After a weekend using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, I have one massive gripe

As I made quite clear on Friday, I moved my primary SIM card over to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and I used it for nearly 4 straight days to see what it would really be like. Having daily-drove the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for many months, I’m no stranger to the real-world ramifications of carrying a folding phone in my pocket. Additionally, I’ve been back on the Pixel 9 Pro XL for a little bit as well, so I had no issues immediately adapting to a folding, current-gen Pixel phone.

And, for the most part, I liked it a lot. Having a folding Pixel phone with the same current-gen processor as the flagships, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, great cameras, ultra-thin form factor, and gorgeous screens (inside and out) is a recipe for success if you are a fan of Google’s software and general aesthetics.

Even the outer screen aspect ratio feels considered, being the exact same size and shape as the smaller Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. Open it up and you are greeted with a nearly-square 8-inch display that is vibrant, bright, punchy, and a delight to look at. Closed down, the device is so thin that it really does just feel like a standard smartphone, and when open, the thin/light build is fully on display. When I talk about it all from this perspective, it sounds almost perfect, doesn’t it?

A massive issue for me

That’s what I thought until I started to actually use it in real-world scenarios. First up – and this should come as a surprise to no one – Android and general web content aren’t really great on this size of a screen with this aspect ratio. Websites are basically just the mobile view all stretched wide and Android apps are many times the same, not really utilizing the extra screen space to do anything thoughtful or helpful.

So even though you have a massive internal screen, you end up having to hunt around a bit to find the apps and websites that best utilize that particular size: smaller than a desktop and way bigger than a normal phone. I’ve talked about this hangup before, and because I’ve used a folding phone for long periods prior to this weekend, I was totally prepared for all of that. I just mention it because it’s worth noting.

Those particular issues weren’t my problem: it was the physical size of the phone. Bigger isn’t always better, and in this case, an 8-inch mini tablet makes one-hand viewing of anything a bit clunky. I have large hands, and there are only a few ways to hold the fully-opened Pixel 9 Pro Fold without engaging both hands. With small bezels, the problem is only compounded, and I found myself having to use two hands most of the time I was doing anything on the larger display.

And then, trying to read or play a few games at night in bed is incredibly difficult. Basically in any laid-back position, opening up the Pixel 9 Pro Fold becomes a slight hazard to your health with the probability of it falling on your face being very high. Trying to continue holding it with one hand as I traced out a word in my nightly game of Strands with the wife proved to be a chore, and even with my hand size, gripping the open Pixel 9 Pro Fold entirely across the back is nearly impossible for any length of time.

So, as nice as that inner screen is for reading (a big example, here), it basically requires you to keep both hands on the device and both arms extended up to avoid dropping it on your face. In way too many settings, I just found this to be frustrating and ended up closing the device up to use the smaller outer screen.

And I get it: that’s why that screen is there. But if I’m going to continually be using the (very usable) outer display, what is the point of carrying around this mini tablet all the time at this $1799 price point? For me, I couldn’t quite get there, and I’ll be finishing the last part of my review process with my SIM card back in the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

It does make me wonder if this is exactly why Samsung has stuck with the ultra-narrow outer display for so long. With that phone, it wasn’t exactly comfortable to hold with one hand while reclined, but it was 100% doable. And when I wanted a bit more width to the screen, I could just rotate it. Having a true portrait and landscape view is a good thing with many apps, and after all the hate and ridicule Samsung gets for staying with that form factor for a 6th edition, I’m starting to think they might be onto something.