Google introduced the Pixel 9 series just last week, and if you’re anything like us, you rushed to get your pre-order in. The first of those orders are just about to start arriving, giving Pixel’s biggest fans their first hands-on look at this new hardware. And while there’s clearly a lot to like about the phones, we’re curious just how far that same enthusiasm will extend to Google’s latest packaging.

For years now, Google’s placed an emphasis on trying to be environmentally friendly when it comes to hardware. That’s involved a lot of recycled plastics, not just in devices themselves, but also for their accessories, like cases. That trend has continued when it comes to packaging, and if you’ve opened any Google products anytime recently, you know to expect a whole lot of cardboard, with minimal plastic.

With the Pixel 9, Google’s taking that approach to its next logical step, and the company shares that all its latest Pixel, Nest, and even Fitbit packaging involves no plastic, whatsoever.

If you’ve caught an early unboxing, though, you might already have some concerns. Rather than the sort of premium-feeling box we had on the Pixel 8, with a top that lifts straight off for a nice presentation, the Pixel 9’s colorful outside packaging slides off like a sleeve. Inside, there’s a much more utilitarian box, which strongly gives off “recycled” vibes.

Google probably hopes that shoppers see that, and understand that it’s communicating the company’s commitment to environmental concerns. But new Pixel 9 owners might also find themselves wondering if there might have been a way to hit those same zero-plastic targets, while also feeling a bit more like there’s something worth $800 (or more) within.

The company goes on to highlight some of the advancements in materials that have empowered it to deliver this packaging design, including new, extra-strong and durable paper for the exterior box, and a reformulated molded fiber pulp formula for the inserts that hold the actual gear.

What do you think about Google’s efforts here? Do you appreciate how it’s trying to be green? Or does this environmentalism feel a bit performative? Let us know in the comments.

Opinion post by

Robert Triggs

Before countless leaks, we all expected Google’s next-gen foldable to be called the Pixel Fold 2. That would be a logical name for the successor to the Google Pixel Fold, after all. Instead, we already have a rebrand — the Pixel 9 Pro Fold aligns the new foldable with the broader Pixel 9 series. It’s a bit odd, though, least of all because it obscures which foldable generation Google is in. Maybe that’s the point?

There’s no clear-cut rule for naming products, of course. Samsung is content with an S and Z distinction between its classic and foldable phones. OPPO has the Find N series for its foldables compared to the traditional Find X flagship range. However, Motorola bundles all of its best phones under the Razr moniker, and HONOR’s Magic series accounts for all its flagships, foldable or not. Still, Google’s sudden about-face is harder to explain. Does it want us to believe the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is just a foldable version of the 9 Pro? Because it really isn’t.

Despite the name, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is not just a foldable version of the 9 Pro.

Perhaps the most exciting change to the range is that the compact Pixel 9 Pro and larger 9 Pro XL sport the very best smartphone technology Google has to offer. The Pro moniker designates feature parity, providing Google’s best performance, camera suite, storage options, build quality and protection, and all the other capabilities you’d expect from a premium flagship. However, that promise only applies to Google’s non-foldable phones.

The Fold dilutes this Pro tag. As is typical for foldables, you trade down water and dust resistance from an IP68 rating to IPX8, meaning no protection against dust ingress. If you’re a heavy media user, you can’t buy the Fold with more than 512GB storage (but at least it comes with 256GB minimum); only the non-foldable Pros come in a 1TB configuration. The 6.3-inch external display isn’t as good as the regular Pixel 9 Pro either; it has a lower resolution, lower peak and HDR brightness, and only drops from 120Hz to 60Hz rather than as low as 1Hz to save power on static content.

The Fold is slower to charge too; it’s capable of just 21W of power versus 27W on the Pro and 37W on the XL. The wireless charging situation is even worse. The Fold is capped at a bog standard 7.5W, far off the 21W available to the 8 Pro via the Pixel Stand (2nd gen) and even slower than the 15W Pixel Stand and 12W Qi charging available to the baseline Pixel 9. The Fold doesn’t support battery share either, so it can’t be used to power up your other flagging gadgets.

But perhaps the biggest offense is found in the camera department. Yes, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a competent triple-camera array, but it’s not in the same league as the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL. The main, ultrawide, and telephoto sensors are all notably smaller in the Fold and offer inferior autofocus, meaning more noise in low-light environments and a greater reliance on Google’s admittedly excellent software to plug the gaps. While probably not noticeable in daylight, these differences are bound to show up in more difficult shooting situations and when using features like Astrophotography.

For a brand that prides itself on photography, the Fold has a lot of downgrades compared to Google's best.

The lower-resolution telephoto camera also can’t take 10x “optical quality” crops and only supports Super Res zoom out to 20x compared to 30x on the other two. That means inferior-looking snaps when zooming in at concerts or trying to snap distant wildlife. Likewise, the selfie camera is closer in resolution to the affordable Pixel 9 than the much-upgraded sensors in the Pro and XL, but it doesn’t list autofocus either, again hinting at weaker performance in difficult lighting.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the Fold also doesn’t receive 8K cloud-based video upscaling, putting it in the same basket as the significantly cheaper Pixel 9. It can’t take full-res (48MP) photos, there’s no cinematic blur, no action pan. Ouch. For a brand that prides itself on media capture, the Fold has a lot of downgrades compared to Google’s best setup.

