I switched from an enormous foldable to a small Pixel 9 Professional and I am not going again anytime quickly

Foldable telephones are undeniably cool. The concept 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 units. However in the case of placing my SIM card again in my telephone, the OnePlus Open has been my alternative for the final 12 months.

At first, the Open appeared like the right companion for me. The bigger display screen was nice for juggling paperwork, Excel sheets, and even unwinding with a film on a flight. In actual fact, for some time, I ended carrying my iPad altogether. However right here’s the factor: These “large display screen moments” had been far much less frequent than I anticipated. Most of the time, I discovered myself utilizing the foldable in its closed type, which, satirically, has just about the identical display screen dimension because the smaller Pixel 9 Professional.

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 quite a bit — 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 principally 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 function I appreciated however didn’t really want. Including to this, the foldable required extra cautious dealing with than I used to be prepared to offer it.

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

Between foldables and enormous telephones touching virtually 7 inches in dimension, the diminutive dimension of the Pixel 9 Professional is a breath of contemporary air. It matches comfortably in my hand and in my not-upto-2024-standards skinny denims. I can simply attain the highest of the telephone — one thing I haven’t been capable of do in years. These would possibly come throughout as small issues, however all of them add up. As my use case evolves, and I spend an increasing number of time in entrance of my pc or pill, I really like a smartphone that prioritizes being a smartphone as a substitute 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 glorious. 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 major platform stays Android, and for a really very long time, there was no actual different. The Pixel 9 Professional is that telephone. Furthermore, this 12 months, Google has critically stepped up its recreation with the {hardware} high quality a lot that I’ve no qualms about chucking the telephone about or tossing it on the sofa once I’m unwinding for the day.

In fact, sturdiness is only one facet of a telephone. The one function that I’m not prepared to compromise on is the digital camera. My digital camera would possibly at all times be inside attain, however my smartphone digital camera will get used a number of instances a day to seize the neighborhood cat begging at my window for meals or different humorous moments. The Pixel 9 Professional provides the identical full-featured digital camera because the full-size Pixel 9 Professional XL with no cutbacks. For method too lengthy, a compact telephone 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 telephone I’ve used lately, and the Tensor chip isn’t recognized 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 telephone. Social media, looking, telephone calls, and music streaming don’t tax the processor practically as a lot as video games do. Nonetheless, I completely didn’t count on to get a day after which a few of use out of this telephone. That’s, frankly, spectacular.

I’m additionally delighted by the truth that I’ve entry to wi-fi charging once more. I’ve acquired wi-fi chargers strewn throughout my home, and it’s my most well-liked approach to high up a telephone. Is it probably the most environment friendly method? No. However as somebody who actually solely expenses my telephone in a single day, it really works for me. Certain, my different foldable, the Pixel 9 Professional 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, however, is easy.

The Pixel 9 Professional has jogged my memory why I really like a telephone 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 right steadiness between type and performance. It’s compact, sturdy, and effortlessly succesful, providing a no-compromise flagship expertise in a dimension that feels excellent.

Whether or not it’s the distinctive digital camera, the convenience of wi-fi charging, or the portability that matches seamlessly into my life-style, the Pixel 9 Professional has turn into the best companion for the way I exploit a telephone immediately. 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.