Intro
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 is about a few months previous now, and it has settled in… whether or not it is disappointment that it did not take many dangers, or it is awe with how Samsung has perfected its tackle the foldable method — yeah, it is settled in.
Pixel 9 Professional Fold vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 variations defined:
| Pixel 9 Professional Fold | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| Skinny physique, wider 20:9 cowl display | Barely thicker, cowl display is narrower at 22:9 |
| Larger essential display, 8-inch, 18.6:18 ratio | 7.6″ essential display, 21.9:18 ratio |
| Triple digicam system | Triple digicam system |
| Google Tensor G4 customized chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy |
| 256 GB / 16 GB base choice | 256 GB / 12 GB base choice |
| 4,650 mAh battery anticipated | 4,400 mAh battery |
| 21 W wired charging 7.5 W wi-fi |
25 W charging 15 W wi-fi |
Desk of Contents:
Design and Measurement
Hey, look, we are able to all be Pac-Man
Google takes a barely totally different path to designing its foldables. Whereas Samsung insists on retaining the quilt display slender, so it is extra one-hand, single-thumb-friendly, Google spreads out the Pixel Fold to be wider and thinner. In different phrases — it feels extra like a “common smartphone” when closed up.
That is all to say that sure — the Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold feels extra like a “common” smartphone when folded — undoubtedly much less of a “brick” than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The latter has a tall and slender 22:9 cowl display, which may really feel a bit cramped, particularly if you happen to put a case with a protecting lip across the bezel — it is undoubtedly meant for fast appears to be like and swipe-typing with one finger as a substitute of actually diving in (that is what the principle show is for!).
Final yr’s Pixel Fold had an OK-feeling hinge, however it received some criticism for its not-so-great spring motion. A Pixel Fold would not open up totally flat, until you pressured it, which was not nice. However the Pixel 9 Professional Fold feels superior — perhaps a bit tighter and extra reassuring than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, even. Possibly we’re simply imagining it as a result of it feels new and totally different — actually, each of those are peak mechanical merchandise.
No upgrades to ingress safety from the Google camp. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold comes with IPX8 water-resistance, the place the Galaxy Z Fold 6 now has IP48 ranking for restricted particle safety, along with the water-resistance.
You’ll discover a brand new digicam module on the again of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold — it is an enormous sq., not a vizor, and it is moved to the upper-left nook of the telephone’s again. So, if you happen to hated the horizontal strip of the opposite Pixel telephones, this one is one thing totally different!
That is additionally the place the Z Fold 6 has its triple-lens array, which in itself is just not precisely small. Secure to say, each of those telephones will refuse to lie flat on a desk, until outfitted with a somewhat thick case.
The brand new, thinner Pixel 9 Professional Fold, is lighter than earlier than, however nonetheless a bit weighty at 257 g. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is type of on the sunshine facet — for a foldable, that’s — weighing in at 239 g.
For biometrics, each of those telephones characteristic a fingerprint scanner within the energy button. Each are super-snappy and we have not gotten failed readings from them. Although, we do really feel like registering a fingerprint takes a bit longer with extra touches on the Pixel. Although, this should not be an issue for the common consumer on the market who solely will get the one telephone, only a slight annoyance for the reviewer who assessments these typically.
Each telephones can even assist you to register your face for face unlock. Nonetheless, Google’s face unlock is bolstered by AI for elevated safety — a lot in order that banking apps will now settle for it. That is fairly spectacular for one thing that solely makes use of a 2D shot from the selfie digicam, as a substitute of a full Face ID array, for instance.
Show variations
So, we type of know what we’re headed into right here — OLED panels, throughout, in and out on each telephones. Clearly, Samsung has been cooking its personal AMOLED screens for some time now, and it’s even accepting orders from different producers — Google included.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 6.3-inch cowl display, 120 Hz, 22:9 (approximate) side ratio, and a 7.6-inch essential display, 120 Hz, 22:18 (approximate) side ratio. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold responds in variety with a 6.3-inch exterior show, 120 Hz, with a facet ratio to the tune of 20:9. Inside, it has a essential display, which is nearly square-shaped (20:20.8 ratio) and about 8 inches in diagonal.
