The Galaxy Z Fold 7 surpassed my expectations, standing out as one of the best book-style foldables I’ve used, despite its telephoto camera.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an excellent upgrade over its predecessor, thanks to its slim and light design, a strong hinge and a wider coverscreen.
It’s very expensive at $2,000 for the starting configuration.
But you’ll dig the improved hardware, especially if you’re familiar with foldable phones from the global market.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung’s biggest design overhaul since the Z Fold 2 in 2020, and it’s back with a bang. Over the last three years, the Korean tech giant made slight refinements to each generation, resulting in a stale design. But the new Galaxy Z Fold 7 finally catches up to its Chinese rivals, even beating them in multiple ways.
CNET survey: 64% of people say ‘no thanks’ to foldable smartphones
I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 for the past week and am happy to report that Samsung has made some damn near-perfect hardware. You get an easy-to-hold form factor, virtually no crease, a cover screen that’s close to a regular phone in itself, a solid hinge, and the same main camera as the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
These upgrades come with a cost, though. The Fold 7 will set you back at two grand, but if you have that money, this is the phone I recommend most. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
The latest foldable phone features larger and brighter displays, a thinner build, and multitasking features powered by OneUI 8.An (almost) perfect physical form
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures just 4.2mm thin when unfolded and 8.9mm folded. For context, that’s a few millimeters more than the 8.25mm iPhone 16 Pro Max and 8.5mm Pixel 9 Pro. Samsung’s own Galaxy S25 Ultra measures 8.2mm, while the foldable Oppo Find N5 is 8.93mm thick.
All in all, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is just 0.1mm thicker than the thinnest book-style foldable, the Honor Magic V5. Paired with a body that’s lighter than all of them at 215 grams, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 the lightest book-style foldable on the market right now.
This thin and light design makes it the most comfortable to hold Galaxy Z Fold phone yet — if you hold it in the right hand. If you’re left-handed, the hinge corners might dig into your palm, which was also an issue on the predecessor. That said, I’m a right-hander, and I find it more comfortable to use than the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is also more durable than before. It features a stronger Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 2 on the cover screen, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, and a Titanium plate layer instead of a carbon fiber sheet under the screen for added display durability. Plus, you get dust and water resistance with an IP48 rating.
Samsung improved the cover screen, too. It’s no longer fixated on the narrow form factor, enabling the 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio so apps interact better and play along well with the whole slab phone-like feel. It’s bright enough to see outdoors and has the same 120Hz dynamic refresh rate and HDR10+ support as the inner display. Texting, scrolling through social media, and browsing the web on a Samsung cover screen feels refreshing. Full-screen trade-offs, but the crease is gone
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a wider folding screen than its predecessor. I’ve loved my experience on this sharp and vivid panel, but it isn’t as immersive as before.
Samsung stuck to an under-display camera (UDC) for years, which made the reading, browsing and gaming experience better than any other foldable.
