After a long wait, Google has finally launched its Pixel products for the Malaysian market. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL will be available on 22nd August, while the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Pixel Watch 3 will be released in September.
Unfortunately, Google isn’t releasing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for our local market and it wasn’t listed on the official Google Store Malaysia website.
During today’s media event organised by Google, we asked why the Pixel 9 Pro Fold was missing from the Malaysian product lineup. Here’s what Google’s Devices and Services Business Asia Pacific Vice President, Mike Abary, has to say:
The reason for that was because when we had made a decision to launch in Malaysia, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold was already into the development phase that was meant for the countries that we actually already in.
So, Malaysia will basically see next generation of Fold but not this generation.
It is worth pointing out that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is currently available for pre-order in Singapore, Australia, United Kingdom and Taiwan. If the concern was 4G and 5G band compatibility, devices developed for these markets should technically work in Malaysia as they utilise similar wireless bands.
When we compare the supported bands between the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the Fold has more supported bands including 5G mmWave (n257,n258,n260,n261). For now, it looks like there are no plans to bring in a Pixel Fold devices to our market but things may change depending on the reception of their current Pixel 9 lineup.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Features and Specs
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold features an inward-folding design similar to most large-screen foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Honor Magic V3 and the Oppo Find N3. On the cover, the device has a 6.3″ Actua display that pushes 2424×1080 pixels resolution on an OLED panel that does a 60-120Hz refresh rate. The outer display boasts up to 1,800 nits for HDR and up to 2,700 nits for peak brightness.
On the inside, the device gets an 8″ Super Actua Flex Display that pushes a resolution of 2152×2076 pixels resolution and the LTPO panel offers a variable refresh rate of 1-120Hz. The internal flexible OLED display boasts up to 1600 nits for HDR and up to 2700 nits for peak brightness.
During the Made by Google 2024 live stream, Google claimed that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has the largest display on a phone and it’s the thinnest foldable. However, this isn’t true as the footnote indicates that the claim is based on foldable phones available in the US. The Magic V3 is still the thinnest foldable at the moment boasting a thickness of 9.2mm when folded or 4.35mm unfolded which is impressively thin.
Similar to the rest of the Pixel Pro lineup, the foldable device gets a Google Tensor G4 chip with 16GB of RAM. However, there are only two storage options – 256GB and 512GB.
In terms of cameras, the rear gets a triple-camera setup that consists of a 48MP f/1.7 Quad PD wide camera with a 1/2″ sensor, a 10.5MP f/2.2 Dual PD ultra-wide-angle camera with a 1/3.4″ sensor and a 10.8MP f/3.1 Dual PD telephoto camera with a 1/3.2″ sensor that does 5x optical zoom and Super Res Zoom up to 20x.
For selfies and video calls, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has two 10MP f/2.2 Dual PD cameras that are placed in a punch-hole for both the internal and cover displays. Both cameras have a field of view of 87 degrees.
As expected, Google Gemini takes centre stage with a host of AI-powered photography features such as Add Me, Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Best Take and Video Boost. For the foldable form factor, Google has added some clever features such as Dual Screen Preview and “Made You Look”, a feature that helps you take photos of infants more easily by grabbing their attention using cute animations on the cover display.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is said to be Google’s most durable foldable yet. The hinge uses a multi-alloy steel with aerospace-grade high-strength aluminium alloy cover, while the front and back are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 with the rear having a silky matte finish and a stain metal frame. The device also gets a fingerprint-resistant coating and it also boasts IPX8 rated water resistance.
Similar to other Pixel 9 Pro devices, it also gets stereo speakers and three mics. It also supports 5G with dual-SIM (one nano SIM and one eSIM), WiFi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC.
Powering the device is a 4,650mAh battery that’s rated to last over 24 hours on a single charge or up to 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver enabled. It supports fast wired charging and wireless charging, however, no charging figures were mentioned in the spec sheet.
The device comes with a 1-year standard warranty. Out of the box, it runs on Android 14 and Google offers 7 years of updates.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Pricing
Depending on the country, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is offered in Porcelain and Obsidian and it will be available starting from 4th September. Here’s the pricing in the US:
- Pixel 9 Pro Fold 256GB – USD 1,799 (about RM7,952)
- Pixel 9 Pro Fold 512GB – USD 1,919 (about RM8,482)
In Singapore, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is offered only in Obsidian and is priced at SGD 2,399 (about RM8,062) for 256GB and SGD 2,579 (about RM8,667) for 512GB.
