Did Google FAIL? | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Pixel 10 Pro Fold

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 excels in design, thinness, and primary camera performance, while the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold stands out with its larger battery and an industry-first IP68 water and dust resistance rating for a foldable.

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 leads in sleek design, thinness, and primary camera detail.

• Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold offers a larger battery and is the first foldable with an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.

• Foldable phones still require compromises on camera quality and remain expensive, often lacking sufficient base storage.

The year 2025 is highlighted as a prime time to switch to foldable phones, with Samsung's Z Fold 7 and Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold being the primary contenders in the US market, despite their high price tags. While the Z Fold 7 impresses with its sleek design and advanced main camera, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold makes significant strides in battery life and durability, becoming the first foldable with an IP68 rating, though it lags in other design and display aspects.

Design and Ergonomics

• 00:01:25 The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is lauded for its design, achieving a thin and light profile comparable to slab-style phones, which was a significant improvement that resonated with users. In contrast, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold maintained its previous year's design, making it noticeably heavier by 40 grams and thicker by 2mm than the Z Fold 7, and it also features larger bezels and an unrefined hinge area.

Display and Crease

• 00:03:10 Both foldable phones offer impressive 8-inch inner displays, but the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has more noticeable bezels on its inner screen and a slightly more pronounced crease compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. While the Pixel's displays can reach a higher peak brightness of 3000 nits versus the Z Fold 7's 2600 nits, the Pixel's cover display lacks an LTPO panel, meaning its 'smooth display' only goes down to 60Hz, affecting battery life and preventing an always-on wallpaper feature present in the Z Fold 7 which can drop to 1Hz.

Battery and Durability

• 00:05:08 The Pixel 10 Pro Fold addresses a common foldable weakness by incorporating a massive 5015mAh battery, the largest in a folding phone not made of silicon carbon, aiming to significantly outperform the Z Fold 7's persistent 4400mAh battery. Crucially, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first foldable to achieve an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, removing a major worry for many consumers regarding the fragility of foldable hinges against dust and offering enhanced peace of mind despite its increased weight and thickness.

Camera Performance

• 00:08:03 Foldable phone cameras generally involve compromises, but the Z Fold 7 takes a step further with a 200MP main lens, delivering more detailed images, whereas the Pixel 10 Pro Fold's main camera handles dynamic range better. For telephoto, the Pixel offers a preferred 5x zoom over the Z Fold 7's 3x, yielding more natural colors, but both phones' ultrawide lenses are considered subpar. Video performance on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is notably poor, with significant noise and instability, making the Galaxy Z Fold 7's video capabilities superior.