Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs Galaxy Z Fold 7: Which one should you buy?
Google and Samsung have two of the best foldables of 2025, but only one will be right for you
š± Google and Samsung might have the best foldables of 2025
š The Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7 each have an impressive set of features
āļø One doubles down on AI and battery life, while the other has an incredible design and 200MP camera
š If youāre in the market for a folding phone, youāll probably consider both of these
š Hereās a breakdown to help you decide which to buy
Google and Samsung have brought their A-game in the foldable market. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7 are two of the most interesting smartphones of the entire year, with each playing to different strengths to convince you to upgrade. One has an ultra-thin design and a massive camera upgrade, while the other is the most durable foldable ever and has an impressive list of AI features.
Thereās a good amount thatās different between the foldables, which sets them up for different types of people. Plus, thereās a $200 price difference, making the conversation even more interesting. With each device having its own strengths and weaknesses, it can be difficult to decide whether to spend $1,799 on a Google foldable or $1,999 on one from Samsung.
Hereās a breakdown of the top reasons to buy each phone to help you decide where your priorities lie, how much you want to spend, and whether there are any serious dealbreakers.
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Buy the Pixel 10 Pro Fold ifā¦
šŖØ You want the most durable foldable yet. Google and Samsung have both made great progress in making folding phones more durable, but so far, no one can top the durability of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The device comes with an IP68 certification, which gives it the same dust and water resistance as normal phones like the Pixel 10 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra. Whatās more, it also comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back, and its more drop resistant than previous Pixel phones. If you want your folding phone to be able to take a beating, this is the one to get.
š You want longer battery life. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold comes with a much larger battery than what you get in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Samsungās foldable has a smaller 4,400mAh battery that could barely last a day in our testing, while the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has a much larger 5,015mAh battery. While we have yet to test it ourselves, the 5,200mAh battery in the Pixel 10 Pro XL could cruise through a day and a half with no problem, so we expect this battery to perform similarly.
āļø You want brighter displays. Having the brightest smartphone screen I can get always comes in handy, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold gives you that. Both the cover display and folding screen can reach 3,300 nits of peak brightness, whereas the Z Fold 7 tops out at 2,600 nits. Granted, both of these metrics mean you get a really bright screen, but Googleās phone adds an extra kick for the most demanding scenarios, such as a sunny beach or July walk through Central Park.
š¤ You prefer Googleās software and AI. Thereās no doubt about it: Google makes the smartest phones on the market. The companyās AI features in the Pixel 10 series are well-rounded with enough practicality to make them approachable to average consumers. From Magic Cue to Auto Best Take and Camera Coach, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has a wide variety of Gemini and AI-powered tools that can help you in your everyday life. Plus, Android 16 with Googleās Material 3 Expressive UI is welcoming and a lot of fun to use, which makes it a more appealing system to use compared to Samsungās One UI.
š° You want to save (a little) money. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at $1,999, which makes it one of the most expensive smartphones on the market. That gets you 256GB of storage, whereas the higher-storage models could wind up costing you over $2,400. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold, on the other hand, starts at $1,799 for 256GB of storage and stays under $2,200 for more storage. At that price, saving $200 isnāt a huge deal, but you save money nonetheless by going with Googleās foldable.
Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 7 ifā¦
š That thin-and-light design is calling you. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has one of the most impressive designs of any smartphone this yearā¦ by a long shot. When closed, itās 8.9mm which is about the same thickness as other phones like the S25 Ultra, and when open, itās a remarkably thin 4.2mm. It also weighs just 215 grams, so itās easy to handle for a long period of time. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold kept the same dimensions as last year; itās 10.8mm thick when closed, 5.2mm when open, and it weighs 258 grams. Itās a much chunkier phone compared to the Z Fold 7, which makes it feel a lot less futuristic and appealing by comparison.
šø You want top-tier camera hardware. Samsung is the first to bring truly impressive camera hardware to a folding phone. Thereās a primary 200MP camera on the back with a 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP 3x telephoto. All three sensors take some great-looking photos and videos, especially for a folding phone. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold has the same triple camera setup as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. While the 48MP main lens, the 10.5MP ultra-wide, and 10.8MP telephoto are serviceable, they arenāt as technically capable as Samsungās cameras.
šļø You want flagship performance. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 comes with Qualcommās Snapdragon 8 Elite processor thatās been specially optimized for Samsung phones. Itās the same chip weāve tested in other flagships this year, and itās blazingly fast. It gives Appleās A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro a run for its money, which makes it one of the fastest mobile processors ever. Googleās Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is fast, too, but not nearly as capable as the Snapdragon 8 Elite. While you wonāt notice slow-downs in everyday usage, some things like graphics-heavy games can get bogged down due to a slower GPU. The Snapdragon chip wonāt bottleneck you in the same way, which makes the Z Fold 7 the performance champ.
šØ You want more color choices. Google kept things both boring and interesting with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold colors. Itās only offering two different finishes: Moonstone and Jade, which are both new this generation. While theyāre certainly nice colorways, they may not be for you if you like traditional colors. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a wider selection of colors available, ranging from black and silver to a vibrant blue and mint. Thereās a little something for everyone in Samsungās lineup, whereas Google makes you pick between two very distinctive looks.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. Heās been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, Country Central, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.