Head to head
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leads 10 to 3 on the 13 rankable specs and costs $500 less, which makes it the straightforward pick.
Catalog as of September 1, 2026
Why, in numbers
Swap
Compare a different phone
Google Pixel 8a$499OnePlus 12$799iPhone 16$799Google Pixel 9$799Samsung Galaxy S24$799Samsung Galaxy S25$799iPhone 17$799ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra$899iPhone 16 Plus$899OnePlus 13$899iPhone 16 Pro$999Google Pixel 9 Pro$999Samsung Galaxy S24+$999Samsung Galaxy S25+$999iPhone 17 Pro$999iPhone Air$999Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6$1,099Google Pixel 9 Pro XL$1,099iPhone 16 Pro Max$1,199iPhone 17 Pro Max$1,199Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$1,299Xiaomi 14 Ultra$1,399OnePlus Open$1,699Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6$1,899Swap
Compare a different phone
Google Pixel 8a$499OnePlus 12$799iPhone 16$799Google Pixel 9$799Samsung Galaxy S24$799Samsung Galaxy S25$799iPhone 17$799ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra$899iPhone 16 Plus$899OnePlus 13$899iPhone 16 Pro$999Google Pixel 9 Pro$999Samsung Galaxy S24+$999Samsung Galaxy S25+$999iPhone 17 Pro$999iPhone Air$999Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6$1,099Google Pixel 9 Pro XL$1,099iPhone 16 Pro Max$1,199iPhone 17 Pro Max$1,199Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$1,299Xiaomi 14 Ultra$1,399OnePlus Open$1,699Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6$1,899Buying for
Your devices
Straight answer
Overall: 10 to 3
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
- Leads 10 of 13 rankable overall specs; Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold takes 3.
- Weight: 219 g vs 257 g
- Capacity: 5,000 mAh vs 4,650 mAh
- It is also $500 cheaper.
Deal-breakers
tick what would make you walk away
- Clear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE)Trips:Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold · No
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold · No
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold · No
- Clear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)Trips:Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold · IPX8 water resistant
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold · No
At a glance
The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.
Weight
Samsung
219 g (7.72 oz)
257 g (9.07 oz)
Size
Samsung
6.9 inches
8.0 inches unfolded (6.3 inches folded)
Chipset≠
Samsung
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
Google Tensor G4 (4 nm, Titan M2 security coprocessor)
RAM
Samsung
12 GB (16 GB option)
16 GB LPDDR5X
Max optical zoom≠
Samsung
5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom)
5x optical zoom (up to 20x Super Res Zoom)
Capacity
Samsung
5,000 mAh
4,650 mAh
The 90-Day Owner Regret Check
Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.
Samsung: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Google: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Body
leads 2-0| Dimensions | 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm | Folded: 155.2 × 77.1 × 10.5 mm / Unfolded: 155.2 × 150.2 × 5.1 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 219 g (7.72 oz) (wins this row: lower) | 257 g (9.07 oz) |
| Build | Titanium frame with Gorilla Armor 2 front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back | Aerospace-grade high-strength aluminum alloy hinge with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back |
| Water / dust rating | IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) | IPX8 water resistant |
| Colors | Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver | Porcelain, Obsidian |
| Stylus | Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE) (wins this row: has it) | No |
Display
9 differences| Type | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X | Inner: 8.0" Super Actua Flex LTPO OLED / Cover: 6.3" Actua OLED |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.9 inches | 8.0 inches unfolded (6.3 inches folded) (wins this row: higher) |
| Resolution | 3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher) | Inner: 2076 × 2152 (373 ppi) / Cover: 2424 × 1080 (422 ppi) |
| Pixel density | 505 ppi (wins this row: higher) | 373 ppi inner / 422 ppi cover |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO) | 120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO on both inner and cover displays) |
| Peak brightness | 2,600 nits peak | 2,700 nits peak on both displays / 1,600 nits HDR (wins this row: higher) |
| HDR | HDR10+, HLG | HDR10, HDR10+, HLG |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 (anti-reflective) | Ultra Thin Glass (inner) / Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (cover) |
| Always-on display | Yes | Yes (with At a Glance) |
Platform
5 differences| Operating system | Android 15 (One UI 7) | Android 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Software support | 7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates | 7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Feature Drops |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm) | Google Tensor G4 (4 nm, Titan M2 security coprocessor) |
| CPU | 8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance) | 8-core (1× Cortex-X4 + 3× Cortex-A720 + 4× Cortex-A520) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | Mali-G715 MC7 |
Memory
