Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

The brand new Pixel 9 lineup is Google’s strongest and most aggressive {hardware} launch but. However what’s much more spectacular is its newest foldable known as the Pixel 9 Professional Fold. Relatively than calling it the Pixel Fold 2, Google is clubbing it with the remainder of the brand new collection, and that is sensible because it shares numerous the options and {hardware} with the Pixel 9 telephones. The brand new 9 Professional Fold has a serious design overhaul and, to our shock, comes on the identical beginning worth as final 12 months’s mannequin. 

Within the U.S., its largest rival goes to be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, which has just about gone unchallenged in its phase and is among the finest foldable telephones available in the market. Newer choices just like the OnePlus Open have given it good competitors, however we expect the brand new Pixel 9 Professional Fold will probably be its largest opponent. With comparable flagship {hardware} and a ton of AI software program options, we pit the Google Pixel 9 Professional vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 to see if we’ve a definitive winner and which cellphone you can purchase subsequent. 

Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Design and shows

The brand new Pixel 9 Professional Fold seems to be nothing just like the Pixel Fold from final 12 months, and that is a great factor. The design is arguably a lot better; the brand new matte glass and aluminum finishes really feel richer, and the ugly thick bezels contained in the folding show are all gone. It seems to be prefer it’s a part of the Pixel 9 household. You get the identical huge facet ratio that we beloved from the primary mannequin, however the chassis is now slimmer and lighter. It measures 10.5mm in depth when folded and simply 5.1mm when unfolded. It is not the world’s slimmest, however I will take it. 

The load has additionally been decreased considerably, all the way down to 257g. The cellphone is available in Obsidian and Porcelain colours. The 9 Professional Fold continues to be IPX8-rated for water resistance. One main annoyance we confronted with the Pixel Fold was that it by no means fairly unfolded utterly flat, however Google has fastened that with the brand new mannequin. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 seems to be roughly the identical because the earlier two generations, though it has a barely wider facet ratio this time. It is solely nearly noticeable in case you’re coming from an older Fold cellphone, nevertheless it’s not sufficient to make the typing expertise on the duvet display a lot better. Samsung, too, makes use of aluminum and glass for the development, and the Fold 6 is lighter than the Pixel at 239g. It is nonetheless barely thicker, although, at 12.1mm and 5.6mm in its folded and unfolded state, respectively. 

Samsung affords far more colours, because the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is available in Silver, Shadow, Pink, and Navy. Crafted Black and White are two unique shades in case you purchase them by way of Samsung.com. The Fold 6 is now IP48-rated for “mud” and water resistance, however remember the fact that the mud resistance solely protects it from strong particles bigger than 1mm, which does not qualify as mud. 

The Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold will get new shows on the inside and outside. The outer show is a bigger 6.3-inch Actua show with a 20:9 facet ratio, much like the Pixel 9 Professional. It is an OLED with a Full HD+ decision, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 safety, and a variable refresh fee of 60Hz-120Hz. Google claims it may well get as vibrant as as much as 1,800 nits for HDR content material and as much as 2,700 nits of peak brightness. 

The folding display is bigger too, at 8 inches. Google calls it a Tremendous Actua Flex show. This OLED panel has a 2,076×2,152 decision, UTG glass, and LTPO tech which may fluctuate the refresh fee from 1Hz  to 120Hz. It has the identical peak brightness because the outer display, however HDR brightness is as much as 1,600 nits. 

Samsung introduced some minor refinements to the show on the Fold 6, however not any main modifications. The corners of the folding show are now not curved, which is the other of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold. It is a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, options LTPO tech, and has a 2,160×1,856 decision. Peak brightness is analogous at 2,600 nits. 

The outer show is a 6.3-inch AMOLED panel, nevertheless it’s taller with a narrower 22.1:9 facet ratio than the Pixel. It too has LTPO tech with a 1Hz to 120Hz refresh fee and the identical peak brightness. The slimmer profile makes it simpler to slide into narrower pockets, however the 9 Professional Fold nonetheless trumps the Galaxy in terms of ease of utilizing the outer display, espeically when typing. 

Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: {Hardware} and specs

The Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold begins at $1,799 for the bottom mannequin with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In contrast to some international locations like India, which can solely get one variant, the U.S. and the remainder of the world will get a 512GB possibility, too, with the identical quantity of RAM. I like that Google elevated the RAM on the brand new Fold, as all these AI and multitasking options ought to profit from it in the long term. The 9 Professional Fold is powered by the Tensor G4 SoC, which claims to be faster and extra environment friendly usually and AI processing. Different {hardware} options embody Google’s Titan M2 safety chip, fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and dual-band GPS. 

