Pros & Cons
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- Exceptional hardware
- Excellent displays
- Solid performance
- Powerful software
- Strong radios
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- Outlandishly expensive
- Only average battery life
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Specs
| Battery Life (As Tested) | 13 hours, 10 minutes |
| Camera Resolution (Rear; Front-Facing) | 200MP, 12MP, 10MP; 10MP, 10MP |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
| Dimensions | 6.24 by 2.87 by 0.35 inches folded, 6.24 by 5.64 by 0.17 inches open |
| Operating System | Android 16 |
| Screen Resolution | 2,184 by 1,968 pixels |
| Screen Size | 8 |
Now in its seventh generation, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is even better thanks to its excellent hardware, expansive and gorgeous displays, powerful multitasking software, and Galaxy AI. Its only drawbacks are its exorbitant high price and just-average battery life. And while some will surely lament the loss of S Pen support, the fact remains that you can still get more done with the Z Fold 7 than most other phones, making it our Editors' Choice for folding phones.
Design: It's Difficult Not to Be Impressed
Samsung finally nailed it. I'll put it in the simplest of terms: The Z Fold 7 is lighter and smaller in your pocket than the Galaxy S25 Ultra ($1,299.99), the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL ($1,099), and the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max ($1,199)—and none of those phones includes a 8-inch inner screen. The Oppo Find N5 and the Honor Magic V5 full-size foldables may be a few hairbreadths thinner, but you can't buy either phone in the US.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Samsung essentially took the Z Fold 6—a fantastic phone in its own right—and pressed it flatter. The Z Fold 7 measures 6.24 by 2.87 by 0.35 inches (HWD) when folded and 6.24 by 5.64 by 0.17 inches when opened. It weighs 7.58 ounces. To compare, the Z Fold 6 measures 6.04 by 2.68 by 0.48 inches folded, 6.04 by 5.22 by 0.22 inches opened, and weighs 8.43 ounces. The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold ($1,799), the only other mainstream book-style foldable available in the US at the moment, is far bulkier at 6.10 by 3.00 by 0.40 inches closed, 6.10 by 5.90 by 0.20 inches open, and 9.1 ounces.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The top three flagship phones aren't much bigger and heavier, but they are bigger and heavier. The S25 Ultra measures 6.41 by 3.06 by 0.32 inches and weighs 7.69 ounces, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 6.42 by 3.06 by 0.32 inches and 7.99 ounces, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is 6.40 by 3.0 by 0.30 inches and 7.80 ounces.
The reason I'm making such a big deal about the size and weight here is because it's likely been the main factor (other than price) in deciding between a folding phone and a standard slab. Until now, book-style folding phones have been thick, heavy pieces of hardware that aren't all that much fun to cram in your pocket and carry around. Here, Samsung has solved this issue with style.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The new Fold is also just gorgeous. When closed, it's a simple slab with a razor-thin bezel framing a huge outer screen. The Advanced Armor Aluminum frame, which Samsung says is stronger than ever, is trimmed down to barely anything at all. The FlexHinge is rounded off and more comfortable, and though the phone has somewhat sharp corners, it still feels good to hold and use. Samsung employs Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to protect the back panel and Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2—an upgrade over the Fold 6's Victus 2—to protect the front. The Z Fold 7 carries over the IP48 rating from last year for dust and water protection. The phone rejects dust particles larger than 1mm and can be dunked in up to 5 feet of water for about 30 minutes. When asked why it didn't upgrade the dust protection year over year, a Samsung representative explained that the company focused most of its engineering efforts on reducing the thickness of the hinge, rather than improving the IP rating.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)With the phone closed, you've got a volume toggle and combined power button and fingerprint reader on the right edge. The toggle is a little short and stiff for my tastes, and it's too close to the power button. The power button is recessed a bit, which makes it harder to find, but the secure fingerprint reader performs flawlessly. This key also doubles as a way to call up Gemini if you wish. The top edge contains a speaker grille, and several microphones, and the SIM card tray, which supports up to two nano SIM cards, while the bottom edge also holds a speaker and mics, in addition to the USB-C port for charging and data transfer.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The rear panel glass has a matte-like finish that mostly hides your fingerprints. The camera module looks about the same as that of the Z Fold 6, which is to say it's a vertical arrangement of three lenses ringed with chrome accents. The Fold 6 camera lenses were accented with black rings. The Fold 7's module is noticeably thicker.
