Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Which foldable is right for you?
by Gaurav Shukla · Android PoliceGoogle's foldable leap
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
This second-generation foldable from Google is a big step up from the original Pixel Fold. It packs the Tensor G4 chip, bigger displays, and an updated design.
Pros
- Slimmer design
- Better primary camera performance
- Good software experience
Cons
- Slow charging
Samsung's newest foldable
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
$1720 $1900 Save $180
Samsung's latest tablet-style foldable is an iterative upgrade over its predecessor. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip, has a wider cover display, and an updated design.
Pros
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip
- Faster charging
- More comprehensive software for foldable design
Cons
- Expensive
- Narrow cover display
Google's second-generation foldable is here, and it's a significant improvement over the original. Dubbed the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it sports an updated design and packs bigger displays, a thinner and lighter chassis, and an upgraded chip. However, are these improvements enough for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to outshine Samsung's newest big-screen foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 6? The Z Fold 6 has its own improvements, including an updated design, a newer chip, and a thinner and lighter chassis. Let's find out how the two stack up against each other.
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Price, availability, and specs
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold carries a price tag of $1,799 for the base 256GB model, and the 512GB variant costs $1,919. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 is more expensive and costs $1,900 for the base 256GB model, $2,019 for 512GB, and $2,259 for the 1TB model. There is no 1TB model of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Both smartphones are widely available. You can buy the Pixel in Porcelain and Obsidian colors, whereas the Z Fold 6 comes in Navy, Pink, Silver Shadow, Crafted Black, and White. The last two are exclusive to Samsung.
Before we delve deeper, here's a look at the raw specifications of the two phones.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 SoC Google Tensor G4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Display type AMOLED, 120Hz AMOLED, 120Hz Display dimensions 8.0” (main); 6.3” (cover) 7.6” (main); 6.3” (cover) Display resolution 2152 x 2076 (main); 2424 x 1080 (cover) 2160 x 1856 (main); 2376 x 968 (cover) RAM 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 4,650mAh 4,400mAh Charge speed 21W wired, 7.5W wireless 25W wired, 15W wireless Charge options USB-C wired, Qi wireless Wired, wireless, reverse wireless Ports USB-C USB-C SIM support Nano-SIM and eSIM Nano-SIM and eSIM Operating System Android 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1.1 Front camera 10MP, f/2.2 10 MP f/2.2 (cover); 4 MP f/1.8 (under main display) Rear camera 48MP, f/1.7 main; 10.5MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide; 10.8MP, f/3.1 5x telephoto 50MP, f/1.8 main; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10 MP, f/2.4 3x telephoto Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.3 Weight 257g 239g IP Rating IPX8 IP48 Colors Obsidian, Porcelain Silver Shadow, Pink, Navy, Crafted Black, White Price $1,799 From $1,899
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Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: Only pro on the inside
'Pro' just means 'expensive' here
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Review: The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has cost Samsung its head start in the foldable race
A real tortoise-and-hare situation
Design and display
A slimmer design or a lighter foldable?
Google made significant design changes when building its latest foldable, so the Pixel 9 Pro Fold looks pretty different from its predecessor. It's now the tallest foldable among the three popular options in the US, including the Z Fold 6. Although Google has reduced the phone's width, it's also the widest, and the slimmed-down design means it's also the thinnest . Otherwise, it has an aluminum frame with a glass back, both with a matte finish. The only glossy bit is the hinge, which has also been upgraded from the last generation. And the phone's two selfie cameras have a hole-punch design, whereas the rear camera setup is rectangular with rounded corners.
In contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 doesn't look very different from its predecessor. However, there are some subtle tweaks, including an updated rear camera design, an all-matte frame, and sharper corners. Like the Pixel, it also uses an aluminum frame and has a glass back. However, it's lighter than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, making it easier to hold in one hand and operate. Another good thing about the Z Fold 6 is its IP48 rating , compared to the Pixel's IPX8 . This means that the Samsung foldable has some protection against dust and dirt particles. That said, it can't stop very fine particles.
Coming to the displays, the Pixel has a substantial 8-inch internal display, which uses an LTPO OLED panel with up to 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,700 nits. It's an excellent display, which, despite not having an anti-reflective coating, is perfectly usable outdoors. The Z Fold 6 has a slightly smaller 7.6-inch internal display; otherwise, it also uses an LTPO OLED panel with up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Plus, the display can reach up to 2,600 nits in brightness.
