Which premium foldable phone should you buy? Let’s break down the differences to help you decide.
For the longest time in Australia, if you wanted a larger foldable phone, you didn’t have much choice. Samsung had its Fold lines, and intermittently we’d see options from the likes of Huawei, and that was about it. Oppo did release a larger foldable earlier in the year, but I can’t comment on that one as I’ve never been able to get one in for review.
However, when Google announced the Pixel 9 series, it included the Pixel 9 Pro Fold… and unlike last year’s Pixel Fold, that’s a phone that you’ll be able to buy in Australia.
Right now, I’m running AlexReviewsTech without Google Ads at all.
Why? Most people complain about them a lot, and I can see why — they can often be intrusive or irrelevant, and they get between you and the content you’d like to enjoy in the first place.
The problem is… that limits the income for the site, which makes it harder to run (servers cost money) and harder to justify (I like to eat food… sometimes!)
That’s why I’m instead seeking reader assistance to keep AlexReviewsTech viable, primarily via Ko-Fi donations.
Don’t want to make a Ko-Fi donation? There are other ways you can support AlexReviewsTech — read about them here!
But should you? Is Samsung, the established player in the foldables field still the smarter choice? Let’s break it down, by first looking at the specifications head to head, and then with my recommendations based on design, camera quality, performance and battery life.
Also read:
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Review
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Review
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Cost
Let’s get this out of the way quickly; these are expensive phones, and way too pricey for many wallets, end of story. There’s a whole argument here about whether either is worth it at all, but I’m taking the position here that if you’re interested in buying one, you’re in the position where it’s affordable to you.
Samsung’s pricing for its foldables had slowly dropped over time, but this year it’s seen a significant bump upwards compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 (https://alexreviewstech.com/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-5-review-expensive-excellence/), and that makes the comparison to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold rather sharper than it might have otherwise been.
Google didn’t opt to bring the original Pixel Fold to Australian shores, so there’s not a direct comparative price discussion to have, but it is less expensive than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at the same storage tiers. Expensive is the key word there, however, and I do feel it’s far more important to look at what you’re getting for your money when you’re spending well above $2,500 no matter which way you jump.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Design
Having tested both phones pretty extensively over the past couple of weeks, it’s really interesting to note the design differences and what that means for your everyday use of each smartphone.
Both use the same essential “book” style dynamic, opening from a smaller cover display to a larger tablet style style display with a central crease, they both work off side mounted fingerprint sensors and both phones drop cameras on basically every side of the phone you might happen to use.
However, they are very different phones in the hand. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is smaller than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and that has a number of impacts on its utility. At the front, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold presents much more like a regular smartphone; put it next to the Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro and the only visual difference really is the side bezel on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold housing the hinge.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6’s display is far more constrained and lower resolution. While it’s still usable as a full Android phone this way, the taller aspect ratio doesn’t do too many favours for overall usability. On the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, I’m often happy with just the external display, where with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 I’m often left wanting to open it up because that thin screen feels less optimal.
When open, the size differences between the two phones becomes even more apparent; nobody would call the Galaxy Z Fold 6 “small” compared to a standard smartphone, but there’s certainly a lot less screen real estate here than compared to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
That does have an impact on utility, especially if you’re running apps side by side or if you just want more text on screen for browsing the web or doomscrolling your social media feeds.
The style difference between the two phones is quite marked too. Samsung’s aesthetic feels more businesslike to me, but also slightly more premium because of its solid aluminium sides, where the rounded sides of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are a bit softer. That could be a taste matter of course depending on your own preferences.
Samsung offers a lot more colour variants if that’s your thing, but also a more durable phone with an IP48 rating compared to the IPX8 rating on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Clearly Google has some work to do learning how to make more durable foldables!
Still, I’d give the edge here to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, because if you’re going to go large with your phones, it makes the most sense to me to go as large as possible.
Advantage: Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Cameras
I have the exact same complaint against both the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 6 when it comes to cameras. Both have cameras that are pretty good, with choices of wide, ultrawide and telephoto at the “back” of the phone, plus selfie options whether you’re looking at the cover display or primary tablet displays. All fine there, flexibility is great.
However, these are the most expensive phones that Samsung and Google make… and yet they don’t get the best cameras that they put into smartphones.
Want the best out of Samsung? Buy a Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Want the best Google camera phone? That’d be either the Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL, because both have the same camera modules.
The results you’ll get out of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are good in most situations, but at this price, you should be expecting great – and that’s saved for the non-folding phones instead.
So how to choose? The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has slightly longer zoom range at up to 30x compared to the 20x zoom of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but then those extreme zooms are typically pretty poor for getting good quality shots without a tripod – and even then it’s a bit of a gamble.
The inclusion of a 5x telephoto on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is maybe a better play here. I’d definitely give the Pixel 9 Pro Fold the nod for interior display selfies too; the in-display camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is cute technology, but it’s not particularly good as camera technology.