The Z Fold 7 is available at retail stores in Blue Shadow, Jetblack, and Silver Shadow. If you prefer Mint (green), you'll have to order it directly from Samsung.com. This is fewer color options than in years past, but the selections are all classy. We received the Blue Shadow color for review, and I think it looks fantastic.
If the Fold is too much phone for you, consider the Galaxy Z Flip 7 ($1,099.99).
Displays: The Best on a Z Fold Yet
Samsung stretches the outer screen from 6.3 inches on the Fold 6 to 6.5 inches on the Fold 7. It's still a Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen and has a resolution of 2,520 by 1,080 pixels with a density of 422 pixels per inch (ppi). It has an adaptable refresh rate that runs from 1Hz to 120Hz, and Samsung changes the aspect ratio from 22:9 on the Fold 6 to 21:9, which gives it a wider shape and makes it a little easier to type on. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's outer screen measures 6.3 inches with 2,424 by 1.080 pixels at 422ppi, a 60Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 2,700 nits of brightness.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The inner screen is significantly larger, changing from the Fold 6's 7.6-inch screen to an 8.0-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a resolution of 2,184 by 1,968 at 368ppi, and an adaptive refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz. Meanwhile, the 9 Pro Fold's inner screen also measures 8.0 inches, but it's an LTPO panel with 2,076 by 2,152 pixels at 373ppi, a 1Hz to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and up to 2,700 nits of brightness.
Samsung has done an excellent job of minimizing the bezels around both sets of screens. Each panel is bright, sharp, colorful, and perfectly sized for checking email, watching videos, and running multiple apps at once. They are excellent displays that are easy to see and handle, no matter your use case.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)There are two notable changes compared with the Z Fold 6. First, Samsung decided to change the selfie camera, which is now located in a punch hole cutout near the top of the right panel. The selfie camera of the Z Fold 6 was an under-display camera, which was hidden behind a small screen area with fewer pixels. This means the screen is no longer uninterrupted, but like most phones with punch-hole cameras, you hardly see it after a while. Second, the thinner design of the hinge provides more area inside the hinge assembly for the flexible glass to form a teardrop shape when the phone is closed. This, in addition to a new titanium lattice behind the display, flattens out the crease compared with the Z Fold 6. You can still see the crease when the screen is off, but it's harder to see than ever, and it disappears completely whenever the display is on.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Samsung's devotion to a thin design comes at a big cost, however: The Z Fold 7 display loses compatibility with the S Pen stylus. Samsung says it didn't have room to include the active digitizer layer in addition to the needed stronger glass layer (which is 50% thicker than before) and the new supportive titanium lattice in the hinge. That means you're stuck using your fingers to interact with the screen. 'Tis a shame.
Performance: As Fast As Expected
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip powers the Z Fold 7, an upgrade from the 8 Gen 3 in last year's Z Fold 6. It's the top chip available today and is a natural choice powering many of the year's top handsets. Somewhat surprisingly, Samsung sticks with 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM, rather than up it to 16GB. There are three storage options available: 256GB ($1,999.99), 512GB ($2,119.99), and 1TB ($2,419.99). Each has UFS 4.0 storage for the quickest read/write speeds. The phone doesn't support microSD memory cards, so choose your storage wisely.
When used for everyday tasks, the Z Fold 7 performs as ably as any other 8 Elite-powered phone. Apps launch in a blink, multitasking flows seamlessly, jumping from app to app is instantaneous, and AI functions perform flawlessly. Despite running multiple apps at a time and opening more than two dozen tabs in Chrome, the device never got warm during normal use in my testing.
