Lately, most tech companies have offered chipset upgrades in terms of major changes between generations of any phone. Meaningful hardware updates? That’s what Samsung has aimed for with Galaxy Z Fold7, which doesn’t look anything like we have seen from the company’s foldable range.
Who is Galaxy Z Fold7 for?
The changes that have come to Galaxy Z Fold7 will cut three ways. If you’re not generally interested in the tech world but want something that catches the eye, this would be the phone.
Second, anyone waiting for years to upgrade to a phone that looks and feels different may consider this one.
Third, those using rival Android brands or even iOS, for that matter, you may want to take a look at the new Fold7, which is a head-turner.
Galaxy Z Fold7 is an ultra-thin, high-performing phone, something we have not seen in a long time. One may argue that the Huawei Mate XT trifold is gorgeous. The novelty of the Chinese brand will wear off once you read that it uses the Kirin 9010 7nm processor, which is miles behind what Samsung or Apple has to offer. Second, with access to the finest processors stymied, the likes of Huawei will find it difficult to market phones; besides, the software doesn’t get regular and long-term updates. Plus, the UI is often a mixed bag.
By slimming down the Fold7 and levelling up the cameras, the book-style phone is now a mainstream form factor
Do thinner and lighter phones matter?
There are two ways to look at this debate. First, is the phone in question tightening the belt while decreasing battery size? The battery in Galaxy Z Fold7 is the same 4,400mAh as in last year’s Fold6, with two big updates. One update involves One UI 8 based on Android 16 out of the box, meaning battery usage has been optimised to the point you get more kick out of it, that is, much more than a day’s worth of usage.
Second, being lighter at only 215g (compare it with 239g on Fold6 and 227g on iPhone 16 Pro Max), you will feel like using the phone more and holding it longer without fatigue. Companies have tried making phones slimmer in the past, but it has meant poor battery life, which is not the case here. Also, there is zero chance of the Fold7 bending — if you tend to keep it in the back pocket —because of the sturdy chassis.
Unfolded, the phone is only 4.2mm deep and folded, it is 8.9mm. The hinge and chassis have been re-engineered to achieve the slim factor. Be it closed or open, the phone is equally usable in both states, thanks to the aspect ratio. When it unfolds, it is one of the best “mini tablets” that you can buy, offering a screen size of eight inches. Samsung has even improved the usage aspect when unfolded. Some foldable phones are shorter, which may appear to be easy on the hand, but when opened, they may not offer the best experience. Others are taller and thinner, which may not be ideal folded. Samsung has gone with an aspect ratio that makes the phone better to use closed or open.
Flagship all the way
So far, a big challenge for foldable phones has been flagship cameras. Samsung has worked in this department to offer something worthy of flagship phones — a 200MP main camera kept company by a 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP (3x) telephoto. It is a true flagship-grade camera even if you pixel peep. The majority of your photos are going to come from the main camera. The 12MP ultra-wide is good, but on a slim phone, you can only go that far.
Overall, there is more texture in the photos, the dynamic range has improved and it ties in with the larger picture — some of the main limitations of foldable phones in the past have been tackled.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 packs a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip. It comes out of the box with One UI 8 and Android 16
Perhaps the only drawback of the phone is the camera module, which sticks out a bit and makes the phone wobble (unless you put on a back cover) when kept on a flat surface. Having Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy matters. One wouldn’t be surprised if this special Galaxy chip outsells the usual Snapdragon 8 Elite in the long run.
Having used the phone for a few days, everything works blazing fast. Helping performance is 12 gigs of RAM, and if you purchase the 1TB version, there is 16 gigs of RAM. Every Samsung AI feature you can think of runs smoothly on the device.
Speaking of AI, there are enough tools to keep you busy. Agreed, some of them will get used once in a while, but all of them are useful. The list of Galaxy AI features include Call Assist (get real-time translation during voice calls), Writing Assist (get tools to compose, organise, and improve text, plus chat translation and suggested replies to text messages), Interpreter (live translation of spoken conversations available as voice or text output), Note Assist (auto format, summaries, spell check, and translate text; transcribe and summarise recordings), Transcribe Assist (transcribe voice and call recordings into text, then summarise them for easy review), Browsing Assist (summaries of webpages, translate text and images, hear summarised webpages read aloud), Photo Assist (reimagine images with AI), Drawing Assist (transform simple sketches into art, create images from text description), Audio Eraser (eliminate distracting noise from videos and audio recordings), Now Brief (get a personalised briefing with suggested content and actions that change throughout the day) and Health Assist.
Pictures have a good texture and just the right level of HDR
One of the most important features is Process Data Only On Device. Once you turn this toggle on, you can prevent the collection and processing of your data for Galaxy AI’s advanced intelligence features.
Quibble? Most of the AI features need to be toggled on manually, so that’s an extra step you need to take. Whatever your feelings about AI, Samsung’s implementation hits a sweet spot, especially the image editor feature involving unwanted objects — it does the best job in the market.
Make the call
A couple of things to note. There is no S Pen support. Adding a slot to the phone would have been one answer but maybe people are using it more with the Galaxy S25 phone. By getting rid of the digitising layer, the company has achieved a thinner form factor.
Samsung is playing it safe in the battery department by not going the silicon-carbon way, which can pack in more juice.
Apart from these two points, the phone is 26 per cent thinner. It is nothing less than a leap beyond two generations of a device. Being taller and wider when folded makes the phone highly usable. It also makes the inner screen — at eight inches — bigger and justifiable to have a folding phone. The cover panel now measures 6.5 inches with a 2520 x 1080p resolution compared to the Fold 6’s 6.3-inch, 968 x 2376p screen. So, it feels like a normal phone when it’s closed.
Samsung has ditched the under-display selfie camera… It’s a good move because video calls now look crisper.
With 200 MP on the main camera, you can shoot pictures at maximum megapixel quality, and crop in to reveal detail that’s unprecedented at the Z Fold level
A luxury product indeed. The difference with past Folds is staggering to the point that you will soon feel that this is the new normal. The Galaxy Z Fold7 paves the path for the future of foldable phones. Getting seven years of OS and security updates emphasises long-term usage. If seven generations ago Samsung helped kickstart an interest in foldables, the company now has paved the road for making the form factor the default for many users.
At a glance
Device: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
Price: Upwards of ₹1,74,999
High notes
- Thinner and lighter, making it a usable form factor
- Excellent battery life of at least a day
- Flagship-grade cameras
- Plenty of meaningful AI features included at zero cost
- Long-term software and security upgrades
- Sturdy chassis and display
Muffled note
- No S Pen support