Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Google Pixel Fold: Can Samsung keep its foldable crown?

This Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Pixel Fold showdown will prove once and for all whether Google actually launched a formidable foldable foe — or another dud destined for whatever graveyard the Pixelbook Go and Google Glass are buried in.

The Galaxy Z Fold series, since its debut in 2019, cemented its place as one of the best foldables on the market. And with each generation, it gets better. Compared to the first-gen model, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a more premium design, a more durable hinge, a larger, more vibrant display, faster internals, a snazzier camera system, and more.

Now, the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s launch is right on the horizon — rumor has it that it’ll debut in July. We don’t have official specs just yet, but based on the leaks we’ve gathered so far, it looks this face-off won’t be easy for either foldable.

Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Pixel Fold price

 The Google Pixel Fold is priced exactly the same as the current-gen Galaxy Z Fold — what a copycat. It has a starting price of $1,799; this configuration comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Need more space? Shell out $1,919 and you can upgrade to 512GB of storage. 

Then Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to have the same pricing as its predecessor:

• 256GB, 12GB of RAM – $1,799
• 512GB, 12GB of RAM – $1,919
• 1TB, 12GB of RAM – $2,159

 You can pre-order the Pixel Fold at the Google Store and you’ll receive it some time in June. The Galaxy Z Fold 5, of course, isn’t out yet, but it’s expected to debut in July. You’ll have the option to purchase it via Samsung’s official website. (opens in new tab) 

Google Pixel Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 design

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 should keep its booklet-like design à la the Pixel Fold. It will have the same form factor: a 6.2-inch outer screen and 7.6-inch inner display. But according to SmartPrix, the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold will slim down to a folded thickness of 0.52 inches (down from (0.62 inches).

The Pixel Fold has a smaller outer screen (5.8 inches), but shares the same 7.6-inch panel as the next Galaxy Z Fold. Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is getting slimmer, it can’t compete with the Pixel Fold, which is 0.47 inches thick when folded.

The most concerning aspect of foldable phones with bendy screens is the crease — it’s conspicuous on both the current-gen Galaxy Z Fold and the Pixel Fold. However, according to a report from Naver, the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s crease will be less noticeable.

There are also reports that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 may have a new hinge that can open outwards and inwards. In other words, the hinge will support a 360-degree motion similar to the Microsoft Surface Duo. I’m not convinced about that hinge rumor, but conversely, another report says that the updated hinge on Galaxy Z Fold 5 will have a waterdrop-esque inner structure that allows the panel to be nearly creaseless. This is more believable. 

Still, it’d be difficult to one-up the Pixel Fold, which again copied Samsung’s homework with its claim that it can sustain nearly 200,000 folds. 

According to display analyst Ross Young, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be available in beige, black, and light blue. The Google Pixel Fold is a little more boring; it’s only available in porcelain and obsidian.

Google Pixel Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Cover Screen

So far, we haven’t heard anything different about the cover and internal displays on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Like its predecessor, we expect both to have AMOLED panels with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

In regards to the cover screen, the next-gen Galaxy Z Fold will reportedly keep its predecessor’s 2,316 x 904-pixel resolution with a 23.1:9 ratio. The Google Pixel Fold, on the other hand, sports a 2092 x 1080-pixel OLED display with an aspect ratio of 17.4:9. 

Diving into the inner display, the Google Pixel Fold packs a 2208 x 1840-pixel, OLED screen, a screen-to-body ratio of 82.7%, and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. If Samsung decides to make no further changes, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will still have a 2176 x 1812-pixel display and a screen-to-body ratio of 91%.

As per SmartPrix, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will reportedly have slimmer bezels. Keep in mind that, compared to the Pixel Fold’s current display frame, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is already quite slim. As such, the new-gen Samsung foldable will make the Google Pixel Fold appear even more obsolete with its 2010-esque bezels. Yikes!

Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Pixel Fold cameras

The Google Pixel Fold has five cameras total. Here’s a breakdown of the specs:

Main camera: 48MP, f/1.7 aperture, 0.8μm

Ultrawide: 10.8MP, f/2.2 aperture, 1.25μm

Telephoto: 10:8MP, f/3.05 aperture, 1.22μm

Cover display camera: 9.5MP, f/2.2 aperture, 1.22μm

Inner display camera: 8MP, f/2.0 aperture, 1.12μm 

You can find the main, ultrawide and telephoto cameras packed inside a rear triple-lens module that features the familiar headband-esque Pixel design language.

As for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, we’re hearing conflicting reports. Some say that there won’t be any updates while other outlets, like SmartPrix, say the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will have a “possible upgrade in camera sensors.” The Galaxy Z Fold 5 will also reportedly capture 8K video at 30 frames per second. The Google Pixel Fold can only capture 4K video at up to 60 frames per second.

If the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s cameras remain unchanged compared to its predecessor, here are the specs you can expect:

Main camera: 50MP, f/1.8 aperture, 1.0μm

Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 aperture, 1.12μm

Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4 aperture, 1.0μm

Cover display camera: 10MP, f/2.2 aperture, 1.22μm

Inner display camera: 4MP, f/1.8 aperture, 2.0μm

Like the Pixel Fold, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will mirror the design language of its non-foldable sister smartphone, the Galaxy S series, with the main, ultrawide and telephoto lenses stacked on top of each other. One minor change that may occur, according to SmartPrix, is that the LED flash will move from the bottom to the side.

Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Pixel Fold processor and software

The Google Pixel Fold is outfitted with the Tensor G2 chip, the same processor inside the Google Pixel 7a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro. No, it’s not the most powerful chip and lags behind the likes of the pricier Galaxy S23 and the iPhone 14, but Google boasts that it’s a machine-learning beast with excellent image signal processing capabilities.

 

As such, the Tensor G2 chip is designed to facilitate top-of-the-line speech recognition, live translation, crystal-clear phone calls via noise cancellation, cool editing features (e.g., Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur), 

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be packed with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which will certainly be zippier than the Tensor G2 chip. According to Qualcomm, this SoC delivers “groundbreaking” artificial-intelligence (AI) experiences, including speedier multi-language translation and fast natural language processing. The Tensor G2 chip better watch out!

Both the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Pixel Fold will run some version of Android 13 out of the box.

Outlook

Now that the Google Pixel Fold strutted its stuff at Google I/O, we’re all looking at Samsung and wondering, “Can you top that?” 

Personally, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 had me at “slimmer bezels.” However, if it truly wants to capture me — and the general public — it must find a way to make its foldable more power efficient. For many, power consumption is the deciding factor regarding which phone they end up purchasing. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 currently has a 9-hour runtime, so if the Galaxy Z Fold 5 can serve 10 hours, it’ll be golden.

While we wait for Samsung to debut its next-gen foldable, take a look at our Galaxy Z Fold 5 rumor hub and our Google Pixel Fold hands-on review.