A higher price tag doesn’t necessarily mean better tech on all fronts
Google announced four new phones in August for its Pixel range, including the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro. At the top end of the range, though, Google revealed a new flagship and a new foldable – the Pixel 9 Pro XL (taking the place of the old ‘Pro’ model as the larger device in the family) and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the company’s second foldable and the first to be coupled to a generation of Pixel devices.
With two ‘Pro’ models at the top of the pile, it begs the question – which is the better device? You might assume that one can fold and is therefore overall a better piece of kit, but it’s not so simple – and depending on what you’re looking for in a device, you might be surprised to learn about the underlying differences between these phones.
Some of us on the TechRadar team have used the both devices for a few weeks after launch and, between us, we’ve come to appreciate the different things about the two handsets. It’s more than just size and form factor – it also comes down to the design, cameras, price, performance and the battery.
So let’s put them head-to-head. Which is the better ‘Pro’ Pixel?Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Pixel 9 Pro Fold: specs comparison
Before we get lost in the details, let’s just go over the specs.Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Pixel 9 Pro Fold: price and availability
Despite different launch dates in some markets, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are available to purchase now directly from Google and third-party retailers.
Prices for the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL start at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 and prices for the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold start at $1,799 / £1,799 / AU$2,699. There’s a sizeable price gap between these devices that can be attributed almost entirely to the foldable screen of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
That being said, the Pixel 9 Pro XL does pack some better tech in a lot of respects.Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Pixel 9 Pro Fold: design
The most glaring design difference between the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is that the latter’s screen… well, folds, but we’ll talk more about the display later – we’ll concentrate on the rest of the hardware in this section.
For starters, the rear of two phones are quite different – while both follow through with Google’s ‘camera bar’ design philosophy, the 9 Pro XL has a more oval camera bar, whereas the Fold has its cameras housed within a rectangular bump at the top left corner.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s dimensions are 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm (6.41 x 3.02 x 0.33 in) and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s dimensions when folded are 155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5 mm (6.11 x 3.05 x 0.41 in). Keep in mind that the Fold can be used like a normal phone when folded as there’s an exterior display but, when unfolded, its dimensions are almost square-like at 155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1 mm (6.11 x 5.91 x 0.20 in). That’s an admirably thin phone when opened up.
Both phones have aluminum frames as opposed to the titanium bodies that Samsung and Apple adopted for their high-end flagship models (excluding the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 foldables from Samsung). The Pixel 9 Pro XL is IP68 rated against dust and water ingress, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is IPX8 rated (the X indicating that the phone had not been tested against non-water ingress, the 6 to show the highest rating against non-water ingress, and the 8 indicating the highest rating against water ingress).
