Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review
It’s hard to believe we’re already at the seventh generation of Samsung’s foldable phone, but here we are with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. What started as a futuristic experiment has slowly but surely become a serious option for anyone looking to get more out of their phone.
With this latest model, Samsung hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but it has clearly focused on refining the experience. It has smoothed out the rough edges and made the foldable feel more like a daily driver than ever before. So, what’s actually new this time around, and is it finally the foldable phone worth making the leap for? Let’s dive in.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 pros and cons
Pros
Thin and lightweight design
Bigger screens
200MP main camera performance and improved selfie capabilities
Top-notch software with Galaxy AI multi-tasking functionality
Launches with improved Android 16 / OneUI 8
Cons
Battery life still doesn’t impress
Telephoto camera could be better
No longer has S Pen support
Design and handling
Out of the box, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 doesn’t look dramatically different from its predecessor, but don’t be fooled. Samsung has refined nearly every part of the design to make this the slimmest, lightest, and most comfortable Fold to carry around yet.
Unfolded, it measures just 4.2mm thick, down from 5.6mm on the Z Fold 6, and it now weighs 215g, making it super easy to slip into your pocket (especially compared to many flagship ‘slab’ phones like the Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 16 Pro Max).
The star of the show is the new Armour FlexHinge, which uses a compact multi-rail design to disperse stress more evenly across the display. It helps reduce the crease too, and while the panel does feel slightly flatter to the touch, the crease still looks about the same. In truth, it’s something you notice less the more you use the phone.
Samsung has also reinforced the internals, using a 50% thicker Ultra-Thin Glass with a titanium lattice underneath for added strength. On the outside, the Z Fold 7 is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the front cover screen, and Advanced Armour Aluminium around the frame.
It feels tough when closed and elegant when opened, meaning I was always slightly nervous to drop it when fully opened. It also still has an IP48-rated water and dust resistance, though the dust protection hasn’t improved over last year.
There’s no denying that the phone is striking. Closed, it looks like a regular phone with a bright, expansive 6.5-inch cover display that's now taller and wider with a more practical aspect ratio. The device feels much more like a “normal” phone in hand, especially compared to earlier Folds. That said, the tighter hinge makes opening the phone a bit trickier, and you’ll need two hands.
The updated dimensions also make the camera bump more pronounced, which leads to some wobble when placed flat on a table. A case should help to smooth that out. Samsung offers the Fold 7 in Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, and Jet Black, with an exclusive Mint colour available only through Samsung’s website. I tested the Jet Black version and think it looks sleek and premium with its matte-like finish that resists fingerprints well.
In short, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 may look familiar, but Samsung has made a real effort to make it more pocketable, durable, and nicer to use. For the first time, this truly feels like a foldable that can replace your everyday phone if you can afford the hefty price.
Samsung nails the display game again
Samsung has meaningfully upgraded both screens on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the results are impressive. The cover display has grown slightly, from 6.3 to 6.5 inches, and now features a more balanced 21:9 aspect ratio (up from 22:9), making me at times think it was genuinely a regular smartphone when I first turned it on.
It’s still a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, with a 2520x1080 pixel resolution and a smooth 1–120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Thanks to the wider layout, typing and navigating on the outer screen feel more natural and even easier than typing out on a regular smartphone.
Inside, the main foldable display is now a generous 8 inches, up from 7.6 inches on the Fold 6. It’s also a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, offering a resolution of 2184x1968 pixels, with full HDR10+ support and the same 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The bezels around both screens have been shaved down, giving the Fold 7 a more immersive look and feel, especially when watching videos on YouTube, where the Fold really came into its own.
Brightness levels are solid across the board. In auto mode, the main screen peaks at 1,408 nits, while the cover screen hits 1,409 nits, making both displays more than capable of handling bright outdoor conditions. While these figures are slightly lower than last year’s model, the difference is minimal in real-world use.
One notable design shift is the return of the hole-punch selfie camera on the inner display. Samsung has moved away from the under-display camera used in the Fold 6, opting for a more traditional cutout that improves image clarity. Honestly, you stop noticing it pretty quickly.
Another important and, in my view, disappointing trade-off is the loss of S Pen support. Due to the phone’s slimmer design and the use of 50% thicker Ultra-Thin Glass reinforced by a titanium lattice, Samsung wasn’t able to include the digitiser required to use the S Pen. It’s a shame, particularly for note-takers and mobile digital artists, but every customer should feel slightly let down by this.
The entire Fold series is perfect for the S Pen, and in my review of the Fold 6, it was one of the best parts of using the device. Samsung should have done more to include it in this launch. However, the upside is a more durable, flatter screen with a reduced crease that’s harder to see and feel compared to previous generations.
