Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Review: The North Star of Foldables

With the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung has as soon as once more demonstrated its capacity to reinvent the foldable section. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 was an amazing machine, but it surely adopted a design language that did not really feel like an improve over its predecessor. Samsung, throughout closed-door briefings for the Fold 7, claimed that it nearly made the brand new foldable from the bottom up. And, the second you maintain the Fold 7 and 6 concurrently in your arms, you possibly can see for your self the large distinction. Whereas after all, the modern profile is the largest spotlight of the Fold 7, the upgrades do not cease there.

Aside from being thinner and lighter than its predecessor, the Fold 7 includes a cowl display improve that permits you to use it like a daily bar telephone, offering extra display actual property. Even the inside show receives a bump in dimension, matching that of a small-screen pill. After all, the digital camera will get an enormous improve over the Fold 6, which we’ll break down in our digital camera part. Samsung hasn’t simply stored the surprises restricted to {hardware}, but additionally on the software program aspect.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is amongst a handful of units that launch with One UI 8 based mostly on Android 16 out of the field. Sure, the brand new Pixel launch continues to be a number of days away on the time of penning this assessment, however we will expertise the newest OS on a non-Pixel machine. Nonetheless, one other bump Samsung has handed on the Fold 7 is in pricing, from the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s launch value of Rs. 164,999 (for the 12GB + 256GB variant). You’ll have to shell out Rs. 1,74,999 for the 12GB + 256GB variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The highest-of-the-line variant, that includes 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, is priced at Rs. 2,16,999. Sure, the Fold 7 is at present the one smartphone in India that exceeds the Rs. 2 lakh threshold. A feat I wasn’t able to see this 12 months!

Pricing apart, is the Galaxy Z Fold 7 the best and greatest foldable machine Samsung has but produced? Let me reply that on this assessment.

The Fold 7, very similar to different premium Samsung telephones, would not ship with a charger

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Design: Skinny is in

• Dimensions – 158.4×143.2×4.2mm
• Weight – 215 grams
• IP Ranking – IP48

Samsung has nailed the design this 12 months. The corporate has simply resolved the largest ache level, which was associated to the book-style foldables – thickness. At 4.2mm (unfolded), the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the slimmest foldable obtainable in India. At 215 grams, the Fold 7 is lighter than some non-folding units on sale in India. To place some context, the Fold 7 is lighter than the iPhone 16 Professional Max (227 grams) and even the Vivo X Fold 5 (217 grams), its closest rival. In actual fact, it’s lighter than the Galaxy S25 Extremely (218 grams). Now you possibly can think about how extremely light-weight Fold 7 is.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 weighs 215 grams

Leaping to the hinge, which is the spine of a foldable machine. This 12 months, Samsung has revamped the hinge and launched a brand new Armour FlexHinge, which the corporate claimed in its keynote presentation is compact and considerably extra sturdy than the one seen on the Fold 6. Due to the brand new hinge design, the crease is generally invisible throughout common use until you begin being nitpicky. With the brand new hinge design, the machine does, in its preliminary days, really feel tighter and will get powerful to open typically – particularly when you’ve sweaty arms. One other factor that immediately caught my consideration was the sides of the telephone. It tends to dig into your palms with common use, and a curved remedy would have been extra appropriate. A workaround for that is to make use of a case that resolves the difficulty.

Samsung says that the up to date Armour aluminium within the body and hinge housing will increase power and hardness by 10%

For cover, Samsung has used Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the quilt show whereas the again panel will get Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The aluminium armour feels premium in hand, and, after all, provides sufficient confidence whereas in day by day use. In comparison with the Fold 6, the Fold 7 is now wider and taller in design – and belief me, each these parts influence on a regular basis utilization in a great way. Now you can use the quilt display of the Fold 7 as a daily telephone. The facility button integrates a fingerprint scanner, making it handy to make use of and simply accessible whereas utilizing the Fold 7 with only one hand. The amount rocker buttons are additionally straightforward to achieve when utilizing with only one hand and are additionally tactile sufficient. The Fold 7, nevertheless, is a really slippery machine, and at instances, I needed to be additional cautious when taking it out of my pocket or choosing it up from the desk.