(Credit: Geekbench/PCMark/GFXBench/PCMag)In order to provide a more direct comparison to its peers, we perform a number of benchmarks. Starting with Geekbench 6, which quantifies how well the CPU powers through tasks, the Z Fold 7 scored 3,024 on the single-core test and 9,468 on the multi-core test. That compares favorably to the Z Fold 6 (2,231 and 6,821) and demonstrates the boost the 8 Elite chip provides year over year. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which is powered by Google's Tensor G4 processor, scored 1,946 and 4,453 on the same test.
On the PCMark Work 3.0 test, which compiles how he phone performs general mobile tasks, the Z Fold 7 reached 18,015 compared with the Z Fold 6 (17,214), and the 9 Pro Fold (11,921).
To gauge GPU and gaming performance, I ran the GFXBench Aztec Ruins test several times. The phone's highest result reached 88 frames per second (fps), an incredible improvement over the Z Fold 6's result of 63fps and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's result of 66fps.
In real-world gaming, I gave Asphalt Legends a spin to see how it could handle the speed and graphics. The game ran as well as I've ever seen a game run on a phone. I raced through several courses with no frame drops, no hiccups, and no problems.
As for thermals, the phone does heat up during the GFXBench tests and while playing Asphalt Legends. It never got too warm, but it was noticeably hot just beneath the camera module. Further using the camera causes the phone to heat up quickly, which is somewhat concerning. Even so, the phone conquers every task with ease and can power your apps without issue.
Battery Life: Par for the Foldable Course
Despite all the design changes inside the phone, Samsung wasn't able to find any room for a larger battery. The Z Fold 7 carries over the same 4,400mAh power cell of the Z Fold 6, though the phone is 0.05 inches thinner when opened. Further, the battery carries over the same characteristics of its predecessor, which means 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 5W reverse wireless charging. Samsung told me quite plainly that it kept the battery's specs and performance in check in order to manage thermals and deliver a phone that's safe to use. Some regular bar-style phones charge much faster. For example, the OnePlus 13 ($899.99) can charge at up to 80W using the company's proprietary SuperVOOC technology.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Samsung claims the Z Fold 7 can push through 26 hours of video playback, though that's for a 720p video that's cached on the device with the brightness at an unknown setting. We test battery life by streaming a 1080p video over Wi-Fi with the screen brightness set to 100%. In this test, the Fold 7 ran for 13 hours and 10 minutes, a significant jump from the Fold 6's run time of 11 hours and 30 minutes, and better than the 9 Pro Fold's 11 hours. Folding phones typically don't last as long as regular bar-style phones. For the sake of comparison, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which has a 5,000mAh battery, ran for 14 hours and 15 minutes in the same test.
As far as charging goes, remember that you'll have to provide your own brick since there's no charger in the box. In my tests, it took the Z Fold 7 about 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach a full charge from 0%, which is only 5 minutes quicker than the Z Fold 6.
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The Z Fold 7's battery life is solid for a foldable phone, but if you have battery anxiety, you're better off with a standard slab-style phone.
Connectivity: Outstanding Speeds
The Z Fold 7 packs all the latest radios, which is great news if you plan to hold onto the device for a few years. It includes sub-6GHz, C-band, and mmWave 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and dual-band GPS.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)For our review, Samsung provided T-Mobile service with the Z Fold 7, so we tested the phone on the carrier's network in and around New York City. The phone reached maximum speeds of 652Mbps down and 61.4Mbps up in testing. To compare, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (which has the same set of 5G radios) reached 588Mbps down and 47.3Mbps up when tested from the same locations. The Z Fold 7 should perform just as well on AT&T and Verizon's networks.
When connected to my Wi-Fi 6E access point at home, the Z Fold 7 hit excellent peak speeds of 756Mbps down and 231Mbps up. When tested from the same spot, the 9 Pro Fold reached 701Mbps down and 199Mbps up. The phone's radios do a solid job across the board.
