Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn’t as slick as my Galaxy Z Fold 7, but I still envy it

A lot of people seem to be dunking on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold for being a little too thick around the edges. And it’s true, next to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, Google’s latest foldable may not look nearly as elegant or futuristic. The company clearly wasn’t chasing thinness like the rest of the players in the foldable game, and the result is a foldable phone that looks chunkier and is even a tad heavier than its predecessor. However, Google’s lack of attention to the size of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is actually starting to make a lot of sense to me. It’s even making me a bit jealous, to be honest.

During our press briefings, Google was very upfront about why it didn’t slim down the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and the trade-offs are tough to ignore once you look closer. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold packs a 5,015mAh battery compared to the Fold 7’s 4,400mAh cell. That’s not just a small bump, it’s a massive leap for a foldable phone, and one that could easily translate into a few extra hours of real-world usage. If you’ve used a foldable phone before, you would know that battery life is one of the first sacrifices you have to learn to live with for the sake of the form factor, and while the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s battery life isn’t bad, Google is essentially taking things to the next level with that added capacity. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how the new Tensor G5 chip performs in practice, and what kind of toll it might take on battery life.

Then there’s the Qi2 wireless charging. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first foldable in the world to fully adopt the wireless charging standard, making it more convenient to charge compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Samsung is still stuck with the Qi2 Ready standard, meaning it doesn’t have any built-in magnets. If you want to charge the phone magnetically, you’ll need a compatible case for the full experience, whereas the Pixel 10 Pro Fold can accurately snap on wireless chargers and a range of compatible accessories, including popular MagSafe products.

Durability is another key area where Google has made a major upgrade. While Samsung was chasing a slim and sleek profile, which I love, by the way, Google quietly built the first foldable with a proper IP68 rating. For context, that’s the same level of dust and water protection you get on a Pixel 10 Pro or Galaxy S25 Ultra. I always tend to baby foldable phones and protect them with my life, but an IP68 rating makes the Pixel 10 Pro Fold feel like a real flagship. It’s the kind of durability upgrade that gives me a lot of confidence as a user and matters way more than shaving off a couple of millimeters of thickness.

On top of that, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn’t lagging behind on long-term support either. Just like Samsung, Google is promising seven years of software updates. It also ships with more RAM (16GB vs the Fold 7’s 12GB) and undercuts Samsung slightly on price, starting at $1,799. Sure, that’s still a small fortune to pay for a phone, but Google definitely won the value argument this year.

Last but not least, Google has an AI advantage. Samsung’s One UI 8 is excellent on foldables and one of the reasons I enjoy the Galaxy Z Fold 7 so much, but Google is also flexing its AI muscles in ways that are hard to ignore. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold gets the best of Gemini, Imagen, and Veo, bundled with a free year of Google AI Pro. But the real magic is in the camera. New features like Camera Coach, which guides you on framing and composition, Auto Best Take, which blends group shots so everyone looks their best, and Ask Photos, which lets you literally tell Gemini how you want an image edited, are all features I’ll definitely miss on the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Sure, Samsung can always add these software tricks in One UI 8, but for now, at least on paper, Google seems to have the edge.

So yes, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is thicker. Yes, it looks a little clunkier next to the gorgeous Galaxy Z Fold 7 that slips perfectly in my pocket and my tiny purses. But after using Samsung’s foldable as my daily driver for a while, I’ve definitely realized how much durability, battery life, and smarter software matter in the long run. I’m not saying the Galaxy Z Fold 7 performs poorly in any of these areas. In fact, it’s an excellent phone. But with all its upgrades, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold sounds like the sturdier, more sensible choice, if Samsung’s ecosystem, UI, and slimness don’t matter to you.

That said, we haven’t spent enough hands-on time with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold to be absolutely certain its upgrades make it worth recommending over the Galaxy Z Fold 7. These are just some of my initial thoughts based on what the phone offers on paper. It’s entirely possible my perspective will change after actually using the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. But for now, I didn’t think I would envy a foldable that looks bulkier than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Google’s decision to prioritize practicality over slimness might just be the smartest move in the foldable segment this year.