If I’m spending $2,000 on a foldable, I’m skipping the Pixel 11 Pro Fold for Samsung

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The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is now officially here, packing the latest Snapdragon processor and several other upgrades into a sleeker, slimmer design. However, it’s not the only game in town.

While I have recommended the Pixel 11 Pro XL over the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra , the foldable market is a whole other animal. Samsung has been at this for a long time, after all. While both brands have their own pros and cons, I’d personally pick the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra over Google’s foldable — and there are a few reasons why.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 series marks a big change for the company, as the base model is now slightly shorter and wider, making it feel much more compact even if it’s a bit thicker as a result. The regular Z Fold 8 is a fascinating phone, but for those looking for a more direct successor to the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is what you’ll be considering.

Regardless of which model you choose, you’ll find Samsung is thinner and lighter. While the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is thinner and lighter than last year’s model, it’s still 10.1mm thick when folded and weighs 239 grams. In comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is just 9.7mm when unfolded and is just 201 grams. The Z Fold 8 Ultra is even thinner at just 8.9mm, though it’s a tad heavier at 215 grams.

The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold doesn’t make any dramatic changes to its camera configuration this year, though its main camera is getting a small upgrade. While it’s still just a 48MP shooter, the new camera at least provides better light sensitivity, with Google claiming a 56% improvement overall.

As for Samsung? The Fold 8 Ultra trades out the older 12MP ultrawide secondary camera for a newer 50MP shooter, though it retains its predecessor’s 200MP flagship shooter and 10MP telephoto cameras. On paper, this certainly sounds impressive, but it’s important to remember specs alone don’t make for a great camera experience.

Google has proven itself an expert at camera optimization in the past, and I’m sure that will hold true here too. It’s too early to judge the Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s camera performance, but given its mild upgrades, I still think Samsung probably holds at least a slight edge here, though it will mostly come down to personal preference, as both handle processing quite differently.