Google has wrapped up its Pixel 9 series event, and perhaps the most impressive model is the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold — you didn’t expect that, did you?
This is only Google’s second attempt at a foldable Pixel, but it’s already outpacing Samsung’s veteran Fold, now in its sixth generation, in a number of key features.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Galaxy Z Fold6
In fact, we can make a strong case that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has overall superior hardware to the Galaxy Z Fold6, proving that the Korean company is perhaps getting a little complacent about the lack of global competition. Well, here’s some stellar competition coming to seventeen countries around the world.
Better aspect ratios
The main issue users have had with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series is the aspect ratios of the displays, especially the cover screen. Samsung has improved this a bit lately, but the bottom line is that the Galaxy Z Fold6’s cover screen is too narrow compared to any modern smartphone.
Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold, by contrast, has a 6.3-inch cover display with a standard 20:9 aspect ratio. As a bonus, it’s also a 1080p panel, while the Z Fold6’s is a few pixels shorter, at 968p.
The image is not to scale
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s foldable display is larger (207.4 cm2 versus 185.2 cm2), has a higher resolution, and a nearly 1:1 aspect ratio, which is more convenient for multitasking. And multitasking is what people typically buy foldables for.
Thinner, if heavier
Google has shrunk the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to an impressive degree. It’s just 10.5mm folded, very close to a regular phone, and substantially thinner than both the Galaxy Z Fold6 (12.1mm) and the OnePlus Open (11.7mm). Unfolded, the Pixel is just 5.1mm, barely thicker than its USB-C port.
The slim Pixel 9 Pro Fold
To its credit, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is much lighter, 18 grams to be exact, which is not insignificant. On the other hand, a book-style foldable is the kind of device where you expect a bit of heft, while thinness is what you generally feel more in day-to-day use.
Google has made the Pixel 9 Pro Fold water resistant, though we don’t recommend taking either phone swimming.
More RAM and better cameras
The Galaxy Z Fold6 uses a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which likely has the performance edge over the new Tensor G4. The clock speeds on the processors in both chipsets suggest so, though we’ll know for sure once we complete a full review of the new Tensor.
However, the Pixel 9 Pro fold comes with 16GB of RAM, a step up from the 12GB in the Galaxy Z Fold6. More RAM means more apps can run in the background and an overall increase in responsiveness.
Foldables make it difficult to fit high-end camera hardware, as these top-notch foldable phones can attest. However, at least on paper, the foldable Pixel also has an advantage. The Galaxy Z Fold6’s main camera has a larger sensor and a slightly wider lens. But the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a camera with nearly double the zoom (112mm vs. 66mm) and autofocus on its ultrawide camera.
Bigger battery, but better battery life?
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a slightly larger (~6%) 4,650mAh battery, though charging speeds are pretty disappointing on both. And real-world battery life has yet to be tested, so this is more of a possibility than a definite advantage.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6 Is Still the Mainstream Choice
The fact that the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a better overall hardware package probably won’t cause the Galaxy Z Fold6 to lose much sleep over itself. The Galaxy Z Fold6 will outsell the Pixel 9 Pro Fold by a mile, and not just because it’s more widely available. Samsung’s foldable has more refined multitasking and supports the S Pen. It also has some degree of dust protection. And, you’re likely to find a better deal on the Galaxy Z Fold6 if you shop outside of Samsung’s website.
However, it is rather overwhelming that a company that is hardly known for its cutting-edge hardware has surpassed a company that has become the world’s number one manufacturer thanks to its impressive hardware. Sure, Samsung has increasingly focused on the software side and creating an ecosystem and that is commendable, but it should not forget what made it the dominant force in the smartphone market. Even less so in a niche that is still relatively new and where there is clearly a lot of room for maneuver.
Because between Google’s latest Fold and the highly anticipated launch of foldable devices from Chinese companies with even more impressive hardware, it risks being squeezed out of the niche it worked so hard to create.
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