With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google’s design team is particularly proud of how thin it is compared to last year’s model, and the use of “custom” components is credited.
Compared to the Pixel Fold, the 9 Pro Fold is 1.5 millimeters thinner when closed and 0.7 millimeters when open.
With the benefit of seeing how people used the original, Google designers had a “phone first” mantra: “We saw that people were often using it closed.” Even though people are interested in the new form factor and want the added bonus of the tablet-like experience, people also want to use their foldable like a regular smartphone.
“That’s what led us to say, ‘Hey, we need to make this a phone first in terms of design,’” Claude explains.
Compared to the rest of the series, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold camera bar design looks out of place by not spanning the entire width.
In fact, the design on the Pixel Fold is more aligned with this year’s phones.
Google says the “double-stacked” camera bar “helped engineers implement a bigger battery,” that thinner design, and “lie on surfaces more evenly.” Internally, it makes use of “customized optical modules” that allows for Pro camera features.
Similarly, there’s also a “custom, thinner haptics driver,” while the “USB-C port is also a custom, smaller version than the original Fold’s.” Google confirms that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an “all-new vapor chamber and graphite thermal spreader.” The “multi-alloy steel, high-strength aluminum alloy-covered ” hinge also played a role in making the device thinner.
Compared to last year, it’s more durable, while Google clearly likes the “snap” closing sound: More on Pixel 9:
Google’s design team boasts about how much thinner the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is than the model from the previous year and gives credit to the usage of “custom” components.
The 9 Pro Fold has a closed thickness of 135 millimeters and an open thickness of 077 millimeters in comparison to the Pixel Fold. Google designers had a “phone first” philosophy because they could observe how users interacted with the original product.
“People were frequently using it closed, as we observed. People want to use their foldable smartphone just like a regular smartphone, even though they are drawn to the new form factor and the added benefit of a tablet-like experience. That’s what made us realize that, from a design standpoint, we should start with a phone, according to Claude.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold camera bar design is a strange contrast to the other models in the series because it does not extend to the full width. The Pixel Fold’s design actually fits in better with the phones released this year.
In addition to being thinner and “lying on surfaces more evenly,” Google claims that the “double-stacked” camera bar “helped engineers implement a bigger battery.”. It uses “customized optical modules” internally to enable Pro camera features.
Complementing this is a “custom, thinner haptics driver” and a “custom, smaller USB-C port than the original Fold’s.”. “.
Google verifies that an “all-new vapor chamber and graphite thermal spreader” are features of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. “.
Additionally contributing to the device’s reduced thickness was the “multi-alloy steel, high-strength aluminum alloy-covered” hinge. It is more robust than it was a year ago, and Google obviously enjoys the “snap” closing sound.
Additional information about Pixel 9:.
