We put the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold through our rigorous suite of SBMARK Display tests to measure its performance across four criteria. In this test results, we look at how it performed across a variety of tests and common use cases.
Overview
Key Display Specifications
- 8.0 inch OLED (main screen); 6.3 inch (cover)
- Dimensions: 155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1mm (open); 155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5mm (folded)
- Resolution: 2076 x 2152 pixels, (~373 ppi density)
- Refresh rate: 120Hz
Pros
- The device is readable under most tested conditions with high peak luminance in outdoor sunlight
- Good HDR10 video experience in low light and indoors
- Precise and fast touch interactions
Against
- Colors may appear less saturated outdoors
- Slightly low brightness on SDR videos
- The screen crease remains visible in most situations
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s display performance, extremely well balanced in terms of readability, color, video and touch attributes, places it among the best in our global ranking.
Thanks to the device’s very bright and uniform display, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold achieved a very high readability score for a foldable. The display reached a peak luminance of 2,585 cd/m², among the highest we’ve measured for a foldable display today, and slightly higher than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6’s peak luminance of 2,564 cd/m². The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s improved readability was especially evident in its rendering of skin tones in bright sunlight, compared to its competitors. When viewing the main display from an angle, the display’s luminance loss was minimal.
Color rendition was good overall on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, except in more extreme lighting conditions, such as low-light or very bright outdoor environments. In those situations, the screen’s natural colors could appear a bit desaturated.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold delivered a decent HDR10 video experience for a foldable device, with very good rendering in low-light and indoors. As with other Pixel 9 series displays, the screen’s SDR video rendering didn’t have enough default brightness to be fully appreciated.
Touch interactions were one of the device’s main strengths, with quick, precise executions and a smooth, fluid experience in most of the use cases we tested.
While the performance of a foldable device’s cover screen isn’t included in the protocol, we wanted to take a closer look at the 9 Pro Fold’s. We found that the cover screen’s performance was on par with the Pixel 9’s highly-rated display.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s flicker-free display, well-controlled luminance, color consistency, and effective blue light filtering have earned it SBMARK’s Eye Comfort label, distinguishing it as a visually comfortable device to use in low-light conditions. It’s the first foldable in SBMARK’s database to earn the label.
Test summary
About SBMARK Display Tests: For evaluation and analysis, a device is subjected to a series of objective and perceptual tests under controlled laboratory and real-life conditions. The SBMARK Display Score takes into account the overall user experience provided by the screen, considering hardware capability and software tuning. Only factory-installed video and photo apps are used in the tests. More in-depth details on how SBMARK performs its tests
The displays are available in the article “A closer look at SBMARK display tests”.
The following section focuses on the key elements of our comprehensive tests and analyses performed in SBMARK
laboratories. Full reports with detailed performance evaluations are available upon request. To order a copy, please
contact us.
How the display readability score is composed
Readability measures the ease and comfort of the user
to view still content, such as photos or a web page, on the display in different lighting conditions. Our
The measurements carried out in the laboratories are complemented by perceptual tests and analyses.
Skin tone rendering in an indoor environment (1000 lux)
From left to right: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, OnePlus Open
(Photo for illustration purposes only)
Skin tone rendition in a sunlight environment (>90,000 lux)
From left to right: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, OnePlus Open
(Photo for illustration purposes only)
SCI stands for Specular Component Included, which measures both diffuse and specular reflection. The reflection from a simple glass pane is about 4%, while it reaches about 6% for a plastic pane. Although the first surface of smartphones is made of glass, their total reflection (without coating) is usually about 5% due to the multiple reflections created by the complex optical stack.
The average reflectance is calculated based on the spectral reflectance in the visible spectrum range (see graph below) and the human spectral sensitivity.
Uniformity
This graph shows the distribution of luminance across the entire display panel. Uniformity is
measured with a 20% gray pattern, with bright green indicating the ideal luminance. A bright green color evenly distributed
on the screen indicates that the display brightness is uniform. Other colors indicate a loss of uniformity.
Displays flicker for 2 main reasons: refresh rate and pulse width modulation. Pulse width modulation is a modulation technique that generates pulses of variable width to represent the amplitude of an analog input signal. This measurement is important for comfort because flickering at low frequencies can be perceived by some individuals and, in extreme cases, can induce seizures. Some experiments show that discomfort can occur at a higher frequency. A high PWM frequency (> 1500 Hz) tends to be less annoying to users.
How the displayed color score is composed
Color evaluations are performed under different lighting conditions
conditions to see how well the device handles color with its surroundings. Devices are tested with sRGB and
Display-P3 image models. Both the faithful and default modes are used for our evaluation. Our measurements are performed in
The workshops are completed by perceptual tests and analyses.
Circadian clock factor is a metric that defines the impact of light on the human sleep cycle. It is the ratio of light energy that contributes to sleep disruption (centered at 450 nm, representing blue light) to light energy that contributes to our perception (covering 400 nm to 700 nm and centered at 550 nm, representing green light). A high circadian clock factor means that the ambient light contains strong blue light energy and is likely to affect the body’s sleep cycle, while a low circadian clock factor means that the light has weak blue light energy and is less likely to affect sleep patterns.
How the Display Video Score is Composed
The video attribute evaluates the standard dynamic range
(SDR) and High Dynamic Range (HDR10) video management in indoor and low-light conditions. Our measurements are performed in
The laboratories are completed by perceptual tests and analyses.
Video rendering in a low light environment (0 lux)
Clockwise from top left: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, OnePlus Open
(Photo for illustration purposes only)
Indoor video rendering (1000 lux)
Clockwise from top left: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, OnePlus Open
(Photo for illustration purposes only)
These indicators show the percentage of frame irregularities in a 30-second video. These irregularities are not necessarily noticeable to users (unless they are all in the same timestamp), but they are an indicator of performance.
How the Display Touch Score is Composed
We evaluate tactile attributes based on many types of
contents where touch is essential and requires different behaviors such as gaming (quick touch for response time), web (fluid
page scrolling) and images (precise and smooth navigation from one image to another).
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