Pixel 9 Pro Fold Vs OnePlus Open: The Ultimate Foldable?

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is Google’s latest and greatest foldable right now, and we have compared it to the year-old OnePlus Open. In terms of pricing, the OnePlus Open is around $500 cheaper at $1,299 vs the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s $1,799 price tag. So, does paying that much more get you the better foldable, or should you simply save those bucks and get the Open? And, here’s a detailed comparison to let you in on it all!

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Specs at a Glance

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: What’s in the Box?

One of the best things about the OnePlus Open is its box contents. Alongside the unit, you get an 80W charger in the box (although the phone supports 67W), a good-quality foldable case, a SIM ejector, and some papers.

On the other hand, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold simply brings along a Type-C to Type-C cable, the SIM ejector, and paperwork. This year, Google even got rid of the Quick Switch adapter in the box, making the unboxing experience more bland.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Design and Build

I have with me the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s Obsidian and the OnePlus Open’s Emerald Dusk color options. And, I have to say that Google has stepped up in its foldable design game quite a bit this year. When I picked up the two devices, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold instantly felt heftier. Both are made out of aluminum, with the OnePlus Open being slightly thicker.

But, the OnePlus Open is quite lighter somehow and my hands didn’t take long to get used to it. That’s probably why I was surprised to find the Pixel 9 Pro Fold heavier.

However, the Open has sharper edges and is a bit prickly in your hands. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is much curvier with smoother edges, thereby feeling better in hand. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also broader and offers more room on the cover screen (more on it later).

The Open is easier to open though, thanks to a smarter construction. While it nicely closes shut, there are raised edges all around to easily unfold it. On the other hand, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold does not give in easily and is a bit more challenging to open up.

Rear panel of the phones have a very similar matte satin-like finish, but it’s the camera module design that’s different. While the Open embraces the OnePlus-familiar big circular module, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold brings a unique squircle module. It’s also good to see Google not using the same pill-shaped camera design as the Pixel 9 (review) and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

The camera module design of the two phones brings some solid weight distribution and keeps the phones very steady when placed on a desk. However, look-wise, I’d go with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, simply because it’s not as loud.

I like the button placement of the Open better, as it’s well-spaced out and not as reactive to soft touches. Besides, it also has the alert slider advantage! On the other hand, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s button placement is not just too out there but is also very sensitive. When playing games or watching movies, I have accidentally locked the phone uncountable times.

Talking about protection, I’d probably be a bit more careless with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold since it uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both its outer glass panels. On the other hand, the Open uses Gorilla Glass Victus.

Winner: Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Display and Speakers

Both the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and OnePlus Open share a similar 6.3-inch 120Hz cover screen. However, the Open has a sharper 2K external panel, which is also backed by LTPO tech, that can go from 10Hz to 120Hz. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 1080p panel that doesn’t have LTPO. Slightly dated tech on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold there.

On the inside though, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold offers a 2K 120Hz LTPO-backed display. However, the resolution is still slightly less than that of the Open, although it doesn’t have a visible impact. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s display has this unappealing yellowish tinge though, while the Open executes those whites all too well.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s cover screen is also visibly brighter, and our LuxMeter recorded it hitting 2,850 nits, which is even more than Google’s claimed levels. Meanwhile, the internal display lingers around the 2,700 nits mark. Another thing to note is that the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s internal screen’s crease is a bit more visible.

On the other hand, the Open reaches around 2,050 nits on the cover screen and 2,480 nits on the inside. Even indoors and outdoors, you will see this slight difference, with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold offering a bit more visibility.

When playing 4K HDR videos on YouTube, I noticed that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold also offers slightly richer colors on both screens. Even when playing 1080p videos, the Pixel dominates, albeit slightly.

However, if you ask me, I’d prefer the Open over the Pixel foldable for a better multimedia experience. That’s because the Open is an absolute all-rounder since it also has a solid triple-speaker setup. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s dual-stereo speaker setup, on the other hand, is just flat and crackles in higher volumes.

Winner: OnePlus Open

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Software Experience

While Pixels have one of the best software experiences when it comes to regular Android phones, it’s a different story in the foldable category. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is definitely the least impressive foldable in terms of software.

The amount of foldable-centric features on it is just sad. Instead, it relies mostly on AI features like Pixel Screenshots, Add Me, Reimagine in Magic Editor, Pixel Studio, and the like to bring in the most functionality. Apart from that, you get to see a multitasking bar at the bottom for shuffling between apps, and that’s about it. Even the split screen doesn’t support three apps at once.

On the other hand, OxygenOS’s Smart Sidebar with File Dock and Recent Files is such a multitasking marvel. That, coupled with a more advanced and customizable Task Bar, just makes for a solid foldable experience. Oh, you can also have three apps in Split View.

I also noticed that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has major software optimization issues. For starters, most apps don’t fit well in split screen, and often either bleed into the hinge crease or are simply severely misaligned.

