Galaxy Z Fold 7 evaluation: Approaching greatness

Once I first held the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Samsung Unpacked, I used to be immediately captivated. I’ve all the time discovered foldable phones fascinating, however I’ve by no means been genuinely impressed sufficient by one to make it my each day driver. After three weeks of utilizing the Fold 7, Samsung’s latest book-style foldable, I’ve by no means been extra offered on switching to a foldable cellphone completely.

In comparison with the Fold 6, which was an incremental improve from the Fold 5, the Fold 7 represents probably the most vital leap ahead Samsung has made but with its Fold collection. It is thinner, lighter, and extra highly effective than any earlier Z Fold mannequin.

However total, what makes the Fold 7 so compelling — and why I am struggling to place it down — is that it genuinely feels such as you’re utilizing a regular phone while you maintain it, one thing I’ve not skilled with some other foldable cellphone earlier than. When you’ve all the time wished to strive a foldable cellphone, the Fold 7 is as compelling because it will get.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 value, specs, and availability

The principle distinction between the Fold 7 and the Fold 6 is their dimension. The Fold 7 measures 2.87 x 6.24 x 0.35-inches (158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9mm) when folded, and 5.63 x 6.24 x 0.17-inches (158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2mm) when unfolded, weighing 7.58oz (215g). Compared, final 12 months’s Fold 6 is bulkier, measuring 5.6mm when unfolded (versus the Fold 7’s 4.2mm) and 12.1mm when folded (versus 8.9mm), and it weighs 8.43oz (239g). So the distinction in dimension between the Fold 7 and Fold 6 may be very noticeable. Once I held each units at Unpacked, the distinction was night time and day.

Transferring on to the shows, the Fold 7 options bigger screens this 12 months. Its Cowl Show is a 6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X with a decision of 2520 x 1080 pixels, up from the Fold 6’s 6.3-inch Cowl Show. The principle interior show measures 8-inches and has a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display screen with a decision of 2184 x 1968 pixels, up from the Fold 6’s 7.6-inch principal show. Each the Cowl Show and principal show have adaptive refresh charges of 1-120Hz.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the identical chipset present in your entire Galaxy S25 lineup. The cellphone is available in three storage variants: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The 256GB and 512GB fashions include 12GB of RAM, whereas the 1TB variant is supplied with 16GB of RAM.

Trying in the back of the Fold 7, the digicam array is analogous however nonetheless improved from the Fold 6. It contains a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide lens, a 200-megapixel f/1.8 large lens, and a 10-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The important thing improve is the 200-megapixel large lens, a notable improve from the Fold 6’s 50-megapixel large lens. The Cowl Show contains a 10-megapixel selfie digicam, and the primary show additionally has a 10-megapixel selfie digicam.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is accessible now and begins at $2,000 for the 256GB mannequin. This can be a $100 improve from the Fold 6, which launched at $1,900 for a similar quantity of storage. The 512GB Fold 7 prices $2,120, whereas the 1TB model is priced at $2,270. The cellphone is accessible in three colorways: jet black, blue shadow, and silver shadow. A fourth shade, mint, is accessible completely on Samsung’s internet retailer.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 construct and design

It is skinny, however powerful

The Fold 7 will get many issues proper, and I can not underscore sufficient simply how wonderful its skinny design is. It feels nice to carry in your hand, slip into your pocket, and unfold to disclose its massive display screen. Weeks into utilizing the cellphone, I am nonetheless mesmerized by its dimension day by day. When unfolded, it measures 4.2mm thick, which is about as skinny as it may get, because the thickness is the same as that of the USB-C port itself.

Regardless of its slim design, I discovered the Fold 7 to be fairly sturdy and light-weight, and I by no means as soon as felt that the gadget was flimsy or liable to bending throughout use. Since bendgate with the iPhone 6, there was a notion that skinny telephones aren’t powerful, however Samsung has now dismissed that concept with each the Galaxy S25 Edge and the Fold 7.

Trying on the total design of the Fold 7, it bears a resemblance to the Fold 6, with its boxier look. That is evident when it is aspect by aspect with the Galaxy S25+. The corners of the cellphone are rounded the place you open it to unfold, however in direction of the hinge, they’re nearly at a 90-degree angle. I had no points holding the cellphone for an prolonged interval, both folded or unfolded, and located it fairly comfy. On the burden scale, it weighs 215g, barely lighter than Samsung’s S25 Extremely flagship at 218 grams — a outstanding feat.

