Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 5G (Phantom Black, 12GB RAM, 512GB) vs Google Pixel 8a 5G (Obsidian, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage)
What separates them
These two differ on 9 recorded specifications. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 5G (Phantom Black, 12GB RAM, 512GB) is ₹1,12,000 dearer.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 5G (Phantom Black, 12GB RAM, 512GB) vs Google Pixel 8a 5G (Obsidian, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage)
Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 5G (Phantom Black, 12GB RAM, 512GB)
₹1,64,999
IPX8 with no dust rating is the specification that deserves attention on a folding phone: it survives water but carries no ingress protection for the hinge, and grit is what actually kills folding mechanisms.
Full details →
Google Pixel 8a 5G (Obsidian, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage)
₹52,999
Seven years of Android upgrades and seven years of patches is the longest commitment of any phone here, at a third of flagship pricing, and it is the specification that decides what this costs to own rather than to buy.
Full details →Who the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 5G is for
Buy it if: Anyone who genuinely works on a tablet-sized screen daily and accepts the compromises.
Avoid it if: Anyone in dusty conditions -- there is no dust rating -- or who wants a normal-width front screen.
Who the Google Pixel 8a 5G is for
Buy it if: Anyone who keeps a phone five years or more and wants it supported the whole time.
Avoid it if: Anyone who charges in short bursts -- 18 W is slow, and there is no fast option.
Specifications, side by side
9 of 16 rows differ. Differences first.
| Specification | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 5G | Google Pixel 8a 5G |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹1,64,999 | ₹52,999 |
| Battery | 4400 mAh -- small for the screen area it drives | 4492 mAh |
| Charging | 25 W wired, about 75 minutes to full | 18 W wired, 7.5 W wireless -- slow for the price |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | Google Tensor G3 |
| Peak brightness | 1750 nits peak on the main panel | 2000 nits peak, 1400 nits high brightness mode |
| RAM | 12 GB LPDDR5X | 8 GB LPDDR5X |
| Rear camera | 50 MP main with OIS + 10 MP telephoto 3x + 12 MP ultrawide | 64 MP main with OIS (f/1.89) + 13 MP ultrawide |
| Storage | 512 GB UFS 4.0 | 128 GB UFS 3.1 |
| Water resistance | IPX8 -- water rated, but no dust rating at all, which matters for a hinge | IP67 |
| Weight | 253 g | 188 g |
| Warranty | 1 Year Official Brand Warranty | 1 Year Official Brand Warranty |
| Cover display | 6.2 inch, 120 Hz, and unusually narrow at 23.1:9 | not published |
| Crease | Visible and permanent along the fold line | not published |
| Display | not published | 6.1 inch Actua OLED, 120 Hz |
| Fold rating | 200,000 folds, roughly 100 a day for 5 years | not published |
| Main display | 7.6 inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X foldable, 120 Hz | not published |
| Software support | not published | 7 Android upgrades, 7 years security patches -- the longest of any phone in this catalogue |
Every row is a figure one or both products record. A blank is a figure the catalogue does not hold, not a zero.