On the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, now we have a 120 Hz Actua Show outdoors, peak brightness of two,700 nits. Its essential display is a 120 Hz Tremendous Actua Show, additionally 2,700 nit peak brightness. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 gives comparable expertise with its Dynamic AMOLED x2 panels, each 120 Hz, and each with 2,600 nit peak brightness.
The quilt screens of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
For full display brightness (not peak), each the Pixel 9 Professional Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are glorious — the previous reaching additional up past 1,500 nits, which is nicely shiny sufficient to be checked out even beneath the scorching solar. For minimal brightness, the Z Fold 6 scores a slight win, hitting 1 nit. 1.5 nits on the Pixel 9 Professional Fold is by no means dangerous, it is probably the most delicate eyes on the market which may discover it a bit grating when utilizing by the mattress at evening.
For colours, each of those screens look nice — vibrant, contrasty, principally correct. However the Pixel 9 Professional Fold pulls a bit extra in direction of the teal solid than the Galaxy does, so when held up facet by facet — the Z Fold 6 scores a slight win right here.
Efficiency and Software program
Tensor G4 coming in!
Google continues to be on the trail of creating its personal silicon for its personal telephones, and that is cool and commendable. The Tensor has reached its G4 era this yr, however our hopes for efficiency aren’t super-high. Google touted numbers like 17% sooner app launching and 20% sooner net shopping than earlier than, plus elevated battery effectivity when taking pictures and binging YouTube.
However no precise particulars on clock speeds and manufacturing course of but. Par for the course — the Tensor was by no means meant to destroy benchmarks. It is constructed to assist Google’s imaginative and prescient of AI and machine studying, so it invests and leans closely into NPU processes. The Tensor G4, particularly, has been designed in partnership with Google’s Deepmind workforce.
Do not get us fallacious, Tensors are sometimes highly effective sufficient to run the inventory Android, good sufficient to present brains to the Google Assistant and now — Gemini, and have sufficient headroom to final by the years.
The benchmarks present us as a lot. The Tensor G4 solely will get considerably near the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in single core efficiency, and whereas that is cool for single-task oriented apps, these telephones are constructed round multi-tasking. And in the case of the 3DMark assessments — even the bottom rating the Z Fold 6 received was nonetheless larger than the Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s high rating. That is a wild discrepancy.
Does the Pixel 9 Professional Fold run dangerous? No… we discover it snappy, enjoyable, responsive. Would we belief it to have futureproof headroom? Not with these numbers — we’re far more enamored by the Z Fold 6’s uncooked energy.
Each firms promise 7 years of software program updates for these costly telephones, which is nice for peace of thoughts. It is value noting that since Android is Google’s brainchild — Pixels do get their updates fairly shortly and on time. Samsung has gotten a lot better over time — gone is the meme that “Android 15 is out, this implies Samsung is getting Android 14 this yr!”.
Galaxy AI vs Gemini AI
- Multimodal integration – it is possible for you to to ask Gemini to tug knowledge from a number of of your Google apps and providers and attain duties with them. For instance “Discover my resume from Drive, summarize it in a paragraph”, or “On which day subsequent week will I be free to go to the films?”.
- Gemini Reside – pure conversations with the Assistant. Interrupt and alter subjects on the fly!
- Add Me – when taking group pictures, take an image of the group, then swap in with another person. Pixel AI will be capable to sew a photograph as if you happen to have been all in it
- Auto Body – a part of the Magic Editor. Will edit and alter framing of pictures, based mostly on what the AI is aware of about good pictures practices
- Reimagine – edit a photograph through textual content immediate. Sort out what you’d wish to see and have the AI edit the picture for you
- Video Increase – will upscale video as much as 8K decision. Now works twice as quick
- Climate app – Gemini Nano will now provide you with a fast abstract of climate circumstances
- Magic Listing – ask telephone to create complicated procuring lists mechanically. “Plan a taco dinner for six, one vegetarion choice”
- Screenshots app – use Gemini Nano to shortly recall previous screenshots that you just as soon as took to recollect one thing. On-device processing solely
- Name Notes – comes up after a voice name with a fast abstract of your dialog. On-device processing due to Tensor G4
These are on high of established options like Circle to Search, Name Screening, Direct My Name, Maintain For Me, Voice Message Transcriptions, Finest Take, and Photograph Unblur.
