I test mind-boggling 4mm thin Samsung phone that folds in HALF – & it has huge perk your posh iPhone is missing
For years, phone makers have been trying to make foldable phones work. Well, I've been trying out the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 for a few weeks – and it actually delivers on the dream.
Advertisement
13
The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach has been testing out the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
13
At a glance, it just looks like a regular mobile
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
13
But it folds out into a tablet in the blink of an eye
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
Foldable phones are meant to fit in your pocket like a regular mobile, and then fold out to give you a massive screen. The idea is that you get a phone and a tablet in one. But so far, the bulk of these devices have had a load of compromises. The main one? They're usually as thick as tree trunks.
Now Samsung has managed to slim down its latest foldable to just 4.2mm thick unfolded. It's shockingly thin. I reckon you could use it as a frisbee if it didn't start at £1,799.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, £1,799 or £75 a month
And even folded, it's just 8.9mm thick. That's only marginally beefier than the 8.25mm
Advertisement
Read more on Samsung
SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 DESIGN – THE LOOKS
If I was using this mobile on the tube, folded over into a smartphone, no one would look twice.
It looks just like a regular Samsung phone. There's a line down the side, but you'd ignore it as a design quirk.
At the same time, if I unfolded this and lay it out flat on the table, you'd think it was a tablet. There's no visible crease down the middle (unless you tilt it to a sharp angle). It just looks like a regular Samsung slate. You'd probably remark on the svelte side profile, but that's it.
And this is the magic to Samsung's new phone.
Advertisement
Most read in Tech
Breaking
It doesn't look like a rubbish version of a phone and a similarly dodgy tablet. This looks good no matter which way you're holding it.
I'm using the Blue Shadow colour option. It's eye-catching and I really like it – but you might prefer the safer Jetblack or Silver Shadow versions instead.
Sun's tech editor shows NEW 4mm thin folding Samsung – & teases 'flip iPhone' too
It also comes in a very fresh Mint option but you can only get that directly from Samsung.
There's not much else to note on the outside. There's a very prominent camera bump on the back, which is possibly the only disappointing design aspect – but there's no real way around it. If you want top pics, you need big sensors and lenses.
Advertisement
The exterior smartphone-style screen is a 6.5-inch OLED panel with a 2,520 x 1080-pixel resolution. This is high-end stuff – no scrimping.
And inside you've got an enormous 8-inch OLED display with a 2,184 x 1,968-pixel resolution. Again, that's high-end tablet territory.
13
Lay it down while closed and it's only marginally thicker than an iPhone
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
It's still dwarfed by full-size tablets, of course, but this puts it in iPad
Mini
territory. You're meant to use it for watching telly, or reading an ebook, or playing a video game.
Advertisement
And when you're just texting or scrolling through Instagram, you'll be fine with the regular mobile display.
But ultimately, the choice is yours. Fold and unfold at will.
SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 PERFORMANCE & FEATURES – THE POWER AND PERKS
Alright, so it looks good – but does it work well?
Performance is a non-issue. It has a blisteringly fast Snapdragon 8 Elite processor made by US chip giant Qualcomm. Chuck whatever you like at it – browsing, gaming, the works.
Advertisement
Computing speed hasn't been an issue on top-end phones for years now, and it's the same story with Samsung's latest mobile.
It comes with 256GB of storage as standard, but you can upgrade this.
And for memory – that's the active space for whatever you're doing in the moment – you get 12GB, with an option to pay for 16GB.
13
The only thick part of the phone is the hefty rear camera array
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
Advertisement
The 16GB is chucked in with 1TB of storage. So it's the storage space you're more likely to be paying for there, as the 12GB of memory will be plenty for most people.
Multi-tasking is no problem at all. And because you've got a tablet here, you actually can multitask.
You can have several apps open at once. Just drag and drop them from the tray into your desired position.
So you could have a YouTube video and your messaging app stacked on top of each other on the left, and a web browser taking up the full right-side of the screen.