Audio: A Multimedia Machine
The Z Fold 7 is a fine phone for making voice calls. I made a number of calls in quiet and noisy spaces and had the same experience each time. Voices in the earpiece are perfectly clear and plenty loud at 79dB. The phone's ability to dampen background noise works well. I easily heard calls via the speakerphone, too, which pushes out a staggering 96dB in testing. (Don't take speakerphone calls at your local coffee shop with the Z Fold 7, folks.)
As for media, the phone's stereo speakers are located on the top and bottom edges. These wind up in the upper half of the phone if you open it up and then rotate it sideways to watch video. This makes it less likely you'll muffle the speakers with your hands, but not all video content forces you to rotate the phone.
The phone supports Dolby Atmos for select media and includes a good set of Bluetooth codecs, including LDAC for high-quality streaming. I really enjoyed the sound while watching movie clips and when playing Asphalt Legends. It leans towards the mids and highs, but there is still enough bass to get the point across. As always, you'll get a better experience if you use a Bluetooth speaker or your favorite pair of Bluetooth headphones.
Cameras: A Big Step Forward
Samsung mixed and matched new and old with the Z Fold 7's camera suite, but didn't stray too far the the formula it has used for the past several generations. Like previous Folds, it has five total cameras: three on the rear, one on the outer screen, and one on the inner screen. They ensure you can take a photo no matter how you hold the phone or where you point it.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The main camera sees the biggest change. It moves from a 50MP shooter to the same 200MP camera of the S25 Ultra and S25 Edge. It features quad-pixel autofocus and optical image stabilization (OIS), and has an aperture of f/1.7 and an 85-degree field of view (FoV). The ultra-wide camera has the same 12MP resolution as the Z Fold 6, but changes some of the other specs. It has dual-pixel autofocus, a 120-degree FoV, an aperture of f/2.2, and it has gained a dedicated macro mode. The same goes for the 10MP telephoto camera, which uses phase-detect autofocus with OIS. It has an aperture of f/2.4 and a 36-degree FoV. It is capable of 3x optical zoom and 30x Space Zoom, which is Samsung's hybrid optical+digital zooming tech.
(Credit: Samsung/PCMag)You can take 200MP, 50MP, and 12MP photos with the main camera. Binned 12MP shots are the default setting, but I like that there's a button in the viewfinder for easily switching resolutions. Two drop-down menus allow you to take full control over the settings, such as aspect ratio, brightness, timer, flash, filters, and more. The quick shooting modes include portrait, photo, and video, all of which are easy to reach from the main viewfinder, as well as raw, pro, pro video, night, food, panorama, slow motion, hyperlapse, portrait video, dual record, and single take, all of which you reach by selecting the "More" button. This is a typical set of photo modes for a Samsung phone.
The results aren't quite to the level of the S25 Ultra, which is still one of the best camera phones on the market, but they are markedly improved over the Z Fold 6—and that's what matters most here. The majority of shots are properly exposed, sharp, colorful (if slightly oversaturated), and show plenty of detail. The main camera, in particular, produces great results that should please most people. The ultra-wide camera also does a fine job, though you'll see some obvious optical distortion around the edges of the frame. The ultra-wide has a new macro mode, and the phone can automatically turn on a focus-assist feature to help with closeups. The telephoto camera is also improved in terms of sharpness and clarity, though the more you zoom, the less sharp the results get.
Ready to take some selfies? You've got options. The easiest way is with the Cover Camera on the outer display. It has a resolution of 10MP with an aperture of f/2.2 and an 85-degree FoV. The inner selfie camera is wholly different from that of the Z Fold 6. The Fold 6 has a 4MP under-display camera, which means it is hidden from view by display pixels. It doesn't produce the sharpest shots. The Fold 7 switches to a standard punch-hole style selfie camera, meaning it is plainly visible at the top of the internal screen and no longer obscured by pixels. It's a 10MP shooter at f/2.2 with a wider 100-degree FoV for those group selfies (do we still call those groufies?).
