Google has a new foldable smartphone to offer, but how does it compare to the competition? Well, many people think of OnePlus’ foldable offering when they think of the competition for the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Well, either that or the Galaxy Z Fold 6. In this article, we’ll compare the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open. OnePlus Open launched last year, but it’s still very much relevant. There’s even a good chance that OnePlus won’t release its successor until 2025.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold does look a lot more like the OnePlus Open than its predecessor did. Its design even looks inspired by the OnePlus Open to a degree. There are a lot of differences, here, though, which should make this an interesting comparison. We’ll first list their specs, and go from there. Do note that at the time of writing this article, our Pixel 9 Pro Fold review was still not out. That will include more in-depth information, once it lands.
Specs
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold & OnePlus Open, respectively
– Screen size (main):
8-inch Foldable LTPO OLED display (120Hz, HDR10+, 2,700 nits)
7.82-inch LTPO 3 AMOLED display (120Hz, Dolby Vision, 2,800 nits)
– Screen Size (cover):
6.3-inch OLED (120Hz, 2,700 nits)
6.31-inch LTPO3 OLED (120Hz, 2,800 nits)
– Display resolution (main):
2076 x 2152
2268 x 2440
– Display resolution (cover):
2424 x 1080
2484 x 1116
– SoC:
Google Tensor G4
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
– RAM:
16GB (LPDDR5X)
16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB (UFS 3.1)
512GB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, OIS), 10.8MP (ultrawide, 127-degree FoV), 10.5MP (telephoto, 5x optical zoom, OIS)
48MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, multi-directional PDAF, OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, 114-degree FoV), 64MP (periscope telephoto, 3x optical zoom, 6x “in-sensor” zoom, macro)
– Front cameras:
10MP (main display, f/2.2 aperture), 10MP (cover display, f/2.2 aperture)
20MP (main display, f/2.2 aperture), 32MP (cover display, f/2.4 aperture)
– Battery:
4,650mAh
4,805mAh
– Charging:
21W wired, 7.5W wireless (no charger)
67W wired, 5W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions (unfolded):
155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1 mm
153.4 x 143.1 x 5.8mm
– Dimensions (folded):
155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5 mm
153.4 x 73.3 x 11.7mm
– Weight:
257 grams
239/245 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Side-facing fingerprint scanner
– OS:
Android 14
Android 13 with OxygenOS (upgradable)
– Price:
$1,799+
$1,699
– Buy:
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (Best Buy)
OnePlus Open (Best Buy)
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Design
As already mentioned, it’s as if the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold design was inspired by the OnePlus Open. Well, to a certain point. Both smartphones are made out of aluminum and glass, though one OnePlus Open variant comes with a vegan leather backplate. Both smartphones have a flat frame all around, with chamfered edges. They also have a similar aspect ratio and even display sizes.
You will find a centered display camera hole on the cover displays of both smartphones. Even the display hole on the main panel is in the same spot on both phones, in the top-right corner. The corners are also curved to a similar degree on both smartphones. You’ll be able to tell the difference between them rather easily the moment you flip them around, though. The OnePlus Open has a camera oreo on the back, with three cameras. That camera oreo is centered. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an oval camera island on the back, and it’s located in the top-left corner.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold does wobble more on the table because of this. The OnePlus Open’s camera oreo is also a great spot to anchor your finger while you’re holding the device. OnePlus’ foldable smartphone is slightly shorter and noticeably narrower than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It’s slightly thicker, and noticeably lighter too. Its vegan leather model does add considerably more grip too, while the glass model is similarly slippery as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Google’s handset is IPX8 certified, while the OnePlus Open comes with an IPX4 certification.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Display
Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold handset features an 8-inch main LTPO OLED display. That panel is foldable, and it offers an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz (1-120Hz). The peak brightness of this panel is 2,700 nits, and HDR content is supported. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 89%. The resolution here is 2076 x 2152. The cover display on this phone measures 6.3 inches, and it has a resolution of 2424 x 1080. This is an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. This panel also supports HDR content, while it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The peak brightness is 2,700, while the display aspect ratio is 20:9. Both panels are flat.