Advertisement
13
The cameras are impressive and taking stunning snaps
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
That's the sort of thing that simply isn't possible on a regular phone screen.
This phone is also running on Google's Android software (albeit skinned with Samsung's own look), so you get access to all of those perks too.
That means the vast array of apps on the Google Play Store, and Google's anti-malware protections.
Advertisement
But you'll also bag access to Google's extremely powerful
Gemini
AI assistant.
SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 – THE KEY SPECS
Here's the list of specs you need to know about...
Cover display: 6.5 inches (2,520 x 1080 AMOLED)
Main display: 8 inches (2,184 x 1,968 AMOLED)
Weight: 215 grams
Main Camera: Wide (200MP) / Ultra-Wide (12MP) / Telephoto (10MP)
Front Cameras: 10MP / 10MP
Operating System: Android
Battery: 4,400mAh
Processor: Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite
Picture Credit: Samsung
I've used a load of AI chatbots and virtual helpers, and I've generally been most impressed by Gemini. I love my iPhone, but we've still yet to see the best version of Siri.
For instance, I've used Gemini as a
the voice
chat feature that lets you have a live conversation with it. It's a free tour guide in your pocket.
Gemini is powerful, easy to use, and keeps getting smarter. And you can access it at
lightning
speed just by holding down the lock button on the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Neat.
Advertisement
If you've used an Android phone before then the whole Galaxy Z Fold 7 interface will feel very familiar. It's very customisable, works based off of apps, and is snappy and performant.
13
When unfolded, the gadget is strikingly thin – at just over 4mm thickness
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
Battery life is great, all things considered. And by all things, I mean having two large and pixel-dense screens plus a phone body that's wafer thin.
Samsung has managed to stuff a fairly sizeable 4,400mAh battery inside this thing. You can easily get through a day with this device, which is all that matters.
Advertisement
And finally, let's talk about the camera.
This mobile isn't just for show. The days of foldable phones being just a gimmick seem increasingly to be behind us.
13
You only see the crease on the 8-inch AMOLED tablet display when you're viewing it at an off-angle
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
And that means Samsung has also fitted this mobile with a proper high-end camera that rivals the best.
Advertisement
Or rather, five cameras. You've got a 10-megapixel one on the front, and another inside when the tablet opens up.
And on the back of the phone (usable in all views) is a series of three powerful shooters. That includes a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel snapper for ultra-wide capture, and then a 10-megapixel telephoto lens for zoom.
The selfie cameras are fine and capture very respectable snaps.
Of course, the real
photography
comes from the rear camera array, which takes brilliant pics even in rubbish lighting conditions. The pics are sharp, detailed, and colour-accurate.
Advertisement
And if you're into zooming (always fun!) then you can go right up to 30x.
Only 3x is optical zoom (so actual zoom from the camera lens) and then the rest is digital. So you will get a quality drop off the deeper you zoom in – but it's still pretty effective. You won't win any photography awards at 30x zoom, mind.
If there was one downside, it would be that I wish the optical zoom was higher – even at 5x. For a high-end smartphone, this feels like a slight misstep.
13
When the phone is flipped open, you can take selfies using the rear camera while enjoying a face preview on the outside screen
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
Advertisement
I should also note: there's a preview mode when you're snapping in tablet view. So as you're shooting pics, you can have them appear on the left half of the screen. So you can instantly see if your pic was rubbish and you need to go again.
And there's something called Cover Screen Preview.
So if you want to take a selfie with the main camera, you can spin the phone around and see your face on the exterior display.
Then you can
snap
yourself easily using that preview, while getting the full heft of the main camera array (which is also facing you, because you've got the phone flipped open as a tablet).
Advertisement
13
The phone is very easy to open and close – and it's lightweight in the hand too
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 PRICE – SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
It all sounds pretty dreamy, right? Well that's until you get to the checkout.
You come crashing down to
Earth
and realise you're about to spend £1,799 on a phone – or £1,899/£2,149 if you want 512GB or 1TB of storage.