Whether you’re using the Fold 7 folded or fully open, both displays feel premium, fluid and very easy to use. The Fold 7 offers one of the best visual experiences you can get on a foldable or any phone really.
Battery life is still playing catch-up
Despite all the clever engineering packed into the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung hasn’t found room for a larger battery. It sticks with the same 4,400mAh cell found in the Z Fold 6, even though the phone itself is thinner than before.
Charging speeds haven’t changed, either: you get 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging — decent, but far behind rivals like the OnePlus 13, which charges at up to 80W.
Samsung says it prioritised thermal management and long-term safety over faster charging or a bigger battery, which is understandable, but it still leaves the Fold 7 trailing many flagship phones in this department.
That said, real-world battery life does show some modest improvements, thanks to the more power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip. I could modestly use it throughout the day, draining about 50% of the battery, slightly better than the Fold 6 provided when I tested it last year. Gaming and call times are up, though web browsing took a hit — likely due to the larger display drawing more power.
You’ll also need to bring your own charging head; Samsung only includes a USB-C cable in the box, which is a bit of an annoyance. A full top-up from 0% takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes. Overall, the Z Fold 7’s battery life is solid for a foldable, but it won’t win any awards. If all-day power is your top priority, a standard phone will still go further and recharge faster.
Powerhouse performance, with a few caveats
The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset makes its debut inside the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and it brings serious muscle. Everyday tasks are a breeze to use: apps launch instantly, multitasking is seamless, and AI features like ‘Now Brief’ run without a hiccup.
Elsewhere, Samsung has kept 12GB RAM rather than upgrading to 16GB, but it’s more than enough in practice. Whether juggling multiple Chrome tabs, switching between apps, or editing photos, the Fold 7 stayed cool and responsive whenever I was using it.
For gaming, the Fold 7 excels. Titles like Nitro Street Run 2 ran flawlessly, with smooth image processing and no stutter when playing intense game modes like Escape the Cops. That said, during extended gaming or heavy camera use, the device does get warm, especially around the rear camera housing, but it never becomes uncomfortable.
The Z Fold 7 is also the first phone to ship with Android 16 and One UI 8, a surprise move that gives it a cutting-edge feel from the jump. The visual design hasn’t changed much from One UI 7, but Samsung has leaned hard into AI upgrades, many of which are tailored for foldables.
New AI features include Multimodal AI enhancements for large screens, contextual voice commands, AI-generated image drag-and-drop, and resizable Gemini snippets that can float or live in split-screen view. You can even activate Circle to Search while gaming — no need to pause to look something up.
FlexCam integration now works with Gemini, letting you stream live camera footage into the AI assistant for context-aware suggestions. For example, it can recommend outfits based on the weather forecast at your destination, which is a quirky but clever use of AI and foldable hardware.
Storage wise you can choose from 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB, but there’s no microSD slot, so pick your storage tier wisely. Samsung also promises seven years of OS and security updates, future-proofing this foldable for the long haul.
Serious camera upgrades, finally
Samsung has finally given its foldable flagship a real camera boost. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 blends its signature hardware with some impactful upgrades, most notably, a leap to the 200MP main sensor, matching the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Edge.
Like previous generations, the Z Fold 7 has five cameras: a triple-lens setup on the back, a front-facing selfie camera on the outer screen, and a new selfie camera inside the main display. No matter how you're holding the device, you're ready to capture the moment.
Main camera: A major step forward
The 200MP main camera is a standout addition, offering quad-pixel autofocus, optical image stabilisation (OIS), and an f/1.7 aperture with an 85° field of view. You can shoot in full 200MP, 50MP, or default 12MP ‘binned’ mode, and the in-app toggle makes switching resolutions easy.
Images are vibrant and detailed, as you can see in the close-up shots I got of some flowers, which is a noticeable upgrade from the Fold 6, even if the S25 Ultra still holds the crown.
The 12MP ultrawide camera returns with some refinements: it now includes dual-pixel autofocus, a dedicated macro mode, and a wide 120° field of view. So you can expect solid results in good lighting, although distortion around the edges still creeps in.
The 10MP telephoto lens offers 3x optical zoom and up to 30x Space Zoom via Samsung's hybrid tech. It delivers sharper shots than before, though zooming beyond 10x still sacrifices detail and the zoom shots I took of some local ducks did come out a bit fuzzy.
Better selfies, smarter design
Samsung's rethink of the selfie setup pays off. The 10MP cover screen selfie camera is sharp and consistent, while the new 10MP hole-punch camera inside the main display replaces the Fold 6’s underwhelming under-display shooter. It now offers a wider 100° field of view, ideal for group shots.
