
Galaxy Z Fold 7 hands-on: Samsung finally made the foldables we've been asking for
We knew the Fold 7 would be thinner. Rumors told us. Samsung told us. But like with the Galaxy S25 Edge, seeing is believing. Or, holding the phone in your hand is, at least. Compared to the Fold 6, it's night and day. The Fold 7 is vastly thinner and lighter, and the Fold 6 looks like a big ol' chunk next to it. It honestly feels like a different phone.
At 8.9mm thick when folded, it's up there with the likes of the Oppo Find N5 as far as thinness goes. Oppo's device is so slim that my colleague Dominic Preston dubbed it the 'final evolution of foldables.' Open, the Z Fold 7 is just a hair thicker than the USB-C port on the bottom of the device. But there was one notable casualty in the quest to make it thinner: S Pen support. Samsung claims that omitting the screen layer that makes stylus support possible helped slim the phone down to its current proportions. I'll take a slimmer foldable over a stylus-compatible foldable, but let's observe a moment of silence for the S Pen Fold Edition.
The Fold's new, wider format is a welcome change. The cover panel now measures 6.5 inches with a 2520 x 1080p resolution compared to the Fold 6's 6.3-inch, 968 x 2376p screen. It finally feels like a normal phone when it's closed. The inner screen is now 8 inches, and Samsung finally gave up trying to hide the inner selfie camera under the display and just put a 10-megapixel sensor behind a little hole-punch cutout. Good riddance. The water and dust resistance remains the same, with an IP48 rating like the last two models.
Now, the bad news: two thousand US dollars. Or $1,999, to be precise — that's what the Z Fold 7 costs. With the price of everything going up, the tariffs situation, and the R&D costs that went into this newer, thinner Fold, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. At $1,899, the Fold 6 wasn't exactly cheap. But something about the words two thousand dollar smartphone just feels wrong, you know?
But back to the good news: the Flip is getting a proper edge-to-edge cover screen for the first time. It's the direction Motorola went when it relaunched the Razr a few years ago, and I think it's the right one. Samsung uses the extra screen real estate next to the camera cutouts for the time and date as you swipe through widget panels, or for navigation buttons in apps, which is cute. Sure, it's a little awkward working around them, but I'd rather deal with this and reap the benefits of a bigger screen than be hemmed in by the file folder shape.
The Z Flip 7 is slimmer than its predecessor, too, but only by about a millimeter when the phone is closed. It felt like the same phone to me. There are some meaningful upgrades, starting with a larger 4,300mAh battery. The Flip 7 also supports DeX and allows you to use Gemini Assistant on the cover screen — both features that were curiously missing from earlier versions. But better late than never. It has the same water and dust resistance (IP48) as last year.
The file folder screen lives on in a new member of the Flip lineup: the Z Flip 7 FE. It's a lower-cost alternative to the $1,099 Z Flip 7 at… $899, which, sure, is less money. But it doesn't feel cheap, and with a $699 alternative from Motorola, the FE feels a little forgettable.
Here's what I'm not forgetting anytime soon: picking up the Z Fold 7 for the first time. It was the same realization I had with the second-gen Pixel Fold: the 'oh, this is how this phone is supposed to feel' moment. I just wish that 'aha' moment came with a slightly lower price tag.
Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
My Favorite Smartwatch Isn't the Latest Model, but It Does Everything I Need
My phone pings constantly from where it's plugged in across the room. But I've got my Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 on my wrist, so I can check to see who's pinging me, which app the notifications are from and whether it's important enough to merit my standing up and walking the dozen or so steps to unplug my phone and look, or just respond on my smartwatch (or swipe the notification away). Smartwatches are becoming an essential tech item, but most people don't need the latest and greatest version to get what they need. One of the best ways to get some solid technology without spending a ton of money is to choose a previous version of a current device. (This is also a good way to pick up a thoughtful tech gift without spending too much on it.) So if you're searching for a cool gift for someone (or yourself), might I suggest my favorite smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4? Why I love the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Sure, it's not the latest model of the Samsung Watch. That would be the Galaxy Watch 7 or Galaxy Watch Ultra. But it still has all the main features, including ECG, blood pressure monitoring, sleep monitoring, Google integration for most things and Samsung Health. I'm not a fitness fanatic, so I don't need all the latest tracking features or even the improved battery life and bigger screen size of the Watch 7, which has a list price of $300, but is going for as low as $200 right now if you want the upgrade. The Galaxy Watch 4 has the fitness tracking I need without being overly complex. (Though it has advanced workout tracking for six modes including running, rowing and swimming, if you like those auto-detected tracking features.) For everyday use, I can check my notifications and respond, take hands-free calls, track sleep and skip between songs when listening in Spotify. Oh, and check the time. If you're looking for a wearable, it's the one I'd recommend checking out before looking into the latest version of the Galaxy Watch series. One caveat: Some people have complained lately that their battery is depleting quickly. Samsung has advice on how to run a diagnostic on your watch and fix the issue. Why the Galaxy Watch 4 makes a good purchase The Galaxy Watch 4 probably isn't right for a hard-core tech enthusiast or for anyone locked into the Apple ecosystem. However, it's perfect for anyone who wants a smartwatch and doesn't care about getting all the bells and whistles, or for someone who doesn't know what they want in a smartwatch. For more, here are our other favorite smartwatches and our roundup of the best deals on the Samsung Galaxy S25.