Unfolded either phone is quite bulky for taking shots – the classic “tablets are bad for camera work” problem – but here the Samsung does get an edge when folded up, simply because that thinner shape is a little easier to hold if you’re using the phone in landscape mode.
Still, both are good, and here I’m going to have to call it a draw.
Advantage: Draw
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Performance
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy vs Tensor G4. Two processors enter the thunderdome… and only one comes out triumphant, while the other is reduced to a fine pink mist… and it doesn’t in fact take all that long for the battle to be decided.
At a pure CPU level, this isn’t even a battle, because Google’s Tensor chips have sat behind the cutting edge since their inception. Here, have some benchmarks:
This isn’t to say that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a notably slow phone; like most flagships you’re talking about more power than most current Android apps actually require, though that can get more interesting when multi-tasking on that interior display. There’s maybe some scope there for the 16GB RAM on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to pick up some slack, but with 12GB on board, the Galaxy Z Fold is no slouch either.
Google’s argument here is that the Tensor G4 is more finely tuned for AI applications. If AI matters to you – the jury’s still out on consumer adoption there, even if businesses are very keen -- then I’d say go for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold every day of the week. What Samsung is doing with its Galaxy AI is dwarfed by Google’s ambition there, and if the prospect of a free year of Gemini Advanced makes you salivate, have at it.
AI aside, where I think this gets more interesting depends on how long you plan to keep either foldable phone before replacing it.
Both phones have the promise of 7 years of OS upgrades, starting with Android 14 in both cases – a curious choice from Google, and it’s not clear if 7 years there will mean that 2024’s Android 15 is one of those years – but starting from a slower processor base means that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will likely feel slower and less responsive sooner than the Galaxy Z Fold does. That’s less of an issue if you’re talking a 2-3 year upgrade cycle, naturally.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also the only foldable – and in fact the only new phone this year – in Australia with mmWave 5G on board, but there’s no real question here that the victory here belongs to Samsung.
Advantage: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Battery
On paper, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a small typical battery capacity advantage over the smaller Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. As I’ve seen so many times over hundreds of phones though, having a bigger battery does not automatically equate to having better battery life. It is, as the euphemisms put it, what you do with it that counts.
My typical first stop here is to run my YouTube battery test, running a 1080p video at full brightness and moderate volume from a fully charged phone, and noting how much power is used over an hour. How do the two phones compare in that case?
Well, that doesn’t help us decide, now does it?
I could call that a moral victory for the Samsung based on it having a smaller battery, but the reality of day to day testing is that either phone is generally pretty good for all-day use before needing to recharge.
Both phones allow for either USB-C or Qi wireless charging, though annoyingly not Qi2, which absolutely should have been a thing on phones at this price point. Ahem.
On the wireless charging front, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold weirdly isn’t supported by Google’s own Pixel Stand charger, and both phones can be awkward to easily place on many Qi chargers… especially if you try to do so when they’re fully open.
Advantage: Draw
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Verdict
Based on my testing, it comes down to a question of what you value the most in this kind of phone.
If you want a larger foldable that becomes the largest foldable while having a more regular phone screen on the outside, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the phone you should buy. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 isn’t tiny, but the utility offered by a larger phone is easily apparent with the two side by side.
If you want the most powerful fold phone right now, that’s the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and it’s not even marginally close. Unless Google has some truly radical plans for the Tensor G5, that’s a gulf that’s likely to remain quite wide for some time.
Want to buy a Galaxy Z Fold 6 and support AlexReviewsTech? Use the affiliate link below!
 |
Buy The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6! | Buy On Amazon |
Was this review useful to you? Support independent media by dropping a dollar or two in the tip jar below!
Nokia 2660 Flip Feature Phone Pop Pink
$127.00 (as of September 16, 2024 09:13 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
AGM M8 4G Rugged Flip Phone, Large Button Cell Phones for Seniors, Waterproof/Drop-Proof, SOS Side Key, Hearing Aid Compatible, Fast Dialing, 104dB Powerful Speaker, Big Keyboard, Dual SIM Cards
$149.99 (as of September 16, 2024 09:13 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
MOTOROLA moto g04 - Concord Black
$127.00 (as of September 16, 2024 09:13 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Nokia 3210 4G DS Grunge Black
$127.00 (as of September 16, 2024 09:13 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G, Android Smartphone, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage, 50MP Camera, Long Battery Life, Awesome Lilac
$599.00 (as of September 16, 2024 09:13 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
AlexReviewsTech is (for the moment) running ad-free.
This is done via the generosity of folks like you who cover the difference between having on-site ads (with their intrusivenes, flashy images, interstitials, all that bad stuff) by making a one-off or regular sponsorship donation. Something’s got to keep the server spinning up.
So if you’ve found what you’ve read valuable, and you’d like AlexReviewsTech to stay ad-free, please consider making a one-off (or recurring) donation.
If everyone gave just a little, the ads would never need to return — and I would be able to bring you even more ethically-produced tech journalism.
I’d like that, and I think you would too.
