Google Pixel Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Which is the best big-screen foldable?

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  Google Pixel Fold

  Brand

  Google

  SoC

  Tensor G2 with Titan M2 co-processor

  Display

  Front: 5.8-inch 2092x1080p OLED @120Hz Internal: 7.6-inch 2208x1840p OLED @120Hz

  RAM

  12GB LPDDR5

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB UFS 3.1

  Battery

  4,821mAh

  The Google Pixel Fold aims to shake up the foldable market in the U.S., but will likely have flaws as a first-gen product. It's got a 5.8-inch cover screen that will feel more like a normal phone, and it'll unfold into a 7.6-inch workspace. Plus, it features stock Android 13.

  Pros & Cons

  • Wider cover display
  • Stock Android 13 experience
  • Fully-adjustable hinge

  • First-generation products tend to have issues
  • Outdated SoC
  • High price tag

  $1799 at Amazon $1799 at Google Store

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  Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

  $1020 $1920 Save $900

  Brand

  Samsung

  SoC

  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1

  Display

  Inner: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200nits Outer: 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, 23.1:9 aspect ration

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  256GB/512GB/1TB

  Samsung had four generations to refine its Galaxy Z Fold 4, and that shows. It feels like a polished product, with a premium feel and sturdy design. But it's limited by Samsung's One UI 5 operating system and meager app support. 

  Pros & Cons

  • Fast processor
  • Samsung multitasking features
  • Durable and premium design

  • Limited app optimization
  • Samsung bloatware
  • Mediocre camera system

  $900 with eligible trade-in $1800 at Best Buy $1800 at Amazon

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The proposition of a foldable phone is simple: carry a normal-sized screen when you just want to use a normal smartphone and unfold the device when you need a tablet. Two options on the market right now are Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Google Pixel Fold — at least, if you can manage to get your hands on the latter. Either way, both are some of the best foldables you can buy today (that is until the Z Fold 5 comes out).

Though our reviewer called the Google Pixel Fold an impressive first attempt at a big-screen foldable, that's all it is: a first attempt. Samsung has the edge, and our reviewer found that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has enough small changes to finally make it a solid foldable for everyone. Samsung has had four generations to refine the Z Fold phone, so this comes as no surprise. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Pixel Fold are squaring off for North American market share, so despite the Z Fold 4 being the overall better phone, it might not be the best one for you.

Pixel Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Price, availability, and specs

After a lengthy five-week waiting period, the Google Pixel Fold is finally available for purchase, and orders for the device are being accepted now through the Google Store. If you preorder now through July 21, you can get a free Pixel Watch with a purchase. Phones started to deliver beginning June 27, although Google still hasn't caught up on orders for the Pixel Fold. So, if you buy one now, you'll have to wait weeks for it to arrive. You'll be able to skip the preorder line by heading to Google's flagship retail stores in New York City later this month, with limited quantities of the Pixel Fold available.

The Google Store exclusively had the preorder rights to the Pixel Fold until July 20, when the foldable became available at wireless carriers, including AT&T and Verizon. Since then, the Pixel Fold has also made its way to T-Mobile. Surprisingly, the Pixel Fold still isn't available for purchase at retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 was released in August 2022 and is widely available now, starting at the same $1,799 price point as the Pixel Fold. You can lower the price with a few great deals, including trading in a device, which can result in a discount of between $20 and $900. Google also offers trade-ins, but the average smartphone earns less of a discount from Google than Samsung. If you're looking to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 4, you can take your pick from Samsung's online store, retailers like Best Buy and Amazon, and major cellular carriers. Since we expect Samsung to release a Galaxy Z Fold 5 next week, the current Z Fold 4 may see enhanced deals and discounts soon.

• 	Google Pixel Fold	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
  Brand	Google	Samsung
  SoC	Tensor G2 with Titan M2 co-processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
  Display	Cover: 5.8-inch 2092x1080p OLED @120Hz Internal: 7.6-inch 2208x1840p OLED @120Hz	Inner: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200nits Outer: 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, 23.1:9 aspect ration
  RAM	12GB LPDDR5	12GB
  Storage	256/512GB UFS 3.1	256GB/512GB/1TB
  Battery	4,821mAh	4400mAh
  Ports	USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2	USB Type-C (USB 3.2)
  Operating System	Android 13	One UI based on Android
  Front camera	Primary: 9.5MP f/2.2 with fixed focus; Secondary: 8MP f/2.0 with fixed focus	Inner Display: 4MP, f/1.8, Under Display Outer Display: 10MP, f/2.2
  Colors	Obsidian, Porcelain	Phantom Black, Beige, Burgundy, Graygreen
  Weight	10 ounces (283g)	263g
  IP Rating	IPX8	IPX8

Pixel Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Quality displays, different form factors

Take one look at the Pixel Fold, and you'll notice something immediately: It looks pretty similar to the standard form factor of a smartphone when closed. The cover screen has a 5.8-inch display, but it's the smartphone's width that makes all the difference. Displays are measured diagonally, so a tall and narrow phone might appear larger on the spec sheet but be difficult to use daily. Instead, the Pixel Fold has a pleasant aspect ratio, both folded and unfolded. Both the cover screen and the 7.6-inch main screen feature OLED panels with 120Hz refresh rates and share similar resolutions. The cover screen has a 2092x1080 display, while the main screen has a 2208x1840 panel.