In terms of the cover display, both Google and Samsung have tried to bring the front screens as close to a traditional smartphone display as possible. However, Google is more successful than Samsung, at least in terms of display size and aspect ratio. But the lack of a Pro-grade panel is slightly disappointing. Basically, you are getting the same display as the Pixel 9. The Z Fold 6's cover screen has a more advanced display panel, but even though Samsung has made it wider, the 6.3-inch screen is still pretty narrow.
Software
Samsung's foldable experience helps
Although the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 run on Android 14, the software experience is slightly different. The Samsung foldable uses One UI 6, while the Google foldable offers the Pixel experience.
Samsung has been making foldables for quite some time now, so its foldable software is more mature. However, with the Z Fold 6, the company seems to be focused on AI rather than enhancing its productivity features. Still, you get plenty of multitasking features to get the most out of that big internal display. Google has also has gone big on AI. However, it has improved the foldable software for productivity. It's much better than what we got with the Pixel Fold at launch. Nevertheless, the company still needs to catch up to Samsung and OnePlus.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 are evenly stacked in terms of software support. Both smartphones will receive Android updates for seven years, giving these premium smartphones that lifespan they deserve.
Performance and battery life
Looking to game on your foldable?
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold uses the Tensor G4 chip, which is capable and shows how much Google has improved in its chip efforts over the last few years. It delivers a snappy and responsive performance, and the 16GB of RAM certainly helps. However, the Tensor G4 still falls behind the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 used in the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as far as raw power and gaming performance are concerned. The Qualcomm chip is also better at thermal management and doesn't cause the Fold 6 to warm up often. That said, the Tensor G4 has better thermal management than its predecessor. So, it never gets too hot to handle.
Even though the Pixel has a slightly larger battery at 4,650mAh than the Z Fold 6's 4,400mAh , both smartphones have just enough power to get through a day of moderate to heavy usage on a single charge. The two phones also have terribly slow charging speeds. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold tops out at 21W , whereas the Z Fold 6 has a top charging speed of 25W. The Samsung foldable also has a slight advantage in wireless charging at 15W, compared to the Google foldable's meager 7.5W. The Z Fold 6 also supports 5W reverse wireless charging.
Additionally, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has Wi-Fi 7 and dual-frequency GPS, whereas the Z Fold 6 has Wi-Fi 6E and single-frequency GPS. You also get NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and UWB support on these devices.
Camera
Certainly not Google or Samsung's best work
Although neither Google nor Samsung puts its best foot forward when it comes to cameras in foldables, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 have respectable cameras. The smartphones have essentially the same camera hardware as their predecessors, except for the ultrawide shooter.
The Pixel's 48MP primary camera takes solid shots in good lighting conditions and is generally better than the Z Fold 6's 50MP primary camera. However, the low-light performance isn't as excellent as it would be in a non-folding Pixel smartphone. The 10.8MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom and the 10.5MP ultrawide shooters are mostly serviceable and will capture Instagram-worthy photos. Samsung's 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and 12MP ultrawide shooters are largely on the same level as the Pixel. There is nothing particularly striking about the selfie shooters on these phones, and they capture perfectly adequate shots.
If you want an excellent camera phone, you'll be better off with a traditional smartphone, but if you want better cameras with a foldable screen, the Pixel has an advantage with its superior primary camera performance.
Which is right for you?
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 are two imperfect but capable foldable smartphones. Both have advantages and disadvantages, so choosing between the two comes down to which features are more important. The Pixel 9 Pro is a solid option for those who want a more usable cover screen, a bigger primary display, and a better main camera. It's also cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Other notable features include dual-frequency GPS and Wi-Fi 7.
Editor's choice
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Excellent displays, great design
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is an impressive second attempt from Google. It delivers excellent performance and has a lot to like, including a great new design, excellent primary display, and good software experience.
$1799 at Amazon $1799 at Best Buy $1799 at Google Store
However, if you prefer One UI and its more mature features for foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is an excellent alternative. It also has a powerful chip, slightly better dust resistance, and faster wireless charging. Plus, the phone has more storage variants, an LTPO OLED cover display, reverse wireless charging support, and the DeX mode for desktop usage.
Runner-up
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Powerful processor, versatile software
$1720 $1900 Save $180
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 may not be a significant upgrade over its predecessor, but it's still an excellent foldable phone with great software, a refined design, and a powerful processor.