Some apps also are not able to fill the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s internal screen properly, having black borders on the sides, which looks awful. On the other hand, the OnePlus Open has no such issues, and you see some top-notch app optimization. The haptic integration is nice on both phones though.

The latest Pixel Fold takes a major lead in the software support though, being backed by 7 years of major OS updates and security patches. On the other hand,OnePlus Open gets a 4+5 combo.

Winner: OnePlus Open

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Performance

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s Tensor G4 is less powerful when compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Moreover, the Open also beats it in terms of the RAM and storage configuration.

While both phones offer up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, the Open uses UFS 4.0 tech instead of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s slower UFS 3.1. With that out of the way, here’s how the foldables perform in benchmarks, daily usage, and gaming:

Benchmarks

I was honestly not surprised to see the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 annihilate the Tensor G4 in benchmarks. You see better numbers throughout. Take a look:

Day-To-Day Usage

When it comes to my daily experience, I was left satisfied using both phones, for they are both seamless. However, due to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s bugs and software experience issues, the OnePlus Open mopped the floor with it.

From multitasking to browsing through apps, the Open offered a more stable experience and never went haywire. Not to mention that since the Open has more multitasking features at its disposal, it’s more user-friendly and enjoyable as a foldable. RAM management was also slightly better on the Open.

Gaming

When it comes to gaming, both phones offer similar graphics settings in all the titles. Take a look:

However, when it comes to the experience, that’s a different story altogether. While the Tensor G4 was stuttering in between intense fights and open-world rendering was slightly slower, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 didn’t pose any of these issues. It handled everything without breaking any sweat and didn’t get as warm.

Winner: OnePlus Open

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Cameras

On paper, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s camera setup seems very outdated. It offers a 48MP Primary + 10.5MP Ultra-wide + 10.8MP Telephoto 5x Optical Zoom combo. On the other hand, the OnePlus Open offers a much superior 48MP Sony LYT-T808 OIS + 48MP Sony IMX581 + 64MP OmniVision OV64B Telephoto 3x Optical Zoom setup.

As for selfie shooters, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold offers a 10MP + 10MP setup, the Open offers a 32MP + 20MP combination. Here’s how they compare in real life:

Daytime

During the day, both phones capture equally good details through the primary sensor. However, the Open handles dynamic range better. Also, while the OnePlus Open captures more natural colors, it dulls out in comparison to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s more saturated colors. Against the light as well, the Pixel handles those light sources better, while the Open can overexpose them at times.

But, the results are widely inconsistent with the Pixel Fold, and sometimes, you can see it saturating colors even more instead. Portraits are terrible on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and you see the edge detection and depth mapping bleeding all over the subject. On the other hand, the Open captures some pretty good portraits, without having any of those issues.

Night

At night as well, the Open shines through, offering more noise-less and detailed images. While the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is equally detailed, the excess noise really ruins the shots. But, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold captures slightly better colors, as the Open saturates them quite a bit. Light sources are handled well by both phones. But, there’s a lens flare in the OnePlus Open, which can appear quite aesthetic at times.

Selfies

When it comes to selfies, they’re just not good enough on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Selfies look blown out and saturated, while the Open captures them way better. You see way more details, with better edge detection. Depth mapping is similar on the two phones, though.

Videos

Talking about videos, both phones can capture at up to 4K at 60FPS through the primary sensor. From the front shooter though, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold can capture at 4K 60FPS, the Open is limited to 4K at 30FPS. Since both the camera setups are backed by OIS, you see stable shots, with no focus hunting issues.

Winner: OnePlus Open

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Battery Life and Charging

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold packs a 4,650mAh battery, while the Open is fueled by a bigger 4,800mAh unit. Although that’s not much of a difference, the Open delivers almost twice the backup.

In normal usage, after running a benchmark or two, watching some 1080p videos on YouTube, and playing some CoD Mobile, I could easily get up to 6 hours on the Open.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold delivered just around 3 hours. At the most, I could squeeze around 4 hours out of the Pixel foldable.

The OnePlus Open also reaches the finish line way faster in terms of charging speeds. It supports 67W fast charging, which charges it fully in around 45 minutes. On the other hand, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold charges at a maximum of a miserly 21W and takes almost 1.5 hours or more to top off.

Winner: OnePlus Open

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Which Is the Better Fold?

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a great upgrade in itself when compared to the last generation Pixel Fold. But it still fails to keep up with foldable tech from a year ago, which is very disappointing. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold may have the better design, but that’s about where the winning ends. The OnePlus Open mops the floor with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in almost every other aspect.

Better display tech? Check. Better processor? Massive check. Better cameras? BIG check. Better battery? Hell yes. So, I’d honestly not go for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and get a bad trip. Google still has a long way to go when it comes to delivering a top-notch foldable experience. On the other hand, OnePlus has almost mastered the craft and its Open is certainly the way to go for significantly less!