Google Pixel 9 vs Motorola Razr Fold

Google Pixel 9

The dual 50MP main + ultrawide system is the Pixel 9's headline strength for stills — consistent, reliable and class-leading. Video is its relative weakness versus the S25 and iPhone, and the lack of a telephoto limits zoom to 8x digital.

• The camera is described as simply awesome and a defining reason to buy — Pixel image processing remains a standout.
• 10 months on the Pixel 9 is still one of the most consistent shooters available for stills, even if no longer untouchable.
• Video is where the Pixel 9 shows cracks — slight jitter and weaker low-light detail versus the S25 or even the prior iPhone.
• The base Pixel 9 loses only the dedicated periscope telephoto versus the Pro — zoom is limited to 8x versus 30x on the Pixel 9 Pro — but still shoots RAW.
• Reddit owners across communities repeatedly call the Pixel 9 camera the best in its class — 'the Pixel 9 Pro does have the best camera' and the standard 9 shares the core system.
• Manual video controls are missing — using a third-party app like Blackmagic regains control but loses Google's processing smarts.
• The camera can record up to 4K at 24/30/60fps with stabilization, and Google's Video Boost feature has matured into a genuinely useful tool over the phone's life.

Motorola Razr Fold

Historically the foldable Achilles heel — but Motorola invested in hardware and software here, and DxOMark ranks it the best camera in any foldable.

• DxOMark rates the Razr Fold the #1 camera among foldables — roughly 8th overall across all phones — with a Gold Label.
• A 50MP main (f/1.6, OIS), a 50MP ultrawide (12mm, 122° FOV, f/2.0) and a third 50MP camera — all selfies can use the best 50MP main.
• This is without question the best Motorola camera I've ever used.
• Comes up just short of modern flagships like the iPhone 17 Pro, Find X9 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Ultra, with a DxOMark score of 164 points.
• Took it for a street-photography spin and came away genuinely impressed — the camera hardware was what caught attention.

Google Pixel 9

The Tensor G4 with 12GB RAM handles everyday tasks and multitasking smoothly, but it is the consensus weak link — trailing Snapdragon 8 Elite and Apple silicon, running warm under sustained load, and forcing graphics settings down in demanding games.

• The Tensor G4 with 12GB RAM makes everyday multitasking a breeze and animations stay smooth with no performance issues in normal use.
• Compared to Snapdragon-chip phones the Tensor G4 'just doesn't hold up' — the single biggest long-term complaint about the phone.
• To hit high frame rates in Call of Duty Warzone Mobile the settings have to drop to super low, while a Snapdragon 8 Elite S25 ran the same game at medium-high and 90–120fps.
• The phone gets noticeably warm to the touch under sustained video or use because the Tensor G4 has far less headroom than a Snapdragon 8 Elite.
• Reddit users note the Tensor chip is known to underperform versus Snapdragon, a recurring criticism of Pixel hardware.
• After Android 16 the Pixel 9 got significantly better — enough that one long-term reviewer questioned whether the Pixel 10 brings enough to justify upgrading.

Motorola Razr Fold

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 with 16GB RAM — fast for everyday use and surprisingly good in long sessions, but the choice of the non-Elite chip in a $1,899 phone is the headline criticism.

• Motorola stuck Qualcomm's excellent Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (16GB RAM, 512GB) inside its first full-fold flagship.
• With a phone this expensive it is a bit disappointing Motorola couldn't go all the way with the Elite chip.
• In a 20-minute stress test the Z Fold 7's 8 Elite was ~10% better on the first loop, but the Razr Fold ran better through the 20 minutes and ended ~20% ahead on sustained performance with similar thermals.
• Recording 4K120 for a long time makes the Snapdragon CPU run quite hot, though it cools down fairly fast.
• The non-Elite chip, 243g weight and IP49 dust rating could be causes for concern, even if the experience is smooth.

Google Pixel 9

The 4700mAh battery delivers genuinely good, much-improved endurance — 5+ hours of screen-on time is typical. Charging is the catch: 27W wired tops out around 80–100 minutes to full, well behind OnePlus rivals.

• Battery life is much improved over the mediocre Pixel 8 — regularly 5+ hours of screen-on time with 20–30% left at the end of the day.
• Battery-test reviewers confirm Google's longer-battery-life claims hold up in real-world Wi-Fi and 5G scenarios.
• The 4700mAh battery is slightly larger than the Pixel 8's 4575mAh and Google's claimed longer endurance was confirmed by battery testing.
• Charging is slow: roughly 80 minutes wired and over 2 hours wirelessly to full — 27W wired, 12W Qi, 15W on the Pixel Stand.
• Lab charging test: 50% in 28 minutes, 80% in 53 minutes, 100% in 1 hour 44 minutes — peaking around 25W and 36.6°C front temperature, similar to an iPhone.
• Slow charging is a recurring competitive knock — OnePlus rivals charge fully in under 20 minutes versus the Pixel's ~80–100.

