by new features from Galaxy AI,” said Drew Blackard, Samsung's vice president of mobile product marketing, when asked by my colleague Marc Spooner about the price hikes for the Galaxy foldables. The problem with this approach is that it leaves shoppers wondering whether such improvements are really worth paying an extra $100, and sometimes the answers they give don't line up with Samsung's.

Google shouldn't take that risk, and it shouldn't make the same mistake twice. When the Pixel Fold launched a year ago, one of the things that killed the momentum of the new phone was Google's decision to match the starting price of the Galaxy Z Fold. By keeping the price the same this year, or even better, lowering it a bit from the Pixel Fold's $1,799 starting price, Google could better differentiate its new phone from the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

In doing so, Google might be able to teach Samsung a few things about foldable devices.

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