Is the Google Pixel Fold Worth Its Hefty $1,799 Price Tag? We Put It to the Test to Find Out
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Foldable smartphones are all the rage in 2023, and the new iterations keep on coming. As its name suggests, the all-new Pixel Fold is the first Pixel to have (you guessed it) a foldable screen, bringing a novel form factor and higher price point to the product range. With a hefty $1,799 sticker — double that of a Pixel 7 Pro — it also makes it the most expensive Pixel yet, and a direct rival to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4.
Pixel Fold Android Smartphone
$1799.00
store.google.com
Given the nature of my work, I get hyped when I start the testing process for most of the products I get my hands on — but there was something particularly exciting about testing the Google Pixel Fold. The first foldable Android by Google is undeniably a big deal, even though other brands launched such gadgets long before Google. Since Samsung has been offering foldable phones since 2019, I was especially curious to evaluate how the Google Pixel Fold stacks up against the similarly shaped, just as costly Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4.
After a week as my primary phone, the Pixel Fold made a case for spending big on a number of occasions. Here is a breakdown of its design, hardware, and performance, and a mandatory comparison with its Samsung Galaxy rival that rocks the same moniker.
DESIGN
Even though it’s the first foldable Google phone, the Fold is instantly recognizable as a member of the Pixel family, thanks to a distinctly shaped camera section with a glossy finish similar to that of the Pixel 7 Pro.
Upon taking it out of its box, the first thing that struck me about the design of the shape-shifting Pixel is that, in a manner befitting its name, it folds perfectly when closed. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold4 has a small gap when collapsed, making it a tad thicker and more prone to pick up lint and dust when not in use.
It turns out that achieving the “perfect fold” makes the Pixel Fold easier to carry than its Samsung competitor, too. Google’s phone is shorter, thinner, slightly wider, and easier to carry in a jeans pocket (even though it is almost an ounce heavier). Its wider footprint distributes the weight more evenly, making it more wieldy.
When open to its tablet-like form, Pixel Fold is the thinnest in its class, measuring half a millimeter less than the Galaxy Z Fold4 at its edges. The difference might seem minuscule, but it’s quite an achievement, as the folding Pixel also packs a bigger battery.
Like the lower-priced 7 Pro, the water-resistant Pixel Fold is impeccably crafted using a mixture of metal and glass. The device’s exterior display and back are covered by durable Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, whose matte finish rivals those of high-priced Samsung and iPhone rivals. Its foldable interior display has an ultra-thin plastic protector to keep it intact.
With a hinge that feels reassuringly sturdy and durable, folding and unfolding the Pixel Fold gave me the feel of interacting with a high-tech, high-quality tech product.
DISPLAY(S)
The Pixel Fold’s screens have bright, high-resolution OLED panels that produce captivating visuals with vibrant colors and infinite contrast. Both displays have a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz for smooth onscreen interactions (e.g., scrolling through webpages, emails, social media feeds, gameplay, etc.).
With a 17.4:9 aspect near a perfect 2:1, the 5.8-inch exterior screen of the Pixel Fold is excellent for on-the-go use. In an inevitable comparison with the longer but narrower 6.2-inch 23.1:9 external screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, the Pixel’s felt more spacious and comfier to type on with two hands. Moving between meeting and product briefing venues during a few hectic days, I could use the Pixel as a regular smartphone without sacrificing ergonomics.
Unfolding the Pixel Fold transforms the phone into a compact tablet with a squarish 7:6 screen. The large panel makes interacting with apps, navigating the Android interface, multitasking, watching videos, reading e-books, and gaming (especially with a wireless controller) more engaging. While noticeable, its crease in the middle didn’t distract me from my tasks.
In a head-to-head comparison with the interior screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, the Pixel Fold’s big screen has a higher peak brightness but wider bezels — but given those bezels make for a superior camera, the trade-off is acceptable. To be fair, the Galaxy’s screen has an edge with its S Pen stylus — an optional accessory that greatly expands its utility, while Google offers no such product.
CAMERA
The triple rear camera of the Pixel Fold is superb, as expected from a Google-made phone, regardless of its price range. During my testing, the Fold snapped beautiful, detailed, and lifelike photos, including in low-light scenes. The 4K video clips I recorded turned out great, too.