Samsung states that the cellphone is “wrapped in superior armored aluminum,” which is 10 p.c stronger than the Fold 6. Moreover, it options Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the Cowl Show and Victus 2 on the rear, which has made me much less apprehensive about by chance dropping it.

Opening and shutting the cellphone stays simply as clean on the Fold 7 because it was on the Fold 6. Samsung has enhanced its hinge, referred to as the Armor FlexHinge, making it thinner and extra sturdy to deal with repeated opening and shutting. I by no means received uninterested in unfolding the Fold 7, and any time I confirmed it off to somebody, they had been mystified by it. Turning to the cellphone’s colours, I had an opportunity to see all of them at Unpacked, and whereas all of them appeared nice, the blue shadow colorway I used to be fortunate sufficient to check stole the present for me. I feel it is my favourite shade of blue I’ve ever seen on a smartphone.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 could also be slim, nevertheless it’s sturdy and has a really premium appear and feel, which you’d count on from a $2,000 smartphone. My largest gripe concerning the design is that while you place it on a desk, it primarily turns into a teeter-totter because of the cellphone’s protruding digicam bump.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 shows

The Cowl Show is extra usable this 12 months

Trying on the shows, Samsung has made them wider this 12 months, and I discovered myself utilizing the Cowl Show extra typically than I anticipated. Its 6.5-inch entrance display screen resembles a typical smartphone show, and whereas it might not be as large because the 6.7-inch show on my Galaxy S25+, it is nonetheless fairly spectacular and helps promote the phantasm that you just’re not utilizing a foldable gadget when it is folded. For reference, the Fold 6 contains a 6.3-inch cowl display screen, so the Fold 7 represents a noticeable improve in dimension.

The 8-inch principal show is the place the Fold 7 actually excels, and I loved having the ability to unfold the gadget at any time when I wished a tablet-like display screen. I primarily use it for watching movies, enjoying video games, and doomscrolling social media. I discovered multitasking on the foldable display screen to be comparatively clean, and Samsung’s Multi Window characteristic is simple to be taught for displaying a number of apps concurrently.

The crease line on the Fold 7 is much less noticeable than on the Fold 6, and I solely observed it from odd angles and below vivid lighting circumstances, not when trying straight at it. For probably the most half, whereas utilizing the cellphone, I forgot the crease was even there. You possibly can nonetheless really feel it while you contact the middle of the display screen, however I did not discover it distracting.

The most important flaw of the Fold 7’s show is that it now not helps the S Pen. So when you’re used to utilizing Samsung’s stylus on different Galaxy units and hoped to do the identical with the Fold 7, you will not have the ability to. At Unpacked, Samsung defined that to make the cellphone as skinny as it’s, they needed to take away the “digitizer layer” that makes it suitable with the S Pen. Admittedly, I do not use Samsung’s S Pen. Nonetheless, I perceive the frustration of some customers who’ve used it on earlier generations of Samsung’s foldable units and may now not achieve this.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 cameras

The 200-megapixel large lens is the star of the present

The Fold 7 retains the identical rear triple digicam setup because the Fold 6, however with one key improve. The first large digicam now contains a 200-megapixel lens, an identical to the one on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. I discovered myself utilizing the 200-megapixel shooter most frequently for large panorama pictures, and I used to be impressed by the quantity of element it captured. Final 12 months, the Fold 6’s large lens was 50-megapixels, so this can be a vital bounce, and what you’d count on from a $2,000 cellphone.

The opposite two rear cameras are a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and a 10-megapixel telephoto, the identical as on the Fold 6, so there’s little change there. Moreover, Samsung has eliminated the black digicam rings from the Fold 7, which had been current on the Fold 6. I like this variation, and I feel it makes the cameras look cleaner.

Trying on the selfie cameras, the Cowl Show options the identical 10-megapixel lens as final 12 months. What’s completely different is the selfie digicam on the interior show, which has been upgraded to a 10-megapixel lens with a digicam cutout. That is an enchancment over the Fold 6’s lackluster 4-megapixel under-display digicam it has on its principal show.

