Google finally took the wraps off its second foldable, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The phone is not only a successor to the original Pixel Fold, which has now been discontinued, but it is also a significant upgrade over the original foldable.
There are many reasons to consider the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but if you were thinking of buying one directly from AT&T, you are out of luck. AT&T has confirmed to CNET that the carrier won"t be selling the carrier-locked model of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Interestingly, the rest of the Pixel 9 family, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, will still be offered through the carrier. Not only the Pixel 9 series but the Pixel Watch 3 will be available via AT&T.
This is a bit surprising because AT&T previously offered the original Pixel Fold. While AT&T has opted out of providing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it offers the Pro Fold"s biggest rival, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, through its carrier.
So, if you still want to purchase a Pixel 9 Pro Fold and use it with AT&T, your best bet is to buy the unlocked version of the phone. However, it is unclear if AT&T will officially certify unlocked Pixel 9 Pro Folds on the network.
While purchasing unlocked devices is pretty common in other countries, people in the US still prefer to purchase new phones directly from carriers to take advantage of the lucrative deals and offers that the network carriers offer.
Even though you cannot purchase the Pixel 9 Pro Fold from AT&T, other top carriers, such as Verizon and T-Mobile, will be selling the new foldable. Although no reason was given why AT&T won"t be offering the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it appears that there might be some internal agreement with Samsung or the low sales of the previous Pixel Fold.