Google Pixel Fold
Pixel perfect cameras
The Pixel Fold might be Google’s first foray into this new form factor, but it doesn’t show. The hardware is beautiful and well-executed, with specs that make fewer compromises than almost any other foldable we’ve ever seen. Although the software is still in its early stages, the Pixel Fold still shines brightly.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Superior software features
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the result of four generations of folding phones, and it shows. The Fold 4 seamlessly transforms from phone to tablet, and the software Samsung has developed for this type of phone is hard to beat.
The mobile marketplace changed forever when Samsung launched the original Galaxy Fold back in 2019. Since then, Pixel fans have eagerly anticipated the day Google would make a foldable for its own. After years of Google optimizing Android for the form factor, the wait is finally over and the Pixel Fold has arrived, but is it too little too late? Can the Pixel Fold live compare to Samsung’s fourth attempt at this form factor?
TheFold 4may have been replaced by theFold 5already, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth bringing up against the Pixel. The Fold 4 has been universally praised as one of thebest foldables around, if not one of thebest phonesperiod, and its age will lead to lower pricing, making it all the more compelling.
Price, availability, and specs
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is available unlocked and from all major carriers in most countries worldwide. The phone launched at $1,800, but now that it’s halfway through its life cycle, it can oftenbe found for $1,400and sometimes lower.
The Pixel Fold is available unlocked in the US, Japan, Germany, and the UK from the Google Store for $1,800. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is one of the most refined foldables on the market, so beating it won’t be easy. Hardware specs never tell the full story, but they do matter nonetheless, and you can compare them below:
Design and display
Here, we have one of the biggest differences between the two phones. The Fold 4 is tall and thin, while the Pixel is wider. This makes the Pixel feel more like a conventional smartphone when closed, whereas the Z Fold 4 is easier to use with one hand. Which of these is better will come down to you.
The Fold 4 has armored aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus, an integrated fingerprint scanner in the power button, and a small camera bump on the phone’s rear. The Pixel Fold also has an aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus, and an integrated fingerprint scanner. The camera housing is more pronounced than the Fold, using the same camera bar design as the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7.
The Pixel uses a 5.8-inch 2092x1080 OLED display that supports 120Hz and a maximum brightness of 1,550 nits. The Z Fold 4 uses a 6.2-inch 904x2316 AMOLED cover screen with support for 120Hz and a max brightness of 1,000 nits.
The tall aspect ratio on the Fold 4 feels excellent for one-handed use, and it’s one of the easiest phones we’ve used to quickly reply to messages and notifications while walking and doing other things. The downside to this approach is app support. Apps like Instagram and others aren’t made with this aspect ratio in mind, and you’ll often find text or images cut off.
The Pixel Fold is the inverse. The more traditional shape makes watching videos and using unoptimized apps easier but more challenging to use one-handed. Both designs have pros and cons, so what’s best depends on how you use the device.
Opening the phones, we again see how the juxtaposed designs make them quite different. The Pixel unfolds into a landscape 7.6-inch, 2208x1840 OLED display with 120Hz and 1,450 nits of brightness. The Fold 4 uses a 7.6-inch 1812x2176 AMOLED panel with 120Hz and 1,000 nits, opening in portrait orientation. The Fold 4 hides an under-display camera on the right side of the screen, while the Pixel Fold opts for thicker bezels that contain a higher-quality selfie camera.
Once again, which of these approaches is best depends on personal preference. Opening in the landscape will make media consumption more accessible as you won’t need to rotate the device, but it may cause issues with poorly optimized apps. While many of Google’s apps now make use of the larger folding display, there are plenty that do not. Instagram, along with almost every banking app I’ve ever used, forces you to use portrait mode, which will be frustrating when your phone is naturally a landscape device.
The Fold 4 isn’t perfect, though. The aspect ratio leads to significant black bars when watching video, and many Android apps don’t show their foldable optimized UI unless you’re in landscape, so you’ll be turning the phone a lot.
The Pixel has noticeably brighter displays when compared to the Fold 4, but that difference will only be seen if you have them side-by-side. Both are easy to see and use in the real world, even in direct sunlight.
The Fold 4 has one last ace: theS Pen Fold Edition and S Pen Pro. Stylus support won’t matter for everyone, but people who love the S Pen will view it as reason enough to buy one phone over another. Those who frequently take notes, highlight text, sign documents, and draw will love the S Pen.
Here is another major difference between the Fold 4 and Pixel Fold. The Fold 4 has an excellent main sensor, a 50MP unit that is a huge upgrade over the old 12MP shooter we had in the Fold 3. The ultrawide is good too, but the 3X telephoto lens lets it down, especially if you’re used to the zoom from an S23 Ultra.
The Pixel Fold doesn’t disappoint here at all. The 48MP main sensor takes incredible photos, as you’d expect from a Pixel, but the crowning achievement is the included 5X periscope lens. This camera can take reliably good photos all the way up to 20X, something the Fold 4 can’t relate to.
The cover screen selfie cameras are an even match between the two phones, but unfolded, the Pixel is the clear winner. Samsung has opted to sacrifice the quality of this sensor in order to hide it beneath the display, and while it makes the screen look seamless, the photos and videos you get from it are unusable.
The Pixel Fold launched with Android 13 and will get three updates to Android 16, with two more years of security patches to follow. The Fold 4 launched with Android 12L, but has already been updated to Android 13. Despite the fact it’s already had one major update, it actually matches the Pixel here. Samsung phones are promised four Android upgrades and a fifth year of security patches. That means the year-old Fold 4 will also get Android 16, though its security support will end a year earlier.
One UI is a divisive software skin, but its contribution to the foldable market is undeniable. Samsung’s implementation of split screen, Android 12L’s app dock, and more customization options than you can count make using the Fold a joy. Whether those extras are enough to pull you away from the cleaner Pixel experience is down to you.
Which should you buy?
It might be a first-generation device, but the Pixel Fold speaks for itself. The hardware is exceptional, and it’s hard to say no to cameras this good on a foldable. The Fold 4 may have more mature software, but that will improve over time with the Pixel, and there’s enough good here to beat the Fold 4.
The Pixel Fold might be Google’s first foray into this new form factor, but it doesn’t show. The hardware is beautiful and well-executed, with specs that make fewer compromises than almost any other foldable we’ve ever seen. The software is still in its early stages, but that doesn’t prevent the Pixel Fold from shining brightly.
The Fold 4 is still a great option if you aren’t feeling so adventurous. It’s a time-tested device with years of iteration backing it up. It’s also frequently available at a discount thanks to its age, so if you’re able to get it on offer, don’t hesitate to buy one.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the result of four generations of folding phones, and it shows. The Fold 4 seamlessly transforms from phone to tablet, and the software Samsung has developed for this type of phone is hard to beat.