Even without any mobile add-ons or interest, the base price divides up to £74.95 a month over two years.
Advertisement
Even Apple's top iPhone can only be customised up to £1,599 (that's £66.62 a month). Of course, that doesn't fold.
13
Samsung has managed to cram in a fairly large battery, so you'll get through a day of use without much bother
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
And there's not really anything as strikingly thin as this on the foldables market.
I've reviewed dozens of mobiles over the years, and it's rare that I'm shocked by a phone. This Samsung mobile wowed me.
Advertisement
And everyone that I've let hold this thing has been impressed too. I haven't had a single person say: "What's the point?"
It's finally thin enough that people get it. It's clearly pocketable. The inner screen has an obvious use. The whole package makes sense.
13
The only giveaway that this is a foldable phone is the gap on the side of the mobile
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
This is the bleeding edge of smartphone design, so it makes sense that it
Advertisement
If you want a cheaper foldable, Samsung certainly has thriftier options. And rival gadget makers like Google and Huawei have very
nice
foldables too.
But it's impossible to deny that Samsung has crafted something very beautiful here, and it feels special.
I can't recommend this mobile to absolutely everyone. It's an expensive device that won't fit in with a lot of budgets.
If you're a gadget fan on the Android side of the mobile divide, I've got no doubt you'll love this. I think even Apple die-hards would struggle not to be impressed by Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Advertisement
And if this is just too expensive for you, feel safe in the knowledge that this tech will trickle down. Svelte foldables won't always cost mega
money
, but breakthroughs like this will always be pricy at first.
Samsung has achieved something brilliant here, and phone enthusiasts among you should (and undoubtedly will) consider buying one you've got the spare cash.
This device can very effectively replace both your phone and tablet. And so in some ways, that means the price isn't as intense as it might first seem. It's also something that the iPhone hasn't managed –
SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 – THE PROS AND CONS
Here's what you need to know...
Pros:
Thin enough to function as a phone and a tablet
Looks brilliant – a real showstopper
Powerful processor, great camera, and stunning displays
A multi-tasking powerhouse
Cons:
Very expensive for most people
Large camera bump
Optical zoom could be better
There are loads of times during a day where I'm using my phone and wish it had a tablet-sized screen, but I can't be bothered to pull my actual tablet out of my bag.
Advertisement
This solves that issue with ease. And for some phone fans, that'll make the price feel bang on.
The Sun says:
A foldable phone to convert the doubters – Samsung has crafted an impossibly thin (and endlessly tempting) super-phone that comfortably doubles as a tablet. It's a top buy, if you can afford it.
4.5/5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, £1,799 or £75 a month
13
This is a brilliant example of how useful foldable phones can really be
Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun
Advertisement
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Baffled Google Maps users say phone is CRASHING after searching for common journey type
TRAVELLERS have been struck by a mysterious Google Maps bug that's making it impossible for them to get around via a common journey type. The popular app has more than a billion users worldwide - but some have been hit by a baffling device crash. Advertisement 1 The public transport feature is having trouble on some Android phones Credit: Getty And strangely it only seems to affect those looking for public transport. A number of commuters and people on trips over the summer holidays have complained about the issue. The bug appears to only affect some Android smartphones. Most reports have come from various Advertisement Read more about Google Maps The Sun tested Google Maps' transit routes on a "So today my Google Maps app on android suddenly decided to bug out in a really weird and specific way," one user wrote on Reddit. "Whenever I try to search for transit directions for a place, it just crashes, every time. "I've tried uninstalling, reinstalling, logging in and out, and it still doesn't work. Advertisement Most read in Tech Breaking "The weird thing is, whenever I'm searching for walking, biking or driving directions, it works just fine! It's just transit directions that causes it to crash." Other travellers have come forward reporting the same