The OnePlus Open, on the flip side, has a 7.82-inch main display. That’s a foldable LTPO3 Flexi-fluid AMOLED panel. It is flat, and it can project up to 1 billion colors. Dolby Vision is supported here, while the panel has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). The peak brightness here is 2,800 nits, and the screen-to-body ratio is slightly over 89%. The resolution of this panel is 2268 x 2440. The cover panel measures 6.31 inches, and it has a resolution of 2484 x 1116. The Ceramic Guard protects this panel.
All four of these displays are really good. Not only are they more than sharp enough, but they also have great viewing angles. They’re also quite vivid, all of them, and get more than bright enough. There’s really not much to complain here, to either panel. It’s worth noting that the crease on the main displays is less noticeable on the OnePlus Open. The situation has improved on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold compared to the Pixel Fold in that regard, but the OnePlus Open still has the upper hand.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Performance
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is fueled by the Google Tensor G4 processor. That is a 4nm processor from Google. The phone also includes 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 fuels the OnePlus Open, Qualcomm’s 4nm processor. That phone is equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. Neither phone offers expandable storage, by the way.
Despite the fact the OnePlus Open launched last year, and it doesn’t have Qualcomm’s most current SoC, it’s still technically more powerful than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Google never aimed at raw performance with the Tensor G4. That chip is tuned for handling a ton of AI tasks, and to provide a good user experience, says Google. Both smartphones are very fluid during daily performance. That goes for opening and closing apps, multitasking, web browsing, messaging, and so on.
When it comes to gaming, that’s one area where the Tensor G4 doesn’t do all that well. Still, you can easily play games with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The phone won’t offer outstanding performance when it comes to the most demanding titles, though. We’ll talk more about that in the full review, so stay tuned for that. The OnePlus Open still does an outstanding job with games, even the truly demanding ones.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Battery
There is a 4,650mAh battery included inside the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Despite the fact it has a slightly smaller main display, the OnePlus Open does include a larger battery, a 4,805mAh unit. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to test out the Pixel 9 Pro Fold battery life just yet. The OnePlus Open is really good in that regard, as you can easily get over 7 hours of screen-on-time, as long as you’re not a gamer and you use the cover display most of the time. There are a lot of factors to consider here.
If the Pixel 9 Pro Fold manages to offer similar battery life, it’ll likely be considered a success in the battery life department. It remains to be seen, though. The good news is that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with a new modem, as do its Pixel 9 siblings, which should help with battery life while you’re connected to 5G… quite a bit. That was one of the main pain points of the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs OnePlus Open: Cameras
Both of these phones have three cameras on the back. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes a 48-megapixel main camera (1/2-inch sensor size, f/1.7 aperture), a 10.5-megapixel ultrawide unit (127-degree FoV), and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The OnePlus Open includes a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.43-inch sensor size, f/1.7 aperture), a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (114-degree FoV), and a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3x optical zoom).
Not only does the OnePlus Open has a larger main camera censor, but the same goes for the ultrawide and telephoto sensors. The differences is actually quite jarring. Based on the initial Pixel 9 Pro Fold samples we’ve seen, the phone will be a level below the Pixel 9 series, and it did look like the OnePlus Open has the upper hand. As already mentioned, though, we did not get a chance to properly test out the camera yet, so that conclusion will have to wait for a full review.
The OnePlus Open does provide contrasty images that are very detailed. This smartphone is considered to be the best camera smartphone out of any foldable by many people. It does have some competition from the Xiaomi MIX Fold 4 and Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, so that’s open for discussion, but the Pixel 9 Pro Fold won’t have an easy task, that’s for sure.
Audio
Both of these phones have a set of stereo speakers. The ones on the OnePlus Open are not too loud. They have an average loudness, we were not all that impressed, even though the sound quality is good. The jury is still out on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Neither phone has an audio jack, however. If you’d like to use your wired headphones, you’ll need to use the Type-C port included on both devices. The good news is that both devices are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, though.
