Google Pixel Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Which smartphone is best for you? - CNN Underscored
This article is part of our series Battle of the Brands, in which we compare category-leading products to their counterparts to determine which are actually worth your money.
For the last few years, Samsung has dominated the foldable phone market in the US because, well, it's been the only real choice. Sure, Motorola has given it some competition with its Razr lineup — and more recently the Razr+ has one-upped Samsung — but when it comes to the foldable phones that open and close like a book while looking more like a tablet, it's been all Samsung.
But with the release of the Google Pixel Fold, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 has some serious competition for the title of best foldable phone. It may appear as if they're similar phones made by different companies, but there are some fundamental differences between the two devices that may convince you one of them is a better fit than the other for your needs.
Google Pixel Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 at a glance
Google Pixel Fold
If you want a more compact foldable — or want the folding phone with the best camera — the Pixel fold is for you.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Get the Z Fold 4 if you want the more powerful and feature-rich foldable — or hold out for the Z Flip 5 later this month for what will likely be a more refined experience.
Quick comparison
 Google Pixel Fold |  Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 13 with Pixel Launcher | Android 13 with One UI |
| External display | 5.8-inch 2092x1080 OLED, up to 120Hz | 6.2-inch 2316x904, AMOLED 2X, up to 120Hz |
| Internal display | 7.6-inch 2208x1840 OLED, up to 120Hz | 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2176x1812, up to 120Hz |
| Processor | Google Tensor G2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Memory | 12GB | 12GB |
| Rear cameras | 48-megapixel main, 10.8-megapixel ultrawide, 10.8-megapixel telephoto | 50-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel telephoto |
| Front cameras | 9.5-megapixel external display, 8-megapixel internal display | 10-megapixel external display, 4-megapixel under display camera on internal display |
| Battery | 4,821mAh, 30W fast charging | 4,400mAh, 25W fast charging |
| Colors | Porcelain, obsidian | Graygreen, phantom blank, burgundy, beige |
| Size and weight | Folded: 5.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 inches | Folded: 6.11 x 2.64 x 0.56 inches |
Tall and skinny vs. short and wide
When the Z Fold 4 and Pixel Fold are next to each other, it's apparent they have two very different designs. The Z Fold 4 is tall and narrow, while the Pixel Fold is short and wide. It may not sound like much, but the end result means contrasting experiences when using the phones.
The Z Fold 4's front display is narrower than a standard smartphone, making it uncomfortable to type long messages on, forcing you to open the phone for a better experience. With the Pixel Fold's wider design, you're essentially given a standard smartphone keyboard, meaning you can type on the front screen without feeling cramped or constantly missing the right key.
When you open the Z Fold 4, you're greeted by the large 7.6-inch display, with each side being similar to what you'd get if you put two smartphones next to each other.
The Pixel Fold opens to reveal a screen that's also 7.6 inches, but due to its aspect ratio, it looks and feels like the screen has been turned on its side. In fact, if you turn the Pixel Fold so that the crease in the screen is horizontal instead of vertical, you basically get the same size display found on the Z Fold 4.
Beyond the ability to type on the front screen or having to reach more (or less) to touch something on the top portion of the screen, there's another aspect of the design of both phones that needs to be discussed: app compatibility.
Samsung's Z Fold 4 doesn't have many (any?) app formatting issues. Once in a while, you'll find an app that needs to be relaunched as it's forced to take up the entire screen, but the vast majority of the time, how apps look on the Z Fold 4 isn't something you have to think about.
The Pixel Fold, however, is different due to its sideways design. Effectively, apps on the Pixel Fold act as if they're always in landscape mode. And for the most part, it's a good experience if you're using Google's own apps and some third-party apps. Where you run into issues is with apps that haven't been updated to work on the Pixel Fold (or Pixel Tablet, for that matter). Then you're shown a letterboxed app with black bars on either side, and the app itself takes up the middle of the screen. If it really bugs you, more often than not, you can rotate the phone 90 degrees and the app will automatically take up the entire screen, just like it does on the Z Fold 4.
It's not an ideal workaround, but until more developers adopt Google's official guidance for ensuring their apps work with bigger displays, or until Google decides to force developers and their apps to comply, this is the experience we're stuck with.
