Folding Phone Battle: Google Pixel Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold

Folding smartphones dazzle with their bendiness. A flip turns a phone into a minitablet. With a snap, it’s compact again.

But beyond the novelty, is a flexible display practical or just a gimmick?

I spent time with the dominant player, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, and the new challenger, Google’s recently-launched Pixel Fold. I learned that a foldable is too much phone for a lot of people. For long-haul commuters, frequent fliers and a couple of other groups, however, a phone-tablet hybrid might be just right. It’s an entertainment portal with a big screen that’s more satisfying to watch movies on than a standard smartphone.

I typically like smaller phones, so I was surprised by how much fun I had with this bulkier design.

And there are more options on the way. Samsung plans to unveil its newest folding models later this month. Even Apple is expected to offer a high-end folding phone in a few years. The stakes are high for device makers. Smartphone sales overall are shrinking, but foldables and other premium $1,000-and-up phones are growing, according to Counterpoint Research, a market-research company.

As with all newish technology, there are caveats—the high price, the more fragile design. But if it feels like you spend many days stuck between point A and point B, a foldable could be your best friend.

Who should consider adopting foldables

Android users

For now, folding phones are exclusive to Android. There’s no iPhone Fold—yet.

Apple appears to be working on a foldable smartphone, but we likely won’t hear about it until 2026, said Ross Young, chief executive of DSCC, a supply-chain research firm. He added that we could see a MacBook with a flexible 20-inch screen by 2025.

Meanwhile, developers, such as Peloton, Spotify, Zoom and YouTube, optimized their Android apps to accommodate big-screen and dual-screen layouts.

Big-screen lovers

There are two kinds of bendable-screen phones: the flippers and the foldables. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Motorola’s Razr+ are smaller and fold in half like an old-school clamshell flip phone. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Google’s Pixel Fold, on the other hand, open like a book to reveal a large squarish screen.

The flippers might be good for small hands and portability, but the foldables are the real upgrade, ideal for people who spend time in trains, planes or automobiles. I watched movies, read ebooks and shopped online for hours. Access to a large screen is also handy if you have low vision and read a lot on screens.

A foldable is a good stand-in for a tablet—as long as you don’t mind a small midscreen indent.

Tabletop watchers

When I got tired of holding the device, I set it down on a table and propped one half of the screen up, no stand needed. YouTube, Netflix and Disney + are optimized for this mode, though Amazon’s Prime Video is not.

With the same orientation, I turned the phone into the world’s tiniest laptop, with a keyboard on one side of the screen and a Google Docs draft on the other. Not an ideal way to type a column for a long stretch, but it worked in a pinch.

And, of course, the foldable’s free-standing capabilities mean you have a built-in tripod for arm-free selfies.

Multitaskers

The primary difference between a foldable and a standard phone is multitasking—running at least two different apps, one on each half of the unfolded screen. I could take notes during a video call and reference my calendar while looking at a train schedule.

Who should avoid foldables (for now)

Cost-conscious consumers

These larger-screen devices start at $1,799—as much as a laptop. That’s $600 more than Samsung’s top-of-the-line Galaxy S23 Ultra and $900 more than Google’s premium Pixel 7 Pro. The flipping Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Motorola’s Razr+ cost $1,000.

Repairs are costlier, too. A two-year coverage plan for the Galaxy Z Fold starts at $239, while Pixel Fold protection starts at $279, $90 and $80 more, respectively, than what it costs for the companies’ nonfolding flagships. And because these phones can break relatively easily, it’s one example where a coverage plan is probably a good idea.

Active and outdoorsy types

These devices are thick and heavy, not ideal for toting around on runs and rides.

And while newer foldables are more durable than their predecessors, they’re still fragile. The Galaxy and Pixel Fold are resistant to rain or temporary water submersion, but they aren’t rated to resist dust.

Debris, even tiny specks, can damage the delicate, flexible inner screen, as the Pixel Fold reviewer for tech news site Ars Technica discovered. The Pixel Fold’s packaging warns: Avoid contact with sand, crumbs and even fingernails. 

Photo and video pros

The Galaxy and Pixel Fold have decent cameras—but not as good as their nonfolding counterparts. Content creators should stick with the Galaxy S23 Ultra or Pixel 7 Pro for the highest-quality picture possible.

Google vs. Samsung

If you’ve decided to go foldable, you’ll need to choose between Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Google’s Pixel Fold. Here are their differences.

Hardware

When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is long and skinny, and the Pixel Fold is shorter and squatter. The bigger, interior displays on both are the same size: 7.6 inches. But the Pixel’s shape means each half of the screen is more square, so videos appear larger when one side is propped up.

While the Pixel Fold is slightly thinner, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is actually lighter by 20 grams. In my hands, though, the Pixel’s passport-shape makes the cover screen easier to type on. On the Galaxy, the keyboard feels a little cramped in phone mode.

Software

While both run Android, the look and feel of each phone’s software are distinct. Samsung phones come with Samsung apps as default, while Google Pixel phones have only Google apps preinstalled. Google’s has a cleaner look, while Samsung’s is geared more toward productivity.

On the Galaxy Z Fold 4, you can run more apps side by side: You can keep three open simultaneously, with a fourth in a pop-up window. The Galaxy Z Fold also works with a stylus (sold separately) for drawing and annotating. The Pixel Fold doesn’t.

If Samsung is your pick, hold off for a few weeks—the new model will be revealed in late July.

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Write to Nicole Nguyen at [email protected]