Galaxy Z Fold 7 is official: it's thinner and meaner than ever, but all that glitters is not gold

Phone Arena

3 days ago

Unveiled at a flashy New York event on today's July 9, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of the phones that we've been after for many months. The reason for our curiosity is that while foldables from China (by brands like Vivo, Honor, Oppo, OnePlus, Huawei, Xiaomi) are impressive (and even outright amazing more often than not), the fact is that Samsung is incredibly popular – and, most importantly, available across the world. Which can't be said about those exotic Far East beasts…
Bigger than ever 8-inch main display : Dynamic AMOLED 2X with Vision Booster and 2,600 nits brightness for vivid viewing.
: Dynamic AMOLED 2X with Vision Booster and 2,600 nits brightness for vivid viewing. Sleek, slim design : Only 8.9 mm folded and 4.2 mm unfolded – Samsung's thinnest foldable yet.
: Only 8.9 mm folded and 4.2 mm unfolded – Samsung's thinnest foldable yet. Snapdragon 8 Elite : Delivers up to 41% faster AI, 38% better CPU, and 26% GPU boost for smooth performance compared to predecessors.
: Delivers up to 41% faster AI, 38% better CPU, and 26% GPU boost for smooth performance compared to predecessors. Camera system : 200 MP wide, 12 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, plus dual front cameras.
: 200 MP wide, 12 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, plus dual front cameras. AI features : Gemini Live, Circle to Search, and AI-powered multitasking optimized for the big screen.
: Gemini Live, Circle to Search, and AI-powered multitasking optimized for the big screen. Stronger, tougher build : New Armor FlexHinge, Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 and reinforced main display.
: New Armor FlexHinge, Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 and reinforced main display. Memory and storage : Up to 16 GB RAM and 1 TB storage for top-tier performance and space.
: Up to 16 GB RAM and 1 TB storage for top-tier performance and space. Battery : 4,272 mAh
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Let's face it – foldables are all about the extra screen space. And the Galaxy Z Fold 7 delivers more than ever on that front. When unfolded, the inner (main) display is now a full 8 inches in diagonal – that's 11% more than that of the previous generation. That's a big plus in my book, personally speaking: the Oppo Find N5, one of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 's main rivals, sports a 8.12-inch inner display.The Dynamic AMOLED 2x main screen should offer vivid colors, deep contrast, and sharp detail: another major big plus for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 . With Vision Booster technology and up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness, the display should remain clear and vibrant even in the great outdoors.The cover screen also receives an upgrade, now measuring 6.5 inches with a wider 21:9 aspect ratio that improves typing, browsing, and overall usability when the phone is folded. Both displays support a smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate for fluid scrolling and responsive touch. The wider aspect ratio of the top screen is another selling point for me, since I generally avoid narrow displays – it's so uncomfy for larger hands like mine.The bigger displays are not just for showing off – that's pure practicality and flexibility. The 8-inch main screen allows users to run multiple apps side by side, edit documents with ease, or enjoy media on a larger canvas without sacrificing portability.
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The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the thinnest foldable by Samsung so far – and it's going toe to toe with the competition. The phone's thickness is on par with what the Oppo Find N5 offers. Now, the Find N5 is across my desk while I type this very article. I don't even have to reach out and grab the Find N5 in my hand to tell you how thin and elegant that thing is. So, the new Z Fold 7 is easily the most elegant Galaxy Z Fold ever, thanks to the super slim chassis.
Only the recently released Honor Magic V5 is thinner than the Z Fold 7 and the Find N5, and certainly not by much – it's 8.8 mm when closed. When folded, the new Galaxy measures just 8.9 mm thick and when unfolded, it's an incredibly slim 4.2 mm. This reduction in thickness makes the device noticeably easier to hold, slide into a pocket, and carry around. Personally, I'm not obsessed with thin phones, but it's an impressive technological advancement nonetheless.
Next, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 weighs 215 grams, which is also admirable: that's less than the weight of the non-folding Galaxy S25 Ultra! As far as colors go, one can opt for: Blue Shadow
Silver Shadow
Jet-black
Mint (exclusive for the samsung.com official site) I love black tech, but for a bijou like this one, I'd probably go for the blue variant. Just sayin'.
Image by PhoneArena At the heart of the improvements is the brand-new Armor FlexHinge, which has been engineered to be slimmer, smoother and stronger at the same time. The thinner, lighter Armor FlexHinge features a new multi-rail structure and water droplet design that reduce creasing and evenly distribute stress to improve strength.Durability is taken further with the Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 for the cover display, which embeds crystals within the glass. The goal is better durability and crack resistance – that's a pretty important thing for me, actually.The frame and hinge housing are reinforced with Advanced Armor Aluminum, increasing strength and hardness. The main screen may be both thinner and lighter, but it's said to be stronger due to a titanium plate layer and a 50% thicker Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG), resulting in a tougher display overall.