The quilt display on the Fold 7 (on the appropriate) visibly appears greater than the one on the Fold 6 (on the left)

On the again, the Fold 7 takes inspiration from the Fold 6, however upon nearer inspection, you realise that the digital camera housings at the moment are protruding greater than in its predecessor, to such an extent that the Fold 7 wobbles on a flat floor when positioned with the show going through upwards. For water ingress safety, Samsung has added an IP48 score. Sadly, the Fold 7 nonetheless would not get a mud safety score, which suggests you’ll have to take further care of this expensive machine.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 8.9 mm in thickness when folded and 4.2 mm when unfolded

In India, the Fold 7 is offered in Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, and Jet Black colors. I obtained the Blue Shadow for this assessment, and it is without doubt one of the most placing colors. General, the Fold 7 is an improve that feels leaps and bounds forward of the Fold 6 in additional methods than your eyes can see.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Show: Strong improve

• Show – Primary: 8-inch foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X with 1968×2184 pixels, 2600nits, 368PPI, 120Hz
• Cowl: 6.5-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X with 1080×2520 pixels, 422PPI
• Further options – Titanium plate layer for show assist

The shows on the Fold 7 have acquired an improve, and that makes the foldable preferrred to be used as a bar telephone. Beginning with the quilt show, the Fold 7 includes a 6.5-inch display, in comparison with the Fold 6’s 6.3-inch display. The decision has additionally been upgraded, now providing 1080×2520 pixels and a 422 PPI pixel density. It options an LTPO AMOLED display and consists of all of the modern-day options, similar to a 120Hz refresh price and HDR10+ assist.

The telephone provides 2600 nits of peak brightness

Leaping to the inside show, Samsung has massively bumped the display dimension from 7.6 inches to eight inches on the Fold 7. This implies you’ve a show as massive as an 8-inch pill. It’s a foldable LTPO OLED panel that includes a 120Hz refresh price, HDR10+ assist, 368 PPI, and a decision of 1968×2184 pixels. You additionally get HDR streaming on Netflix, YouTube and different OTT platforms. Samsung has as soon as once more dropped Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist, but it surely’s unlikely that you’re going to discover the distinction in day-to-day utilization. It helps peak brightness of 2600nits.

The 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x inside show provides wealthy distinction, true blacks and vibrant particulars

Each shows are shiny sufficient for use beneath direct daylight and supply crisp photographs and sharp textual content. The Fold 7 is a enjoyable machine for all media consumption, whether or not for gaming, binge-watching, or studying. With two shows, the consumer has the liberty to decide on the facet ratio and display dimension by which they need to eat media on the Fold 7—a alternative that your common machine would not supply.

General, the shows on the Fold 7 elevate the consumer expertise, providing a greater facet ratio and display dimension. The standard, doubtless, is among the many greatest I’ve seen on a foldable currently.

Each shows keep dazzlingly seen even in direct daylight

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Digital camera: Impressed by the very best

• 200-megapixel major sensor with f/1.7 aperture, PDAF, OIS
• 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with PDAF, f/2.4 and 3x optical zoom
• 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 and twin pixel PDAF
• Cowl selfie digital camera – 10-megapixel sensor
• Primary – 10-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture
• Video assist – 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 120fps

The digital camera division on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will get the largest replace. First up, it will get the identical major sensor because the Galaxy S25 Extremely and S25 Edge – a 200-megapixel ISOCELL HP2 with PDAF, OIS, and f/1.7 aperture. The 12-megapixel Sony IMX564 ultrawide digital camera is identical as final 12 months, however one essential addition is autofocus assist, which was lacking on its predecessor. There’s additionally a devoted 10-megapixel telephoto (3x) Samsung ISOCELL 3K1 sensor with PDAF and f/2.4 aperture. Each selfie cameras have additionally acquired a minor replace, now that includes a 10-megapixel Sony IMX374 sensor on the quilt and inside show. Samsung, nevertheless, selected to stay with fastened focus for some motive.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 options the primary 200-megapixel major digital camera within the Galaxy Z sequence

Leaping straight to real-world efficiency, the first digital camera is the Fold 7’s largest power. As I discussed within the efficiency part, the upgrades on the newest foldable make it a real flagship. The 200-megapixel sensor can take some beautiful daylight photographs with considerable particulars and correct colors. The sharpness is on level, and the dynamic vary is superb. The pores and skin tones and textures additionally come out nicely on the first digital camera. The 2x pictures from the first digital camera are additionally respectable, and we do not see a lot element loss. Even the portrait pictures come out nicely with good topic isolation and a great quantity of blur—some samples beneath in your reference.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 daylight samples (faucet to see bigger picture)

Switching to the telephoto digital camera (3x), the Fold 7 proves to be a succesful shooter, boasting a strong setup for zoom pictures. In daylight, the telephoto manages to seize loads of particulars.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 telephoto (3x) samples (faucet to see bigger picture)

The zoom efficiency of the Fold 7 can be respectable, though the digital zoom is primarily unusable, and you shouldn’t exceed 10x. Like within the photographs beneath, you possibly can see the zoom efficiency of the Fold 7

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 telephoto (3x) pattern (faucet to see bigger picture)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 10x pattern (faucet to see bigger picture)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 20x zoom pattern (faucet to see bigger picture)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 30x pattern (faucet to see bigger picture)

The ultrawide digital camera with autofocus assist has been an amazing addition to the Fold 7, one thing I missed on the Fold 6. The dynamic vary is nice, and particulars are respectable. The color accuracy and sharpness are additionally good, and you’ll test some samples beneath. Nonetheless, the ultrawide sensor is not nearly as good as the first digital camera, which should not come as a shock.

