Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Google Pixel Fold: Can Samsung keep up with the competition?

• 

  Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

  Brand

  Samsung

  SoC

  Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (4nm)

  Display

  7.6-inch AMOLED main screen, 6.2-inch AMOLED cover screen, both with 120Hz adaptative refresh rate

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB, 1TB

  Battery

  4,400mAh dual battery

  Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a further refinement of the Z Fold lineup. The smartphone looks similar to past Z Fold iterations, featuring a 7.6-inch main screen and a tall cover screen. On the inside, it's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and a 4,400mAh battery. 
  
  You can score up to $750 off with trade-ins at Samsung.com.

  Pros & Cons

  • Main screen fits most apps well
  • Features 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip
  • IPX8 water-resistance

  • Narrow cover screen
  • Still doesn't feature Samsung's best cameras

  $1800 at Samsung $1800 at Best Buy $1800 at Amazon

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• 

  Like

  Follow

  Followed

  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 is a feature-rich device with a compact form factor, flagship hardware, impressive cameras, and a phenomenal software experience. Its calling card is a wider cover screen that feels like a traditional smartphone. However, it is certain to have pain points as a first-gen product. 

  Pros & Cons

  • Great form factor
  • Best photography experience in a foldable
  • Useful multitasking features and OS optimization

  • Android is still lacking on larger screens
  • Many third-party apps aren't optimized
  • Battery life is just OK

  $1799 at Amazon $1799 at Google Store $1880 at AT&T

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Samsung's latest take on the big-screen foldable phone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, is finally here. It's only an incremental update when compared to the prior Z Fold 4, but what really matters is how the phone compares to the competition. Samsung spent years as the only manufacturer making large foldables in North America, but those days are over. Google unveiled its take on the form factor with the Google Pixel Fold this year, and it's a great yet immature smartphone. It does get a lot of things right, though, like a wider cover screen. Both are still some of the best phones released this year, so let's see how they compare.

Price, specs, and availability

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 5 at its biannual Samsung Unpacked event in South Korea on July 26, 2023. Before the event, Samsung took phone reservations, granting prospective buyers a $50 credit. The Z Fold 5 starts at the same price as last year's model, $1,800, but we expect to see some trade-in offers and promotions. It'll also be available at all major third-party retailers, like Amazon and Best Buy, along with at carriers like AT&T and Verizon.

Although the Google Pixel Fold was announced in May, phones just started shipping last month thanks to a lengthy five-week waiting period. It seems as if Google was testing demand for the Pixel Fold and ramped up production of the smartphone accordingly. While that might be a good choice from the business side of things, it isn't great for consumers because Google still isn't caught up on preorders. So, if you buy one now, you'll have to wait a while for it to reach your door. You might be able to get the Pixel Fold quicker by heading to Google's flagship New York City store, which is said to have limited quantities of the foldable available.

The only way you could get the Pixel Fold initially was through the Google Store, at least until July 20, when the smartphone became available at wireless carriers, including AT&T and Verizon. Following that expanded availability, the Pixel Fold was also brought to T-Mobile. You can now get the Pixel Fold from Best Buy and Amazon, but there is a wait at those retailers too.

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

  SoC

  Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (4nm)

  Display

  7.6-inch AMOLED main screen, 6.2-inch AMOLED cover screen, both with 120Hz adaptative refresh rate

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB, 1TB

  Battery

  4,400mAh dual battery

  Ports

  USB-C

  Operating System

  One UI 5.1.1 (Android 13)

  Front camera

  10MP cover camera, 4MP under-display main screen camera

  Connectivity

  SIM and eSIM

  Dimensions

  6.1 x 2.64 x 0.53 inches folded, 6.1 x 5.11 x .24 inches unfolded

  Colors

  Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Cream, (Samsung exclusive: Gray, Blue)

  Weight

  8.92 ounces (252.88 grams)

  IP Rating

  IPX8

  Security

  Samsung Knox, Samsung Knox Vault

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• Google Pixel Fold

  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

  Ports

  USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2

  Operating System

  Android 14

  Front camera

  9.5MP f/2.2 outer dual PD selfie camera with fixed focus, 8MP f/2.0 inner selfie camera with fixed focus

