This is it: the foldable that changes the game in 2025
After having held the phone ourselves, the Fold 7 felt like the most refined version of Samsung's vision yet. At just 8.9mm when folded, it matches the best efforts from Oppo and beats Vivo and Honor in sheer compactness. It goes further, though: at 215 grams, it's also the lightest book-style foldable to date, a title confirmed by independent tests, despite Samsung's modest marketing claims.While numbers on a spec sheet can sound boring, these tiny reductions in size and weight have a significant impact on everyday usability. Previously, Samsung foldables felt bulky, it was almost like you were carrying two phones stacked together, but not anymore with the Fold 7 .Of course, Samsung didn't achieve this by accident. The Fold 7 is built on a newly redesigned hinge that Samsung has characteristically dubbed the 'Armor FlexHinge.' It's smoother and reportedly stronger, backed by the use of tougher materials like Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 and an upgraded titanium support layer beneath the main display. It's both thinner and more durable, a difficult balance that most other foldables haven't quite nailed.
With a wider 6.5-inch screen, the Fold 7 sheds one of the series' most annoying quirks.. | Image credit — PhoneArena One of the Fold series' rarely discussed weaknesses has always been its awkward cover screen. The tall and narrow aspect ratio made it feel more like a remote control than a proper smartphone. Typing was cramped, and basic navigation felt off.
That's no longer the case with the Fold 7 . The phone comes with a new 6.5-inch cover screen which now has a 21:9 aspect ratio. That is much closer to a regular phone (those typically have a 20:9 aspect ratio), and it makes helps for more comfortable and natural use. This might be a minor tweak, but it results in a totally different feel: as if you are using a regular phone.
Sharper, more detailed, and finally on par with Samsung's best — this is the foldable camera upgrade we've waited for. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Samsung also did something bold with the Fold 7 's camera system that might be one of the reasons for its higher price tag. The new foldable finally gets the same 200 MP sensor found on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, complete with 2X lossless zoom. This is a clear statement that the Fold is no longer a niche product, but a full-fledged flagship.In contrast, previous Fold models had merely good, but not great camera systems. In our early impressions, the Fold 7 's photos are sharper, more detailed, and more versatile than anything we've seen from a Samsung foldable.Samsung's Chinese rivals have made great strides in camera tech, especially Vivo and Huawei. But with this 200MP jump, Samsung is saying loud and clear that it's playing at the top of its game — even on a foldable.Yes, there's no S Pen support — a compromise that Samsung made to achieve this new design, and one that I think was a step in the right direction. Another worrying matter is that the battery capacity hasn't increased, which could become an issue for power users — Samsung might have incorporated better battery efficiency, but it probably won't be enough to compensate. But at the end of the day, there are more positives than negatives compared to previous generations.
AI is also a major part of the Fold 7 story. From smart photography tools like Generative Edit and the new ProVisual Engine to built-in Gemini Live with multimodal integration, the Fold 7 feels like a futuristic, capable machine. In our hands-on, the AI features were fast, helpful, and actually fun to use. And what's maybe even more important is that Samsung is still the only company offering this kind of foldable with robust global support, reliable software updates, and strong trade-in deals. Chinese brands like Honor and Oppo make great foldables — but most aren't available in the U.S. And even in Europe, they often come with slower updates or questionable longevity.What makes the Galaxy Z Fold 7 so impressive isn't just that it's better than the Fold 6. It's that Samsung finally made the right calls. It dropped what wasn't working out in an effort to make the best foldable on the market, and by the looks of it — it did. Secure your connection now at a bargain price!
