2 days ago
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Sleeker, smarter foldable that finally nails everyday usability
If last year's Fold was Samsung's big step towards mainstream foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the stride that makes the book-style design feel genuinely everyday. It's thinner, lighter and more practical, with meaningful upgrades to the cover screen, cameras and performance, plus the full weight of Galaxy AI. There are still trade-offs (no S Pen support and pricing that remains firmly premium), but for power users who live across documents, multitasking and long days on the road, this is the best Fold yet. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the sleekest and smartest foldable launched by Samsung till date.(Debahis Sarkar)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Price in India and key specs at a glance
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at ₹1,74,999 in India for 12GB/256GB, ₹1,86,999 for 12GB/512GB, and ₹2,16,999 for 16GB/1TB. Colours at launch are Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow and Jet Black, with an online-exclusive Mint on Samsung's website.
Headline specs include a 6.55-inch (21:9) cover screen and a 7.98-inch main screen, both Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels with adaptive 1–120Hz refresh; a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy platform; a 200MP main camera flanked by 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP 3x telephoto; two 10MP selfie cameras; a 4,400mAh battery with 25W wired charging and Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; IP48 dust/water protection; and Wi-Fi 7/Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. Storage options run 256GB/512GB/1TB with 12GB RAM on the first two and 16GB on the 1TB variant.w
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at ₹1,74,999 in India for 12GB/256GB, ₹1,86,999 for 12GB/512GB, and ₹2,16,999 for 16GB/1TB. (Debashis Sarkar)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Design and build
The Fold 7's first impression is how un-Fold-like it feels in the hand. At 215g and 4.2mm when open (8.9mm closed), it's the thinnest and lightest Galaxy Fold to date, and that reduction genuinely changes daily comfort. The hinge feels taut and refined, and the frame uses Advanced Armor Aluminum, while the cover glass is Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 and the back panel Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a stack that improves scratch resistance without adding heft. The IP rating moves to IP48, protection against dust ingress and water immersion that's a notch more useful for India's monsoon-meets-metro reality than older 'X8' phones.
Practical touches matter too: the side-mounted capacitive fingerprint reader is quick, the buttons are reassuringly clicky, and Samsung offers the phone in a palette that ranges from understated Jet Black to cooler Silver/Blue Shadow.
At 215g and 4.2mm when open (8.9mm closed), it's the thinnest and lightest Galaxy Fold to date.(Debashis Sarkar)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Displays
Samsung has addressed a long-standing Fold gripe: the tall, narrow cover screen. The Fold 7's 6.55-inch cover display adopts a 21:9 aspect ratio that mirrors a conventional slab phone, so typing, messaging and rapid replies feel natural. Inside, the 7.98-inch main canvas remains the Fold's party piece, ideal for split-screen work, reviewing decks or simply sinking into UHD streaming. Both panels are 1–120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X and rated up to 2,600 nits peak brightness, which noticeably improves direct-sun usability. Pixel density is a crisp 422ppi on the cover and 368ppi on the main panel.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7's 6.55-inch cover display adopts a 21:9 aspect ratio that mirrors a conventional slab phone(Debashis Sarkar)
The crease is still present, but it's less obvious in day-to-day scrolling than earlier generations, and the uniform brightness across the fold makes reading feel more like a small tablet and less like a tech demo. Samsung's mDNIe tuning aids colour management without hammering battery, and the wider cover makes app continuity (switching an app from cover to main screen) far more seamless.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Performance and software
Samsung's custom-tuned Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy brings tangible speed gains over older Folds: Samsung quotes CPU up to 38%, GPU up to 26% and NPU up to 41% improvements, which tracks with the snappy feel when juggling three apps in split view, exporting photos or running live transcription. The Fold 7 ships with Android 16 and One UI 8 out of the box, and Samsung's seven-year update policy means it's covered for OS upgrades and security patches through the long haul, critical for a ₹1.75-lakh device.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 works pretty smoothly for day to day multitasking.(Debashis Sarkar)
Galaxy AI now feels native to the Fold form factor. Writing Assist and Transcript Assist are particularly handy in India's meeting-heavy workflows, letting you summarise web pages on the cover screen, drag those notes onto the main display, transcribe recordings and generate structured summaries with suggested reminders. Samsung has also integrated Gemini Live for real-time conversational help, which you can invoke quickly and treat like a persistent assistant across apps. None of this is gimmicky on a big screen; it's the closest a phone/tablet hybrid gets to a travelling PA.