This isn’t to say the Fold is miles off the pace of the non-folding Pros. It still has the remainder of Google’s best software features and Pro camera controls. Plus, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold opens up a whole new world of multitasking and content viewing on that large inner display. It’s also improved over Google’s previous attempt, providing more years of support, a thinner frame, and a portrait-oriented inner display.

This is still a flagship foldable, but with an eyewatering $1,799 price tag and a new Pro moniker, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re buying the absolute best of everything that Google has to offer. However, looking past the rename, it’s clear that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold doesn’t match the rest of the 9 Pro series in every facet, particularly photography. That’s a letdown.

There's always a certain amount of excitement when it comes to buying a new phone. And while we'd love to just dive in to experience all the new features, there's always a small hiccup that comes from transferring your old data to the new device. Now, this process is relatively painless for the most part, with the option to do a direct transfer using cables or sourcing your important information from the cloud.

We’re less than two weeks away from Made by Google 2024, Google’s annual hardware event, where it’s expected to announce new Pixel phones, earbuds, smartwatches, and potentially other devices. As is tradition at this point, practically every detail about the four phones that Google is expected to unveil in the Pixel 9 series has already leaked. At this point, we’re just waiting to get our own hands on one, but given that we’re so close to launch, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that there are already several people out there with one. In fact, someone was just casually spotted using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold at a Starbucks in Taiwan.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, in case you aren’t aware, is Google’s second-generation foldable phone, and it’s set to be fully unveiled at the company’s upcoming hardware event. From the ample information that’s leaked as well as the official renders that Google has shared, it’s clear that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will have a narrower profile than its predecessor. This is clearly discernible in a picture of the device that someone posted to a private Facebook group. This picture was allegedly taken at a Starbucks somewhere in Taiwan, though we don’t have any more information about where it was taken, who took the photo, or who was using the device. We also only have a single shot of the device, which makes sense as clearly, the person who took the photo was trying to be sneaky.

Given the phone’s distinctive camera bump and conspicuous “G” logo emblazoned on the official case, it’s no surprise it was recognized out in the wild. While there’s nothing new we can learn from this photo, it is technically our first real-world look at the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold in one of its official cases. Although the phone itself appears to be the Obsidian (black) model, the case seems to be for the Porcelain (off-white) model. It’s hard to tell exactly how thick the case is from this photo alone, but it appears to be thick enough to make the device sit flat on a table. Without this case, I’d imagine that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be a bit wobbly when it’s placed on a table.

The photo also shows off other aspects of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, including how it looks from the rear when unfolded, its squarish camera bump, taller cover display with a hole-punch camera, and side buttons. We can also see what appear to be cutouts at the top for a microphone and speaker. Thanks to the deluge of leaks in the last few weeks, we don’t need to use our imaginations to guess what the rest of the phone looks like. We also don’t need to make guesses about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s internal specifications, including its cameras and displays, nor do we need to wait to find out its features or pricing. Our dedicated Pixel 9 Pro Fold rumor hub has all the details on Google’s upcoming foldable phone if you’re interested in learning more. Now, we just need to wait a couple more weeks to get a unit in our own hands.

Thanks to JING on X for the tip!

The Google Pixel 9 series and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are less than two weeks away from release, and we’ve already seen a smorgasbord of leaked renders and real-world media. Now, a trusted source has posted some high-quality renders of the devices.

The Made by Google 2024 event is right around the corner, and we’re expecting to see Google unveil the Pixel 9 series, including the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (previously presumed to be called the Pixel Fold 2). While Google has confirmed the name and design of the phones, and the event has been confirmed for August 13, 2024, it seems that customers will have to wait a while before they can get their hands on the phone, especially with the new foldable.

A leak by Android Headlines claims that the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL will be available for pre-order right after the launch keynote ends, so about 2 pm ET on August 13. Companies usually have about a week or so between pre-orders and open sales, and similarly, Google is expected to begin open sales on August 22.

The shipping dates for the other devices get a bit interesting. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is said to go on sale on September 4, giving us more than half a month between the official launch and device availability. And if you were looking to get your hands on the Pixel Buds Pro 2, those are expected to go on sale on September 26, about a month and a half after the announcement. The leak does not cover shipping dates for the Pixel Watch 3.

Google is holding its Made by Google event earlier this year, which will likely put pressure on many different launch timelines. A wild leak also suggested that the Pixel 9 series could launch with Android 14 instead of Android 15, so it appears that Google is hurrying up quite a bit to get its products out. Google usually launches new Pixels and the new Android version in October, so an August launch is two months too early. We expect these timelines to smoothen out in the coming years as the rest of Google grows accustomed to an August launch.

