I adore my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, but on a recent trip I took to Madeira to test if AI could plan a vacation for me (a whole other story you can follow), I swapped it out for a Google Pixel 9 Pro as my primary smartphone. And I loved it.
I’m a massive fan of Google’s Android phones. I loved my Pixel 3a and later Google Pixel 6, and we recommend that the base Google Pixel 9 is the best Android phone for everybody thanks to its solid specs and great AI features – something which I’ve now experienced first-hand (albeit through the upgraded model).
But since switching to a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, I’ve been a foldables convert. For the most part, my love of foldables hasn’t wavered, but there’s one feature I wish I could steal from the Pixel 9 Pro: its camera.
I don’t simply mean specs-wise. The Google Pixel 9 Pro boasts 50MP main, 48MP 5x telephoto, and 48MP ultrawide snappers, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a setup featuring a 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP 3X optical zoom.
So out of the gate, the Pixel has more pixels to play with – which was ideal for the vacation, as I captured footage to share with family back home and to use in our video series.
It’s more than just a hardware difference, however.
The camera software felt a lot easier to navigate, with a cleaner layout, while still offering those more in-depth settings to tweak if I wanted to take the phone off auto-mode.
There are also some really neat AI features you only get on Google Pixel – specifically Add Me.
This photo tool enables you to snap a picture of your group, then pass the camera off to someone else so you can get into the shot in a space they left for you. The AI will then stitch the two photos together to create a single seamless image.
I hate having to bug people to take a photo of me – and have a fear they’ll run off with my phone if I do ask – and add me to solve this issue in a clean and effective way. And Add Me allows you to capture more of the background of where you are in a way that a selfie – even when using an extended selfie stick – can’t achieve.
While Samsung matches Google with some of its other AI tools – based on our tests, its Magic Eraser clone is generally on par – Google’s overall camera experience is clearly superior.
Despite that, I’m still sticking with my Z Fold 6 – its inferior camera is good enough in general, and its large display is unbeatable for gaming and reading – but as we approach the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and hear whispers of a Galaxy Z Fold Ultra incoming, I’m praying Samsung’s foldables get some much needed camera improvements as has been teased by leaks.
Because as I prepare to hand the Pixel 9 Pro back to our Phones team, I’m desperately wishing I didn’t have to.
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