- Reside translate throughout a telephone name
- Chat Help in Samsung Keyboard (translate, proofread, rephrase messages)
- Generative picture modifying (like Magic Editor)
- Circle to Search with Google (additionally on Pixels)
- Observe Help will summarize notes, format messy notes
- Summarize voice recordings from Recorder (may be despatched on to Notes)
- Summarize web sites and articles
- Sketch to Picture – generate picture ideas if you sketch or draw straight on pictures within the Gallery or Observe display.
- Portrait Studio – regenerate portraits in types like comedian, 3D character, watercolor, and sketch.
- Instantaneous Sluggish-mo – long-press common video and it’ll generate new frames to make it slow-mo
- S Well being can analyze your each day routines, health, and sleep for elaborate welness studies (with a Galaxy wearable)
So, Google has extra methods up its sleeve — or a few of them overlap. It is nowhere as elaborate or multimodal as the brand new Gemini assistant, however Galaxy AI nonetheless has a few helpful instruments hidden in there!
Digital camera
Presumably an space the place the Pixel will dominate
The Pixel 9 Professional Fold might have a Professional moniker, however Google wasn’t in a position to cram fairly the quantity of digicam tech that the common Pixel 9 Professional has in there. That is to say, it has a 48 MP essential digicam, 12 MP ultra-wide, 10.5 MP 5x telephoto digicam with a most of 20x Tremendous Res zoom. That is type of across the identical specs now we have on the Z Fold 6 — with its 50 MP essential, 12 MP ultra-wide, and 10 MP 3x telephoto digicam, 30x most digital zoom.
That is a bit bizarre — all different Pixel 9 units received brand-new cameras, which can be supposedly the very best cameras Google has ever had. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold, regardless of bearing the Professional moniker, has final yr’s specs.
Then once more, so does the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Samsung’s new picture processing did enhance the digicam efficiency of the Z Fold 6, although. So the Pixel 9 Professional Fold might shock us simply but! Jury out till we get to check it extensively.
Major Digital camera
If you happen to’re utilizing both of those telephones as a digicam, there’s actually not quite a bit to complain about. Once we put them facet by facet, we are able to see some variations within the colour science — Samsung will Samsung at all times, that means greens are boosted and the skies can generally look unnatural. The identical may be stated concerning the Pixel in a distinct path — it tends to have a magenta solid and barely much less distinction, which has been a signature search for some years now. In particulars, as a rule, the Samsung offers us sharper traces, however there have been a few samples the place the Pixel sharpened objects a bit higher.
At evening, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 really shines with sharper particulars, placing distinction, and vibrant colours. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold pictures begin wanting washed out, yellowish, and plain much less thrilling.
Zoom High quality
When zooming at 10x, we are able to see that the Z Fold 6’s 3x digicam is type of tapping out. The software program post-processing tried some trickery right here and smudged a blue colour everywhere in the signal — a colour that is not there and is clearly an enormous blob of noise discount and attempting to make sense of what the article is. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold has a 5x zoom lens, so already a greater jumping-off level. At 10x, it offers us sharper, extra legible particulars.
Extremely-wide Digital camera
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 processes its ultra-wide photographs a bit extra, it appears, and the result’s a extra placing picture with boosted distinction, livelier colours, and sharper element. It is simply extra enjoyable and energetic, whereas the Pixel 9 Professional Fold ultra-wide photographs are type of simply… there. Not dangerous, informative, however not wow-ing.