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 ultrawide digital camera samples (faucet to see bigger picture)

For selfies, the Fold 7 provides twin cameras – one on the quilt display and one other on the inside show. Each are succesful, and you’ll not be disenchanted. The pores and skin tones are captured nicely, and there are sufficient particulars. The daylight selfies are top-notch, whereas low-light selfies lose some particulars, and a few quantity of grain can be seen within the selfies.

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 indoor digital camera samples (faucet to see bigger picture)

Transferring on to the low-light efficiency of the Fold 7, I am not as impressed as I’m with the S25 Extremely, but it surely nonetheless excels within the foldable class. The main points drop a bit in pitch-dark circumstances, whereas color accuracy can be barely off. A few of the night time samples I clicked got here out as smooth and had loads of noise. Nonetheless, the digital camera does justice when there is a mild supply round and it type of nails the body with correct colors, a great quantity of particulars, higher white stability, and managed noise. The telephoto and ultrawide samples in low mild are not so good as the first digital camera, however are usable in your social media uploads.

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 low-light digital camera samples (faucet to see bigger picture)

This 12 months, Samsung has additionally upped the ante in terms of video high quality. It could actually report as much as 8K at 30 frames per second (fps) with the first digital camera. It could actually additionally report slow-motion movies at 240fps in Full HD and 120fps in Full HD. For skilled customers, the corporate has added the Galaxy Log video function, which lets you obtain these movies to your system and carry out color grading. There’s additionally an AI Audio Eraser function on the Fold 7 that can allow you to regulate volumes of various parts within the video. The video high quality is superb from the first digital camera.

General, the Galaxy Fold 7 is a huge leap by way of cameras for the Samsung line-up and places it subsequent to the very best – Galaxy S25 Extremely.

The telephone sports activities a 10-megapixel 100-degree digital camera on the principle show that expands the body

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Efficiency: Lastly, a foldable that looks like a flagship

• Processor – Snapdragon 8 Elite
• RAM and storage – 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB, 16GB + 1 TB
• OS – Android 16 based mostly One UI 8

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 options the top-tier processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, which has been seen in Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Extremely this 12 months. Day by day duties are dealt with easily, and there are not any points with multitasking. The app opens tremendous shortly, and switching between apps is easy. Whereas Samsung is not pushing the Fold 7 as a gaming machine, this foldable is a really succesful one.

The Galaxy Z Fold7 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, which additionally powers the Galaxy S25 Extremely

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is offered in three RAM and storage configurations: 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage, 12GB of RAM with 512GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM with 1TB of storage. Samsung ought to have supplied a 16GB RAM choice for all SKUs, contemplating the substantial price ticket. Samsung makes use of LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 on the Fold 7. To supply a greater perspective, I ran our suite of artificial benchmark apps, and the outcomes are beneath, in comparison with the Fold 6.

Benchmark	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Cowl/ Primary)	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Cowl/ Primary)	Pixel 9 Professional Fold (Cowl/Primary)
AnTuTu v10	1,820,509 / 1,845,876	1,642,118 / 1,695,896	11,15,037 / 10,65,151
PCMark Work 3.0	15,854 / 16,187	18,688 / 18,460	13,686 / 12,744
Geekbench 6 Single	1,784/ 1,923	2,216/ 2,197	1,872 / 1,651
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,239/ 8,798	6,725/ 6,689	3,734 / 3,971
GFXB T-rex (fps)	120 / 120	120 / 120	120 / 119
GFXB Manhattan 3.1 (fps)	120 / 120	120 / 120	119 / 86
GFXB Automotive Chase (fps)	119 / 119	119 / 119	78 / 49
3DM Slingshot Excessive OpenGL ES 3.1	Maxed Out / Maxed Out	Maxed Out / Maxed Out	Maxed Out / Maxed Out
3DM Slingshot	Maxed Out / Maxed Out	Maxed Out / Maxed Out	Maxed Out / Maxed Out
3DM Wild Life	16,474 / 16,742	15,678 / 15,210	8,683 / Maxed Out
3DM Wild Life Stress Check	18,871 / 18,336	18,786 / 17,898	8,948 / 9,273

The foldable does get heat whereas gaming and when utilizing the telephone for prolonged intervals, similar to for navigation or when the digital camera app is in use. However it by no means reaches some extent the place it turns into too heat to deal with.