One of my favorite bits about the Pixel Fold’s camera setup is its telephoto camera with a 5-times optical zoom — the same as the Pixel 7 Pro. The feature made the activity of snapping photos of wildlife in Central Park easy and fun, with rewarding photos to savor. Its optical magnification capabilities exceed the 3-times zoom of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 and many other high-end phones, including the iPhone 14 Pro.
When it comes to zoom range that relies on hardware instead of image processing, the Pixel Fold is the best among foldable phones I tested and second only to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. In my experience, foldable phones skimped on optical zoom range due to their unique form factor and the different approach to interior packaging it requires. Google made the wait for their first foldable phone well worth it, treating the Fold the same zoom capabilities as the Pixel 7 Pro.
The foldable design and top-notch rear camera also ensure that the Pixel Fold is phenomenal at taking selfies. When open, the phone will allow you to rely on its triple rear camera and use its front screen to compose your shots. In addition, when placed on a flat surface partially unfolded, the phone can easily capture long exposure and night sky shots or time-lapse videos, among many other scenarios.
Overall, the Pixel Fold is one of the finest camera phones on the market, and given its price tag, I expected nothing less. The incredible versatility of its camera hardware and foldable design will change your approach to capturing memories.
PERFORMANCE
As anticipated, the Pixel Fold is fast and capable, thanks to its Tensor G2 chip — the same silicon that powers the entire Pixel 7 lineup and the Pixel Tablet. Paired with a generous 12GB of RAM — more than the MacBook Air I used for creating this review — the hardware consistently provided me with instant app interactions, seamless switching between 10-plus open apps, and smooth gameplay.
During my testing, I could get a day of mixed-use from the Pixel Fold if I balanced my screen time between the external and foldable display. I wasn’t shocked to discover that relying more heavily on the big screen would require a charging session in the late afternoon instead of before bedtime.
Recharging the device is fastest via its onboard USB-C connector. Wireless charging is also available, though it is slower than on the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro. Battery share — the handy Pixel 7 feature that allows you to power up compatible wireless earbuds by placing them on its back — is also missing, though its absence isn’t a dealbreaker.
USER EXPERIENCE
Paired with an Android platform tweaked to utilize it, the design of the range-topping Pixel brings a new set of interactions that its rectangular slab-shaped siblings don’t offer. One that stood out for me was the ability to run two apps side by side when open, giving the feeling of having two phones side-by-side. Being able to reference and take notes while participating in a remote work session was particularly convenient.
The latest Pixel phones deliver outstanding haptic feedback, and the Fold is no exception. Mundane operations like unlocking it with its fingerprint sensor, switching between open apps, and typing, to name a few common ones, were accompanied by satisfying sensory feedback. The latter gave me a sense of occasion every time I interacted with the Pixel Fold — it's the best in the business and ahead of the product’s competitors.
Of course, the Pixel Fold will receive timely Android updates for years, like all Google phones. Given its folding design and futureproof hardware, it's safe to anticipate that the device will get even better over time, gaining new features and improving upon existing ones via new platform iterations.
WRAP-UP
The Pixel Fold looks and feels like a polished product in terms of design, durability, hardware, and everyday performance. Rather than rushing a foldable device to the market sooner, Google took its time to deliver this form factor, and after my time putting it through its paces, I can confirm the range-topping Pixel was worth the wait.
If you're an Android enthusiast who can fit the Pixel Fold’s thunderous price tag into your upgrade budget, go ahead and splurge on one. You’ll enjoy the cutting-edge Android experience without missing out on a great camera and many other Pixel calling cards. If you are (understandably) cost-averse, you'll be better off spending less on a Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel Tablet combo — Google won’t mind.
I’d choose the Google Pixel Fold over a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 for its superior camera, external display, and superior hinge design. That said, you should know that the Samsung rival can multitask better on its S Pen-ready big screen and record 8K video. If these features are important to you, give the Galaxy a look, but keep in mind that it’s due for a replacement soon.
You can order the Google Pixel Fold in porcelain and obsidian colors with 256 or 512GB of storage. The bigger memory capacity costs $120 more.
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