  Connectivity

  5G (mmWave+sub 6), Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, UWB

  Dimensions

  Folded: 5.5x3.1x0.5in (139.7x79.5x12.1mm), Unfolded: 5.5x6.2x0.2in (139.7x158.8x5.8mm)

  Colors

  Obsidian, Porcelain

  Weight

  10oz (283g)

  IP Rating

  IPX8

  Security

  Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock

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Design and display

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5, like other iterations of the Z Fold lineup, is really easy to spot out in the wild. It has a tall cover screen with an aspect ratio you wouldn't particularly see on a traditional slab phone. The cover screen measures up to 6.2 inches, but since display sizes are measured diagonally, the Z Fold 5's cover screen will feel smaller than that figure. Although it can be difficult to type on this outer screen, the choice to make the cover screen narrow makes the main screen more square, which is easier for apps to adapt to. Notably, neither the 6.2-inch cover screen nor the 7.6-inch main screen is changed in terms of size or resolution from the Z Fold 4.

That means you'll find a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate display with a 2176x1812 resolution on the main screen, sporting 374 pixels per inch. On the cover screen, there's another 120Hz adaptive refresh rate display with a 2316x904 resolution and 402 pixels per inch. However, there's a notable difference between the two panels. The main screen can lower its refresh rate to 1Hz, while the cover screen can only go as low as 48Hz.

On the other hand, the Pixel Fold looks pretty similar to the standard form factor of a smartphone when closed. The cover screen has a 5.8-inch display, but more important is the smartphone's wider form factor. The Pixel Fold has a pleasant aspect ratio, both folded and unfolded. Like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, the cover screen and the 7.6-inch main screen feature OLED panels with 120Hz refresh rates and share similar resolutions, meaning you'll get a great viewing experience regardless of which display you use. For the specifics, the Pixel Fold's cover screen has a 2092x1080 resolution, while the main screen has a 2208x1840 resolution. However, we've found that the wider cover screen means the main screen has a strange aspect ratio that third-party apps haven't adjusted to yet.

As far as design goes, both smartphones sport features like their company's traditional slab phone counterparts. The Pixel Fold has the camera bar that has become iconic to the Pixel lineup, while the Z Fold 5 has the three-dot camera system found on Galaxy S phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a taller footprint than the Pixel Fold, measuring 6.1 x 2.64 x 0.53 inches folded and 6.1 x 5.11 x .24 inches unfolded. By comparison, the shorter Pixel Fold measures up at 5.5x3.1x0.5 inches folded and 5.5x6.2x0.2 inches unfolded, making this the thinnest foldable phone sold in the U.S. However, the Z Fold 5 is lighter than the Pixel Fold, and the phones weigh 253g and 283g, respectively.

Neither phone is dust-resistant, as shown by the IPX8 durability rating. This does mean that both phones are water-resistant, though, and that's good news. The IPX8 standard confirms that a smartphone can withstand immersion in at least one meter of water. Generally, these tests are conducted over a 30-minute period. But what does this mean for daily use? Essentially, it means that the Z Fold 5 and the Pixel Fold will be perfectly fine on the rain and can survive a fall in a puddle, but it shouldn't be used anywhere it can be submerged in deep water.

Performance and software

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 has top-of-the-line hardware, and that includes a great system-on-a-chip. It's powered by a 4nm chip on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, which is the best Qualcomm has to offer. While we'll have to wait to get our hands on the device before commenting on real-world usage, we expect the Z Fold 5 to be a performance and benchmark champ, just like the Z Fold 4. The experience might be bogged down by Samsung's One UI 5 software, though, which is a relatively heavy Android 13 skin. One UI brings a lot of bloatware, including duplicate versions of apps, advertisements, and unwanted games. It's something to consider when buying, as this type of bloatware isn't as common on Pixel devices.

