SThe latest flagship folding phone from Amsung seems to have been followed in a diet. The result is a transformation into one of the finest and lightest devices available and radically modifies the way it manages, for the best.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 8.9 mm thick when closed – well in the areas of a standard smartphone if you ignore the camera bump on the back. It fits easily into a pocket but opens to transform into a folding tablet only 4.2 mm thick.
But at £ 1,799 (€ 2,099 / $ 2,000 / $ 2,899), you pay a lot for such a fancy device. It is an expensive and advanced gadget that can, in theory, replace your phone, tablet and PC in a pocket device.
The foldable of the seventh generation solves most of the villages of the previous foldables of Samsung. It weighs only 215 g, 24 g less than the model last year and almost the same as large slab phones, and is in the form of a regular handset when closed.
It fits better into your pocket. Tap messages, respond to calls, get routes and take photos and work like an ordinary phone. Even the 6.5 inch screen at the front is high level – bright, colorful, crunchy and 120 Hz smooth – and the fingerprint scanner improved in the power button is precise and fast.
Open it like a book and the fold 7 is only a thicker hair than the USB-C port. He is impressive but feels solid. It is difficult to see how a device can be made thinner without abandoning the load port. The 8 -inch flexible OLED screen is smooth, clear, super shiny and almost square, ready to execute two applications side by side.
The outdoor screen and back are protected by the latest hardened glass technologies, but the interior screen is always covered by a layer necessarily softer than a standard phone that easily collects fingerprints and is relatively shiny. The fold in the middle of the screen where it folds is almost gone, only visible in reflections.
Features
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Main screen: 8in QXGA + 120Hz (368ppi) Flexible AMOLED display
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Cover screen: 6.5 inch FHD + 120Hz (422ppi) Amoled
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Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
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RAM: 12 GB
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Storage: 256, 512 GB or 1 to
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Operating system: A UI 8 based on Android 16
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Camera: 200 + 12 + 10MP on the back with 3X telephoto lens; 10MP selfie + 10MP cameras
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Connectivity: 5G, double sim, e-Sim, USB-C, WiFi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, GNSS
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Water resistance: IP48 (1.5 meters for 30 minutes)
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Folded dimensions: 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm
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Unbacked dimensions: 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2 mm
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Weight: 215g
Power for multitasking
The fold 7 does not skimp on the treatment power with the same flagship game Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite and 12 GB of RAM as the S25 Ultra and S25 EDGE. This means that it is advancing in daily tasks and high -end games and is considerably more powerful than its closest rivals, such as Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The battery lasts a little less than two days using the two screens for about four hours each and spending several hours in 5g, which is roughly the same as its predecessors and similar to normal slab phones. It will last longer when using the outdoor screen for using the phone, but most people should load it every two days.
A UI 8 for Android 16
The fold 7 is one of the first Samsungs to run an 8 (Android 16) user interface out of the box. He hasn’t changed much since last year’s software, which is a good thing throughout the IU 7 was great. It includes all the features of Samsung’s S25 line, including the Great Now Bar at the bottom of the locking screen that shows live sports scores, music, timer and other regular tasks.
Samsung does a better job than its competitors to make the most of the multiple modes and multitasking possibilities opened by the form of a folding tablet. You can have up to eight applications open to the internal screen at any time and have different home screen arrangements for each screen. You can force applications in almost any size or shape, use applications in a partially folded mode, move them between the front and internal screens and many other small features.
The fold 7 also has all the AI tools of the S25 series, including Google Gemini, research, writing and drawing, transcription and audio editing tools, etc. Some are good, others can be unknown in complete safety, as are most of the features of buzzing AI. Samsung will provide Android and security updates until July 31, 2032.
Camera
The large camera bump contains the main 200 megapixel cameras, Ultra Wide and 10MP 3X cameras. Fold 7 also has two 10MP selfie cameras, one in each screen.
The 200 MP main camera is the best in the group, corresponding to that of the S25 edge. It is a top-tiable camera capable of capturing superb images in a range of lighting conditions, and it is a significant upgrade of the previous generation folds.
The ultra -wide 12MP camera is solid and capable of taking very good macro photos, which is always fun. The 3X telephoto lens camera is just as good, producing large portraits, but it becomes a little soft and grainy inside and cannot correspond to 5x zooms on upper slab phones. Selfies cameras are a similar story, with large details in good light which quickly becomes a little grainy inside. You can turn selfies with the main camera using the outdoor screen as a viewfinder when the phone is open, which produces much better results.
The Camera application has a lot of modes, is simple to use and shoots an equally solid video. Overall, the fold 7 has an excellent camera system which is not a significant demotion on telephones linked to the flagship slab, which is completely impressive.
Sustainability
The battery has an expected lifespan of at least 2,000 full load cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity.
The phone is generally repairable. Interior screen repairs cost around £ 500. Samsung offers a self-repair program, as well as accidental care + insurance damage which reduces the cost of repairs to £ 139.
The fold 7 is made from recycled aluminum, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, lithium, plastic, rare and steel, representing 13.7% of the weight. Samsung offers exchange and recycling programs for old devices, and breaks down the environmental impact of the phone in its report.
Price
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 costs £ 1,799 (€ 2,099 / $ 1,999.99 / $ 2,899).
For comparison, the Galaxy Z Flip costs £ 1,049, the Galaxy S25 Edge costs £ 1,099, the Ultra S25 costs £ 1,249 and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold costs £ 1,399.
Verdict
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an incredible and extremely expensive technology that looks like a giant jump on previous models, removing many bad guys and compromises that had become synonymous with foldable.
By being so thin, lighter and normal size when closed, it looks like an ordinary handset. Open it and the internal screen is the best on a foldable to date. The fold has practically disappeared, it is shiny, clear and draws the best multitasking party.
The camera sticks to the back but generally does not bother, except to have the phone wobble on a table – a compromise which is worth it for a superior quality camera system. You even get the same chip, the same battery life and the excellent software as the best regular Samsung phones.
This leaves the relative fragility of the folding shape, lacking good dust resistance and having a softer internal screen, and the attractive price, like the greatest compromises. If you are not sold on the idea of having a phone that is also a tablet in your pocket, I don’t think that will convince you.
But the fold 7 is the best folding phone available and the major upgrade Samsung needed after a few years rather repetitive.
Benefits: A phone and a tablet in one, super thin and light, just like a regular phone when closed, excellent software with powerful multitasking capacities, a fantastic tablet screen, higher performance, a lifespan of the solid battery, water resistance, long software support.
Disadvantages: Extremely expensive, no dust resistance, more fragile than an ordinary and expensive device to repair, a limited zoom camera compared to the best normal phones.
