MobileNews

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Pixel Fold: Did Samsung rise to Google’s challenge?

Samsung followed through on its promise to reveal its two latest foldables during its Unpacked event in Seoul today. We now know that the new flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, indeed uses a new Flex Hinge to narrow the gap between the two halves of the screen, shaving more than two millimeters off the folded thickness. The new model also employs the second-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 processor and the internal screen got a brightness boost.  

As our reviewer Sam Rutherford notes in his hands-on, that’s where the big differences end. The Z Fold 4 and 5 have the same cameras, same screen sizes and resolutions, and the same batteries — though the new processing tricks and more efficient chipset may allow this year’s model to make better use of that hardware. The new phone also carries the same $1,800 MSRP, so if you’re deliberating between this model or the previous one, you may as well go for the latest. 

But how does the latest Z Fold compare to Google’s Pixel Fold? For a long time, Samsung was the only major player on the foldable pitch, until Google released its entrant and brought some serious competition. Both phones have the same size internal screen, but Samsung’s orientation is taller and skinnier than Google’s. The Z Fold 5 has a little bit bigger battery and three of the five cameras boast more megapixels than the ones on the Pixel Fold. 

Here are the specs for Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google’s Pixel Fold side-by-side so you can see which one makes the most sense for you. We also included specs for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 so you can see what changed (and what didn’t) this year. 

Galaxy Z Fold 5

Pixel Fold

Galaxy Z Fold 4

Pricing

Starts at $1,800

Starts at $1,799

Starts at $1,800

Release date

August 2023

June 2023

August 2022

Open Dimensions

(H x W x D)

6.1 x 5.1 x 0.24 in

(154.9 x 129.8 x 6.1 mm)

5.5 x 6.2 x 0.23 in

(139.7 x 158.7 x 5.8 mm)

6.1 x 5.1 x 0.25 in

(155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3 mm)

Folded dimensions

(H x W x D)

6.1 x 2.6 x 0.53 in

(154.9 x 67.1 x 13.5 mm)

5.5 x 3.1 x 0.47 in

(139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1 mm)

6.1 x 2.6 x 0.62 in

(155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8mm)

Weight

8.9 oz

(253 g)

10 oz

(283 g)

9.3 oz

(263 g)

Screen size (internal)

7.6 in

(193 mm)

7.6 in

(193 mm)

7.6 in

(193 mm)

Screen size (external)

6.2 in

(157 mm)

5.8 in

(146.7 mm)

6.2 in

(157 mm)

Screen resolution (internal)

2176 x 1812 at 374ppi

2208 x 1840 at 380ppi

2176 x 1812 at 374 ppi

Screen resolution (external)

2316 x 904 at 402ppi

2092 x 1080 at 408ppi

2316 x 904 at 402 ppi

Screen type (internal)

Dynamic AMOLED (120Hz)

OLED (120Hz)

Dynamic AMOLED (120Hz)

Screen type (external)

Dynamic AMOLED (120Hz)

OLED (120Hz)

Dynamic AMOLED (120Hz)

Processor

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Google Tensor G2

Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

Battery

4,400 mAh

4,821 mAh

4,400 mAh

RAM

12GB

12GB

12GB

Internal storage

256GB, 512GB or 1TB

256GB or 512GB

256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Rear cameras

Three cameras:

Main: 50MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture

Ultra wide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Telephoto: 10MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 3X optical zoom

Three cameras:

Main: 48MP, ƒ/1.7 aperture

Ultra wide: 10.8MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Telephoto: 10.8MP, ƒ/3.05 aperture, 5x optical zoom

Three cameras:

Main: 50MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture

Ultra wide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Telephoto: 10MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 3X optical zoom

Front Camera

10MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

9.5MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

10MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Internal camera

4MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture

8MP, ƒ/2.0 aperture

4MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture

Water resistance

IPX8

IPX8

IPX8

Connectivity

5G, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

5G, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

5G, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2

Charging

25W fast charging

12W wireless

30W fast charging

7.5W wireless

25W fast charging

12W wireless

Colors

Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Gray, Blue or Samsung-exclusive Cream

Obsidian or Porcelain

Graygreen, Phantom Black, Beige or Samsung-exclusive Burgundy

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.


Author: Amy Skorheim
Source: Engadget

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