Four folding phones that I hope the Galaxy Z Fold 7 emulates

Digital Trends

a day ago

Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Galaxy Unpacked in under two weeks, but it will face intense competition from key folding phone rivals on the global stage, despite being the thinnest and lightest Samsung folding phone to date.
The Oppo Find N5 is currently the world's thinnest folding phone, but it's set to be surpassed by the new Honor Magic V5. Unlike the former, the Honor is expected to launch in many global markets that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is likely to target as well.
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Then there's China, the world's biggest smartphone market. Folding phones are most popular in Asia, and China is a key market for every phone maker. It is also the most fiercely competitive market, with many folding phones only launched in China.
Here are four phones that I hope the Galaxy Z Fold 7 emulates and why.
Vivo X Fold 5: Battery, Cameras, and Apple integration
This is the newest official device on our list, as Vivo unveiled the X Fold 5 just two days ago in China. This is a China-only release for now, but unlike previous versions, it's also expected to make a debut outside China, this time in India.
There's good reason that strategy will likely be successful: the Vivo X Fold 5 is the best value-for-money folding phone on this list. In China, it's priced at CN¥6,999, or approximately $976, which is hundreds of dollars less than its key rivals.
For that, you get an excellent specs sheet that includes an 8-inch main display, a 6.53-inch Cover Display, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor paired with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM and between 256GB and 1TB of storage. There are three 50MP cameras, including a periscope telephoto offering 3x optical zoom.
All of this is powered by a 6,000 mAh battery, the largest of any book-style folding phone to date. I hope Samsung copies Vivo — and many other phone makers, including Motorola — by adopting Silicon Carbon battery technology, as higher density means bigger batteries in the same physical space. The Vivo X Fold 5 also features 80W wired charging and 40W wireless, both of which are faster than the current Galaxy Z Fold 6.
The most interesting Vivo X Fold 5 feature is the reported integration with Apple devices. Vivo claims that it's the first Android phone to support the Apple Watch. Once paired with an iPhone, a future update for Vivo will enable the phone to update health information, display notifications, and receive or make calls and texts.
Vivo goes even further, though: the X Fold 5 will also work seamlessly with AirPods and can be paired with an iPhone, so all your calls, texts, and notifications from your iPhone are mirrored on the Vivo. There's also deep integration with Macs, allowing you to use the X Fold 5 as an extended screen, similar to the iPad with Sidecar. Vivo's software also offers a Big Screen Experience, allowing you to run up to five apps simultaneously, with file transfer support across these apps via drag-and-drop functionality.
Samsung supporting the iPhone and Apple ecosystem would be a great way to tempt users to switch, especially with the rumored iPhone Fold still a year away. The Vivo won't make its way to the US, so Samsung could bring this feature to the US for the first time as well.
Honor Magic V3 / V5: Thinnest and Lightest foldable
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is expected to be one of the thinnest phones on the market, but Honor kickstarted this trend with the Magic V2, which was 4.7mm when unfolded. A year later, the Magic V3 pushed the boundaries further to 4.35mm, and the Magic V5 is expected to be even thinner.
The latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 rumors suggest that Samsung's new foldable may be even thinner than the Honor when unfolded at 3.9mm, or it might be roughly similar in thickness, at 4.2mm. Regardless, Samsung is set to follow in these footsteps, which is a welcome improvement from the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is 5.6mm thick when folded and 12.1mm thick when unfolded.
As folding phones have gotten thinner, they haven't dropped as much in weight, and most folding phones are at least 20-30 grams heavier than the best phones. However, the Magic V5 is expected to be the lightest folding phone yet, which will help push the industry further in this direction.
Oppo Find N5: Design, Stylus, Open Canvas, and Battery
Following the Magic V3, Oppo unveiled the world's thinnest foldable, the Find N5, earlier this year. However, this was not before they disappointed customers by announcing that it wouldn't come to the US as the OnePlus Open 2, as was originally expected. The reason is unclear, but it is rumored to be due to the price, with the Find N5 the most expensive foldable on this list.
That's not a bad thing, as the Find N5 is currently the best folding phone you can buy. It has the ultra-thin design, and at 4.21mm thick when unfolded, it's stunningly beautiful in the hand. However, the Find N5 offers more than just pretty looks, with a specs sheet that wouldn't be out of place in any flagship.
This includes the largest main display on a folding phone, measuring 8.12 inches, and a triple camera setup featuring two 50MP cameras, including a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. It's powered by the 7-core version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB or 1TB of storage.
Despite its thin body, the Find N5 manages to pack a 5,600 mAh Silicon-Carbon battery with 80W charging, which can charge it to full in just 50 minutes. For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is almost twice as slow, as despite a smaller 4,400 mAh battery, the 45W charging takes around 100 minutes to charge to full.
The Find N5 also follows Samsung's lead with stylus support, but, like Samsung, it's not embedded within the device. However, Oppo managed to beat the current Galaxy Z Fold series by enabling Oppo Pen support on both the front and main screens, whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 6 only supports the S-Pen on the main screen. I'm not sure how many people use the S-Pen with the Galaxy Z Fold series, but I hope the Galaxy Z Fold 7 finally supports the S-Pen on both screens.
The Find N5 also features the innovative Open Canvas multitasking feature, which transforms the large main screen into a virtual canvas, allowing you to run three apps in full size, free from the boundaries of the physical screen size. It's incredibly innovative, and I would love for Samsung to introduce an evolved version of its excellent multitasking that incorporates a virtualization feature, similar to the Oppo Find N5.
The key Galaxy Z Fold 7 rumors
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is widely expected to be the biggest update to the Fold lineup in years, and Samsung has confirmed as much with its tease of the new Ultra foldable experience. We've already rounded up all the key features of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but the biggest changes are expected to be in the camera, displays, and build.
The two displays are expected to be larger, with Samsung adopting a wider form factor that's more akin to the best folding phones, such as the Google Pixel Fold. The main display should increase to around 8.2 inches, making it the biggest of any folding phone yet, and bigger than the latest iPad Mini.
The main camera is also expected to receive an upgrade, with Samsung opting to use a 200MP camera, similar to the one found in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Presumably, this will be the same 200MP sensor found in the Galaxy S25 Edge, which is approximately 20% smaller to accommodate the thin design.
As mentioned above, the key selling point of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is likely to be its significantly thinner and lighter design compared to previous devices. Will there be any major trade-offs? I'm not sure, but I'm already giddy with excitement for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The next two weeks can't pass fast enough.