We’re less than two weeks away from Made by Google 2024, Google’s annual hardware event, where it’s expected to announce new Pixel phones, earbuds, smartwatches, and potentially other devices. As is tradition at this point, practically every detail about the four phones that Google is expected to unveil in the Pixel 9 series has already leaked. At this point, we’re just waiting to get our own hands on one, but given that we’re so close to launch, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that there are already several people out there with one. In fact, someone was just casually spotted using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold at a Starbucks in Taiwan.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, in case you aren’t aware, is Google’s second-generation foldable phone, and it’s set to be fully unveiled at the company’s upcoming hardware event. From the ample information that’s leaked as well as the official renders that Google has shared, it’s clear that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will have a narrower profile than its predecessor. This is clearly discernible in a picture of the device that someone posted to a private Facebook group. This picture was allegedly taken at a Starbucks somewhere in Taiwan, though we don’t have any more information about where it was taken, who took the photo, or who was using the device. We also only have a single shot of the device, which makes sense as clearly, the person who took the photo was trying to be sneaky.

Given the phone’s distinctive camera bump and conspicuous “G” logo emblazoned on the official case, it’s no surprise it was recognized out in the wild. While there’s nothing new we can learn from this photo, it is technically our first real-world look at the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold in one of its official cases. Although the phone itself appears to be the Obsidian (black) model, the case seems to be for the Porcelain (off-white) model. It’s hard to tell exactly how thick the case is from this photo alone, but it appears to be thick enough to make the device sit flat on a table. Without this case, I’d imagine that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be a bit wobbly when it’s placed on a table.

The photo also shows off other aspects of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, including how it looks from the rear when unfolded, its squarish camera bump, taller cover display with a hole-punch camera, and side buttons. We can also see what appear to be cutouts at the top for a microphone and speaker. Thanks to the deluge of leaks in the last few weeks, we don’t need to use our imaginations to guess what the rest of the phone looks like. We also don’t need to make guesses about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s internal specifications, including its cameras and displays, nor do we need to wait to find out its features or pricing. Our dedicated Pixel 9 Pro Fold rumor hub has all the details on Google’s upcoming foldable phone if you’re interested in learning more. Now, we just need to wait a couple more weeks to get a unit in our own hands.

Thanks to JING on X for the tip!

The Google Pixel 9 series and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are less than two weeks away from release, and we’ve already seen a smorgasbord of leaked renders and real-world media. Now, a trusted source has posted some high-quality renders of the devices.

The Made by Google 2024 event is right around the corner, and we’re expecting to see Google unveil the Pixel 9 series, including the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (previously presumed to be called the Pixel Fold 2). While Google has confirmed the name and design of the phones, and the event has been confirmed for August 13, 2024, it seems that customers will have to wait a while before they can get their hands on the phone, especially with the new foldable.

A leak by Android Headlines claims that the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL will be available for pre-order right after the launch keynote ends, so about 2 pm ET on August 13. Companies usually have about a week or so between pre-orders and open sales, and similarly, Google is expected to begin open sales on August 22.

The shipping dates for the other devices get a bit interesting. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is said to go on sale on September 4, giving us more than half a month between the official launch and device availability. And if you were looking to get your hands on the Pixel Buds Pro 2, those are expected to go on sale on September 26, about a month and a half after the announcement. The leak does not cover shipping dates for the Pixel Watch 3.

Google is holding its Made by Google event earlier this year, which will likely put pressure on many different launch timelines. A wild leak also suggested that the Pixel 9 series could launch with Android 14 instead of Android 15, so it appears that Google is hurrying up quite a bit to get its products out. Google usually launches new Pixels and the new Android version in October, so an August launch is two months too early. We expect these timelines to smoothen out in the coming years as the rest of Google grows accustomed to an August launch.

We’re officially in August, which means we’re less than two weeks away from the huge Made by Google event coming up on August 13. We expect to see the Pixel 9 series of phones there, including the follow-up to the Google Pixel Fold, which will get a slight name change to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Today, thanks to Steve Hemmerstoffer and 91Mobiles, we have a leaked set of promotional images that give away a ton of details about the upcoming foldable. Hemmerstoffer — a reliable leaker — also has some supposed pricing for us.

Let’s start with that. According to Hemmerstoffer, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold could start at $1,799 for the 256GB model. This is the same price as the original Pixel Fold, which is good news. In addition to this, there could also be a 512GB version for $1,919, which also matches the original Fold.

In other words, it doesn’t appear Google is asking for more cash for the updated model, which is nice. Obviously, it would have been great to see a price reduction, but a stable price is always welcome, too.

As for the promotional imagery, you can see them below.

Leaked Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold images

Most of the stuff listed in these images we already knew, but here’s a quick bullet list of what they reveal, just in case you need catching up:

• It will be the thinnest foldable available (in the US, huge caveat)
• The inner display is 8 inches, while the cover display is 6.3 inches
• The cover display has a selfie camera cutout in the top center, while, for the first time, the inner display has a selfie camera cutout in the upper right
• Overall, the design is different, with less of the “passport” style of the previous model and no full-body camera bar
• It comes in two colors: Porcelain (off-white) and Obsidian (black)

From other leaks, we are almost certain we’ll see the Tensor G4 under the hood. We are also relatively sure the phone could come with a similar camera setup as the last model, with primary, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses.

Although this gives a lot away, who knows if Google will have surprises for us on August 13. Stay tuned!