I used the Razr Fold and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Only one keeps winning me over

I remembered a scene from the movie Margin Call Motorola Razr Fold was first announced. Jeremy Irons’ character explained that there are three ways to get ahead in business. You can be the first, you can be the smartest, or you can cheat.

Motorola wouldn’t be the first company to hit the market with a book-style folding device, so it did. I thought the company would deliver decent hardware, but I thought the only way for Motorola to stand a chance would be to cheat – by dropping the price so low that the value was irresistible.

As it turns out, Motorola went with the second door, delivering the best book-style foldable you can buy. However, Pixel 10 Pro Fold is no slouch, and Google has done a lot to improve the third-generation foldable. I’ve used both and it’s hard to decide between them.

When I got my hands on the Motorola Razr Fold, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I loved Motorola’s other foldable Razrs, but asking people to pay close to $2,000 for a book-style fold is in a whole other category. Surprisingly, I love it. Motorola hit all the right notes to make a high-quality foldable, and this is one I recommend to most people. The design is pleasant enough and I appreciate the textured back. This gives me the confidence to use the phone without a case, which is fantastic because I can’t stand cases made for folding phones.

This is not a light phone by any means, and if you are caught Galaxy Z Fold 7you’ll immediately feel the Razr Fold’s 243 grams. Still, I like the design and the Razr Fold feels great in the hand. I wouldn’t normally discuss a Motorola phone’s cameras so highly by comparison, but the Razr Fold is an exception. Its triple 50MP camera setup is fantastic, making the Razr Fold an ideal device for people who always complain about not getting flagship-worthy cameras on expensive foldable phones.

It produces saturated images with deep contrast – exactly what I want to post on social media. I use the 3x telephoto more than I thought I would, and you won’t be disappointed with its performance.

Battery is another area where Motorola is pushing forward. Razr Fold has a silicon-carbon cell with a capacity of 6000 mAh. I can easily get into a second day of use on a single charge. Battery life is just as important to me as book style. I hate that the large (and attractive) built-in display is available, but I often can’t use it for fear of draining the battery. I don’t have that concern with the Razr Fold. I can use the built-in screen all day without breaking a sweat. It also features 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging – both of which easily surpass what Google offers on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

While the company did a little better with the Razr Fold, the software is always a mess with Motorola. Moto promises seven years of software upgrades and support, which is a big plus from Motorola. Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing how that would turn out. Motorola doesn’t have a perfect record of delivering updates on time, and two-monthly patches have dropped to three months before. Android version upgrades are slow in coming, and it’s hard to gauge what expanded software support will mean for the Razr Fold.

Thankfully, what’s currently on the device is pretty good. Android 16 works well and I love how Motorola handles multitasking. From any app, I can easily switch to a window or split-screen view by clicking the three dots at the top of the screen. It’s easy to select another app to pair with and I’m on my way. Multitasking is one of the advantages that book-style foldables have to use to justify their high prices, and the Razr Fold does it best.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipsetCoupled with 16GB of RAM, it delivers fast performance and I’ve never been disappointed that Motorola didn’t opt ​​for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

I also appreciate that the Razr Fold supports a stylus. It seems a shame to have an 8.1-inch built-in display only to not be able to use it as a canvas. If you’re a content creator or use a stylus for work, the Razr Fold is your best (and only) bet in the US.

All in all, Motorola did a great job with their first attempt, and it’s a device I find myself constantly returning to when I haven’t tested other phones.

Despite my love for the Razr Fold, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a great phone, and there are legitimate reasons to pick one up. I prefer the internal display to be more landscape-dominant, which gives me a little extra space for two apps running side-by-side. The Razr Fold may not be light, but the Pixel 10 Pro Fold tips the scales at 258 grams — and you can feel it. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a tight phone in the hand.

It’s not all bad news: Google’s book-style foldable device is even more durable with an IP68 rating. Given all the hype and testing that surrounded the phone at launch, it’s up to you how much stock you put in this rating, but it’s better to have — especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors.

What really sets the Pixel 10 Pro Fold apart from the Razr Fold is the software. As you’d expect, my Pixel is now running Android 17, which is a fantastic update. Google promises seven years of software support, and unlike Motorola, I have a clearer idea of ​​what that will look like. Not only are Google’s updates more timely, but the company does a solid job of optimizing them for older hardware. Updates are rarely perfect, and many people experienced problems upgrading to Android 17, but overall, Google’s software was worth the price of admission.

Unfortunately, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s many features didn’t get the upgrade I was hoping for. i love App bubbles in Android 17and they work as you would expect on the cover screen. However, when opened, they are limited to the Bubble Bar at the bottom left or right of the screen. This is an annoying limitation and I hope Google will revisit it soon.

Like the Razr Fold, I have no complaints about the Tensor G5 powering the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Performance is fast and smooth, especially when paired with 16GB of RAM. There is no noticeable difference in terms of performance between the two phones.

It may not include silicon-carbon battery technology, but the Pixel 10 Pro Fold gets the most out of its 5,000mAh-plus cell – although its 30W wired charging speed lags far behind. I can use the built-in display all day long on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, with enough left to get me through the next day well before it’s time to charge. I unexpectedly fell in love with my Pixelsnap accessories. I enjoy holding the Pixel 10 Pro Fold Pixelsnap ring attachmentand mine Pixelsnap charger it still sits on my desk. Full Qi2 compatibility is a benefit that more people should appreciate.

Google may no longer dominate the camera competition with its phones, but the Pixel 10 Pro Fold still holds its own. I might prefer the images I get from the Razr Fold, and I believe it’s a better point-and-shoot device for those who don’t want to do a lot of editing. However, Google’s Night Vision is huge, and when the lighting is questionable, I know the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will deliver.

It is worth noting that Pixel 11 Pro Fold has appeared it’s probably around the corner. So, this year’s model has some pretty attractive deals. I’ve seen Amazon Prime Day prices drop to around $1,500, and you can pick one up for over $1,000 on Amazon Renewed right now, making it an attractive package. I’m sure Razr Fold prices will come down within the year, but there will be a price difference between the two.

All things considered, I’d rather have the Motorola Razr Fold in my pocket. It’s a really well made phone and checks most of the boxes I want in a foldable.

It’s not an easy decision between the two, but Motorola is leading the way.