leads 1-0| RAM | 12 GB (16 GB option) | 16 GB LPDDR5X (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (UFS 4.0) | 256 GB, 512 GB |
| microSD | No | No |
Rear camera
leads 3-0| Main | 200 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS) (wins this row: higher) | 48 MP Quad PD (f/1.7, 25mm, 1/2.0", Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultrawide | 50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF, macro) (wins this row: higher) | 10.5 MP (f/2.2, 127° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF, macro focus) |
| Telephoto | 50 MP 5x periscope (f/3.4, 115mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) + 50 MP 3x (f/2.4, 67mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher) | 10.8 MP 5x optical periscope (f/3.1, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 20x Super Res Zoom) |
| Max optical zoom | 5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom) | 5x optical zoom (up to 20x Super Res Zoom) |
| Stabilization | OIS on main and both telephoto cameras | OIS on main camera and 5x periscope telephoto |
| Video | 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+, 10-bit LOG video | 4K at 24/30/60 fps, 1080p at 24/30/60 fps |
Front camera
leads 1-0| Selfie camera | 12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF) (wins this row: higher) | Inner: 10 MP / Cover: 10 MP Dual PD (f/2.2, 87° FOV) |
|---|---|---|
| Selfie video | 4K at 30/60 fps | 4K at 30/60 fps (both inner and cover cameras) |
Battery & charging
leads 2-0| Capacity | 5,000 mAh (wins this row: higher) | 4,650 mAh |
|---|---|---|
| Wired chargingNot on the official sheet | 45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min) (wins this row: higher) | 21W wired fast charging (USB-PD 3.0) |
| Wireless charging | 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 | 7.5W Qi wireless charging |
| Reverse wireless | 4.5W Wireless PowerShare | No |
| Charger in box | No | No |
Audio
1 differences| Speakers | Stereo speakers tuned by AKG | Spatial Audio stereo speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Headphone jack | No | No |
Connectivity
4 differences| Cellular | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band) | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| NFC | Yes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay) | Yes (Google Wallet) |
| USB | USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out) | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort video out) |
| SIM | Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM | Single Nano-SIM + eSIM (Dual SIM support) |
Features
3 differences| Biometrics | Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock | Side-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor + Face Unlock on both screens |
|---|---|---|
| Extra controls | S Pen air gestures | None |
| Standout features | Built-in S Pen, Galaxy AI 2.0 (Now Brief, Live Translate, Sketch to Image), Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung DeX | 8.0" Super Actua Flex inner display, Google AI photography (Add Me, Best Take, Magic Editor), Split-Screen Multitasking, Satellite SOS |
Which one should you buy
Pick this one if
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Flagship titanium smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, built-in S Pen, 200MP quad camera with 50MP ultrawide and 50MP 5x telephoto, and Galaxy AI.
- Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm custom Galaxy performance
- Upgraded 50MP ultra-wide and dual 50MP telephoto sensors with 200MP main
- Corning Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective display and built-in S Pen stylus
What you give up
- Premium $1,299 starting price
- Wired charging remains at 45W
Pick this one if
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Ultra-thin foldable with 8.0-inch Super Actua Flex inner display, 6.3-inch Actua cover display, Google Tensor G4 chip, 16GB RAM, and Google AI.
- Huge 8.0-inch Super Actua Flex folding screen (brightest on any foldable up to 2,700 nits)
- Ultra-thin 10.5mm folded profile with fluid gearless hinge
- 7 full years of Android OS and security Feature Drops with 16GB RAM standard
What you give up
- Cameras use smaller sensors than traditional Pixel 9 Pro to fit the thin chassis
- 21W wired charging is slower than competitors
Best for each use
Photos
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Battery & updates
For battery & updates, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Games & video
For games & video, buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Done deciding?
Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.
Manufacturer pages: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra ↗ · Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold ↗
Common questions
Which is cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold?
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra costs $500 less at list price.
What is the biggest catch with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold?
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Which is better for photos, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold?
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Leads 4 of 4 rankable photos specs. Main: 200 MP vs 48 MP Quad PD
What cannot be compared from spec sheets?
Of the 48 specs tracked here, 35 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.