Samsung’s latest foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, is here—and it’s slimmer, smarter, and more powerful than ever. As the seventh iteration in its pioneering Fold lineup, the Z Fold 7 marks a major leap forward in design and usability, packing next-gen hardware and polished Galaxy AI features into a sleeker, more pocketable frame. With a larger, crease-reduced display, improved cameras, and the return of ultra-premium performance, Samsung is doubling down on its foldable ambitions. But with a sky-high price tag and a few compromises in battery and zoom, is it worth the upgrade? Let’s dive in.
What’s Great
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 makes its mark as Samsung’s most refined foldable yet—and that’s saying something. The first thing you’ll notice is the drastically slimmer and lighter design: at just 8.9mm thick when folded and weighing 215g, it’s nearly the same size and weight as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This dramatically improves one-handed use and pocketability, making it feel much more like a normal phone in daily life, despite packing in a massive inner display.
That 8-inch AMOLED main screen is now flatter and subtly brighter, offering more immersive visuals with reduced crease visibility thanks to Samsung’s newly engineered Armor FlexHinge. Whether you’re multitasking with up to three apps, sketching with an S Pen, or binge-watching on the go, the Z Fold 7 feels like a small tablet that folds neatly into your pocket.
The addition of the 200MP main camera—borrowed from the S25 Ultra—brings a noticeable boost in image sharpness, dynamic range, and low-light performance. Plus, Samsung wisely ditched the under-display selfie cam for a 10MP punch-hole camera, giving you better video call quality without sacrificing too much screen real estate.
Performance-wise, the Z Fold 7 runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip, with 12GB RAM and up to 1TB storage, making it one of the fastest foldables on the market. And thanks to Galaxy AI integration, features like Live Translate, Note Assist, and Circle to Search now run smoother and feel more intuitive on the expansive display.
Lastly, the software is finally catching up to the hardware. Samsung’s One UI 7.0 includes thoughtful foldable-specific enhancements, like improved app continuity and a more versatile taskbar, making it easier to switch between phone and tablet modes without skipping a beat.
The Compromises
- Battery remains average: The 4,400 mAh cell is unchanged and delivers mediocre endurance (~11 hours screen-on), falling short of ultra-flagships and rival Chinese foldables
- Expensive and stylus-free: At around $2,000, it’s Samsung’s priciest foldable yet. Scholars and note-takers may be disappointed—Samsung removed the S Pen digitizer to slim down the device
- Mid-tier zoom & slower charging: Only reaching 3× optical zoom and 25 W wired speeds—not keeping pace with foldables that offer 5× zoom or 80 W charging
What the Internet Is Saying
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is generating strong buzz online—though not without its share of concerns. On Reddit’s r/Android, users praise the device for its “incredibly thin, lightweight design” and stellar camera performance, noting its larger, better aspect-ratio screens and smooth multitasking with Galaxy AI at the helm androidcentral.com+6reddit.com+6indianexpress.com+6. However, the most-discussed gripe surrounds early store demo units exhibiting hinge inconsistencies—some don’t fully open and leave a gap near 178–179°—prompting speculation about a potential hardware fault androidcentral.com+2androidcentral.com+2tomsguide.com+2. A former Samsung engineer told Tom’s Guide that these issues likely stem from demo wear and tear rather than a design defect—explaining that retail units endure heavy handling, and reiterating that Samsung’s Armor FlexHinge is specifically engineered for durability tomsguide.com+1androidcentral.com+1. Tech communities also debate whether the Fold 7 has edged out the Honor Magic V5 as the world’s thinnest foldable, with measurements suggesting it wins by a hair—though some dismiss it as marketing semantics indianexpress.com+13tomsguide.com+13androidcentral.com+13. Overall, online reactions are upbeat: it’s seen as a refined, mainstream-ready foldable—just one worth monitoring once real-world users get their hands on it.
Final Verdict
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 represents Samsung’s most refined foldable yet—a sleek, powerful device that bridges the gap between phone and tablet like never before. It’s the go-to pick for fans who want flagship-level foldable performance and AI features—if you’re cool with the price, average battery, and no S Pen. For first-time foldable buyers or those upgrading from older models, it’s a massive leap. But if you’re after maximum battery life, zoom capability, or stylus support, you may want to explore other options.
