We showed 30 people the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Their reactions were telling
Talking with Blake Geiser, Samsung's SVP of Product Development in North America, I learnt that many people who experience the Galaxy Z Fold 7 for the first time don't realize it folds at first. This was before I held it, and as soon as I did, I realized exactly what Samsung meant: this phone feels virtually identical to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and could easily pass for a regular smartphone in the hand.
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I've just published our Galaxy Z Fold 7 review, and I'm absolutely in love with the design, but is the incredible design and wonderful in-hand feel enough to persuade non-folding phone users to make the switch? To find out, I showed the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to over 30 average people — from shopkeepers and taxi drivers to family members and friends who aren't interested in technology — and recorded their thoughts.
Their responses proved that Samsung was right… and also suggest that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be the long-awaited iPhone moment for the still-nascent folding phone industry.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 in a nutshell
It's telling that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the first folding phone to have this effect on customers; actually, that's not technically true — the Oppo Find N5 and Magic V5 are equally impressive — but the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the first ultra-thin folding phone that most people will experience.
That's key: Samsung's primary goal was to make a phone that resembles a mix between the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra, but with a secondary folding screen. The redesign achieves this goal, at least in my opinion, and as I covered, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 camera is also very similar to Samsung's camera powerhouse.
At 4.2mm thick when unfolded, the Fold 7 is among the thinnest folding phones currently available: it's 0.01mm thinner than the Oppo Find N5m and 0.1mm thicker than the Honor Magic V5. This allows it to measure just 8.9mm thick when folded, and even though it's 0.7mm thick when folded, it feels just as sleek as the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
This was the primary goal, but what do average people think?
The initial reaction to the Galaxy Z Fold 7
Studying people's reactions to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was a tale of two distinctly different ones. First, there's the initial feel of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which focuses on the feeling in the hand, as well as the overall design. To gauge reactions, we asked users to close their eyes and focus solely on the in-hand feel.
It's telling that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 doesn't reveal its magic, at least until you fold it. That said, most users commented on the build quality and glass finish, with many commenting that it made the phone feel lighter than their existing phone.
This led to some wonder when they learned that it also had a 200MP main camera and a host of other features, not least the 8-inch main display, which is the ultimate party trick. The results from this initial reaction confirm that Samsung was correct in focusing on this design strategy.
Then they unfolded the Galaxy Z Fold 7
Curiously, most people don't immediately think it's a folding phone. The design of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is so unique that users were taken aback by the fact that it was also a folding phone. With each person, I used the same phrase — 'now unfold it' — and it drew the same reaction.
Thirty percent of users immediately noticed how thin the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is, which is especially apparent when it's unfolded. 20% commented solely on its design, drawing sentiments like 'it's stunning or beautiful', while a further 13% were shocked that it unfolded, which is somewhat lower than I had expected.
Of course, some people are brand-loyal, and more than one person was positive while also referencing that Apple does not make it. This type of brand loyalty is to be expected, although the results were more favorable towards a folding phone than I expected: 50% of surveyed Apple users were positive about the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
A crease, or lack thereof
Seven percent of people immediately noticed the crease, which is no surprise given the divot-style crease that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and older models feature. However, would the large crease improvements over previous years result in a more favorable opinion? The answer is an unequivocal yes.
When I've previously shown average users any of the best folding phones, almost all have immediately commented on the crease, especially if it's one of the models sold in the US. After showing people the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it turns out the crease could finally be a problem of the past.
77% of people — or 23 out of 30 — reported not being able to feel the crease when I asked them to close their eyes and run their finger over the screen. Only one person, or just three percent, reported still having concerns about the crease, which represents a major improvement over my previous anecdotal experiences.
The phone that prompts you to make the switch?
When I first held the Galaxy Z Fold 7, my immediate reaction was that this is the phone that could persuade people to switch to a folding phone. After recording these initial reactions, little has changed in my mind, but does this only appeal to Samsung or Android users? The answer is a mixed bag.
Our test included existing users of several different phone brands, with Apple and Samsung users making up over two-thirds of the sample size.
Of these two brands, the results couldn't be more stark: 85% of Samsung users expressed interest in purchasing the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (even when aware of its price), while only 29% of Apple users did. Yet, this is telling in itself: it is likely the first Samsung phone in years that could persuade users to switch, unless those users ultimately decide to wait for the rumored iPhone Fold launch next year.
Among other phone makers, some users reported interest in purchasing the Galaxy Z Fold 7, while an equal number expressed no commitment to doing so. The numbers involved are less than a third of the sample size, so there's some degree of error involved; however, Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and OnePlus Open users both expressed interest in upgrading to the Fold 7.
My mother's reaction says it all
Overall, there was a considerably more positive sentiment toward the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at the end than at the beginning: 80% of all users had a more favorable opinion of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 after seeing the large display and learning all about it, compared with just 40% when they first held it.
It's unclear how this has improved year on year, but I often judge phones by showing new hardware or features to my immediate family. They all use Samsung phones, but none use a folding phone.
My sister is a great test case. She's currently using the Razr Ultra 2025 after avoiding all folding phones until now, and previously called the Galaxy Z Fold 6 quite big and bulky (albeit after seeing my Oppo Find N5). She was incredibly impressed by the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and is now considering making the switch.
The most surprising reaction has been from my mother. She has used the Galaxy S22 Plus since its launch, won't switch to an iPhone, and finds most technology too heavy, given her age and medical conditions. Somewhat inexplicably, she is enamored with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and it is likely to be her next phone. For her, it allows her to carry her phone and iPad mini on the go in one easily pocketable device.