Selfies
The Galaxy’s propensity to spice up sure colours and dynamics might provide you with selfies that look a bit too vibrant, a bit off with the skintones. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold sticks a bit nearer to actuality, when it comes to colours, however its particulars are undoubtedly softer.
Battery Life and Charging
Does the Pixel get a downgrade?
The Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold now comes with a 4,650 mAh battery — that is smaller than the OG Pixel Fold‘s 4,821 mAh cell. It is early to touch upon endurance — Google does say that the Tensor G4 has higher energy-efficiency than earlier than.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 4,400 mAh cell, and whereas it isn’t fairly a marathon runner, we undoubtedly belief it to take us by a day.
PhoneArena Battery Check Outcomes:
In keeping with that single-core rating above, we are able to see that when the Pixel is doing easy issues — like operating an online script that continually scrolls by reloading net pages — it may be extra environment friendly than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. However the Samsung telephone outshines it in duties which can be naturally heavier — like streaming a endless YouTube playlist or taking part in 3D video games.
PhoneArena Charging Check Outcomes:
The Pixel 9 Professional Fold costs with 21 W on the wire, regardless of some deceptive advertising and marketing discuss pointing upwards to 37 W. The Z Fold 6 juices up with 25 W energy. In consequence, each of those telephones cost up at comparatively the identical tempo. For wi-fi charging — the Pixel 9 Professional Fold costs with 7.5 W of energy, the Z Fold 6 helps the newest 15 W quick normal.
Specs Comparability
| Specs | Pixel 9 Professional Fold | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6.1 x 5.9 x 0.2 in (155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1 mm) |
6.04 x 5.22 x 0.22 in (153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 mm) |
| Weight | 237 g | 239 g |
| Display | 8″ essential display Tremendous Actua, 120 Hz 6.3″ cowl display Actua, 120 Hz |
7.6″ essential display Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz 6.3″ cowl display Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz |
| Processor | Google Tensor G4 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy |
| RAM, Storage and Worth | 16 GB / 256 GB for $1,799 | 12 GB / 256 GB for $1,899 |
| Cameras | 48 MP essential 12 MP ultra-wide 10.5 MP telephoto 5x 10 MP entrance |
50 MP essential 12 MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 10 MP telephoto 3x 10 MP entrance |
| Battery Measurement | 4,650 mAh | 4,400 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 21 W wired 7.5 W wi-fi |
25 W wired 15 W wi-fi |
Which one do you have to purchase?
This can be a query that’s type of powerful. Each of those telephones have glorious professionals and head-scratching cons. The Z Fold 6 nonetheless has quite a bit going for it due to that S Pen assist and Samsung DeX. If you’re getting a foldable for productiveness causes — that DeX characteristic is simply such a pleasant additional to have, even if you happen to do not find yourself utilizing it recurrently. Nonetheless, you must also significantly think about what sort of exterior display you need in your foldable. Samsung insists it must be slender, so that you’d have a motive to really open up the telephone and use that essential show. In Samsung’s eyes, a foldable needs to be a 2-in-1 in a way that it is each a 2-hand telephone and 1-hand telephone.
The Pixel, however, has a spatious exterior show — a lot so that you could be find yourself having days the place you do not open the telephone up in any respect. You may find yourself asking your self “Why did I even spend $1799 on a foldable?”. And if you open it up — it is very good, for break up display, for articles, for video calls, positive. However there’ll at all times be part of you nagging “Is that this all there’s?” — a void, which Samsung fills with the S Pen assist and the DeX through exterior monitor.
Add to that the truth that the Galaxy Z Fold 6‘s processor runs laps round Google’s Tensor G4 and you’ll see how we’re favoring the Galaxy Z Fold 6 on this comparability. And, in that digicam versus, the Z Fold 6 finally got here out on high for many case eventualities.
We are able to undoubtedly see the attract of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, with its unique Gemini and Pixel Studio options, and we are going to preserve utilizing it over the subsequent weeks to see if something adjustments. It is nonetheless slim, cool, and fairly. We’re presently giving a gentle win to Samsung.