Holding the Galaxy Z Fold 7, I’ve to remind myself this isn’t simply any extraordinary cellphone. The wildly skinny design and wider cowl display screen makes this era of Samsung’s foldable really feel extremely regular, a minimum of when it is closed. When it is unfolded, it is a complete completely different story.
I acquired to take a look at the Z Fold 7 at Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York final week, together with the Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE. I’ve used many foldable telephones, however the really feel of the Z Fold 7 struck me as being the way forward for this class.
Watch this: Extremely Skinny: First Take a look at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7
At 8.9mm thick when folded and weighing 215 grams, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 does not really feel a lot completely different than a regular slate cellphone. The 6.5-inch cowl show makes it one thing I can see myself willingly utilizing to scroll by means of social media, textual content and watch movies.
However when opened, Samsung’s book-style foldable is something however extraordinary. At simply 4.2mm thick, it boasts a wildly slim profile that steals the highlight from even the 5.8mm-thick Galaxy S25 Edge. The 8-inch inside show is 11% bigger than the one on final yr’s Z Fold 6, which ought to assist with multitasking. And a Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 cowl and Victus 2 again make it really feel good and durable.
The Z Fold 7 feels precisely like what foldable telephones have strived to be all alongside: skinny, light-weight and spacious — and likewise as “regular” as doable, a minimum of the place it issues. It additionally options a formidable 200-megapixel essential digicam, identical to the not-so-thin S25 Ultra.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 weighs 215 grams, and has a extra spacious show.
In an exclusive interview, Drew Blackard, Samsung’s senior vp of cellular product administration, instructed CNET that by slimming down the Fold and leveling up the cameras, the book-style cellphone “is now a mainstream type issue.” After holding the cellphone, I can perceive what he means. The Z Fold 7 does away with the thicker construct and scaled-back cameras that beforehand characterised foldables, and introduces one thing that feels equal components glossy and acquainted.
Samsung is not at all the primary firm to launch a skinny foldable; Oppo’s Find N5, Huawei’s Mate X6 and Honor’s Magic V3 additionally boast impressively slim designs, to call a couple of. However with the discharge of each the Galaxy S25 Edge and now the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung is doubling down on the skinny phone craze.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 boasts the identical 200-megapixel large digicam because the S25 Extremely.
An Extremely expertise on an ultra-thin cellphone
By bringing its 200-megapixel large digicam to the Z Fold 7 and S25 Edge, Samsung is proving you do not have to compromise digicam high quality for a slimmer construct. It is a notable instance of a foldable breaking away from the {hardware} limitations which have historically scaled again the cameras. It will be attention-grabbing to see how opponents try to match or outdo that feat.
The Z Fold 7 additionally has a 12-megapixel ultrawide and 10-megapixel telephoto digicam, in addition to 10-megapixel selfie cameras on the inside and canopy screens. I look ahead to testing the cellphone’s cameras out in the actual world.
Just like the S25 collection, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 packs a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. It comes out of the field with One UI 8 and Android 16.
What I am maybe most relieved about is that the Z Fold 7’s battery maintains final yr’s 4,400-mAh capability, regardless of the brand new cellphone’s slimmer construct. The biggest downside of the S25 Edge is its 3,900-mAh battery, giving it the bottom capability throughout the S25 collection.
I used to be totally ready for the Z Fold 7 to take the same hit, however its expanded actual property helped reserve it from that pitfall. Battery life is without doubt one of the biggest considerations when folks purchase a brand new cellphone, in accordance with a CNET survey, so it is good Samsung did not scale that again. We’ll see the way it truly holds up in my day-to-day use and if it is a match for my countless TikTok scrolling and photograph taking.
Not-so-slim worth
The Galaxy Z Fold 7’s cutting-edge specs do not come low-cost. The cellphone begins at $2,000, which is $100 greater than final yr’s Z Fold 6.
You are definitely paying a premium for each that slimmer construct (the S25 Edge begins at $1,100) and the Extremely-grade digicam (the S25 Extremely begins at $1,300).
The Z Fold 7 is obtainable in jet black, blue shadow and silver shadow, in addition to an unique mint shade while you order on Samsung.com. Preorders are open now, and the telephones arrive July 25.