General, I am happy with the images I took on the Fold 7. I went round my backyard and the seashore and took some pictures, and all of them appeared very vibrant. I like the colours in my images to pop, so the Z Fold 7 did not disappoint me. My solely grievance is that it could’ve been good if Samsung upgraded the ultra-wide lens to a 50-megapixel, just like the S25 Extremely has, relatively than the 12-megapixel one we received.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 efficiency

The Snapdragon 8 Elite proves its price once more

I used to be impressed by the Fold 7’s efficiency, which wasn’t a shock on condition that it makes use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. I by no means skilled any lag whereas utilizing the gadget, whether or not gaming or multitasking, and I used to be by no means apprehensive about pushing it too laborious. General, the expertise has been very clean. If numbers are your factor, after I examined the Fold 7’s CPU with Geekbench 6, it scored 2,650 for single-core and eight,633 for multi-core efficiency.

Trying on the battery, the Fold 7 options the identical 4,400mAh battery because the Fold 6. I am glad Samsung did not decrease the battery capability because of the slimmer design. Nonetheless, it could’ve been good to see an even bigger cell. In comparison with different foldables in the marketplace, similar to these from Oppo and Huawei, Samsung nonetheless has some catching as much as do. I received all-day battery life out of it simply positive, however its charging velocity is noticeably slower than that of different smartphones, with solely 25W wired charging and 15W wi-fi charging. To place it into perspective, the S25 Extremely helps as much as 45W of wired charging, however has the identical 15W of wi-fi charging.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 software program

One UI 8 is a clean expertise with plenty of AI

Out of the field, the Fold 7 ships with One UI 8 primarily based on Android 16. In comparison with One UI 7, which was Samsung’s main consumer interface replace for the Galaxy S25 collection, there aren’t many vital adjustments right here. That stated, one of many small new options added with One UI 8 is dynamic wallpapers, the place the colour of your wallpaper adjustments over time, which I assumed was fairly neat. On the Android 16 aspect of issues, one of many new options is the 90:10 split-screen operate for multitasking, which is sort of helpful, particularly with the Fold 7’s massive 8-inch principal show.

After all, it is 2025, so the Fold 7 options plenty of AI capabilities as Samsung continues its AI push with Galaxy AI and Google Gemini. All of the Galaxy AI options you’d count on are right here, similar to Now Temporary, Interpret, Drawing Help, AI choose, and extra. My favourite Galaxy AI characteristic is the Magic Eraser, which lets you edit out small particulars in images.

Google Gemini has a good bigger presence on the Fold 7, because of Gemini Live. You possibly can long-press the house button to share your display screen with Gemini and ask it questions on what you are seeing, and you may swap between completely different apps whereas doing so. I examined this whereas researching a future journey to Scotland, and it was actually fairly informative, serving to to summarize very detailed internet pages and reply questions on native locations to go to. I am not the largest consumer of AI, however I can respect its implementation right here, and it is unimaginable how far forward Samsung and Google are of Apple.

Do you have to purchase the Galaxy Z Fold 7?

My principal critique of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is its value. The cellphone begins at $2,000 for the 256GB mannequin, making it some of the costly telephones presently obtainable within the US. Once I advised my pal this, he summed it up completely by evaluating the associated fee to purchasing an iPhone 16 Professional and an iPad, and I could not argue with that logic.

Nonetheless, if you would like a foldable cellphone proper now, the Fold 7 is the only option due to its improved versatility, so long as you are comfy with its $2,000 price ticket. For my part, it is the primary foldable that actually is smart as a substitute on your common smartphone, and I feel that is clear from the response it has obtained since its unveiling. That stated, when you personal a Fold 4 or Fold 5 and are contemplating an improve, the Fold 7 is a strong possibility. However when you’ve got a Fold 6, it is higher to attend.

General, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a robust, slim, light-weight, and sturdy gadget. In order for you a foldable cellphone and do not wish to wait any longer for Apple to launch its personal foldable iPhone, you will not be disillusioned with the Fold 7. It is not flawless, nevertheless it’s as refined as foldables have ever been.

This gadget was offered to Pocket-lint by Samsung.

Model

Samsung

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Elite

Show

6.5-inch 120Hz 2520 x 1080 Dynamic AMOLED 2X Cowl Show, 8-inch 120Hz 2184 x 1968 Dynamic OLED 2X Fundamental Show

RAM

12GB