I switched from a big foldable to a small Pixel 9 Pro and I’m not going back anytime soon

Foldable phones are undeniably cool. The thought of carrying a tablet-sized show that folds neatly into your pocket nonetheless amazes me. As a journalist overlaying client tech, I’ve had the privilege of utilizing a variety of gadgets. However in relation to placing my SIM card again in my cellphone, the OnePlus Open has been my alternative for the final 12 months.

At first, the Open appeared like the proper companion for me. The bigger display screen was nice for juggling paperwork, Excel sheets, and even unwinding with a film on a flight. The truth is, for some time, I finished carrying my iPad altogether. However right here’s the factor: These “large display screen moments” have been far much less frequent than I anticipated. As a rule, I discovered myself utilizing the foldable in its closed kind, which, mockingly, has just about the identical display screen dimension because the smaller Pixel 9 Pro.

And that’s the place the Pixel 9 Professional entered the image. After a 12 months of lugging round a cumbersome foldable, switching to the compact Pixel 9 Professional has been a revelation. And I’m not going again. Right here’s why.

Foldable telephones promise rather a lot — and in some ways, they ship. However there’s an enormous hole between the way you think about you’ll use a foldable and the way you truly do. Certain, I loved reviewing displays and navigating spreadsheets on the bigger show. Cut up-screen multi-tasking utilizing Open Canvas has been completely implausible. But, for many duties, I nonetheless reached for my laptop computer or pill. That’s largely as a result of software program lagging behind the {hardware} expertise.

The reality is, my smartphone utilization doesn’t revolve round gaming or binge-watching. For me, the folding display screen turned a characteristic I favored however didn’t really want. Including to this, the foldable required extra cautious dealing with than I used to be prepared to provide it.

The Pixel 9 Professional, then again, retains issues refreshingly easy. Its 6.3-inch display screen is simply the precise dimension for swiping by means of decks, searching, and social media. With a little bit of finagling, I may even evaluate Excel sheets on it. However that’s a small compromise for the sheer portability of the cellphone.

Between foldables and enormous telephones touching virtually 7 inches in dimension, the diminutive size of the Pixel 9 Pro is a breath of fresh air. It matches comfortably in my hand and in my not-upto-2024-standards skinny denims. I can simply attain the highest of the cellphone — one thing I haven’t been capable of do in years. These may come throughout as small issues, however all of them add up. As my use case evolves, and I spend increasingly more time in entrance of my pc or pill, I like a smartphone that prioritizes being a smartphone as an alternative of an all-encompassing pc in my pocket.

The truth that all of that comes as a no-compromises flagship simply makes it all of the extra wonderful. You see, for the longest time, the one actual possibility for a compact flagship was an iPhone. Whereas I do have one foot within the iPhone world, my main platform stays Android, and for a really very long time, there was no actual different. The Pixel 9 Professional is that cellphone. Furthermore, this 12 months, Google has significantly stepped up its recreation with the {hardware} high quality a lot that I’ve no qualms about chucking the cellphone about or tossing it on the sofa once I’m unwinding for the day.

After all, sturdiness is only one side of a cellphone. The one characteristic that I’m not prepared to compromise on is the digicam. My digicam may all the time be inside attain, however my smartphone digicam will get used a number of occasions a day to seize the neighborhood cat begging at my window for meals or different humorous moments. The Pixel 9 Professional offers the identical full-featured digicam because the full-size Pixel 9 Pro XL with no cutbacks. For approach too lengthy, a compact cellphone has meant a nerfed sensor or gimped telephoto sensor. That’s not the case anymore, and I’m all in on it.

Google’s work on sprucing the Pixel expertise has additionally paid dividends. I had critical inhibitions over the Pixel 9 Professional’s battery life. The bodily capability is way decrease than any cellphone I’ve used lately, and the Tensor chip isn’t identified to be probably the most frugal round. Nonetheless, battery life hasn’t been a priority in any respect.

A big a part of that comes right down to how I exploit my cellphone. Social media, searching, cellphone calls, and music streaming don’t tax the processor practically as a lot as video games do. Nonetheless, I completely didn’t anticipate to get a day after which a few of use out of this cellphone. That’s, frankly, spectacular.

I’m additionally delighted by the truth that I’ve entry to wi-fi charging once more. I’ve bought wireless chargers strewn throughout my home, and it’s my most popular approach to high up a cellphone. Is it probably the most environment friendly approach? No. However as somebody who actually solely expenses my cellphone in a single day, it really works for me. Certain, my different foldable, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, does have wi-fi charging, however the association of the coils makes it too cumbersome to align with most of my chargers. The Pixel 9 Professional, then again, is easy.

The Pixel 9 Professional has jogged my memory why I like a cellphone that will get the fundamentals proper. Foldable telephones just like the OnePlus Open are undeniably spectacular and enjoyable to make use of, however for my day-to-day wants, the Pixel 9 Professional strikes the proper stability between kind and performance. It’s compact, sturdy, and effortlessly succesful, providing a no-compromise flagship expertise in a dimension that feels good.

Whether or not it’s the distinctive digicam, the convenience of wi-fi charging, or the portability that matches seamlessly into my life-style, the Pixel 9 Professional has grow to be the best companion for the way I exploit a cellphone right this moment. It doesn’t attempt to be a pill, a gaming rig, or a conveyable theater — it’s a smartphone that excels at being simply that. For me, that’s precisely what I’ve been on the lookout for.