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Those who are after the best mobile performance won't be let down, as the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is powered by a specially optimized Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, designed to enhance on-device AI tasks such as real-time language translation and generative editing.Compared to its predecessor, this chipset offers significant performance improvements, with a 41% boost in neural processing, 38% in CPU, and 26% in GPU, enabling smoother and faster AI experiences without sacrificing power. The device comes with three memory and storage options: 16 GB RAM with 1 TB storage
12 GB RAM with 512 GB storage
12 GB RAM with 256 GB storage
Sadly, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 features a 4,272 mAh battery, which is what the Z Fold 6 offered. The Snapdragon 8 Elite should squeeze a longer screen time because of its better power efficiency, but those numbers are far from impressive. For reference, the Find N5 packs a 5,600 mAh cell, while the magical Magic V5 tops that with its 6,100 mAh capacity battery. Samsung really needs to up its battery game.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 introduces new protections for on-device AI, enhanced cross-device threat detection, and improved network security through quantum-resistant encryption.
With One UI 8 – the operating system that the foldable launches with – Samsung debuts Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection (KEEP), which creates app-specific encrypted storage within the device's secure area, ensuring each app can access only its own sensitive data. Samsung is also expanding its Knox Matrix system to offer more proactive, user-friendly protection across its ecosystem of devices. In addition, Secure Wi-Fi now features post-quantum cryptography to safeguard key exchanges, reinforcing privacy even on public networks.
Image by PhoneArena The Galaxy Z Fold 7 , as any other flagship – be it foldable or not – is heavy on the AI front.
Galaxy AI is brought to the foldable display, offering smarter, more intuitive experiences designed for efficiency and creativity. Powered by the new One UI 8 on Android 16, the phone easily combines multitasking with AI tools that are meant to understand what users type, say, and see. The expansive screen reduces the need to switch between apps, allowing for smoother productivity and creativity in one space. That's a big plus if you're always multitasking. Enhanced AI features include Gemini Live, which now supports multimodal interaction – users can type, speak, or show content to receive instant, context-aware responses. Screen sharing and camera sharing with Gemini make it easier to get real-time insights without interruptions. Circle to Search delivers instant gaming tips or information directly on-screen without disrupting gameplay.
Furthermore, Galaxy AI is optimized for large screens with features like AI Results View, Drag & Drop of AI-generated content, and creative tools such as Drawing Assist and Writing Assist, offering a fluid, enhanced user experience.
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The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is equipped with multiple cameras. On the cover screen, there is a 10 MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture, 1.12μm pixel size, and an 85° field of view. The main front camera also features 10 MP resolution, an f/2.2 aperture, slightly wider 100° field of view, and the same pixel size for clear, sharp selfies.On the back, the device boasts a respectable triple camera setup. The 200 MP main camera offers Quad Pixel autofocus, optical image stabilization (OIS), a large and bright f/1.7 aperture, and an 85° field of view for day-to-day shots. The 12 MP ultra-wide camera expands the perspective with a 120° field of view, Dual Pixel autofocus, and an f/2.2 aperture, but the total megapixel count is not something to write home about.Completing the trio is a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, OIS, and AI Super Resolution for up to 30x Space Zoom, though image clarity may decrease beyond 3x zoom. For reference, the Find N5 packs a 50 MP 3x telephoto camera on its back.Here, we have Samsung's next-generation ProVisual Engine that enhances image processing speed, making photos and videos sharper, more vibrant, and rich in detail. Night Video technology uses intelligent motion detection to distinguish moving subjects from static backgrounds, helping to minimize noise in low-light recordings. Additionally, 10-bit HDR adds greater color depth for videos with more vivid colors and deeper contrast. However, once we conduct our own in-house tests, we'll confirm (or deny) these claims by Samsung.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is expensive – so, what else do you need to know about it?
Joking aside, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be available for pre-order starting July 9, with general availability beginning July 25.
The price for the blue, black and silver variants is $1999.99, which is a whole $100 more than the launch price of its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Those who insist on having the latest and greatest Samsung foldable have no alternative but to pay the higher price: but if you're just entering the wonderful realm of foldables, is that your best shot?For me, the battery is the biggest drawback – ~4,300 mAh is just not enough for me, software optimizations or not. Don't get me wrong. Samsung has finally produced a sleek foldable – yeah, it does look good – but there's the 10 MP telephoto camera issue as well. I expect a 50 MP sensor for the dedicated 3x snapper, and that's not too much to ask for.
As I said above, I'm not obsessed with super thin phones, so if I had some extra money to spend on foldables – and if I had to stick with the Galaxy galaxy for whatever reason – I could give the Galaxy Z Fold 6 a second (and then a third) look. Who knows, maybe there'll be a massive discount soon. Oh, look, it's the Galaxy Z Fold 6 on a $900 discount!