Beyond that, the Fold model of the Pixel 9 Pro omits the thermometer built into the other Pixel 9 Pro models — an element that seemed silly when it first debuted with last year’s Pixel 8 series but that’s since grown into a genuinely useful addition and something I very much value, now that it supports actual human temperature-taking (hello, my fellow parents!).
And, of course, the Pixel 9 Pro comes at a literal cost — $700 more than you’d pay for the base-level regular 9 Pro XL model, at $1,800 compared to $1,100 for the Pixel 9 Pro XL (which is most similar in size; if you went with the smaller Pixel 9 Pro, you’d be looking at $1,000 instead).
Last but not least, while I certainly haven’t had any causes for concern in my limited time with the phone so far, there’s no getting around the fact that a folding screen raises more questions around durability than what you’d face with a standard phone display — and while the technology has already come a long way in its relatively short existence, it stands to reason that a folding phone may (a) be more likely to fail or incur damage during the time that you’re using it and (b) have a shorter lifespan in general, compared to a phone with fewer moving parts and a non-bending screen.