problem. First look at Google's new Android XR glasses with life-changing augmented reality "I'm visiting NYC and relied on this crappy app to get around," another person responded. "Thank God I'm not the only person it's happening two what in the flip is going on," a third commenter said. Advertisement Others have informed Google that there's a snag in the app via their forum. But the company hasn't responded to users as yet. MAPS WORKAROUND If you have been impacted by the Google Maps public transport route issue, there are some workarounds people have discovered. It turns out, using the incognito mode in Google Maps avoids any crashing. Advertisement For those who don't know where to find it, simply tap your display image in the top right hand corner and you'll see Turn on incognito mode. Another temporary solution is to use alternative apps like Citymapper instead. TIME TO SWITCH? By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun Google Maps is a handy tool but when it comes to commuting I actually prefer Citymapper. It's made by a former Google employee and totally free. I find it faster, easier and more accurate than Google Maps. However, it only works in some cities across the globe so be sure to check it's available close to you.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
I found £6,000 of savings in 10 MINUTES with two dupe-hunting Google tricks that transform your home, garden & wardrobe
I LOVE a deal and there are loads online – but who has the time to scour the web looking for savings? That's why I got a robot to do it for me. 27 The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach has been hunting for deals online Credit: Sean Keach To see if I could save some cash, I set Google's AI systems to work, hunting for product alternatives, "dupes", and lookalikes . It managed to track down thousands of pounds of savings in a matter of minutes using a clever combination of free online features . I used two different tricks – one using Google Gemini and the other using Google Lens. Gemini is Google's chatbot. You can find it And Google Lens is a special version of Google Search that you'll find inside the official Google app on your phone. You can take or upload a photo, and then Google will hunt for it (and lookalikes) online. Just tap the camera icon in the app. Both of these tools are perfect for dupe-hunters looking to save a bit of cash. They can identify your product and trawl the web to find items that look just like it – only at a much lower price. First, I tried it on a few products in my house to see if I could find places where I would have saved money . But I also had a go with ritzy items I'd seen online – all in a bid to find bargain versions of the same products. Let's start with what I had at home first. Google's Gemini AI app lets you chat out loud with shockingly humanlike virtual helper HOME ITEM #1 – LIVING ROOM LAMP I love my living room lamp. It's the Made Java Arc Overreach Floor Lamp, which normally retails for £179. That's a fair sum of money, but it looks great. For this, I had better luck with Google Gemini. I asked for lookalike lamps that didn't cost as much, and it served me up with three decent options. 27 You can chat to Google about products – and hunt for cheaper ones Credit: Sean Keach 27 Google's Gemini chatbot can serve up lookalike products Credit: Sean Keach 27 This isn't an exact dupe but it's far cheaper than the one we bought Credit: Studio / The Sun Two looked reasonably similar and came in at £59.99 and £84.99. Honestly, I would've been happy with either. But there was a near-identical one up for £109.99 that would easily double up as the real thing. Nice work, Gemini. Potential Saving: £119.01 27 This attractive lamp is similarly styled but far cheaper Credit: Online Light / The Sun 27 This looks almost identical to the lamp we actually bought Credit: Mano Mano / The Sun HOME ITEM #2 – BROWN JACKET Next up, I snapped a pic of my Wrangler Buffalo Trace jacket. This one cost me about £120. This time, I plugged it straight into Google Lens. What I thought was interesting here was that I took a pretty rubbish photo of the jacket. And not only did it find a very similar alternative on Asos, it also identified the actual jacket and listed that too. Spooky. The Asos option was just £45. An absolute steal. It's not whiskey-themed, granted – but what a bargain. Potential Saving: £75 27 Google Lens can quickly identify an item in an image Credit: Sean Keach 27 Google Lens quickly serves up cheaper alternatives Credit: Sean Keach HOME ITEM #3 – ORANGE POUFFE We have an orange pouffe that works as a footstool or a spare seat if we've got a load of people round. It's the Dunelm Eliza Pouffe Orange Umber, which goes for £40 online and in stores. 