Motorola Razr Fold

The standout: the largest battery in the book-foldable space delivering class-leading endurance, plus 80W wired charging — three times faster than the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

• Lasting an impressive 14 hours 31 minutes, the Razr Fold is officially the best notebook-style foldable for battery life (16h10m with refresh-rate optimized).
• The Galaxy Z Fold 7 managed only 10h44m in the same test, with a 4,400mAh battery versus the Razr Fold's 6,000mAh cell.
• I found the battery basically impossible to kill in a single day, even with the Fold's hotspot supplying an entire office internet connection over 12 days.
• It charges at 80W wired — over three times as fast as the Galaxy Z Fold 7's 25W — plus 50W wireless and 5W reverse, with a 90W charger and a case included in the box.
• The 6,000mAh cell is colossal — about 20% larger than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold's — though there's also more display to power.

Google Pixel 9

Pixel OS is repeatedly named the best version of Android — clean, near-bloatware-free and fluid — backed by 7 years of updates. Gemini and on-device AI features are a headline draw, though the post-trial Google One cost and Gemini-Nano version gating draw criticism.

• Pixel OS is many reviewers' favorite version of Android — smooth, enjoyable and packed with useful built-in features, with the 7 years of updates 'the cherry on top'.
• 7 years of OS and security updates means the Pixel 9 will still be supported until 2031 — one of the most underrated aspects of the phone.
• After 10 months on Android 15 the Pixel 9 still delivers one of the cleanest, smartest software experiences available, with almost no bloatware — its strongest asset.
• Google front-and-centered AI on the Pixel 9 — Reddit users argue Apple and Samsung 'are not even close' on software/AI advancements, making it the AI phone of its moment.
• Post-launch updates fixed real issues — audio delay in video apps and camera-lens-switch stability — and all Pixel 9 devices get day-one updates.
• AI longevity is questioned — the Pixel 9 reportedly isn't compatible with Gemini Nano version 3, raising doubts about how meaningful 7 years of support stays as AI requirements escalate.

Motorola Razr Fold

The surprise strength — Motorola's foldable software is widely called the best balance of Pixel simplicity and Samsung multitasking, undercut only by Motorola's update-timeliness history.

• Motorola nailed the software — it feels like the perfect middle ground between the Pixel and Samsung approaches to book foldables, with a laptop mode that turns the bottom half into a trackpad.
• The Razr Fold is winning me over with something not on the spec sheet — superb multitasking software.
• Given Motorola's awful track record for timely updates, you've got to be ready to live with the little launch bugs for a while.
• Motorola promises 7 years of Android version and security updates — best-in-class and a huge jump from last year's 3-year commitment.
• Counterpoint: Motorola is only committing to 3 years of Android upgrades and 5 years of security patches, so versus Samsung's 7 years it's really no contest.

Google Pixel 9

At $799 (a $100 hike over the Pixel 8) the Pixel 9 is positioned against the OnePlus 12 and Galaxy S25. Verdicts split between 'best Pixel ever / best in its price range' and 'no longer the best base model' as rivals offer faster silicon and charging for less.

• Called 'perhaps the best Pixel ever made' — a strong all-round hardware-and-software package.
• TechRadar's verdict: 'a fantastic phone (added fees may apply)' — the asterisk being the $100 price increase.
• Android Authority's framing: the Pixel 9 costs more but still matches the Galaxy and iPhone.
• One long-term verdict: 'good, but no longer the best base model' — competitors caught up over the phone's life.
• If you can get it for $700 or less it's an excellent choice for non-power-users; at full $799 the value is harder to defend versus rivals.
• OnePlus owners argue the OnePlus 12 offers significantly faster performance, a bigger battery and far faster charging for less money.
• Reddit owners still call it a hard phone to ignore — top-tier battery, decent fast charging, excellent camera, great screen and gorgeous build, often $1000 cheaper than comparable Apple/Samsung over its life as prices drop.

Motorola Razr Fold

At $1,899 it undercuts the Z Fold 7 and is the only premium book foldable many US buyers can actually purchase — value hinges on whether the non-Elite chip and update questions matter to you.

• At $1,899.99 / £1,799.99 it undercuts the Galaxy Z Fold 7 by about $100/£100, and the pre-order Moto Pen Ultra bundle adds real value — the sum of its parts is the best foldable on the market.
• If you're tired of Samsung-only or have no interest in the Pixel Fold, this may be the best folding phone you can get in the US right now — the Oppo Find N6 and Honor Magic V6 aren't available there.
• It could be called a disappointment, especially compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Honor Magic V5 — it should have offered something more compelling to stand out.
• If Motorola drops the price by even two or three hundred dollars within the first few weeks, this phone suddenly becomes a much stronger contender.
• It competes fairly well with the Oppo Find N6, which is amazing to see.