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Kuo: Galaxy Z Fold8 to introduce crease-free display before Apple Comments
I Great, crease is out. Only took 8 generations. Maybe by the the 16th iteration, the screen won't face catastrophic damagefrom a finger nail,scratches at a level 2! ? breaking news, companies using the same display, and the same outsourced parts manufacturer, are going to introduce a technology at the same time......... T kdss, 4 hours ago There is reason in your words. But I have a different opinion. First, I think that Samsung w... more I think you put too much stock in Samsung trying to beat Apple, especially since Apple tends to almost never do anything first, instead they refine other people's breakthroughs and make them easier for Apple's buyers to use. Samsung being first also wouldn't appeal to Apple buyers anymore than Apple doing something first appeals to most Android or Linux users. Doing something exclusively like flip/fold might, and even then it's an uphill battle. In general who puts much stock in such claims as their motivation for buying? Very small number/segment of consumer innovators, hardly the segment from which you expect large sales figures, let alone large migrations from sticky Apple users. As for battery, as I mentioned before, they're not then one to do that, It's also not a requirement to succeed in my scenario, as large volume sale is not the goal, but it is in yours, which alone tells me their motivation wasn't the same. Most importantly if Samsung was looking for wide & wild success in the Edge, then why wan't there a marketing campaign even closs to match? There was no fanfare about it, heck I've seen more ads, fanfare & news segments about each of the refreshed foldables than there was about this supposed 'we're yelling from the rooftops we did it first' product Edge. Look at last year's Samsung ring marketing, that's more what to expect at least if the Edge were intended to be a wide success IMO. It's like even to Samsung's marketing team it barely existed either. Of course we both could be wrong. 🤷🏻♂️ Maybe in a coupla years an insider will spill the beans, it'll be a story that gets no press and of interest to a handful of people, that's usually how we find out the truth of these things. PS, you mention in your reply to Anon about big companies and risk/security, the Edge product IS a risk, not making it is the safer thing to do, just keep making S25 with spec changes, the Edge is more of a risk. There's risk and then there's risk, and the battery thing y'all focus on is not the same risk as a new product, as mentioned/explained before. And contrary to the statement, Apple isn't the bigger fish, they're equal and that's despite, as you acknowledge, Apple spending more on marketing than pretty much all other mfrs combined, The difference being that Apple sales also benefit Samsung immensely, some years when the profit from display sales to Apple outweighed the profits of their own mobile segment. C Well crease or not as long as main screen will not feature GG victus or better foldables are no for me. k Anonymous, 3 hours ago I mean, they've been the biggest smartphone maker in the world for nearly 20 years. I thi... more I'm not saying they won't be good. I'm more than sure of that. Samsung is not just about smartphones. But the stupid things that the biggest companies can do when they are driven by security in their users are really big. I'm just trying to show them. And Edge shows exactly that. And there are always bigger fish in the ocean than you. In the case of Samsung phones - Apple. That's what I'm saying. And not because Apple phones are better. Apple is just on a different level in terms of marketing compared to everyone else combined. ? kdss, 4 hours ago There is reason in your words. But I have a different opinion. First, I think that Samsung w... more I mean, they've been the biggest smartphone maker in the world for nearly 20 years. I think, they'll be just fine despite your strange alarmism. k Tazman, 6 hours ago Well there is a market for it, even if it isn't yours or mine, so that alone justifies it... more There is reason in your words. But I have a different opinion. First, I think that Samsung was too sure that they would achieve unprecedented success, whatever device they released on the market. Well, it didn't work out exactly like that, since they even had to reduce the production of Edge, since demand did not meet their expectations. Second, they thought that by being first, they would be able to steal customers from Apple with this product. Well, it didn't happen. This will not happen in general, no matter what alien product they release on the market. Apple fans are so consolidated that even if they gave them an Edge as a gift, 99 percent of them would not even turn it on to look at it. Some call this a cult, for me it is more like stupidity. Third, they definitely wanted to be first before Apple. And that's why we got an unfinished product. And no matter how diehard Samsung fans are, they still have more sense than Apple's and wouldn't blindly buy something that costs as much as the Ultra, but in terms of specifications it's below the pure S25. Fourth, even with all its shortcomings it could have attracted a lot more customers if they had simply put a bigger battery in it, which is probably the most important requirement for people who are looking for a thin and light phone anyway. It's definitely clear to everyone that a thin phone can only offer a big screen and a big battery. Well, Edge offered only 50 percent of TWO, which is ONE. And the fact that they're stopping the S+ variant because of EDGE shows how confident they are in their sales. And even from the moon everyone can see that if they had simply put at least 1 top camera on the S25+ and even on the S25, they would have broken the market with sales. But to me, they purposely keep these models so limited so that everyone can pay a little more and buy an Ultra. Y Why not have two motors on each side of the device that will roll outwards in order to