Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Might Finally Break The Iterative Upgrade Cycle
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
'The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet,' says a Samsung Newsroom release teasing the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It's paired with a video that showcases a silhouette of the upcoming foldable. This is followed by, 'The Ultra experience is ready to unfold.'
But what does an Ultra experience mean for you? Will there be a new Galaxy Z Fold Ultra? Or will the Galaxy Z Fold 7 borrow features from its S-series Ultra sibling? It could be a mix of both. Here's what you should expect from Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 camera module
For the last couple of years, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold lineup hasn't reinvented the wheel and nor has it challenged the thinner and lighter Chinese competitors. While the South Korean company has focused on refining the foldable experience, it hasn't introduced any notable hardware advancements. Meanwhile, the likes of Oppo Find N5 and Honor Magic V3 have pushed the limits of book-style folding phone design, while Huawei has developed a tri-fold. But things could finally change with the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Going by the new teasers, it's safe to say the upcoming folding phone will be Samsung's thinnest and lightest foldable yet. Looking at the silhouette video, it appears that Samsung is gunning for Oppo's thinnest and lightest foldable phone crown. For context, Oppo's Find N5 is currently the thinnest book-style foldable in the world. At 8.9mm folded and 4.21mm when unfolded, it is considerably thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which measures 12.2mm when folded and 6.1mm when unfolded.
According to past reports, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could finally challenge its Chinese competitors in cutting-edge foldable hardware design. It is rumored to measure just 4.54mm in the unfolded state, which doesn't beat the Oppo foldable but gets very close. Even if it misses, the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 will most likely be the thinnest and lightest foldable available in the US, beating the likes of the OnePlus Open and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Samsung has a lot of things going in its favor. As I wrote in my Galaxy Z Fold 6 review, the South Korean tech giant has the most polished Android software and a solid hinge design that feels more reliable than the competition. If Samsung manages to retain those two factors and pair them with its new 'thinnest and lightest' design, it could offer the most complete folding phone experience yet.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S23 Ultra in the background
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is said to offer an Ultra experience, which, in my understanding, could mean borrowing the Galaxy S25 Ultra's 200MP primary camera and offering a more robust AI phone experience. The latest teaser shows a chip, three camera lenses, and states, 'Galaxy camera is now part of the intuitive interface that turns what users see into understanding and action.'
The upcoming Samsung folding phone is said to offer a 'unified vision' to allow 'Galaxy devices to continuously redefine mobile photography, empowering users to capture, create and communicate more meaningfully.' It hints at a smarter camera experience as well as better optics.
As for the smarts, I speculate that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could integrate Gemini Live capabilities right into the Samsung Camera app. For the unaware, Gemini Live allows a conversational AI chatbot to answer questions about what you're looking at in real time. You can point your phone's camera at your surroundings and ask Gemini for help. Like, asking how to fix a broken bicycle or clean your messy room.
'When paired with the flexible, expansive screen of a foldable, this experience becomes even more powerful, dynamic, and immersive,' says the Newsroom post. The Galaxy camera is also claimed to be a 'part of the intuitive interface that turns what users see into understanding and action.' So, the 'Ultra experience' is likely meant to convey a smarter device instead of an additional Galaxy Z Fold Ultra smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 cover screen
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is rumored to stick with the same 4,400mAh battery as its predecessor. That might not be enough, especially when Samsung is rumored to increase the folding display size from 7.6 inches to 8 inches.
While I'm not holding my breath for all-day battery life, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite is an efficient processor, and the new Galaxy S25 Edge lasted me longer than expected. Samsung is also tipped to use AI to extract more runtime from its battery. All of this could combine to offer a satisfactory experience.
I hoped Samsung would use a silicon-carbon battery, but it's likely not going to happen this year. A recent Bloomberg report claimed that Samsung and Apple battery supplier TDK is all set to begin shipping its third iteration of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June, earlier than its original schedule of September. As a result, we might see the new-gen battery debut on the iPhone 17 Air, but it will likely only make its way to Samsung phones starting with the Galaxy S26 series next year.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 also arrives at a time when Samsung's foldable shipments are dropping. According to a report from The Elec, Samsung now plans to manufacture 1.18 million Galaxy Z series folding phone units—down from last month's estimate of 1.34 million units for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7. Last year's Galaxy Z lineup also fell a few million units short of expectations.
However, this decline could've been a wakeup call and paved the way for Samsung to start innovating with its hardware again. And if we are to go by the latest teasers, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be the generational upgrade we've been waiting for.
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