27 We bought this pouffe, but there were cheaper options online Credit: Sean Keach 27 This similar pouffe is on sale for just £25.99 Credit: RUComfy / The Sun Google Lens managed to find one that looked almost identical (but a slightly different shade of orange) for £25.99. But I actually prefer a slightly different design that showed up on Google Lens via Etsy, which was only £22.99. So there's a small saving, but the original was already pretty cheap, in my opinion . Potential Saving: £17.01 27 There was en even cheaper Etsy option that looks very stylish Credit: Etsy / Kosiproducts / The Sun HOME ITEM #4 – DINING CHAIRS Another Dunelm buy for us was our dining chairs. We've got the Dunelm Shea Set of 2 Dining Chairs, which are £119. We have six chairs, so that's £357. 27 Google Lens gets to work right away, hunting for similar products Credit: Sean Keach Google Lens managed to find a fairly similar-looking pair from Debenhams for £100 – so that would've been £300 for six seats. If we'd gone for those, it would've saved us £57. It's not a massive saving, and honestly, I prefer the ones I bought. But if I were really sticking to a budget, every little helps. Potential Saving: £57 27 Debenhams had a pair of very similar chairs for just £100 Credit: Debenhams / The Sun ONLINE ITEM #1 – GREEN SOFA We recently went sofa hunting, and it was hard not to be impressed by Swoon. They've got some lovely gear. I was just looking online and found a very tempting three-seater Swoon sofa in green (or "fern") velvet, sold by John Lewis. I love it, but it's hardly cheap at £2,139. 27 This Swoon sofa is dreamy – but it's priced very high Credit: John Lewis / Swoon / The Sun My first attempt was with Gemini, but it struggled to come up with much, no matter how I worded my prompt. It showed a couple of sofas that didn't look similar enough. 27 Google Gemini suggested this sofa, but it wasn't quite right Credit: Daals / The Sun 27 Another Google suggestion missed the mark – although it was cheaper Credit: Habitat / The Sun But when I tried it with Google Lens, I spotted two very nice options. There was a pricier sofa from Brand Alley at £1,599 that looked good. But my favourite was the even cheaper Lutyens Moss Green three-piece sofa from Daals, which was a thriftier £1,399.99. It's beautiful, and far closer to the original Swoon sofa. Potential Saving: £739.01 27 Google Lens tracked down this bargain offering, though it's not quite as stylish as the Swoon one Credit: Brand Alley / The Sun 27 This Daals option undercut Swoon significantly, and it's beautiful to boot Credit: Daals / The Sun 27 Google Lens is a savvy shopper's dream Credit: The Sun ONLINE ITEM #2 – OUTDOOR DINING SET Next, I went really posh. We recently moved and we haven't got any garden furniture yet. There's a very roomy outdoor set from Bridgman called the Richmond Modular Sofa Set, but it costs a frankly bank-breaking £5,299. Ouch. 27 This posh garden set would look you've got the room for it Credit: Bridgman / The Sun 27 You'll need a big budget for it too Credit: Bridgman / The Sun Straight to Google Lens I go. One option was a decent (but smaller) option for £1,399 from another retailer. 27 This one cost £1,399, but I was hopeful I'd find something even cheaper Credit: Honeypot / The Sun But I was more impressed by a similarly spacious £1,185 alternative that included a fire pit table. Sadly, I couldn't find anything that matched the original bang on. So maybe I went too posh here. However, I do think that the cheaper set looked very nice, and I could do a lot with the spare £4,000 if I were buying this. Potential Saving: £4,114 27 This more budget-friendly option included a fire pit Credit: House of Glitz and Glamour / The Sun 27 Google Lens looks for products at a whole range of prices Credit: The Sun ONLINE ITEM #3 – COFFEE TABLE After the dining set drama, I thought I'd look for something quite fancy – but that might be dupe-friendly. I found an extremely pretty Porta Marble Coffee Table, which retailed at a whopping £999. Come on Google, sort me out - and of course, it did. 27 This is a gorgeous marble creation but few people have £1,000 to spare on a coffee table Credit: Luxura Home / The Sun 27 The price is very high for most Brits – so I went looking for a cheaper buy Credit: Luxura Homa / The Sun It instantly surfaced an Erie coffee table for £675, but that was still too high. So I scrolled on and found a stellar bargain from Daals. It's the Maru Round Oak Pedestal Coffee Table in Washed White for £189.99. This obviously isn't marble, but it has a lacquer effect that gives it a white shine like the original. 