stretch the panel & straighten out the crease? (motors will have to roll every time you unfold/fold) It's similar to the rolling LG TVs, except you have two motors rolling in opposite directions. S Typical Scamsung. Always waiting for Apple to become a threat for them to finally do what fans have been asking for years. ? Anyone using current gen of foldables can tell you, crease is no longer an issue. Price is. They should release foldables for lower tier chipsets with reduced prices. Like Sn 8 Gen 1 or Snapdragon 7 $1k Fold FE. T kdss, 7 hours ago I was joking a little with the previous comment. Honestly, I've never cared about who di... more Well there is a market for it, even if it isn't yours or mine, so that alone justifies it's release. However I think I can explain a reason for the Edge to you (other than truly some people just want the thinnest phone possible [ like they might want a Zoolander smallest phone possible]). It mirrors Apple's own reasoning for an iPhine Air in a similar time frame just before their Fold launch... They are both large scale R&D feedback projects, leading ups to other designs... like the thinner foldables and portless phones. The later being the lesser current focus, but offers learnings for that application too. While you can test design prototypes in the company even with a wide alpha distribution of internal devices, nothing beats a product in the wild for testing in ways you couldn't guess/imagine, and it requires that you figure out the production/mfr challenges a concept/prototype device doesn't. Making these small volume niches devices that push the boundaries help them figure out the limits of their mfr process for things like stacking PCBs/components/connectors, etc to fit into the thinner space under a more ideal situation that better isolates the mis-steps and areas that need to be worked on than putting it into a cramped foldable. It also means that you don't risk the development/production of your successful product, and can instead have an offshoot codename project that if it fails can simply be delayed or never see the light of day, admittedly at a greater cost than just a prototype. If they weren't fully satisfied with their results in the production phase, you either wouldn't have seen it come out at all, or it would've been spun-off into a separate quietly released niche product (like the Fold6SE) for a limited market that gets less mainstream press, as a 'were getting close' product that we're not ready to have people focus on, but we do want people to use/test for us. That we got a full product launch means they were successful through most/all of their milestones and they felt it was worthy. IMO, that it launched quietly and before Unpacked with less fanfare to me means that it was less about screaming " we're thinnest first " (especially as seen by the Fold vs Honor debate that title is contested and last a weekend depending on definition), and more about 'we have a product that we can learn from that we think enough people might buy to make it worthwhile'. Then they can improve on that form factors in the areas that customers say is lacking with the next model That's my take on it, finance & improve you R&D with a production model that can be applied to other models. J What I truly want Samsung to do is what LG have done before: making some dual-screen case for their S Series models D Once again, Samsung proves they don't give a damn about their customers. They only lift a finger when the competition kicks them in the teeth! k Akarius, 7 hours ago But you see, when I used the old Z Fold 4 and its hinge, I could not feel any looseness, the w... more Of course, you will feel everything smoothly. It's just that the human body is not designed to notice/feel something as weak as the forces that act on the folding of the screen. Even more so, a difference in forces. But that doesn't mean they don't exist. Sometimes even a difference of 1 micron can lead to an imbalance in the system. You won't feel it, but at a micro level it is there. And that's why after a while you will see the final result on the screen as a crease. Anonymous, 10 hours ago Maybe try improving the screen? You can still ruin it with a fingernail 7 years in Well, a glass screen still gets scratched by anything too so go an complain about that aswell. k Tazman, 7 hours ago The only way I could see that happening, is a scenario similar to the Vision Pro using Sony�... more I was joking a little with the previous comment. Honestly, I've never cared about who did something first in the world of phones. I care about who did it better. That's why I'll never understand why Samsung, for example, released Edge so hastily, which is simply a thin compromise of a phone. Just to say that they were before Apple, or anyone else. A kdss, 8 hours ago Because the more precise the drilling, the more precisely the hinges will fit. Better position... more But you see, when I used the old Z Fold 4 and its hinge, I could not feel any looseness, the whole mechanism was tight, precise and you could feel when operating it that it absolutely gives no way in any axis. So just where does this precision that they speak of come into play? What does it do differently than the already existing mechanisms of all the other manufacturers? Don't get me wrong, I have a pretty good mechanical imagination and can work out the forces working among components. All I'm saying is their press releases is full of very vague phrases that explain absolutely nothing with the highest amount of words possible. T kdss, 9 hours ago If they really release a foldable phone where you can't see where the screen bends, then ... more The only way I could see that happening, is a scenario similar to the Vision Pro using Sony's micro OLED displays for their Vr headset and Sony doesn't for their own. Where the cost of production requires a considerable increase in price, so much so that Apple think their fanba... customerbase would pay a factorial premium for the privilege whereas Samsung does not. Although knowing Samsung it would likely still do something like the very limited run Fold6SE just to get a 'first product' title even if it only shipped a handful. As the cost difference is supposedly only about $10/~40% ($25 v $35) of a much larger BOE, it's not as much of a barrier as Sony's OLEDs. That K-Tec is supposedly building a separate factory in Vietnam to meet the Trumpian Tariff concerns means that regardless production would lag their other facility, so it's almost assured Apple will be at least 2nd to market with the new hinge if not further down the launch list/order.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 review
