It’s better! Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Z Fold 6 Camera Review 🤔
There is a huge difference between the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s camera compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s. It’s not just about resolution, but it’s also about how each shot is coloured, the sharpness, the definition of the blacks, and the overall image quality. It’s as much about the brains behind the cameras as the lens themselves.
In general, some of you may prefer how pictures look on the Pixel, while some on the Galaxy. But in one key aspect, the Pixel is better and that’s going to be the focus of this article.
Camera Specs Rundown
First, a quick rundown of their rear camera’s specs. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a triple rear camera setup with a 48MP wide angle, 10.5MP Ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x periscope telephoto lens, and Super Res Zoom up to 20x digital crop.
On the other hand, the Z Fold 6 has a triple camera setup that comprises of a 50MP Wide with 2x Optical quality zoom, 12MP Ultrawide and 10MP 3x Optical zoom. Any zoom beyond that up to 30x is digital crop.
Photos Comparison
For this comparison, I am shooting JPEGs at Full resolution mode open Pixel, 12MP mode on Samsung with scene optimiser turned off, so both on neutral settings. Why don’t I use the 50MP mode on Samsung? That’s because any kind of zoom on 50MP mode just crops from the main sensor, so it won’t be a fair comparison.
Day Shots
How do they compare in day shots? Let’s start with .5x Ultrawide shots.
In this picture we can see that the Samsungs actually perform better in terms of sharpness with more definition of the lines throughout the picture, whereas the Pixels show a bit more softer. The Samsung’s colours are more contrasty, so the sky is a lighter shade of blue, this signage is a darker blue, and the trees are a brighter shade of green.
However, Samsung also lifts shadows a little too much, while the Pixel’s shot does look more accurate to what I see in real life. This is also true of other focal lengths. At 1x, Samsung ‘s shots are sharper, with brighter colors and lifted shadows. The Pixel, once again looks more color accurate, but also softer in sharpness.
To me, this looks more natural than what the Samsung presents at 1x, but the Samsungs do look crisper.
Comparing their zoom lenses is a little tricky, because the Samsungs do 3x, while the Pixel goes up to 5x. But even so, you can see the same pattern. The Samsungs are sharper, more color contrasty, shadows are lifted, whereas the Pixel looks softer, and preserves the accuracy of the scene color and shadows better.
Beyond this point, I can say without a shadow of doubt that the Pixels are better at digital zooms. At 20x , which is the Pixel’s maximum digital crop, it looks sharper and preserves more detail than the Samsung. The Samsung simply looks noisy. This could be because it’s zoom starts from 3x, requiring more cropping, while the Pixel begins at 5x, allowing it to handle zoom better, but I think it’s also the Pixel’s algorithms at play. Needless to say, if the Samsung couldn’t clean up the shot at 20x, you can expect similar results at 30x.
Low Light Conditions
Strangely, it does better in low light conditions. The Samsung looks less grainy, and maintains the same color tone whereas the Pixel shifts a little warm. It does, however, look more natural compared to the watercolor look of the Samsungs.
Front Camera
For selfies with all beauty features turned off, the Samsung look sharper, showing every single strand of white hair, and my horrible complexion. The Pixels have a softer look by default with no need to beautify the picture.
JPEG vs RAW
One puzzling thing about the Pixel is that shooting in RAW results in blurry images than the JPEGs. I’ve only encountered this on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, so if anyone has any idea why this is the case, let me know in the comments.
So for photos, although shots on the Pixel aren’t as sharp or crisp, its color science looks more natural, and its digital zoom, what it calls Super Res Zoom, is better than the zoom on the Samsungs.
Videos Comparison
Outdoor Walking Condition
For walking videos, their color profiles are quite similar, with Samsungs being slightly brighter and the Pixel is a little more contrast. The different comes down to stabilization. Both are well stabilised at Ultrawide and Wide angles, and even when comparing the Pixel’s 2x zoom vs the Samsung’s 3x, both are looking smooth.
But, at 5x zoom on the Pixel, that’s where things start to fall apart. The Pixel is showing more jitter, and it gets harder to center the shot while walking. At a similar 12x digital zoom, the Pixel’s stabilisation gets even worse, making it very hard to center the shot, while the Samsungs are still quite well stabilised. Same issue with the Pixel at 20x.
That being said, for stationary zoom shots, you’ll probably be happier with the Pixel, since it does allow you to reach further at 20x compared to 12x on the Samsung.
Low Light Condition
In low light conditions, the Pixel behaves a little differently. Samsung doesn’t lift shadows as much, while the Pixel displays a color shift on Digital Zoom. However, the Samsung is more color consistent. Additionally, the Samsung also looks more stabilised.
Overall, although the Pixel doesn’t do as much sharpening as the Samsungs, but it does produce softer, more natural looking shots whereas the Samsungs are sharper and more vibrant. The Pixels are also vastly better than the Samsung when it comes to digital zoom. However, Samsung performs well in terms of stabilisation especially when shooting zooms. It’s a lot easier to handle as a result, and produces less jitter.
Q&A Section
Now, I’m going to address some of your questions about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
1. “How good is the battery? Will it last all day?” - halfmanamazing549
I’ve had no problems using this for the entire day so far for photos, watching videos, but it does passively sip the battery. I left the Pixel Fold alone for a few days and it went from 50% to 4%.
2. “Does the hinge make it feel very large compared to a regular 6.3 inch phone?” “Also did Google add any new software to improve multitasking?” - LimitGTX
Well, it does feel larger in my hands due to its thick bezel, and it can be a challenge sometimes using it one handed, but I use both hands for most of the time so it’s not a biggie. As for multitasking, nope. It’s just split screen, and only left right split is allowed.
3. “What is the actual charging speed?” - SMS2884
This is an interesting one. I’m aware that Google does sell a 45W charger. But, I think it’s specifically for the Pro and Pro XL, not the Fold. Because even using my own 120W GaN charger, it still takes more than 2 hours to fully charge. So most likely its charging speed is 20-25W max.
4. “Which colours are available?” - norissima95
It’s sold in Obsidian black and Porcelain white, but in my country, only the Obsidian is available.
Conclusion
That’s my take on the cameras, and my answers to your questions. What are your thoughts about the pixel 9 pro Fold? Let me know in the comments. If you want to know their latest prices I’ve got the Amazon links below.
Check latest price:
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: (Link TBA) $1799
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: https://amzn.to/4fHwJ8k
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