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Trump to unveil new MAHA initiatives at 'Make Health Tech Great Again' White House event
The White House is poised to unveil new details on Wednesday surrounding the Trump administration's efforts to advance healthcare technology and partnerships with private-sector technology companies. The "Make Health Tech Great Again" event is expected to provide more details on how the administration is advancing a "next-generation digital health ecosystem," after securing partnerships with companies including Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and OpenAI to better share information between patient and providers within Medicare and Medicaid services. "For decades, bureaucrats and entrenched interests buried health data and blocked patients from taking control of their health," Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement Wednesday ahead of the event. "That ends today. We're tearing down digital walls, returning power to patients, and rebuilding a health system that serves the people. This is how we begin to Make America Healthy Again." The Trump administration is partnering with more than 60 companies to bolster how health information is shared electronically, including through the use of apps, and beef up the interoperability of health information networks, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The apps aim to address issues including diabetes and obesity management, and provide beneficiaries with AI assistants to walk through symptoms, provide care options, and assist with scheduling appointments. Other functions that the technology aims to solve are providing digital check-ins to streamline services and cut down on paper intake forms. The White House event is a follow-up to the request for information notice that the CMS posted in May requesting information from stakeholders on ways to beef up health technology interoperability. Other technological advances on the health front include plans for CMS to launch an app library on to best direct beneficiaries to the right digital health tools, according to CMS. "We have the tools and information available now to empower patients to improve their outcomes and their healthcare experience," CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a statement Wednesday. "For too long, patients in this country have been burdened with a healthcare system that has not kept pace with the disruptive innovations that have transformed nearly every other sector of our economy," Oz said. "With the commitments made by these entrepreneurial companies today, we stand ready for a paradigm shift in the U.S. healthcare system for the benefit of patients and providers."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Supplier expects to benefit from $16.5B Tesla, Samsung AI chip deal
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Tesla's $16.5 billion AI chip deal with Samsung, announced by CEO Elon Musk on his social media platform X, is set to provide a major boost to U.S. semiconductor manufacturing as well as benefit an emerging field of domestic suppliers including Graphjet Technology, the company announced Monday. Graphjet, a producer of graphene and graphite, said Tesla's announcement was timely with its plan to build a production plant in Nevada. 'As a producer of graphite and graphene, Graphjet stands to benefit from the expansion of the AI chip production as graphite and graphene plays a crucial role in semiconductor manufacturing, particularly in processes requiring high temperature and precise control,' CEO Chris Lai said in a statement. Dive Insight: Graphjet's planned facility in Nevada will convert 30,000 metric tons of agricultural waste into 10,000 metric tons of graphite annually, enough material to power more than 100,000 electric vehicles. The company patented technology to recycle palm kernel shells generated during the production of palm oil to produce single layer graphene and artificial graphite, according to its press release. Tesla's eight-year agreement with Samsung ensures a pipeline of next-generation A16 chips, which will be produced at the technology firm's new fabrication plant in Taylor, Texas. The new chips have assorted applications including use in autonomous vehicles, humanoid robots and AI data centers, according to Graphjet. Despite slowing demand for electric vehicles, the need for high-tech components including semiconductors, batteries and critical minerals, continue to rise. Many massive manufacturing building projects are already underway to develop a domestic supply chain. In December, the Department of Commerce finalized Samsung's $4.75 billion award funded through the CHIPS and Science Act to boost domestic manufacturing. It followed the previously signed preliminary memorandum of terms announced on April 15, 2024. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced plans in March announced to invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S. on top of the $65 billion it already was spending on three chip plants it was constructing in Arizona. Nvidia in April said it would invest $500 billion to manufacture AI chips in Arizona and Texas. These domestic semiconductor projects will mean potential business for Graphjet. Lai said his company has already started generating revenue and has experienced increasing interest in its products. 'The growth in the semiconductor industry will accelerate the growth of our company,' Lai said. Graphjet was founded in 2019 in Malaysia. The company aims to begin production in Nevada by 2026. Recommended Reading Tesla reports 42% YoY drop in operating income