After a couple of years of stagnation, Samsung is back on track. This year's Galaxy Z Fold7 offers real upgrades and improvements in key areas that were lacking in the previous generations. The new Z Fold7 catches up with the competition in terms of portability and camera experience as it's now considerably thinner and lighter, and employs a higher-grade camera setup. In the process, Samsung was able to give us a bit more screen real estate too. Both the inner and the outer screens are now bigger. Unfortunately, the company had to sacrifice the S Pen holster and S Pen support altogether, but killed two birds with one stone this way - larger displays and a thinner profile. The new cover screen is now 6.5", up from 6.3", and the foldable panel grew from 7.6" to 8.0", which is a solid upgrade. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 specs at a glance: Body: 158.4x143.2x4.2mm, 215g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 2) (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; IP48 dust and water resistant (dust > 1mm; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min), Advanced Armor aluminum frame. 158.4x143.2x4.2mm, 215g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 2) (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; IP48 dust and water resistant (dust > 1mm; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min), Advanced Armor aluminum frame. Display: 8.00" Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak), 1968x2184px resolution, 9.99:9 aspect ratio, 368ppi; Titanium plate layer for display support, Cover display:, Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, 6.5 inches, 1080 x 2520 pixels, 422 ppi. 8.00" Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak), 1968x2184px resolution, 9.99:9 aspect ratio, 368ppi; Titanium plate layer for display support, Cover display:, Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, 6.5 inches, 1080 x 2520 pixels, 422 ppi. Chipset: Qualcomm SM8750-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 830 (1200 MHz). Qualcomm SM8750-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 830 (1200 MHz). Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.0. 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.0. OS/Software: Android 16, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 8. Android 16, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 8. Rear camera: Wide (main) : 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; Telephoto : 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle : 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF. : 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; : 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; : 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF. Front camera: Ultra wide angle : 10 MP, f/2.2, 18mm, 1.12µm; Cover camera: Wide (main) : 10 MP, f/2.2, 24mm, 1.12µm. : 10 MP, f/2.2, 18mm, 1.12µm; Cover camera: : 10 MP, f/2.2, 24mm, 1.12µm. Video capture: Rear camera : 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps, 1080p@60/120/240fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps (gyro-EIS), 10-bit HDR, HDR10+; Front camera : 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS. : 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps, 1080p@60/120/240fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps (gyro-EIS), 10-bit HDR, HDR10+; : 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS. Battery: 4400mAh; 25W wired, QC2.0, 50% in 30 min, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless. 4400mAh; 25W wired, QC2.0, 50% in 30 min, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless. Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4, aptX HD; NFC. 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4, aptX HD; NFC. Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX (desktop experience support), Ultra Wideband (UWB) support, Circle to Search. The upgrades don't stop there. The new Z Fold is equipped with better cameras as it borrows the Galaxy S25 Ultra's main ISOCELL HP2 200MP sensor. The auxiliary cameras are the same, but the ultrawide now supports autofocus, and that unlocks close-distance focusing. Moreover, the internal camera is now the same as the external one - 10MP, which is a solid upgrade over last year's 4MP. More importantly, the internal selfie cam is equipped with an ultrawide lens with significantly wider field of view. Despite the decrease in weight and thickness, the Z Fold7 features the same battery capacity as last year - 4,400 mAh, supporting familiar charging rates at 25W wired and 15W wireless. Last but not least, this year's foldables from Samsung launch with a brand new One UI 8, instead of offering just an incremental upgrade to the OS. More importantly, the One UI 8 is based on the still-unreleased Android 16, which makes this year's foldables the first devices to run Android 16 out of the box. On paper, the Galaxy Z Fold6 seems like a competitive high-end solution, but rivals aren't slacking either. Let's check out how the new Galaxy Z Fold7 stacks against its peers. Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 The handset comes in a modest-looking retail box, which contains only the standard user manuals and a USB-C to USB-C cable used for charging and data transfer. To get the most out of the fast charging capabilities, you need to buy a 25W Samsung charger or a compatible Power Delivery one that supports Samsung's PPS. Page 2
