When Samsung became the first major manufacturer to introduce book-style foldables, few could have guessed that most of the technical hurdles that seemed to stand between the form factor and mainstream acceptance would be solved, more or less, by today’s review device Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7.
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Devices that are flat-folding, water resistant, and as slim and light as a non-foldable device seemed like some years away back in 2019. And just six years later, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 pushes the engineering envelope to achieve those last two pieces of the puzzle.
Refined Elegance in Blue
Visually, Fold7 is undeniably sleek. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 knows its form factor is inherently cool so it sticks with a muted and minimalist design. Our review unit wears its Blue Shadow well, a deep electric tone that doesn’t dazzle.
The three-lens camera setup sits on a colour-matched island. The linear layout is blended into the device with rounded edges on the camera island matching the three lens emphasised by silver rings around each of the three. However, the camera island sticks a bit further out than other devices and can look a little awkward from some angles.
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The lightly frosted rear glass meets an even more lightly frosted frame in a pleasing detail. Once again, the only Samsung logo to adorn the device is on its spine. Solitary and visually non-dominant logos are the mark of confidence in the device’s style.
And that confidence is well placed, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is a refined and cohesive visual package, with our review colourway being particularly easy on the eye.
Slim as a Slab Smartphone
One of the most noticeable improvements of Z Fold7 over last year’s design is the device’s slimness. When folded, it measures just 8.9 mm thick, about as thick as premium non-foldable devices these days.
When opened, it’s a mere 4.2 mm, significantly thinner than Galaxy Z Fold6, which was closer to 13.4 mm when shut. This reduction in bulk makes Z Fold7 easier to slip into a pocket or bag, and it feels less cumbersome in hand.
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Samsung has reinforced the hinge and frame with stronger materials, including Armor Aluminium and titanium layers. Galaxy Z Fold7 feels dense and is free of flex (except where it’s supposed to), and generally feels that bit closer to the feel of durability you get with traditional slab phone.
Build quality is impressively solid; Z Fold7 feels like non-foldable in this respect. The hinge mechanism feels smoother and more secure, and the materials used throughout the device give it a premium feel.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is rated IP48, like Fold6. This offers decent water resistance of up to 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes. The dust resistance rating only guarantees exclusion of particles of over 1mm in size, so sandy or powdery environments may give you pause.
It’s worth noting that the camera system does protrude around 1.5mm out from the rear of the device. The island itself represents around 1mm of this height, while the rest is the elevation of three lens rings. Those of you who like to use their device as it rests on the table may find it wobbles a little more than you might be used to.
Improved Inside and Out
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 also offers a raft of refinements outside of its slimmer and lighter form. The biggest of which is that the cover screen has been widened to the more conventional 21:9 aspect ratio, making it more usable for everyday tasks.
At 6.5 inches diagonal, Z Fold7’s cover screen is also a little bigger than its predecessor. A maximum brightness of 2,600nits makes it wholly usable outside, even on the brightest days.
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The inner display, when unfolded, offers a generous 8-inch canvas that’s ideal for multitasking or watching content.
Colours are vibrant, and brightness levels are excellent, even in outdoor conditions. That said, the crease in the middle, though less pronounced than in previous models, is still visible at certain angles and can be felt when swiping across the screen.
Foldable Software and UI
Software support for the foldable format continues to improve. Samsung’s One UI 8, layered over Android 16, offers seamless transitions between folded and unfolded states. Multitasking is intuitive, with split-screen and floating window support that makes full use of the large internal display.
The ability to run three apps side-by-side, plus floating windows, gives it a laptop-like feel. The taskbar is now more customisable and this only adds to the productivity appeal. However, there are still occasional hiccups. Some third-party apps don’t scale properly or reload unnecessarily when switching screens.
Portable Power
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor. App launches are practically instand, multitasking feels fluid and animations are smooth across the board. Crucially, Galaxy Z Fold7 has the chops to take full advantage of the form factor’s advanced multitasking options. Z Fold7 consistently feels premium, at work and at play.
Gaming performance sees a substantial leap over Z Fold6, thanks to the new chipset. In practice, you get smoother gameplay, faster load times and better thermal management during extended sessions.
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The inner display’s adaptive refresh rate (up to 120Hz) and peak brightness of 2,600 nits also make games look that bit more vibrant and fluid. Titles like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile run with fewer frame drops and more consistent performance. Z Fold7 also supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, offering lower latency and faster data transfer.
Camera Steps Up
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 refines Samsung’s foldable formula with a notable upgrade to its camera system, especially compared to the Z Fold6. Galaxy Fold7 swaps the 50MP main sensor of the Fold6 for a 200MP powerhouse. While both default to 12MP shots via pixel binning, Z Fold7 captures sharper detail, richer colours and better dynamic range. Low-light performance is improved too, with cleaner night shots and more accurate highlights.
Video stabilisation and autofocus have also improved on Z Fold7. HDR performance has been tuned for warmer tones and better contrast. Colours look more natural, especially in skin tones and bright scenes. While premium non-foldables still feature the very best camera systems, Z Fold7 closes the gap significantly.
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Hardware remains the same on the secondary lenses, a 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom. However, image processing has improved. Edge distortion is reduced, stabilisation is more robust and portrait mode now offers smoother background blur. Extended hybrid zoom performance has also improved noticeably.
The under-display 4MP camera on the Fold6 has been replaced with a clearer 10MP punch-hole lens on the Fold7’s main screen. The under-display cam of Z Fold6 may be the future, but the traditional, visible selfie cam of Z Fold7 delivers much better images.
Stamina and Charging
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 features the same sized 4,400mAh battery as Z Fold6. This keeps the device running for about as long as premium non-foldables. Galaxy Z Fold7 will last all of the working for all but the most powerful of power users. Our moderate workload allowed us to skip charging till day two.
At 25W, it’s a little slower than premium non-foldables, but you can still bring your Z Fold7 from 0-50% in around 30 minutes using a suitable wired charger. 15W wireless charging, another holdover from Z Fold6, remains competitive.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 Specifications
| Chipset: | Qualcomm SM8750-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm process) CPU – Octa-core, 2×4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6×3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M GPU – Adreno 830 (1200 MHz) |
| RAM: | 12GB (reviewed), 16GB |
| Storage: | 256GB (reviewed), 512GB, 1TB |
| Inner Display: | Dynamic LTPO 8.0-inch AMOLED 2X, 1968 x 2184 pixels120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (Mohs Level 1 resistance) |
| Cover Display: | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 6.5 inches, 1080 x 2520 pixels (Gorilla Glass Victus 2) |
| Camera: | – 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS – 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom – 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF Video – 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps, 1080p@60/120/240fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps (gyro-EIS), 10-bit, HDR10+ |
| Selfie Cam: | Inner: 10 MP, f/2.2, 18mm (ultrawide) Cover: 10 MP, f/2.2, 24mm (wide) Video: 4K@30/60fps |
| OS: | Android 16, One UI 8 |
| Battery: | 4,400mAh |
| Charging: | – 25W wired, QC2.0, 50% in 30 min (adverised) –15W wireless |
| Connectivity: | – Bluetooth 5.4, A2DP, LE, aptX HD – GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Dimensions: | Folded: 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm Unfolded: 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2 mm |
| Weight: | 215 g |
| Colours: | Blue Shadow (reviewed), JetBlack, Silver Shadow |
Pricing and Availability
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is available from Samsung Ireland, and is currently available from €2,049 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration. The 512GB model is priced at €2,159, while the top-tier version with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage will retail at €2,459.
