We can hardly believe it, Google’s first foldable is finally here – and alongside it launched what may be the best Pixel a-series phone yet. What are your impressions of the two devices from this year’s Google I/O?
We’ll start with the Google Pixel Fold. This phone is already up on pre-order in the US for $1,800 and will be available only in a few other key markets – the UK, German and Japan, though that will happen at a future date.
This effectively means that the Google foldable has only one true competitor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 (well, soon it will be the Z Fold5). The Pixel Fold has a very similar internal display, but closes (gap-free) to just 12.1mm thickness, compared to the 14.2-15.8mm of the Samsung model.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
It is much wider at 79.5 vs. 67.1mm, but that is because the 5.8” cover display has a squat 17.4:9 aspect ratio (instead of the extra tall 23.1:9 of the Samsung). The Google phone is also 20g heavier at 283g. The Pixel Fold also brings the same IPX8 water resistance as the Samsung, so the pricey phone is guarded against accidental spills.
The Pixel phone stands out with its zooming capabilities, it has a 5x periscope (112mm) with a 10.8MP sensor, compared to 3x tele (66mm) with a 10MP sensor on the Z Fold4. The main camera uses a surprisingly small 1/2” 48MP sensor with 0.8µm pixels (vs. 50MP 1.0µm).
Other key differences worth mentioning include the chipset, the Tensor G2 with built-in acceleration for Google’s algorithms and Google security vs. a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Also, the Pixel Fold has a larger 4,821mAh battery (vs. 4,400mAh). It’s slow to charge, but it’s not like the Samsung is a speed demon.
Before you head to the poll, we should note that both phones cost $1,800 for a 256GB unit without any discounts and promos. Well, what do you think – has the Google Pixel Fold convinced you to make the jump to foldables?
The Google Pixel 7a is the first in the a-series phone with a high refresh rate screen (only 90Hz, but that’s as fast as the Pixel 7), the first with wireless charging support and the first to go above 12MP for its main camera. All that comes with at a cost.
The 7a is $500/€510/£450. For comparison, here are the launch prices of the Pixel 6a – $450/€460/£400. This means that the new model is more expensive than a Galaxy A54 ($450), the Poco F5 Pro (€480), the Xperia 10 V (€450) and plenty of other mid-rangers.
In India, the Pixel 7a avoided the price hike and goes for ₹44,000 (less with some early bird deals), which puts it on par with the OnePlus 11R (₹40,000).
Samsung Galaxy A54 • Xiaomi Poco F5 Pro • Sony Xperia 10 V • OnePlus 11R
Check out our hands-on review of the 7a. There is a lot to love about this phone but some downsides too, typical Google stuff, really. We mentioned the 90Hz refresh rate already, but the bezels could have been smaller (other than that, the display quality is great) and charging could have been faster.
It feels like there is isn’t much point in getting the Pixel 7, unless you get a really good deal on it. Do you agree? Or is the Pixel 7a the phone you’ve been waiting for?