Both selfie cameras have been improved. You'll nab clearer photos with more realistic color, a brighter look, and less noise. The portrait mode of both cameras can get tripped up by wisps of hair or other fine items in the foreground, but otherwise, it does a fine job.
We can thank Samsung's new ProVisual Engine for at least some of the improvements here. The company developed new processing software to accompany the Spectra ISP of the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the result is better photos all around.
The same goes for video. The ProVisual Engine brings a handful of new video tools to the table, including always-on 10-bit HDR+ color, improved contrast, and cleaner focus. The Z Fold 7 can record video up to 8K30, but you can dial that down to 4K60, 4K30, 1080p60, 1080p30, or 720p30. You can turn the HDR feature off if you choose to save storage. The Super Steady OIS-based feature is available from the ultra-wide and main cameras, but requires plenty of light to use effectively. It works well if you record in bright sunlight.
Video footage is the best I've seen from any folding phone. It's clean, sharp, colorful, and fun to watch on the Fold 7's sharp, sprawling screens.
If smartphone photography is your thing, you'll be better off with the S25 Ultra or Pixel 9 Pro XL. But for the first time, Samsung doesn't force you to give up a solid camera experience with its most expensive phone.
Software: Amped Up With AI
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of the first phones to ship with Android 16 out of the box. It's ahead of even Google's Pixel phones in that regard. The phone will receive seven years of OS and security upgrades, which matches Google and is the best in the business for now. In addition to Android 16, the phone includes Samsung's OneUI 8.
The Fold 7 has all the usual Fold software tricks onboard. You can run up to three apps on the screens at a time, with a fourth floating as an overlay. You can use the Edge Screen tool to hide a row of shortcuts for launching apps and app pairs (two apps that launch together side by side). The UI includes a dock that's easy to call up so you can always access your favorite or most-used apps. The Flex mode panel lets you use the phone as a tiny laptop, DeX mode is available for a PC-like desktop experience, and of course, with two displays, you have the utmost in flexibility when it comes to customizing your home screens.
The phone carries over a number of existing Galaxy AI tools, including Photo Assist (moves or erases background objects) and Portrait Studio (cleans up photos). Now, the phone can use the new Suggest Edit tool and allow the phone to automatically select distracting background elements and erase them. This feature works well, though it is perhaps a little too easy to erase your fellow humans out of existence. The Audio Eraser tool is now better at detecting and removing unwanted background noise, such as wind or traffic. It can do this from your videos, voice recordings, and recorded phone calls. Drawing Assist and Writing Assist are both enhanced. Google says it is easier to bring your rough sketches to life, and the process should be smoother. I'm no artist, and sketching with my finger produces far worse results than sketching with an S Pen, so this didn't work particularly well for me.
The most useful new tool is Side-by-Side Editing, which, as the name suggests, allows you to pull up a photo on one side of the screen, make edits, and easily compare against the original photo in real time. This is particularly helpful if you're making global edits to a photo, such as applying filters or adjusting brightness or contrast. You can then save both.
Samsung and Google have made other changes with the hopes of making Galaxy AI easier to use on the Fold 7's larger inner screen. For example, the AI Results View in Google Search now shows the AI overview in a separate window. When you use Generative Edit features for writing, results can pop up in a Split or Floating View so you can still see and interact with your original text. And, it's now much easier to drag artistic content (photos, drawings, sketches) from one app in one window to a second app in another window.
Circle to Search can now provide tips for your favorite games. When you circle an item on the screen during gameplay, it will automatically perform a search and provide you with tips for that specific moment of the game. I tried this with Asphalt Legends and its tips were limited to suggestions on how to better steer through the course. In this case, not particularly helpful.
Last, but certainly not least, Google has boosted the capabilities of Gemini Live, which now includes the ability to conduct visual searches in real time. With the Gemini Live AI Mode, you can share your screen or camera with Gemini, which can critique your outfit, explain what you're seeing, or help you complete certain tasks. In my tests, Gemini Live AI Mode was able to tell me the reason my guitar amplifier wasn't working. Neat! Most of these features are also available to the Z Flip 7.