Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: more battery, bigger screen and a redesigned camera
The Korean tech giant has finally delivered on the promise of a truly usable smartphone and tablet in one. But is it worth $2899?
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Folding phones are nothing new for Samsung, but the latest Z Fold7 is the stuff of science-fiction.
As I cradle it in my hand, I feel like I have walked on to the set of Westworld – not the movie starring Yul Brynner, but the more recent TV reboot. The Fold7 looks like the origami-esque tablets used in the series, in which humanoid robots run amok.
The 6.5-inch front display is almost 5 per cent bigger than the Fold6 – and is remarkably thin. It is only 8.2mm thick, compared with the Fold6 measuring 12.1mm. Unfolded, it is thinner again, at 4.2mm versus 5.8mm for the Samsung S25 Edge.
What does this mean?
The svelte package represents a more usable fold phone that finally can fulfil its dual purpose of being a smartphone and tablet.
The Fold6 was great, but it was chunky, and its relatively narrow front screen made it difficult to act as a replacement for, say, an S25 Ultra or iPhone.
Samsung has now overcome both of these problems. It can be used like a normal smartphone comfortably and, if you need more real estate, it unfolds into an 8-inch main display – 11 per cent bigger than the Fold6.
It also weighs 215 grams, compared with 239 grams for the Fold6 and 218 grams for the S25 Ultra. It can slide into my trouser pocket, barely leaving an outline.
Longer battery life
Samsung has been able to achieve the feat by keeping a 4400mA, which coupled with the more efficient Qualcomm chipset provides about 24 hours of video playback. (I didn’t watch 24 hours of videos to validate this, but the phone lasted more than a day, with regular use, from a single charge).
Samsung Australia head of mobile Eric Chou says customers want the experience of an Edge-like phone without compromising on “flagship performance”.
“What you see … is not just a small change, but the most significant leap that we’ve made when it comes to that foldable form factor,” he tells me.
Indeed, the bar is high with the Fold7. It’s priced from $2899.
Finger gymnastics
The only gripe is using the default keyboard on the main (unfolded) display. It is split in two with a sizeable gap either side of the hinge. Not only does this require some finger gymnastics, but my eyes wander a bit, searching for the keys.
But this can be changed in settings to a standard keyboard, which has no gap, or a floating keyboard that can be placed anywhere on the screen and resized to accommodate individual preferences.
You can also use the front display to type. It’s big enough and more comfortable to use, particularly having that new bigger screen, which makes it less cramped than the Fold6.
The main display is well suited for more creative endeavours. The hinge has been strengthened, making the centre crease on the main display less prominent. It feels more unified.
AI photo editing
Photo editing is much easier because now you can place the original and edited image side by side, rather than swipe between shots.
Samsung’s Galaxy AI photo editing, which includes an image eraser, is slower to use than Apple Intelligence but more accurate in busier photos. How it works is you circle or tab the item in the photo that you want to erase, with the missing bits then displayed as a checkerboard. You then tap generate, and it takes a few seconds for the AI to fill in the missing pixels.
Admittedly, I hardly use this feature. When I take a photo, I want to try to capture the image right the first time through the lens – maybe that’s because I used film for years (and still do) and don’t really have the patience to edit and touch up photos.
But the AI has been handy in removing distractions such as unwanted lens flare dots that can spoil an otherwise great image. Here’s one of a duck at sunrise I took at the mouth of the Erskine River at sunrise.
A big difference with Samsung and Apple’s AI is the watermark on the edited image. Samsung discloses that even removing a lens flare dot is now AI-generated content, while Apple makes no disclaimer. I think this is a bit fastidious of Samsung – after all, AI didn’t create the shot. It was made from capturing light in the real world.
But I also understand Samsung’s point, in an era where seeing isn’t necessarily believing anymore.
It has the same AI features, unveiled at the S25 launch earlier this year. Most of those are nice to have but not really a necessity.
Improved camera
Chou tells me the camera remains a big selling point for smart phones. The Fold7 now has the first 200MP wide-angle camera in a Z series phone. This higher resolution captures four times more detail than the Fold6, which had 50MP.
But this isn’t just about pixel peepers. What that higher resolution does is create more digital zoom – or cropping capabilities – without losing detail or having a photo turn into something that came from Minecraft.
Even higher-end cameras are embracing this new digital zoom, which for years was frowned upon by serious photographers. Leica has this function on its Q3 fixed lens, full-frame camera, with its 60.3MP. Fujifilm has also embraced digital zoom on its Q3 rival, the GFX100RF.
But the 200MP file size chews up a lot of space – more than 32MB. Gmail won’t let you send even one image. Samsung offers more space-friendly options, with users able to toggle between 12MP and 50MP shooting options.
The under display camera on the Fold7 has been upgraded to 10MP from 4MP – which Samsung says makes it “easy to capture group selfies”.
A trade-off from shoehorning all these new features into a slim package is it no longer comes with an S Pen stylus. Samsung says it still supports the stylus but is evaluating its ongoing use.
Verdict
Samsung has delivered on its brief. It has served up what customers want: a bigger, thinner phone, with better cameras and battery life.
It’s a device that can truly act as a smartphone as well as a tablet, while disappearing into your pocket.
The Z Fold7 can be pre-ordered with general availability from August 1.
Originally published as Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: more battery, bigger screen and a redesigned camera
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