Rumors are growing that the Google Pixel Fold will debut at Google I/O 2023. However, with specs and leaked hands-on videos giving us a glimpse of what to expect from this phone, it appears that Google's first foldable may be at a disadvantage. Certainly compared to Samsung, the current king of the best folding phones.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 will also be available later this year. Aside from having the advantage of several years of experience with foldable phones, spec comparisons point out that the Pixel Fold has some significant drawbacks.

One of the main problems with the Google Pixel Fold, according to recent rumors, is that it will be a fairly heavy device; a recent spec leak by Jon Prosser puts the Pixel Fold's weight at 10 oz, which is 8.95 of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 ounces heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold 5's rumored 8.95 ounces. It is also heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold 4's 9.28 ounces.

The phone is also smaller, with Prosser claiming that the Pixel Fold will measure 5.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 inches when folded, significantly smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Last year's foldable measured 6.1 x 5.1 x 0.21 inches when unfolded and 0.62 inches thick when closed. However, if Prosser is correct, that means the Pixel Fold could be thinner than the Z Fold 4.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5's dimensions are not rumored, but are expected to be similar to the Z Fold 4. However, it may be slightly thinner when folded, possibly due to the possibility of a new "water-drop hinge." Whether that will match the Pixel Fold's rumored 0.5-inch thickness is not clear at this time.

Another major drawback is that the Pixel Fold may be mounted on a display; the cover display would be 5.8 inches, compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5's rumored 6.2 inches. The internal display is said to be 7.6 inches, the same as the one that is said to be on the Z Fold 5, but the Pixel Fold is likely to feature very thick bezels.

The bezels have been confirmed in leaked renderings and a purported hands-on video. Doing a bit of simple math, assuming the rumored dimensions are correct, the unfolding Pixel Fold should have a diagonal dimension of 8.38 inches, which for a 7.6-inch display would mean over a half-inch of extra space.

Some of that space would be used to hide the internal selfie cam, but the rest would just sit there. For comparison, the Z Fold 4 is roughly 7.9 inches in the same orientation, leaving just 0.3 inches of unused space around the display.

The Pixel Fold is expected to debut at Google I/O on May 10. Other expected specs include 120Hz refresh rates on both displays, 256GB and 512GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, Tensor G2 chipset, fingerprint sensor inside the camera button, 24 hours on a single charge (with extreme battery saver mode on (72 hours with extreme battery saver mode turned on) on a single charge.

The rear camera reportedly consists of a 48MP main lens (f/1.7), a 10.8MP ultra-wide angle lens (f/2.2), and a 10.8MP telephoto lens (f/3.05) with a 5x optical zoom and up to 20z super res zoom. The outer display will reportedly feature a 99.5MP (f/2.2) selfie camera in a hole-punch design, while the inner display will reportedly feature an 8MP (f/2.0) selfie camera hidden in the bezel.

More information on the Pixel Fold will follow as it becomes available.