Personally, I prefer the design of the Pixel Fold over the Z Fold 4 because I can get more done on the front display and it's more comfortable to hold and reach the entire screen when it's open.
However, I get the appeal of having a taller display like the Z Fold 4 has, as it makes it easier to view longer documents or webpages on the screen without any extra scrolling. I wish there were a way to get the best of both worlds.
TL;DR: The Z Fold 4 doesn't face the same app compatibility issues as the Pixel Fold, but the Z Fold 4's design is more comfortable and easier to use, inside and out.
Different approaches to multitasking
Both phones currently run Android 13, each one with Samsung's and Google's respective proprietary skins. For Samsung that means One UI, and for Google that's the Pixel Launcher. And just as both companies have approached design differently, there are differences in how you multitask on either device.
Samsung's been experimenting with foldables for a few years now, but even before that, Samsung added split screen apps to its devices well before it become a core part of Android. And it does feel like Samsung is still a step ahead of Google when it comes to using multiple apps on the internal display at the same time, for better or worse. Let me explain.
Both the Z Fold 4 and the Pixel Fold let you use two apps side by side, in split screen mode whenever you want. There are multiple ways of getting to that point, but the easiest one is to open an app and let it take up the full screen. Then drag and drop the second app from the taskbar to either side of the screen, forcing both apps to take up exactly half the screen.
From there, you can use both apps at the same time to do things like monitor a social network and read your emails without having to actually switch between apps.
However, Samsung allows for more app layouts than just side by side. As you drag the app icon from the taskbar, you'll notice that you can place one app below another, leaving the two apps stacked. Or if you really want to get crazy, you can even add a third app to your screen. Obviously, this can lead to a really small app window and a less-than-ideal experience, but it's a capability that's available on the Z Fold 4.
The Pixel Fold doesn't offer any of those more advanced multitasking features. Instead, you're locked into two apps at most, and they have to be side by side.
These differences will very much come down to personal preference and how you use, or plan to use, your foldable phone. If you need something that can show you a lot of information from various apps at the same time, the Z Fold 4 is likely the phone for you. But if you don't want to overwhelm yourself with apps and data, the Pixel Fold's two-at-a-time approach will suit you just fine.
TL;DR: The Z Fold 4 has a number of multitasking features and options, including app arrangement and the ability to use three apps at the same time. The Pixel Fold takes a "less is more" approach.
The Pixel Fold's camera is the clear winner
Samsung and Google phones both have reputations of taking fantastic photos, but when it comes to Samsung's foldable phones, they're not really known for taking the same high-quality pics that the S-series does.
Don't get me wrong, the Z Fold 4's triple-camera setup is very capable of capturing photos and video that you'll be proud of. But Google didn't really skimp when it came to the camera setup on the Pixel Fold, and in my experience over the last few weeks of using the Fold, the results speak for themselves.
For reference, the Z Fold 4 has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and 30x Space Zoom. The pictures you get from the Z Fold 4 are true to Samsung's reputation — clear with plenty of saturation.
The Pixel Fold is also equipped with three rear-facing cameras. There's a 48-megapixel main, a 10.8-megapixel ultrawide and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom and 20x Super Res Zoom.
On paper, the Z Fold 4 should arguably win this section. But it's Google's image processing and the tricks it uses after you've pressed the shutter button to capture the photo that gives it a slight edge over the Z Fold 4.
I didn't have the Z Fold 4 with me on a recent trip to the "Field of Dreams" movie site, but I did have the Pixel Fold. I used it to capture a photo of my son walking into the corn rows next to the outfield, and I can't stop looking at it. Maybe the emotional connection I have to that moment has something to do with it, but at the same time…it just looks good.
I'm confident I could have gotten a similar shot with the Z Fold 4, but I'm not certain it'd be as good.
All that to say, the Pixel Fold's camera is the clear winner between it and the Z Fold 4. However, if you go with the Z Fold 4 for its design or multitasking features, you're not going to hate the camera by any means.
TL;DR: Google didn't cut any big corners when it comes to the camera performance of the Pixel Fold, and the results speak for themselves. Maybe Samsung will follow suit with the Z Fold 5.
Performance is a photo finish
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