Which Android should you buy?

Google has launched its latest series of smartphones which includes the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Given that both phones sit at the high-end of Google’s current smartphone generation, how does the Pixel 9 Pro XL compare with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold? We’ve contrasted the specs of the 4.5-star Pixel 9 Pro XL to the 9 Pro Fold so you can determine which handset might be better suited for you.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an eight-inch inner display

The most obvious difference between the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold is that the latter is a book-style foldable with two working screens while the former is a standard candy bar phone. Open the 9 Pro Fold and you’ll be greeted by the whopping eight-inch inner Super Actua Flex display which offers Split Screen, letting you stream on one side and scroll between apps on the other. 

The two-screen design of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also especially useful for taking images and videos, allowing you to frame yourself and your group before capturing. There’s also the inclusion of the Pro Fold exclusive Made You Look which displays fun animations on one side to help get your children’s attention when taking a photo. 

Having two screens makes the process of conversing with someone speaking a different language easier than ever, as translations appear on both the inner and outer screens.

It’s worth mentioning that when folded, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a smaller 6.3-inch outer display which puts it more in line with the Pixel 9 Pro. The Pixel 9 Pro XL Super Actua display is larger at 6.8-inches.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL has an IP68 rating

The Pixel 9 Pro XL has an IP68 rating which means it’s both dust-tight and water-resistant in up to one metre of water for up to 30 minutes. This IP rating is alongside the handset’s scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back panels, which promise to improve drop resistance on rougher surfaces like concrete.

In comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an IPX8 rating so although it is as water-resistant as the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it doesn’t have an official dust-tight rating which means it could be affected by foreign solid objects. 

Even so, the 9 Pro Fold also uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the outer display and back and now boasts a more durable hinge, despite being Google’s thinnest foldable yet. This hinge is made from stainless steel with an aerospace-grade, high-strength aluminium alloy cover which Google promises will “hold up fold after fold”.

Both run on the Google Tensor G4 processor

All Pixel 9 handsets, including the 9 Pro XL and 9 Pro Fold, run on Google’s Tensor G4 processor which was designed with Google DeepMind and is optimised to enable the running of advanced AI models such as Gemini Nano.

The inclusion of Gemini, which is built-into the entire Pixel 9 series, is especially impressive as it’s the first multimodal AI to run on a mobile chipset, which means the assistant can understand text, image and even audio-based prompts. 

The Tensor G4 chip also comes with additional AI-powered tools, including Pixel Screenshots which uses AI to organise your screenshots for easy recalling, plus the Pixel favourite photo editing tools such as Magic Editor which allows you to reframe images and remove unwanted objects with just a few taps and Best Take which combines similar group photos into one where everyone is looking their best. 

To ensure the smartphones are equipped to handle AI processing, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with 12GB of RAM while the Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with a whopping 16GB. 

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a total of five cameras

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a total of five cameras spread across its build, which is one more than the Pixel 9 Pro XL. These cameras include three rear lenses, one front-facing and one inner sensor, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a trio of rear snappers and just one selfie lens. 

Both handsets have a 50MP main lens and use macro focus to deliver vivid colour and contrast across photos and videos. The Pixel 9 Pro XL boasts a higher resolution with its ultrawide and telephoto lenses, as both are 48MP whereas the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s are just 10.5MP.

As we touched upon earlier, the hardware is just the beginning of the handsets’ photography ability as both feature AI-powered photo editing tools which can upgrade videos and photos with just a few taps. Both include the new Add Me tool which allows photographers to add themselves seamlessly into a group shot by merging two similar shots.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is cheaper

Foldables are usually more expensive smartphones and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is no exception. Currently available for pre-order, ready for launch on September 4th, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a starting RRP of £1749/$1749. It is also only available in a choice of two colours: Porcelain and Obsidian. 

The Pixel 9 Pro XL, instead, is available to order now and starts at £1099/$1099. It is also available in a wider choice of colours, including Porcelain, Obsidian, Rose Quartz and Hazel. 

At the time of writing, both handsets come with a year-long Google One AI Premium subscription at no extra cost, which includes access to Gemini Advanced and 2TB of cloud storage. 

Verdict

There are pros and cons for both the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. If you want the most screen space possible, then you should opt for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as it not only boasts a decent 6.3-inch cover screen but also a massive eight-inch inner display which makes multitasking (or just watching the latest shows) that bit easier.

However, if you would prefer a more durable handset then the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a safer bet, thanks to its IP68 rating compared to the IPX8 rating of the 9 Pro Fold. Similarly, the XL boasts a higher resolution of cameras, although the Fold has an extra lens and can capture images more seamlessly thanks to its double screen.

Both handsets offer the same amount of power and AI toolkits, thanks to the Google Tensor G4 chipset, however the 9 Pro Fold is still much more expensive than the 9 Pro XL.