Portrait mode on both selfie cameras has improved but still occasionally struggles with fine edges like hair. Still, overall clarity, colour accuracy, and brightness are better across the board.
Samsung’s new ProVisual Engine, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s Spectra ISP, is responsible for many of the camera improvements. It enhances colour, contrast, and clarity across all sensors.
Video gets a boost, too. The Z Fold 7 supports recording up to 8K at 30fps, with options for 4K at 60fps, and improved HDR+ 10-bit colour. Super Steady mode works well in bright conditions, especially using the ultrawide and main lenses. Overall, video footage is clean, stable, and vibrant — some of the best we’ve seen on a foldable.
Smarter AI features help with everyday tasks
Samsung’s Galaxy AI features carry over from the S25 series, including Photo Assist (for removing or repositioning objects), Portrait Studio, and the newer Suggest Edit tool, which automatically identifies distracting background elements and removes them with a tap. It’s powerful, but can be a little too keen, occasionally erasing things (or people) you'd rather keep.
Audio Eraser has also improved. It’s now better at cutting out background noise like wind or traffic from videos, voice memos, or even phone call recordings. Drawing Assist and Writing Assist are both smoother now too, though finger-drawn sketches still can’t compete with S Pen input, especially for a terrible artist such as myself.
One of the standout additions is Side-by-Side Editing, which lets you compare edits against the original photo in real time. Whether you're applying filters or tweaking exposure, it makes fine-tuning your shots much easier, and you can save both versions.
AI that (finally) plays nice with the big screen
Samsung and Google have clearly worked together to make AI features more intuitive on the Fold’s larger display. The redesigned AI Results View in Google Search now pops into a floating window instead of taking over your screen, and Generative Edit tools can appear in split or pop-out views, letting you reference your original text or images without breaking your flow.
It’s also easier to drag and drop content — like a photo or drawing — between apps, thanks to improved multi-window handling and smarter touch targets.
Circle to Search gets smarter — kind of
Circle to Search now works in games, too. During its launch event, Samsung stated that if you circle something on-screen mid-gameplay, you’ll get relevant tips.
In my testing with the simple game Bubble Shooter, the results weren’t exactly groundbreaking. I was trying to push it to help me solve the level I was on, but instead, it gave me context of what the game was and how to play it more generally.
Circle to Search is still best optimised for YouTube videos, and I found it particularly useful when watching the latest trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash. I circled a random moment in the trailer, and in return, I got a platter of information relating to the character I had circled. It also, more impressively, told me its release date and the best cinemas in London where I could watch it.
The feature is also super handy for images you have taken personally when you are out and about. Any building, shop or restaurant can be snapped and circled to get further information and even reviews.
Gemini Live steps in
Google’s Gemini Live gets a serious upgrade. It now supports real-time visual search, meaning you can point your camera or share your screen and get contextual help from Gemini. In one test, it even diagnosed why my speaker wasn’t working properly. That kind of hands-on help feels futuristic — and genuinely useful.
Top software included
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of the first phones to ship with Android 16 right out of the box, even beating Google’s own Pixel phones to the punch. It also matches Google’s industry-best support promise, with seven years of OS and security updates, which is excellent news for anyone planning to hang onto their phone long-term.
Samsung’s One UI 8 sits on top of Android 16, bringing a mix of familiar multitasking tricks and new AI-powered tools. As always, you can run up to three apps at once, with a fourth floating window. The Edge Panel makes it easy to launch apps or preset app pairs, while the persistent taskbar ensures quick access to favourites. Flex Mode transforms the phone into a tiny laptop for video calls or media playback, and DeX mode turns it into a desktop-style experience when connected to an external display.
Verdict: Samsung finds its Fold again
First and foremost, Samsung is back in stride with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. While it's not without flaws — minimally-improved battery life, slow charging, no S Pen support, and a telephoto camera that doesn't quite impress — the overall package feels far more refined and far more practical for the mass market than in years past.
The main camera is a big step up, the ultrawide is solid, and the new hole-punch selfie cam is finally worth using. Both displays are larger and more balanced, and the phone is noticeably thinner and lighter — making it one of the most pocketable foldables to date. Toss in Android 16 out of the box and seven years of software support, and you’ve got a foldable that’s easier to recommend than ever.
Samsung clearly felt the heat from rising competition and responded with fewer gimmicks and meaningful upgrades to make the phone a usable companion. The Z Fold 7 might not be perfect, but with Apple rumoured to launch its own foldable this year, Samsung has set a high bar for what a foldable can do.
