Can a newcomer beat the established leader in folding phones? Google’s first gen Pixel Fold meets the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in an epic clash of the folding phone titans.
The Galaxy Fold series started the folding phone market and it deserves all the credit for that, but for years, it has been the only option in town and we have been waiting for at least some alternative to show up.
Well, it’s finally showed up. The Google Pixel Fold is allegedly coming very soon at the 2023 Google I/O conference on May 10th.
Leaks have already revealed what it should look like: a folding phone that opens up like a book and has a 7.6-inch tablet-sized main screen, the same size as on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. So it’s as close as Galaxy Fold rivals get.
Google bets on a brand new hinge design which the company is expected to market as the most durable one ever, and it also packs some Google camera magic and most importantly a clean version of Android optimized for the folding phone form factor. So let’s take a closer look and compare these two.
When it comes to design, both these phones face the consequences of their form factor. Yes, they fold out to a big screen, but also that means that they are thick when folded and overall very, very heavy.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 weighs nearly 9.3 ounces, while the Pixel Fold is said to tip the scales at about 10 ounces, even heavier! That makes carrying these phones in your pocket quite uncomfortable, and imagine having to run with one of these phones on you!
But apart from this one compromise, these are very well built devices. Both are expected to feature a glass and metal construction, a standard these days, but what’s extraordinary for foldable phones is that both of them actually have a water protection rating, so they are at least somewhat protected from the elements.
For biometrics, both are said to rely on traditional fingerprint scanners that are built in the power key on the side of each device.
One feature the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has that we don’t expect to see on the Pixel is support for the S Pen. The S Pen does not come included with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but you can buy it separately and even keep it with the phone with a special case, so those who value that would have one important reason to stick with the Samsung phone still.
Of course, display quality is of paramount importance on a foldable phone.
While both the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 4 are said to come with a 7.6-inch main screen, the actual dimensions of those screens might differ, so the viewing area might not be the same on the two.