The audio system on the Fold 7 aren’t very loud, however are adequate to fill a medium-sized room, and the readability is there. Calls on the telephone are respectable, with no name drops because of community points or the handset’s incapacity to latch on to networks. I examined the Fold 7 for 5G on Airtel and Jio networks, and it really works with no sweat. One of many strengths of the Fold 7 is its capacity to latch onto a cell community in areas with restricted connectivity, similar to basements or inside elevators.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 runs One UI 8 on Android 16 out of the field

Due to the slim profile and an prolonged facet ratio, the Fold 7’s cowl display can be utilized as a daily telephone, and I had a good time typing lengthy emails, texts, and even doing a little mild photograph enhancing on apps like Canva. In the actual world, the Fold 7 is mild years forward of the Fold 6, which was powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Leaping to the software program aspect, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is amongst a handful of Samsung units launching earlier than the brand new Pixels with Android 16. That is one thing we do not usually see, however that is additionally Samsung for you. The One UI 8 relies on Android 16. Speaking concerning the interface on the whole, the One UI 8 would not convey ground-breaking modifications, as One UI 7 final 12 months already launched large upgrades.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 customers might be among the many first to get entry to expertise Android 16

Very similar to Android 16, which focuses on enhancing the under-the-hood points of the UI, One UI 8 additionally brings minor modifications, together with an improved split-screen multitasking function (90:10 from the sooner 70:30 break up). The Now Bar and Now Temporary are a part of One UI 8 and might be rolled out to all appropriate units. The Now temporary will present personalised briefings with recommended content material and actions that replace in real-time, relying on the time of day you test. It sits on the Dwelling display and is a pleasant contact. The Reminder app has additionally undergone an overhaul and can function a companion app for planning your subsequent household vacation. It could actually additionally take your to-do lists and drop you reminders on time. The Fast Share has additionally acquired some upgrades, making it straightforward to share recordsdata with only one faucet.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 brings AI options like Gemini Stay, Picture Help, Portrait Studio, Audio Eraser, and Circle to Search, amongst others

After all, there may be the same old AI suite of options, together with Name Help, Writing Help, Interpreter, Notice Help, Transcript Help, Shopping Help, Picture Help, Drawing Help, Audio Eraser, Picture Ambient Wallpaper, and Well being Help.

The digital camera app additionally receives useful additions that allow you to swipe up or down to change between rear and entrance cameras. The default looking app has additionally acquired an replace that shows all choices for sharing and different options within the menu. General, One UI 8 is a pleasant replace for Samsung customers, and it turns out to be useful on the Fold 7.

Samsung claims that the principle show has been redesigned to be thinner, lighter, but stronger

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Battery: Usual, standard

• Battery – 4400mAh unit
• Charging assist – 25W wired and 15W wi-fi
• Charging pace – 50% in half-hour

If there may be one division that utterly missed the improve cycle on the Fold 7, it needs to be the battery. The telephone packs the identical 4,400mAh battery, which, on paper, seems to be on the decrease aspect when in comparison with new-age flagships launched this 12 months. The charging pace is once more an Achilles’ heel for the Fold 7, capped at 25W.

There’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the again of the Fold 7

In real-world utilization, the Fold 7 lasts a couple of day with a full cost and provides a screen-on time of over 5 hours. I most popular a barely higher battery backup. The great factor is that Samsung now provides a variety of granular controls for battery settings, permitting you to restrict charging to 80% or barely extra.

When folded, the Galaxy Fold 7 can be utilized with only one hand with ease

For charging, the Fold 7 takes roughly half-hour to cost to 50%, whereas a full cost (0-100%) takes round 80-90 minutes. That is on the decrease aspect, and I want Samsung may have acknowledged this concern.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Verdict

This 12 months, Samsung has made certain that its Fold 7 comes out as a strong bundle combining energy and panache. It provides top-tier specs in a fantastically crafted, modern physique that may flip heads. It includes a top-tier processor that ensures uncompromising efficiency, after which there is a large digital camera improve that brings the very best from the Galaxy S25 Extremely. The One UI 8, based mostly on Android 16 with 7 years of software program assist, is the very best you will get on any Android machine in the intervening time. The light-weight and modern design is the USP of the machine, fixing the foldable conundrum that has been there for years.

The Fold 7 begins at Rs. 174,999 and goes as much as Rs. 216,999

After all, there are a number of ache factors, such because the charging pace now feeling dated, and I want Samsung had acknowledged it this 12 months. The battery efficiency is not one thing that units a benchmark, and with the lacking S Pen assist, the Fold loses its appeal as a real multitasking machine. Not skipping the worth bump, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an costly machine, very similar to its predecessor.

The upgraded Armour FlexHinge is thinner and lighter, because of a newly carried out multi-rail construction that reduces seen creasing

For alternate options, the Galaxy S25 Extremely is a strong contender for the Fold 7, if anybody desires a non-folding machine. The Vivo X Fold 5 is the closest rival within the book-style folding section. Within the coming days, we will anticipate the brand new Pixel Fold from Google to hitch the foldables league.