2023 has given us the most optimized flagship phones from Samsung ever since the Korean giant first started making Android devices. Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, the Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra perform amazingly well, and we see something similar on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, which use the same Snapdragon chip as the Galaxy S23 series.
2023 is also the year when Samsung finally has some solid competition in the foldable space. Google released its first foldable, the Pixel Fold, this year, and many comparisons have been made between Google's phone and the Galaxy Z Fold 5, in part because both devices have the same starting price tag.
Both the Pixel Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 have their advantages. Google's phone gives you a wider cover screen and better camera specs, and for those who want it, the Pixel Fold also has a stock, unadulterated version of Android. The Z Fold 5 takes the lead in other areas – Samsung's software offers better functionality to take advantage of the foldable form factor, and it also has a better chipset powering it.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 finishes many tasks considerably faster
The Pixel Fold uses the Tensor G2 chip that also powers Google's Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro and is not as cutting edge or powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. And a side-by-side performance test conducted by the PhoneBuff YouTube channel (see the video above) reveals how the Fold 5 pretty much obliterates the Pixel Fold when it comes to performing a number of different tasks in quick succession.
The test included opening a number of apps one after the other and performing tasks such as video editing and opening spreadsheets, and the Z Fold 5 frequently got things done before the Pixel Fold. The Fold 5 is especially faster in video editing and loading games, which is likely because Samsung has used UFS 4.0 storage while Google has stuck with the older and slower UFS 3.1 standard.
To be fair to Google, the Pixel Fold performs admirably and will keep most users happy, but there's no denying the fact that the Fold 5 is the better choice for those looking for the best performance and are spending $1,799 on a smartphone. Google's Tensor G2 chip simply does not belong on a phone that's so pricey and we can only hope Google will offer Pixel fans better bang for buck with its next foldable.