27 This oak coffee table gives off a similar effect to the posh marble one – but at a fraction of the price Credit: Daals / The Sun This is a brilliant example of a lookalike with a massive saving. Importantly, it's unlikely I would've found this – as I wouldn't have searched for oak while looking for an alternative to a marble coffee table. Potential Saving: £809.01 That brings the grand total savings to £5,930.04, courtesy of Google's online brain. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU USE GOOGLE GEMINI FOR? Here's the official tip list from Google... Go Live with Gemini to brainstorm ideas, simplify complex topics, and rehearse for important moments. Connect with your favourite Google apps like Search, Youtube, Google Maps, Gmail, and more Study smarter and explore any topic with interactive visuals and real-world examples Unlock a world of expertise and get tailored information about any topic Plan trips better and faster Create AI-generated images in seconds Get summaries, deep dives, and source links, all in one place Brainstorm new ideas, or improve existing ones Picture Credit: Google / The Sun
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
I test mind-boggling 4mm thin Samsung phone that folds in HALF – & it has huge perk your posh iPhone is missing
THIS is it. Samsung has finally done it. For years, phone makers have been trying to make foldable phones work. Well, I've been trying out the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 for a few weeks – and it actually delivers on the dream. Advertisement 13 The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach has been testing out the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun 13 At a glance, it just looks like a regular mobile Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun 13 But it folds out into a tablet in the blink of an eye Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun Foldable phones are meant to fit in your pocket like a regular mobile, and then fold out to give you a massive screen. The idea is that you get a phone and a tablet in one. But so far, the bulk of these devices have had a load of compromises. The main one? They're usually as thick as tree trunks. Now Samsung has managed to slim down its latest foldable to just 4.2mm thick unfolded. It's shockingly thin. I reckon you could use it as a frisbee if it didn't start at £1,799. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, £1,799 or £75 a month And even folded, it's just 8.9mm thick. That's only marginally beefier than the 8.25mm Advertisement Read more on Samsung SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 DESIGN – THE LOOKS If I was using this mobile on the tube, folded over into a smartphone, no one would look twice. It looks just like a regular Samsung phone. There's a line down the side, but you'd ignore it as a design quirk. At the same time, if I unfolded this and lay it out flat on the table, you'd think it was a tablet. There's no visible crease down the middle (unless you tilt it to a sharp angle). It just looks like a regular Samsung slate. You'd probably remark on the svelte side profile, but that's it. And this is the magic to Samsung's new phone. Advertisement Most read in Tech Breaking It doesn't look like a rubbish version of a phone and a similarly dodgy tablet. This looks good no matter which way you're holding it. I'm using the Blue Shadow colour option. It's eye-catching and I really like it – but you might prefer the safer Jetblack or Silver Shadow versions instead. Sun's tech editor shows NEW 4mm thin folding Samsung – & teases 'flip iPhone' too It also comes in a very fresh Mint option but you can only get that directly from Samsung. There's not much else to note on the outside. There's a very prominent camera bump on the back, which is possibly the only disappointing design aspect – but there's no real way around it. If you want top pics, you need big sensors and lenses. Advertisement The exterior smartphone-style screen is a 6.5-inch OLED panel with a 2,520 x 1080-pixel resolution. This is high-end stuff – no scrimping. And inside you've got an enormous 8-inch OLED display with a 2,184 x 1,968-pixel resolution. Again, that's high-end tablet territory. 