Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: The battle of the foldables

Samsung’s ultra-slim Galaxy Z Fold 7 is finally here – but how does it compare to Google’s fantastic Pixel 9 Pro Fold?

While the two big-screen foldables share a few similarities, there are plenty of differences between the two that’ll sway your buying decision one way or the other. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is among the thinnest and lightest foldables around, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has Google’s signature camera processing tech that makes its regular flagships so impressive. 

Whether you’re deciding which to buy or just a bit curious, here’s how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 compares to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. 

Pricing and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is available for pre-order right now ahead of launch on 25 July 2025, with prices starting at £1,799/$1,999 for 256GB of storage.

SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10207783

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an RRP of £1,749/$1,799 for the entry-level 256GB model, but considering it launched back in August 2024, it’s available for much cheaper at online retailers. 

SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10207684

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is much thinner and lighter

One of Samsung’s biggest wins this year is how much slimmer and lighter the Fold 7 is than the Pixel alternative. 

Foldables used to feel like bricks in the pocket, but Samsung’s refined design means the Fold 7 measures just 8.7mm thick when folded, and an impressive 4.2mm when open. That also helps keep the weight down, and at a lightweight 215g, it’s actually lighter than the brand’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

By contrast, Google’s competing Pixel 9 Pro Fold is noticeably chunkier. Folded up, it’s 10.5mm thick, unfolding to 5.1mm, and it tips the scales at a not-insignificant 257g. That’s not outrageous for a foldable, but when you hold them side by side, Samsung’s design feels more like a regular phone. The Pixel, on the other hand, is unmistakably a foldable brick.

Both feel premium in hand, clad in Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back with an aluminium frame, but Samsung’s foldable is more durable. The new Armor FlexHinge keeps dust at bay with an IP48 dust and water resistance rating. The Pixel’s IPX8 matches the fold for water resistance, but skips official dust protection. 

Both have an 8-inch foldable screen – but the Fold 7 has a bigger cover screen

When unfolded, both devices open up to a near-identical 8-inch display. The Fold 7 uses Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, running at 2160 x 1856 with a fast LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and up to 2600nits peak brightness.

Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold matches that side with its own 8-inch LTPO-enabled OLED, pushing a slightly higher-res 2076 x 2152 resolution with HDR0+ and a peak brightness just a touch higher at 2700nits. Side by side, the differences are largely subtle, though Samsung’s latest screen has a much less noticeable crease than Google’s alternative. 

Where things diverge more dramatically is the outer screen. Samsung’s Fold 7 sports a rather roomy 6.5-inch AMOLED panel with a sharp 2376 x 968 resolution, an LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate, and the same high brightness as the inner panel.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s cover display is slightly smaller at 6.3 inches, but sharper at 1080 x 2424, with a taller 20:9 aspect ratio that can feel a bit cramped for typing and multitasking compared to Samsung’s new wider 21:9 layout. 

Both have strong camera setups with minor differences

Cameras are a big selling point for both brands – though each sticks to its slightly varying strengths. Samsung leans on hardware power with the Fold 7 inheriting the same 200MP main camera as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, flanked by a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and a 12MP ultrawide with macro support.

There’s also a pair of 10MP selfie cameras – one on the cover screen, one inside – and this year, Samsung has ditched the under-display unit for a clearer punch-hole option.

Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold doesn’t try to match Samsung’s sheer megapixel count, but it does pack a versatile triple setup comprised of a 48MP main, 10.8MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and a 10.5MP ultrawide. Both the front and cover screens have the same 10MP selfie shooter.

As usual, the magic comes mainly from Google’s computational photography smarts, with features like Best Take, Ultra HDR, and Super Zoom. This means the Pixel’s shots often punch above their weight, especially when it comes to skin tones, colour accuracy, and low-light performance – so it’ll be interesting to see which comes on top.

Both shoot crisp 4K@60fps and support multi-zone AF and 10-bit HDR capture, though the Fold 7 also offers 8K@30fps support. 

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a more powerful processor

Under the hood, Samsung’s foldable packs Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, an impressive chipset based on Qualcomm’s laptop-focused CPU architecture. It’s designed for heavy multitasking, gaming and AI tasks, and when paired with 12- or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, it’s about as flagship-level as it gets.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold instead relies on Google’s own Tensor G4 processor. Built on the slightly larger 4nm process, it’s tuned primarily for Google’s AI smarts and efficiency, and as such, can’t quite match Snapdragon’s raw front for graphics-heavy tasks. The Pixel does come with 16GB of RAM as standard, but sticks with slightly older UFS 3.1 storage. 

That said, day to day, you likely won’t notice much of a difference – aside from when gaming, where the Fold 7 should likely be able to kick it up a gear. 

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a larger battery

Battery life is always a bit of a question mark when it comes to foldables with varying screen sizes to power. On paper, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold should last longer thanks to its larger 4650mAh battery, which bests the 4400mAh cell of the Fold 7 – a battery that remains unchanged compared to the Fold 6. 

Charging speeds are reversed though; it’s Samsung that offers the faster charging at 25W and 15W wireless, though admittedly, there isn’t much in it. Google’s Pixel maxes out at 21W and 7.5W wireless, with both offering bypass charging if you’re plugged in for longer gaming sessions. 

Early thoughts

Both foldables are among the best you’ll find, but they aim at slightly different people. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 shows how far Samsung has come – it’s slim, impressively light and feels the closest yet to a normal flagship phone that just happens to unfold.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, on the other hand, leans on Google’s software smarts with advanced camera tricks, Pixel-exclusive AI features and more, while also pushing a slightly bigger battery than Samsung’s alternative.

While we’ll save our final thoughts for our more in-depth comparison, it seems that those who want the slickest hardware and fastest performance, the Fold 7 has the edge. But if you’re a Pixel fan who trusts Google’s photo magic, and doesn’t mind a chunkier pocket feel, then the 9 Pro Fold is still one of the best foldables around.