Folding phones are about to have their iPhone moment, as Samsung has finally figured out how to make them feel indistinguishable from a regular smartphone. Coupled with a better-than-expected Galaxy Z Fold 7 camera, this is the best folding phone for most people.
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Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times A Chinese Ministry of Commerce official seemed to reject that on Friday, saying that the United States had 'taken the initiative' to approve the H20 sales. China believes the U.S. should continue to remove its trade and economic restrictions, the official said. A person familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that the H20 chip was not specifically discussed in meetings between Chinese and American officials in Geneva and London this spring. But the reversal was part of a more recent cadence of warmer actions the United States and China have taken toward each other. For instance, Beijing agreed in recent weeks to block the export of several chemicals used to make fentanyl, an issue Mr. Trump has been concerned about. Recent events have underscored the influence that China has over the U.S. economy. 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Mr. Huang argues that blocking U.S. technology from China has created more urgency for China to develop its own technology. Credit... Pete Marovich for The New York Times Since then, when Chinese officials raised their objections to U.S. technology controls in meetings, U.S. officials had responded by insisting that the measures were national security matters and not up for debate. But in the meeting in Geneva in May, China finally had a powerful counterargument. Beijing insisted that its minerals and magnets, some of which go to fighter jets, drones and weaponry, were a 'dual-use' technology that could be used for the military as well as civilian industries, just like A.I. and chips. It demanded reciprocity: If the United States wanted a steady flow of rare earths, Washington should also be ready to lessen its technology controls. It's not clear exactly what the United States agreed to in Geneva: The agreement has never been made public. But when the United States put out an unrelated export control announcement the day after the Geneva summit concluded, China responded angrily, saying the statement 'undermined the consensus' the countries had reached. In a notice on May 13, the Commerce Department said that using Huawei's A.I. chips 'anywhere in the world' was an export control violation. The notice was directed at other nations considering purchasing Huawei chips, people familiar with the move said, not the Chinese. The announcement appeared to take other parts of the Trump administration by surprise, and within hours, the language in the release was walked back, though no policy changes were made. Mr. Bessent and Jamieson Greer, the trade representative, expressed concerns that such moves could damage trade talks with China, people familiar with the incident said. China once again clamped down on rare earth exports. Trying to find its own leverage, the United States responded by restricting exports of semiconductor design software, airplane parts and ethane. The two sides restored their truce in a meeting in London in June. Since then, trade in those products has restarted. But U.S. companies complain that Chinese licenses for rare earth magnets are limited to six months, and that the Chinese government is requesting proprietary information to obtain those shipments. Beijing has also continued to build out its export controls. On June 15, the day after Nvidia said it would be permitted to sell the H20 in China, Chinese officials announced new restrictions on exports of battery technology. The United States has been trying to decrease its dependence on China for rare earths, but there is no quick solution. China has a powerful hold over numerous industries, ranging from pharmaceuticals to solar panels to drones. 'The challenge for the Trump administration is, how do they get out of this quagmire?' said Jimmy Goodrich, a senior adviser for technology analysis to the RAND Corporation. 'It appears some competitive U.S. actions are now at the whims of Beijing, who can now determine the time, place and nature of U.S. tech and trade policy toward China.' Deal makers in the White House The change in the relationship with China has coincided with a separate shift in the administration, in which officials who favor technology controls on China have been sidelined in favor of those who support the tech industry's ambitions to sell abroad. Mr. Lutnick and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state who has long been an ardent China critic, have hewed closely to the position of the president, who is more of a deal maker than a national security hawk. And hawkish members of the National Security Council have been fired in recent months, after being accused of insufficient loyalty. Their absence has paved the way for officials like David Sacks, the White House A.I. czar, who has criticized export controls, to push for tech companies to have freer rein. Nvidia's chief executive, Jensen Huang, has gone on a lobbying blitz in Washington, pushing politicians to open China for A.I. chip sales. Mr. Huang has contended that blocking U.S. technology from China has backfired by creating more urgency for China to develop its own technology. He has argued that the Chinese military won't use Nvidia chips, and pushed back against Washington's consensus that China is an adversary, describing it a 'competitor' but 'not our enemy.' Image The change in the U.S. relationship with China has coincided with a separate shift in the Trump administration, in which officials who favor technology controls on China have been sidelined. Credit... Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Others have challenged those assertions, pointing to past research that the Chinese military has placed orders for Nvidia chips. Scientific papers published earlier this year also showed Chinese researchers with ties to military universities and a top nuclear weapons lab using Nvidia chips for general research. Mr. Rizzo, the Nvidia spokesman, said in a statement that 'non-military papers describing new and beneficial ways to use U.S. technology promote America.' In a letter on Friday, John Moolenaar, the Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said the H20 chip had aided the rise of the Chinese A.I. model DeepSeek and would help China develop A.I. models to compete with American ones. These arguments do not appear to have persuaded the president. In an Oval Office meeting with Mr. Huang in July, Mr. Trump agreed with Nvidia that keeping American chips out of China would only help Huawei, and decided to reverse the H20 ban. People familiar with Mr. Trump's views say he has always viewed export controls more transactionally. In his first term, Mr. Trump agreed to roll back U.S. restrictions on ZTE at the urging of Mr. Xi. In this term, Mr. Trump and his advisers have begun using America's control over A.I. chips as a source of leverage in negotiations with governments from the Middle East to Asia. With China, Mr. Trump has his own longstanding aspirations. He believes that U.S. businesses have been getting ripped off for decades, and that he can be the one to fix it, particularly if he negotiates directly with Mr. Xi. His advisers have begun strategizing toward a more substantial trade negotiation with China focused on market opening, as well as the potential visit this fall.
