Review | Pixel Fold vs Galaxy Fold 5: how does Google’s new foldable phone measure up next to Samsung’s?

Google’s Pixel Fold is the only real rival to Samsung’s Fold 5 outside China. Both have a 7.6 inch inner display, but Google has a more practical folded display

The Pixel Fold also wins on the camera front. But the Fold 5 has a superior chip and edges Google’s device on battery life. Which is better depends on your needs

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Google’s Pixel Fold is the only real rival to Samsung’s new Galaxy Fold 5 outside China. Both foldable smartphones have their advantages, but which is best for you depends on your needs. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 4:15pm, 22 Sep 2023

Gone are the days when Samsung was the only brand available for those wanting to buy a foldable smartphone, which a few years ago was a niche product for tech nerds but today is a mainstream alternative to increasingly bland phone designs.

That’s especially true if you live in China. Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei, for instance, have all released their versions of foldable smartphones.

Outside China, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold is now in its fifth generation, and it now has a real rival in the shape of the Pixel Fold as Google tries to muscle in on the market for this unusual form factor. New models from the two manufacturers are going head to head.

Both Google’s Pixel Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 have large 7.6-inch inner displays when opened, but their design is very different. When folded, the Galaxy is significantly narrower than Google’s challenger.

Different sides of Google’s Pixel Fold. Photo: Google

If you look at the pure diagonals of the outer displays, Samsung is ahead. However, in practice it turns out that you can do much more with Google’s device when folded than with the Z Fold 5.

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