Thin is now in, at least for Samsung. Following the surprise launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, the company seems to have swiftly implemented those innovations onto its latest flagship foldable – the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7.
That change has been a long time coming. The Galaxy Z Fold line has somewhat stagnated over the last few years, releasing with just slight tweaks to its devices. This year sees the Fold receive its biggest update in a long time, and that is an exciting prospect.
But does being skinny make it automatically good? The answer isn’t so straightforward.
Design and Build
Let’s dive into it—the new slim look for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is a marked change for the series. Samsung has consistently slimmed down its Fold phones over the years, but the reduction has never been as dramatic. At 8.9mm when closed, the device is now closer than ever to feeling like a regular smartphone. It fits into the pocket so much more easily, and there is less of an awkward protrusion when you’re wearing slim jeans.
Possibly the most underrated feature of the new design is how lightweight it now feels. Shaving it by 24 grams doesn’t sound like much, but it is a noticeable difference—it just feels so much more comfortable to hold in the hand, especially when you are using it closed.
However, there are some frustrations to come alongside the refreshed design. On the smaller end of my complaints, I didn’t like that the phone was annoyingly difficult to open. Because of the slimmer rails, my fingers aren’t able to get a good grip to spread the device open, as I usually was able to do easily with the previous editions. I noted this issue during my hands-on experience at an earlier preview, but even after having an extended amount of time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, I still have trouble with it. The only consistent way I’ve been able to open the phone is by doing it backwards, which is opening it with the phone facing away from me.
But the biggest problem with the slim profile is that the phone sits lopsided on surfaces; it is really egregious. The camera bump on the Fold7 protrudes so much that there is significant wobble when placed on its side. You may say that the obvious solution would be to just place it down on its screen, but that requires an adjustment period since not many people do it that way—plus it’s not very hygienic, isn’t it?
While I did not have a case on hand, I suspect that fitting it with one would probably mitigate the wobble and opening issues. But by getting one, how much of the thiness are you going to lose out on? It will need to be a balancing act for sure.
Beyond the new design of the Galaxy Z Fold7, Samsung has kept up with making the device as robust as possible. The new Armor FlexHinge system is not only tougher, but it also feels pretty smooth when opening and closing the phone. Likewise, the display has been updated with the more resilient Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. It still only has an IP48 rating though. For a foldable phone, that is somewhat to be expected, but it is just another minus point for those wanting to transition over to foldables.
As usual, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 comes with the basic Black and Silver colourways, but for this year, there is now the option of this gorgeous Blue Shadow variant to choose from. The deep blue hue looks absolutely spectacular, especially when the light hits it. Another reason why having a case would be a waste.
Performance
While the slimmer profile may be seen as a way to bridge the gap between foldables and regular smartphones, there are also other aspects that bring it closer, namely the display.
The outer cover screen is now slightly larger at 6.5 inches, but that’s most likely due to the new 21:9 aspect ratio, which is what most phones have. So, more than ever, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 can feel as though you are using a normal smartphone when it is closed.
But, of course, the main benefit of a foldable is its ability to transform itself into a mini tablet, and that is on full display with… well, the display!
It’s so nice using the 8-inch inner screen, both for multitasking and fully utilising the entire display. Because of how big it is, it is as though you are using two phones side-by-side whenever you have multiple apps running on screen. Samsung has polished the multitasking UI, and it all feels very natural to use—whether you’re making use of split views or floating windows.
Meanwhile, the excellent display is put to its fullest potential when you use the Fold7 as a mini tablet. Watching videos on such a big screen is a luxurious experience, particularly when there are vivid colours on show. I also barely notice the crease now!
The only real nitpick is that not all apps have native support for the large display, so they can appear quite awkward if you are using the full 8-inch size.
Inside, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 uses a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip that is specially designed for Samsung. The processor has had no trouble running multiple apps at the same time, as well as for more intensive games, though it does tend to get hot pretty easily when I do photography on the phone outdoors—perhaps something to think about when using the phone outside in the sun.
In terms of AI, the Fold7 mostly contains the same features as its predecessor, though it does now come with Gemini Live. Usage is largely the same as you might find on Samsung’s other devices—like the S25 series—but the bigger display does bring some bonus benefits, such as being able to pull up another app on screen for reference alongside its multimodal capabilities.
But while Gemini Live may be new, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 does exclude a feature – S Pen support. For the majority of users, including myself, the absence of S Pen support isn’t a big loss as not many of us would take advantage of it, but for power users, this might be a dealbreaker if you’ve been looking forward to upgrading.
Camera
One of the biggest shortcomings of last year’s Fold6 was possibly with its camera system, which lagged behind flagship smartphones despite being a flagship product itself. Thankfully, Samsung has fixed that aspect with this year’s edition.
While it doesn’t quite have the same camera system as the S25 Ultra—the telephoto and ultrawide sensors are 10-megapixels and 12-megapixels respectively—the Fold7 does bring over the 200-megapixel camera for its main shooter.
As you would expect out of a Samsung phone, the images produced are more on the vibrant side, which looks especially good with the sharpness delivered from the 200-megapixel sensor. Similarly, low-light photos are more detailed than before since the sensor is able to take in more light from the surroundings.
The telephoto and ultrawide lenses are decent in their own right. Up to 3x zoom, images appear sharp, but beyond that, it tends to look rather fake. Meanwhile, ultrawide shots are serviceable and better yet, it also functions as a pretty good macro camera.
Battery
With the thinner build of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, it is perhaps not a surprise to see that the device has the same 4,400mAh battery as last year’s Fold6. In fact, I’m a little surprised that it is even able to retain the capacity despite its dramatically slimmer chassis.
While the 4,400mAh number is slightly disappointing, it doesn’t mean it isn’t able to last long. On average, I was able to get through a full day with some battery to spare after some moderate use with both the cover screen and the full inner display. The more energy-efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chip likely plays a role in conserving battery.
You can charge the device traditionally through wired charging, but the phone also supports 15W wireless charging for added flexibility.
Verdict
I was incredibly excited to experience the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 with its new thin look, thinking that it’ll finally be the foldable phone that makes you feel as though you have a regular phone.
But while there are indeed benefits that come with the slim and more lightweight design, there is almost an equal amount of drawbacks as well—like I said, the answer isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
You’re still getting a very powerful device that offers a great experience all around though; the latest Snapdragon processor breezes through any heavy multitasking work or gaming that you are doing, and the cameras are finally at a level more befitting of a phone with its price (because it is still a very expensive device).
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is available for purchase online from the Samsung Online Store as well as Samsung’s official Shopee and Lazada stores.
Photos by Russell Loh of the DANAMIC Team.