The digicam sensors have additionally obtained minor updates. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s rear cameras embody a 48MP huge with an f/1.7 aperture, a brand new 10.5MP ultrawide with a wider 127-degree subject of view and autofocus for macro photographs, and a ten.8MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom and as much as 20x Tremendous Res Zoom. The again additionally includes a laser autofocus system and spectral and flicker sensors. 

The digicam on the duvet show and within the folding show is identical 10MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. The 9 Professional Fold can shoot as much as 4K 60fps movies, together with 10-bit HDR movies from the rear digicam and Night time Sight video. 

The Pixel 9 Professional Fold’s battery is smaller than its predecessor’s, nevertheless it’s nonetheless bigger than the Fold 6. The 4,650mAh capability could be shortly charged utilizing Google’s licensed 45W non-obligatory charger. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 begins at $1,899 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and goes as much as $2,259 for the 1TB variant. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, which continues to be the flagship chip in 2024. It’s going to be attention-grabbing to see how this compares to the brand new Tensor chip within the Pixel. Just like the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, the Fold 6 additionally will get Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, Extremely-Wideband help, and USB 3.2. The Galaxy has the distinctive benefit of supporting Samsung’s S Pen stylus, which is a helpful software for jotting notes or sketching out concepts. 

The cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 are fairly versatile and ok for on a regular basis use, though we’d have favored to see an even bigger improve by now. The rear of the Fold 6 will get a 50MP principal, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide. The quilt display has a 10MP sensor, whereas the folding display makes use of the identical 4MP under-display digicam. The latter has improved because it was first launched, nevertheless it’s no match for the standard of a high-resolution sensor. 

Battery life on the Fold collection has usually been good, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 includes a 4,400mAh battery. A day’s value of utilization is one thing you’ll be able to usually anticipate from this cellphone. Sadly, wired charging continues to be solely 25W, and you may have to get your individual charger. Wi-fi charging is supported at 15W. 

Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Software program 

The Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold ships with Android 14 and is slated to obtain seven years of software program updates and safety patches. You additionally get Gemini baked in from the second you set it up, which may do far more than Assitant, like generate tales to your weblog, draft, and electronic mail, or assist you understand extra about what’s in your display. Fold customers may also get a one-year free subscription to Gemini Superior by way of Google One, which incorporates 2TB of cloud storage and the power to make use of Gemini in Gmail and Docs. 

Google can be including new AI options, which will probably be unique to Pixel units. Pixel Screenshots makes use of Gemini Nano to recollect all the main points from screenshots taken in your Pixel cellphone, so you’ll be able to merely immediate it to seek out what you are in search of later as a substitute of getting to dig by way of your pile of screenshots. The brand new Add Me characteristic for the digicam app enables you to add your self to group photographs in case you’re the one taking it by merging two photographs of 1 with you in it and one with out. Google has beefed up its multitasking capabilities, too, with Break up Display and the power to save lots of app pairs. You additionally get a taskbar with latest apps that may be pinned for fast entry.

Samsung has now virtually perfected its multitasking options for its Fold collection. It lets you open three apps directly and extra in floating home windows. Folding the Z Fold 6 midway robotically rearranges the format in some apps to supply prolonged performance. There are additionally a ton of Galaxy AI options to play with, probably the most attention-grabbing one being the “Sketch to Picture” characteristic. This allows you to generate life-like photographs of objects and animals by merely doodling over an current picture. There are lots extra Galaxy AI options like dwell translate, in addition to Google AI options like Circle to Search and far more.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 ships with Samsung’s One UI pores and skin, which relies on Android 14. Just like the Pixel, it will get seven years of OS and safety updates. It additionally helps Gemini Nano, Google’s light-weight GenAI platform. 

Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Which must you purchase?

If I have been to decide on between the Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold or the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, the selection could be fairly straightforward — I would go together with the Pixel. There are a few good causes, too. The primary one must be the shape issue. The broader facet ratio of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold makes it really feel like a daily cellphone when folded, so it is simpler to make use of, kind on, and play video games on it, too. Subsequent must be the design. It seems to be extra trendy in comparison with the Fold 6, which, by now, could be mistaken for even the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Then there are these cool, unique Pixel AI options like Add Me, which could be extraordinarily helpful. On high of that, you’ll be able to anticipate nice issues from the cameras, and you may all the time be among the many first to get the most recent Android software program. 

Now that the 9 Professional Fold is right here, we may see a worth shuffle for the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It is nonetheless a great possibility for anybody in search of glorious stylus help, nice gaming efficiency, and desktop-like computing with Samsung DeX.