13 Lay it down while closed and it's only marginally thicker than an iPhone Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun It's still dwarfed by full-size tablets, of course, but this puts it in iPad Mini territory. You're meant to use it for watching telly, or reading an ebook, or playing a video game. Advertisement And when you're just texting or scrolling through Instagram, you'll be fine with the regular mobile display. But ultimately, the choice is yours. Fold and unfold at will. SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 PERFORMANCE & FEATURES – THE POWER AND PERKS Alright, so it looks good – but does it work well? Performance is a non-issue. It has a blisteringly fast Snapdragon 8 Elite processor made by US chip giant Qualcomm. Chuck whatever you like at it – browsing, gaming, the works. Advertisement Computing speed hasn't been an issue on top-end phones for years now, and it's the same story with Samsung's latest mobile. It comes with 256GB of storage as standard, but you can upgrade this. And for memory – that's the active space for whatever you're doing in the moment – you get 12GB, with an option to pay for 16GB. 13 The only thick part of the phone is the hefty rear camera array Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun Advertisement The 16GB is chucked in with 1TB of storage. So it's the storage space you're more likely to be paying for there, as the 12GB of memory will be plenty for most people. Multi-tasking is no problem at all. And because you've got a tablet here, you actually can multitask. You can have several apps open at once. Just drag and drop them from the tray into your desired position. So you could have a YouTube video and your messaging app stacked on top of each other on the left, and a web browser taking up the full right-side of the screen. Advertisement 13 The cameras are impressive and taking stunning snaps Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun That's the sort of thing that simply isn't possible on a regular phone screen. This phone is also running on Google's Android software (albeit skinned with Samsung's own look), so you get access to all of those perks too. That means the vast array of apps on the Google Play Store, and Google's anti-malware protections. Advertisement But you'll also bag access to Google's extremely powerful Gemini AI assistant. SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 – THE KEY SPECS Here's the list of specs you need to know about... Cover display: 6.5 inches (2,520 x 1080 AMOLED) Main display: 8 inches (2,184 x 1,968 AMOLED) Weight: 215 grams Main Camera: Wide (200MP) / Ultra-Wide (12MP) / Telephoto (10MP) Front Cameras: 10MP / 10MP Operating System: Android Battery: 4,400mAh Processor: Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Picture Credit: Samsung I've used a load of AI chatbots and virtual helpers, and I've generally been most impressed by Gemini. I love my iPhone, but we've still yet to see the best version of Siri. For instance, I've used Gemini as a the voice chat feature that lets you have a live conversation with it. It's a free tour guide in your pocket. Gemini is powerful, easy to use, and keeps getting smarter. And you can access it at lightning speed just by holding down the lock button on the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Neat. Advertisement If you've used an Android phone before then the whole Galaxy Z Fold 7 interface will feel very familiar. It's very customisable, works based off of apps, and is snappy and performant. 13 When unfolded, the gadget is strikingly thin – at just over 4mm thickness Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun Battery life is great, all things considered. And by all things, I mean having two large and pixel-dense screens plus a phone body that's wafer thin. Samsung has managed to stuff a fairly sizeable 4,400mAh battery inside this thing. You can easily get through a day with this device, which is all that matters. Advertisement And finally, let's talk about the camera. This mobile isn't just for show. The days of foldable phones being just a gimmick seem increasingly to be behind us. 13 You only see the crease on the 8-inch AMOLED tablet display when you're viewing it at an off-angle Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun And that means Samsung has also fitted this mobile with a proper high-end camera that rivals the best. Advertisement Or rather, five cameras. You've got a 10-megapixel one on the front, and another inside when the tablet opens up. And on the back of the phone (usable in all views) is a series of three powerful shooters. That includes a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel snapper for ultra-wide capture, and then a 10-megapixel telephoto lens for zoom. The selfie cameras are fine and capture very respectable snaps. Of course, the real photography comes from the rear camera array, which takes brilliant pics even in rubbish lighting conditions. The pics are sharp, detailed, and colour-accurate. Advertisement And if you're into zooming (always fun!) then you can go right up to 30x. Only 3x is optical zoom (so actual zoom from the camera lens) and then the rest is digital. So you will get a quality drop off the deeper you zoom in – but it's still pretty effective. You won't win any photography awards at 30x zoom, mind. If there was one downside, it would be that I wish the optical zoom was higher – even at 5x. For a high-end smartphone, this feels like a slight misstep. 