A note for stylus fans: despite its tablet-like main display, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 does not support S Pen input. If stylus annotation is central to your workflow, that's a real limitation.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Cameras
The Fold 7's rear trio is headlined by a 200MP wide-angle sensor (with OIS), joined by a 12MP ultra-wide (Dual Pixel AF) and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and OIS. Samsung's 'Optical Quality Zoom' adds a clean 2x step from the 200MP sensor crop, and Space Zoom reaches up to 30x for quick distant framing. Up front, there are two 10MP selfie cameras, one on the main screen and one on the cover, which keeps video calls sharp on either display.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7's rear trio is headlined by a 200MP wide-angle sensor (with OIS).(Debashis Sarkar)
In practice, daytime images lean toward Samsung's familiar punch, bright skies, saturated foliage, but the sensor depth gives you latitude to dial back vibrancy in post with minimal noise. Low light is helped by larger effective pixels and smarter multi-frame processing; highlights are kept in check, and faces don't smear. The 3x tele is steady and dependable at events, and 2x from the main sensor is useful for portraits with minimal quality trade-off. Ultra-wide edge acuity is solid, and colour matching across lenses is closer than before.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Camera(Debashis Sarkar)
Where the Fold 7 shines is composing on the big screen. Dual Preview lets your subject see themselves on the cover while you frame on the main display, and the Split UI makes it easy to jump into settings without losing the shot. It's a photographer's 'live view' in your pocket.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Battery and charging
Capacity holds at 4,400mAh, which on paper looks conservative for such a large dual-cell setup. In use, however, the lighter chassis plus a more efficient Snapdragon and smarter display drive mean the Fold 7 comfortably lasts a standard workday of mail, calls, intermittent camera use and streaming. When you do need a top-up, 25W wired charging delivers roughly 50% in around 30 minutes (USB-C 3A cable required). Wireless charging supports Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 and Wireless PowerShare for topping up earbuds or a watch.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Connectivity and extras
The Fold 7 ticks modern boxes: 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7 for high-throughput home/office networks, Bluetooth 5.4, and Dual SIM (nano + eSIM). Samsung's side fingerprint reader remains faster and less finicky than many in-display sensors, especially welcome when you're constantly switching between folded and unfolded states.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Everyday experience
What makes the Fold 7 click is the phone-first feel. With the wider 21:9 cover, you're no longer forced to open the device for simple tasks, WhatsApp replies, quick edits, turn-by-turn navigation, but when you do open it, the 7.98-inch canvas turns into a genuine productivity slate. Flex Mode is handy for hands-free video calls, and app continuity is now near-instant, with fewer redraws as you transition from cover to main and back. Brightness is ample for Indian summers, and the lighter body means less fatigue during long e-book or spreadsheet sessions.
What makes the Fold 7 click is the phone-first feel.(Debashis Sarkar)
The caveats? Pricing remains a hurdle; even with launch offers, this is premium-plus territory. And if you annotate documents, whiteboard in meetings or mark up PDFs, the lack of S Pen support is a missed opportunity on such a great display. Finally, while the IP48 rating is welcome, you should still treat it with care around dust and water, this is intricate hardware.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Competitors and who should buy it
At this tier, rivals like the OnePlus Open 2 and Vivo's X Fold series will tempt with aggressive pricing or faster charging, but Samsung's ecosystem polish, software longevity (seven years of updates) and better third-party app optimisation on a tablet-style fold give the Fold 7 an edge for long-term ownership. If your day includes constant context-switching - Slack, Docs, Sheets, Zoom, Lightroom, and you value a device that can be a phone on the metro and a tablet at the desk, the Fold 7 makes a convincing case.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Verdict
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the most approachable Fold yet. The wider cover screen fixes the daily-use gripe, the big inner display remains unmatched for multitasking, the 200MP main camera is a reliable all-rounder, and Snapdragon 8 Elite power plus Galaxy AI adds brains to the brawn. It isn't cheap, and stylus support is conspicuously absent, but if you're the sort of user who treats a phone as a workhorse, this is the foldable to beat in 2025.
Pros
• Slimmer, lighter design with sturdier materials
• Wider 21:9 cover screen transforms usability
• Strong performance with efficient battery life
• Capable cameras, useful 3x tele and 2x 'optical-quality' crop
• Seven years of updates and deep Galaxy AI features
Cons
• No S Pen support
• Premium pricing in India
• Crease still visible (though less obtrusive)
