a day ago
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: A new perspective on foldables
Last week, I went with a friend who is looking to rent an apartment, and we met three or four local property dealers. All of them had Samsung Galaxy Z Folds. I wanted to ask what made them choose the Fold over other smartphones. I saw a post on Reddit asking the same question. Clearly, I wasn't the only one curious about why Delhi property dealers are so fascinated with the Galaxy Z Fold.
Foldables may target a niche segment, but I was a bit surprised at how the Galaxy Z Fold is increasingly becoming popular among this sub-group, especially in a market like India. Although I still can't find an exact answer as to why real estate agents and property dealers prefer the Galaxy Z Fold, my guess is it's a mix of wanting to show success when meeting clients and the appeal of a larger screen, especially since many of them now run YouTube channels.
It's a great perspective to have: understanding both the product and its prospective market, especially when you have been using the latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 since its launch in New York earlier this month. I have used the Galaxy Z Fold in the past, but this time, the foldable feels very different. It almost seems like it's been designed to mimic a traditional bar-style smartphone. Exactly what I have been badly wanted from a foldable phone.
While the price might initially seem expensive, there's clearly a market for it. I think it's now fair to say that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is probably a serious threat to high-end, traditional bar-style smartphones: the kind of phones we have all known and loved. At the same time, a device like this has the potential to create its own 'fold-verse' which Samsung has been aiming to build for a long time.
Here's my review of the new Galaxy Z Fold 7.
What: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7| Price: Rs 1,74,999 onwards
Ever since foldables entered the market, I have had one major complaint. I have heard the same from colleagues in the tech industry: folding phones have always looked and felt too much like experimental devices, far removed from traditional bar-style phones like the Galaxy S25 and the iPhone.
With the Galaxy Z Fold 7, however, Samsung has finally addressed those concerns. The device is just 8.9mm thick when closed and 4.2mm when open. It also looks remarkably similar to a bar phone. That means the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is roughly the same size and weight as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, eliminating the extra bulk. For comparison, last year's Z Fold 6 was 12.1mm thick when closed and 5.6mm when open. The Google Pixel 9 Pro, another major flagship on the market, measures 10.5mm thick when folded, 5.1mm when unfolded, and weighs 257 grams.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 felt noticeably lighter in my hand (it weighs 215 grams; in fact, it's actually lighter than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which weighs 227 grams), and I could feel the difference. Every day, I go for a morning walk, and I have a habit of holding my phone in my hand. Over the past week, while using the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it genuinely felt like I was holding a regular phone, not a foldable, which typically comes with added weight. This is a positive sign and could help change the perception many consumers have about foldables being bulky.
Not only is the Galaxy Z Fold 7 slim and light, but it also has streamlined dimensions. I expected the difference in feel to be imperceptible but it was immediately noticeable. Anyone upgrading from a previous-generation Fold or experiencing a foldable for the first time will notice it, too.
The IP48 rating for dust and water resistance (which can handle submersion up to 5 feet for 30 minutes), along with Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, makes the Galaxy Z Fold 7 both durable and sturdy. The Z Fold 7 has all the qualities of a high-end flagship phone. Its metal and glass construction is finished with a fine matte texture, and the phone feels rock-solid.
The hinge has improved, it's thinner and lighter, and the aluminum design adds extra sturdiness. I couldn't bend the phone, whether open or closed. Even when applying force, the Z Fold 7 remained rock solid. The device opens and closes flawlessly, and there's no gap when it's fully folded. My blue-coloured Galaxy Z Fold 7 looks absolutely top-notch, as if it were made for a C-level executive.
While I liked the super-thin design and sleekness of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, unfolding the device can be a little challenging. Because the thickness of the Z Fold 7 has been reduced further, opening the phone requires a bit of extra effort. However, snapping the phone shut is satisfying.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7, like its predecessors, follows the same form factor as before: a foldable phone that opens like a book to become a tablet of sorts. That hasn't changed, though I would say the new Z Fold 7 is much better to use: both as a phone and as a tablet.
The Z Fold 7's cover screen spans 6.5 inches, slightly larger than before, with narrower bezels, making it easier to use one-handed and eliminating the cramped feeling. Overall, it feels just as good and functional as a traditional smartphone. It's also wider now and has thinner bezels, which improves usability even further. I spent as much as 75 per cent of my time using the external cover screen, primarily for WhatsApp chats, browsing, and scrolling through LinkedIn and Instagram. The 120Hz, 6.5-inch display is one of the best parts of the Z Fold 7. While it may not seem like a huge upgrade on paper, it definitely feels like a giant leap over last year's Z Fold 6. I recommend trying the device at your local Samsung store before and see the difference yourself.
Unfolded into tablet mode, the Z Fold 7 becomes a remarkably thin and lightweight tablet with slim display borders. At 8 inches, the tablet display is expansive, and its 2,600-nit peak brightness makes it easy to view content outdoors. There's also new technology that improves visibility while wearing polarised sunglasses.
While my iPhone 16 Pro can't run two apps side by side, and the 13-inch iPad Air is too bulky to carry everywhere, especially on long-haul flights, where holding it for hours becomes uncomfortable: the Z Fold 7 comes in handy. I could carry it everywhere, even during my morning walk, and watch a soothing meditation session with ease.
During a recent Metro ride from Janakpuri to Saket, I used the Z Fold 7 to read a long chapter of a book I had started, while also keeping an eye on Google Maps to track my location. And because the screen is now substantially larger (11 per cent bigger than the Z Fold 6's), it's possible to open and use three apps at once.
I have used it to watch YouTube videos while catching up on the news, all with my to-do list open for the day. I could do it all at the same time and that's what sets foldables apart from regular smartphones. With the Z Fold 7, I can open apps from the external cover screen and smoothly launch one or multiple apps on the internal 8-inch display without any hiccups.