13 When the phone is flipped open, you can take selfies using the rear camera while enjoying a face preview on the outside screen Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun Advertisement I should also note: there's a preview mode when you're snapping in tablet view. So as you're shooting pics, you can have them appear on the left half of the screen. So you can instantly see if your pic was rubbish and you need to go again. And there's something called Cover Screen Preview. So if you want to take a selfie with the main camera, you can spin the phone around and see your face on the exterior display. Then you can snap yourself easily using that preview, while getting the full heft of the main camera array (which is also facing you, because you've got the phone flipped open as a tablet). Advertisement 13 The phone is very easy to open and close – and it's lightweight in the hand too Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 PRICE – SHOULD YOU BUY IT? It all sounds pretty dreamy, right? Well that's until you get to the checkout. You come crashing down to Earth and realise you're about to spend £1,799 on a phone – or £1,899/£2,149 if you want 512GB or 1TB of storage. Even without any mobile add-ons or interest, the base price divides up to £74.95 a month over two years. Advertisement Even Apple's top iPhone can only be customised up to £1,599 (that's £66.62 a month). Of course, that doesn't fold. 13 Samsung has managed to cram in a fairly large battery, so you'll get through a day of use without much bother Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun And there's not really anything as strikingly thin as this on the foldables market. I've reviewed dozens of mobiles over the years, and it's rare that I'm shocked by a phone. This Samsung mobile wowed me. Advertisement And everyone that I've let hold this thing has been impressed too. I haven't had a single person say: "What's the point?" It's finally thin enough that people get it. It's clearly pocketable. The inner screen has an obvious use. The whole package makes sense. 13 The only giveaway that this is a foldable phone is the gap on the side of the mobile Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun This is the bleeding edge of smartphone design, so it makes sense that it Advertisement If you want a cheaper foldable, Samsung certainly has thriftier options. And rival gadget makers like Google and Huawei have very nice foldables too. But it's impossible to deny that Samsung has crafted something very beautiful here, and it feels special. I can't recommend this mobile to absolutely everyone. It's an expensive device that won't fit in with a lot of budgets. If you're a gadget fan on the Android side of the mobile divide, I've got no doubt you'll love this. I think even Apple die-hards would struggle not to be impressed by Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7. Advertisement And if this is just too expensive for you, feel safe in the knowledge that this tech will trickle down. Svelte foldables won't always cost mega money , but breakthroughs like this will always be pricy at first. Samsung has achieved something brilliant here, and phone enthusiasts among you should (and undoubtedly will) consider buying one you've got the spare cash. This device can very effectively replace both your phone and tablet. And so in some ways, that means the price isn't as intense as it might first seem. It's also something that the iPhone hasn't managed – SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 7 – THE PROS AND CONS Here's what you need to know... Pros: Thin enough to function as a phone and a tablet Looks brilliant – a real showstopper Powerful processor, great camera, and stunning displays A multi-tasking powerhouse Cons: Very expensive for most people Large camera bump Optical zoom could be better There are loads of times during a day where I'm using my phone and wish it had a tablet-sized screen, but I can't be bothered to pull my actual tablet out of my bag. Advertisement This solves that issue with ease. And for some phone fans, that'll make the price feel bang on. The Sun says: A foldable phone to convert the doubters – Samsung has crafted an impossibly thin (and endlessly tempting) super-phone that comfortably doubles as a tablet. It's a top buy, if you can afford it. 4.5/5 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, £1,799 or £75 a month 13 This is a brilliant example of how useful foldable phones can really be Credit: Sean Keach / The Sun Advertisement All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed. Always do your own research before making any purchase.