Google has the advantage of offering great optimization with stock Android 13, but it'll lose the performance battle with the Z Fold 5 every time. The Pixel Fold is powered by a Tensor G2 chip that is nearly a year old and is clearly underpowered for a flagship foldable. Tensor G2 loses to Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Gen 2 chips in most benchmarks and has a tendency to overheat. That doesn't mean performance on the Pixel Fold is bad because Google's optimization does get the most out of what the Tensor G2 chip can offer. However, on paper, Samsung is the clear winner here.

To quantify how these chips might stack up against each other, we put the Z Fold 4 against the Pixel Fold in a Geekbench 6 benchmark. Since the Z Fold 4 sports a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, it's likely that the Z Fold 5 will outperform this chip. But just for one more point of comparison, we're also adding the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, as it runs a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Galaxy chipset, which will off even more insight into what the Z Fold 5 may offer. Remember, benchmarks are just one way to quantify a phone's performance and might not accurately represent what it's like to actually use the phone.

The Pixel Fold's thin form factor might make you hesitant to trust its battery life claims, as Google says it's the thinnest foldable in North America. However, it does feature a 4,821mAh battery that is surprisingly bigger than the Galaxy Z Fold 5's 4,400mAh battery. That doesn't tell the whole story, though, because, despite Google's optimization efforts, the Tensor G2 runs hot and can burn through battery life. Our reviewer 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. It's important to note that the Pixel Fold charges really slowly, so you won't be able to juice it up quickly if you run out of battery.

Cameras

Most flagship foldables typically have weaker camera systems than their companies' respective traditional flagships, and that's true of the Z Fold 5 and the Pixel Fold. Both Google and Samsung make some of the best smartphone cameras, but the systems on the Z Fold 5 and the Pixel Fold aren't the best. The Z Fold 5 has a 50MP f/1.8 main camera with an 85-degree field-of-view. There's also a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto lens and a 12MP f/2.2. ultrawide camera. On the cover screen, you'll find a 10MP f/2.2 hole-punch selfie camera. There's a 4MP f/1.8 under-display camera on the main screen, which will seem more grainy and hazy than the hole-punch camera because the sensor is capturing images through the display. We'll have to get our hands on the Z Fold 5 before knowing how the cameras perform, but we expect similar quality to the Z Fold 4.

By comparison, the Pixel Fold has the best camera system in a foldable, but not by a long shot. The Pixel Fold has a 48MP main sensor, a 10.8MP ultrawide lens, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens. You'll find that the selfie camera on the inner screen is much better than that of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 because it isn't an under-display variant. The massive bezels on the Pixel Fold are big enough to squeeze in an unobstructed selfie camera, so you'll get better performance here. There's also a 9.5MP selfie camera on the cover screen, but you can always use the rear camera system instead. Like most Pixel devices, the photo quality outperforms the camera hardware thanks to machine learning and post-processing tech.

Photo samples from the Google Pixel Fold:

Pen support

Since foldables offer expansive inner displays that are perfect for productivity work, pen support might be a huge factor in your purchase decision. While neither the Z Fold 5 nor the Google Pixel Fold supports a built-in stylus, the Pixel Fold doesn't support a first-party stylus at all. Samsung supports the S Pen Fold Edition on the Z Fold 5, but it only works on the main screen and is sold separately. It also sells a case for the Z Fold 5 and the S Pen, though it adds even more thickness to an already-large foldable phone.

Which is right for you?

Although the Galaxy Z Fold 5 wasn't changed much when compared to the Z Fold 4, it's still a more complete foldable than the Pixel Fold. Samsung has had half a decade to refine its foldable phones, and that expertise shows in terms of durability and polish. Plus, the flagship processor and capable camera system are enough to make the Z Fold 5 a great daily driver for most people looking for a foldable. Be sure to test out One UI and make sure you like the operating system before spending nearly $2,000 on the Z Fold 5, though, because most people either love it or hate it.

There's still a case to be made for the Pixel Fold, though, especially if you don't like One UI as an operating system. The Pixel Fold runs stock Android 13, so it's fun and useful for fans of the Pixel ecosystem. There's also the wider cover screen, which is much easier to use than the one found on the Z Fold 5. 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.