Battery life of the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: It lasts 3 hours and 22 minutes longer than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the second generation of Google's foldable product line, which launched in 2023 with the Google Pixel Fold.

Although I noticed the flexibility and fun factor of foldable devices, I decided against purchasing one for several reasons.

First, they're too expensive and have inferior camera systems compared to their mono-display counterparts. Second, they're too fragile. (The jury is still out on whether the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will last.) And third, a dual-display device usually doesn't mean as long a battery life.

As it turns out, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold proved me wrong on that last point.

Battery life of the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold

According to our test, which starts a TikTok video rundown with the screen brightness at 50%, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold lasted over 16 hours on a single charge.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Photo credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

This is significantly better than the battery life of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung's competitor to the Pixel 9 Pro, which lasted nearly 13 hours on a single charge.

Check out the battery life of the foldable devices we tested this year:

• Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold – 16 hours and 6 minutes

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – 12 hours and 44 minutes

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 – 12 hours and 13 minutes

While the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is more energy efficient than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, our internal testing shows it is less powerful than its Samsung rival.

In Geekbench 6, a benchmark that tests the performance of the processor, the Google Tensor G4 chip in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold achieved a low multi-core score of 4,706. Compare that to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip in the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which achieved 6,638 in the same test.

With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google seems to have sacrificed performance and power consumption in favor of battery life.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Photo credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Mashable's Alex Perry reviewed the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and while he's not a fan of the bloated AI, yawn-inducing color choices, and less impressive camera array (compared to the Pixel 9 Pro models), he raved about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's “fantastic” 6.3-inch interior display.

“The internal screen on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is absolutely huge, increasing from 7.6 inches to 8 inches, making it ideal for reading or watching. Everything looks clear, smooth and colorful. It's just amazing,” Perry said.

Now, if we look at how the Pixel 9 Pro Fold compares to its competitors, its closest competitor seems to be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. In terms of battery performance, the Pixel outperforms Samsung; the foldable Google device lasted impressive 3 hours and 22 minutes.

Photo credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Although the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is slightly heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 at 0.64 ounces, it has a slimmer profile and is slimmer than its Samsung counterpart (0.20 inches versus 0.22 inches in height).

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is $100 more expensive at $1,899.