Similar to the iPad, you can split the keyboard on the Z Fold 7 into two smaller panels, making it easier to type with both thumbs on the larger screen. While I wouldn't say typing on the 8-inch screen is completely smooth, even for someone with bigger hands, it definitely takes some getting used to, especially if you are accustomed to typing on a narrower phone like the iPhone 16 Pro. That said, it's still far more comfortable to type on than the iPad mini, thanks to the Z Fold 7's lighter weight and compact design, which makes it easier to hold in just one hand.
Most apps work fine on a foldable phone, though certain apps like Instagram aren't fully optimised for the 8-inch screen. However, Google's own apps work flawlessly on the Z Fold 7. As I mentioned earlier, the 8-inch screen is excellent for productivity-focused use cases. Photos, videos, games, eBooks, and other types of content really shine, allowing you to see more detail.
It's also handy for more complex tasks like searching for a foldable chair for your home and sharing the details on WhatsApp where a regular phone screen might feel cramped and limited. In such scenarios, the Z Fold 7 becomes a far more useful device. I also really like how the Fold 7's screen can bend at a 90-degree angle to show a YouTube video on the top portion, while keeping playback controls and video information on the bottom portion. Another way I used the Z Fold 7 frequently was for reading eBooks on the Kindle app. While it's not a new way to enjoy eBooks on foldables, I have always found this use case to feel more personal than anything else.
The Z Fold 7 is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, with a choice of either 12GB or 16GB of RAM, and storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB. The chip also enables many Galaxy AI features (more on that later), as well as Gemini integration. I have tested several flagship devices with the 8 Elite chip, and the performance is just as strong as any other high-end Android smartphone. There's no perceivable difference when running apps or playing games on the Z Fold 7 compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Edge, which I reviewed recently. It comes out of the box with Android 16 and One UI 8, and Samsung promises seven years of OS and security updates.
I also managed to pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with the Z Fold 7 and used it as an alternative to a laptop. Although I wouldn't say it fully replaced my laptop, I was able to comfortably write a short 400-word copy. Thanks to the 8-inch screen, which is large enough to display multiple tabs, it almost feels like using a portable laptop. It's not something I would recommend for daily productivity but as an experiment, it was surprisingly fun.
While the Z Fold 7's 4,400mAh battery is the same size as its predecessor's, you will notice slightly improved battery life thanks to the processor's enhanced power efficiency. The device lasted me over a day with regular browsing, texting, and WhatsApp use. Battery life largely depends on which display you use more: the cover screen or the larger inner display. Unfortunately, Samsung is still sticking with wired charging capped at 25 watts, which I'd say is rather slow compared to other flagship smartphones.
Samsung has also packed the Z Fold 7 with its own Galaxy AI features, along with plenty of Google-powered AI capabilities. Some are great, while others still feel a bit underwhelming. Gemini Live, for example, is a hands-free AI feature that now allows screen sharing and camera access, so you can ask questions based on real-time context. The Now Bar and live notifications which display ongoing tasks such as music playing on Spotify are especially handy, appearing both on the lock screen and in the taskbar on the home screen.
The triple camera system on the Z Fold 7 is headlined by a 200-megapixel main sensor, accompanied by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera. There are also 10-megapixel selfie cameras on both the cover and main displays.
The addition of the 200-megapixel camera is a first for foldables. In the past, many consumers have criticised foldable devices for their lackluster camera systems, so this is Samsung's way of bringing the Z Fold series on par with its mainline S-series flagships in terms of camera performance.
I liked the Z Fold 7's camera system. The main camera captures high-quality photos with excellent dynamic range, lighting, contrast, depth, and rich, natural colours on par with Samsung's own Galaxy S25 Ultra. It also performs better in low-light conditions, producing sharper and more detailed images indoors and in other dim environments. The video recording capabilities have also improved substantially, narrowing the gap between Samsung Galaxy phones and Apple's top-end Pro iPhones. There are also a couple of AI features to try as well centered around the camera like Generative Edit and Audio Eraser. A must try is the selfie camera on the Z Fold 7 which now has a wider 100-degree field of view, perfect for group shots.
On the Z Fold 7, Samsung gave up on the controversial under-display inner selfie camera and instead placed a 10-megapixel sensor behind a small hole-punch cutout, just like any other Android smartphone. However, I didn't like that Samsung removed S Pen support from the Z Fold 7. Including it would have made the device a true productivity haven and more useful. In my opinion, scaling back S Pen support on the Z Fold 7 is a controversial move.
To understand the Galaxy Z Fold 7, one must give up the general impressions they have about foldables. You need to look at the Z Fold 7 from a new perspective, and a device like this deserves that. Of course, the Z Fold isn't perfect (and no smartphone is), and its price of Rs 174,999 (around $2000 in the US) makes it an ultra high-end smartphone. It's still not a mass-market device, and I don't think Samsung is marketing it that way either.
After reviewing the Z Fold 7, I was reminded me of the meeting with the real estate agents and the Z Fold 6 (if I'm not mistaken). I couldn't ignore the Z Fold 6 in their hands, and maybe those who have bought or are looking to buy a foldable have this psychology in mind: a show-off. That's definitely part of it, no doubt.
But as a tech reviewer, I feel foldables are genuinely useful: the form factor the Z Fold 7 offers enables things you simply can't do on a traditional smartphone. This is something I have highlighted before and continue to highlight with the Z Fold 7. Not everyone wants a book-style foldable, but I guess more functions and features naturally mean higher cost. That should come as no surprise. It probably won't be for most people (and that's okay!), but I do want to point out that a lot of that cost is likely tied to aspiration value. The Z Fold 7 is simply a beast – and the pinnacle in smartphone form factor.
Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin.
Email: ... Read More