The same can't be said about the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which features a taller cover screen that measures 6.2 inches diagonally. As mentioned above, the Pixel Fold's wider cover screen will likely be more enjoyable to use despite the Galaxy Z Fold 4 being larger on paper. The latter has incredibly sharp displays, especially the internal one, which features a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel capable of 120Hz refresh rates. The outer display is similarly nice, featuring a 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED panel as well, but the strange aspect ratio will prompt you to open the main display often. Some foldable enthusiasts say this isn't an issue because the entire point of a foldable like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the massive main display, but it's definitely something to keep in mind.

Pixel Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Great software battles fantastic hardware

The choice between the Pixel Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 might come down to whether you prefer hardware or software. Google's Pixel Fold is powered by the Tensor G2 chip, which wasn't even the fastest system-on-a-chip (SoC) when it debuted last year. Now, it's nearly a year old and is due for replacement. But the Pixel Fold does have stock Android 13 and the Material You experience, which some prefer over Samsung's One UI skin and all the preinstalled apps. It also features Google's artificial intelligence and machine learning features, which make everything from the camera to the microphone better in terms of processing. In essence, Google's software optimization makes up for its subpar hardware, and it might end up besting the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has top-of-the-line hardware but can be dragged down by Samsung's One UI version of Android. It features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC, which beats out the Tensor G2 processor in benchmarks. But it also comes with Samsung's bloatware, including weird games and apps that are periodically installed on the device without any user input. Most can be removed or disabled, but paying for an $1,800 phone probably shouldn't come with advertisements. It's something to consider when buying, as this type of bloatware isn't as common on Pixel devices.

The Pixel Fold is said to be the thinnest foldable when opened or closed, which poses a grim picture for battery life. But it has a 4,821mAh battery, which is actually bigger than the Galaxy Z Fold 4's 4,400mAh battery. However, the Pixel Fold's battery is smaller than the Pixel 7 Pro, which gets about a day of battery life — and that's without dual screens and other battery-intensive features. After testing, we found that the Pixel Fold typically gets 12–18 hours of use between charging sessions, but you might be able to stretch that to a full day based on your use case.

Pixel Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: How the cameras compare

Samsung makes impressive smartphone cameras, especially when it comes to optical and digital zoom. But it didn't bestow its best camera hardware to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, instead leaving that to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. That is, in part, by design. Foldables have to save space for two displays, a larger battery, and a hinge — so something has to be cut out in order for it to all fit. For Samsung, that happened to be the camera. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has cameras that are just fine, but they don't stack up against flagships from Samsung, Apple, and Google. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens. Plus, it adds 10MP front-facing camera on the cover screen and a 4MP under-display camera on the main screen.

The Pixel Fold has the best cameras in any foldable, in part because of Google's incredible post-processing features. The Pixel Fold has a 48MP main sensor, a 10.8MP ultrawide lens, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens. It also has a 9.5MP front-facing camera on the cover screen and an 8MP main-screen camera, which isn't under the display thanks to the massive bezels found on the Pixel Fold. While Samsung's cameras might look better on paper, Google uses its machine learning tech to produce better photos with the Pixel Fold. Our reviewer found that the Pixel Fold is consistent, taking great photos in a variety of situations. Plus, Night Sight on the Pixel Fold takes excellent shots in subpar lighting conditions.

Pixel Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Which is right for you?

At this stage, we can only recommend the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 to buyers looking for a big-screen foldable. While it's possible that Google produces a better foldable flagship than Samsung, it just doesn't have the track record in the category, and our initial impressions weren't great. Samsung has been making foldables for nearly half a decade and has found numerous ways to mess up building a foldable smartphone. Through those failures, it's figured out how to make a foldable that's built to last in the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Investing nearly $2,000 into a smartphone is a big deal, and the safe bet certainly lies with Samsung as the market currently stands.

That doesn't mean that you should completely avoid the Pixel Fold as an option. For Pixel fans and smartphone enthusiasts, it can be both fun and useful to give the Pixel Fold a try. But know that, like any other first-generation product, the Pixel Fold comes with some bugs and flaws. It'll probably stand a better chance than Samsung's original Galaxy Z Fold when it first debuted, though the Pixel Fold will surely be refined over the following generations. For some people, the added benefits that come with a Pixel Fold — like stock Android 13, a more comfortable aspect ratio, and Google's machine learning and AI features — might be worth taking the leap.

As we mentioned, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will soon be replaced by the Z Fold 5. While that means the former will see a nice discount, it'll be last year's news. If you want to reserve your Z Fold 5, you can follow the link below.