Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review

I’ll be the first to admit, I used to roll my eyes at foldables. They always seemed like tech’s equivalent of concept cars – flashy, futuristic, but not built for the grind of everyday life. I remember trying earlier versions of the Fold and thinking, “This is neat, but it’s too thick, too heavy, and the cameras are a joke compared to Samsung’s Ultra line”. For something meant to replace both your phone and tablet, it always felt like a compromise.

Then came the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, and for the first time, I didn’t want to give a foldable review unit back. Suddenly, that once-clunky future vision made sense in my hand, my pocket, and my daily routine. This isn’t a foldable you tolerate for the party trick of opening into a tablet; this is a foldable you actually live with. I wrote emails on the train without missing my laptop, binge-watched an entire season of Wednesday with the phone propped at a neat 90-degree angle on my bedside table, and even shot photos I wouldn’t have trusted a foldable with before.

The Fold 7 doesn’t feel like Samsung trying to justify the form factor anymore. It feels like the form factor has finally justified itself. Let’s delve deeper into it in our review.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Build and design

The Fold 7 is a flex. Not just literally, but in design engineering too. At a mere 4.2mm unfolded, it’s thinner than a pencil. Fold it shut and you’re left with 8.9mm, which is barely thicker than a Galaxy S25 Ultra. That’s absurd when you remember it’s hiding an 8-inch phablet inside. Even the weight has been shaved down so much that, for the first time, the Fold is actually lighter than Samsung’s non-folding Ultra flagship.

There’s a subtle joy to pulling this phone out in public. Folded, it looks like any other premium slab phone – sleek, glass-and-metal, with the discreet seam as the only giveaway. Open it up, and you’re suddenly holding something that still makes strangers glance over, only now it doesn’t feel like an awkward science experiment in your own hands.

The hinge feels reassuringly stiff and precise, snapping open with a satisfying flatness. The crease is still there, yes, but so minimal now that you only notice it in off-angles or when the screen is off.

The materials also feel… grown-up. The Armour Aluminium frame, Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on both sides, and tight tolerances everywhere you look. Even the USB-C port seems so precisely cut that it’s almost flush with the body.

It’s a phone that finally feels like it deserves its flagship price tag. My only gripe? The protruding camera bump that makes the phone wobble when laid flat. It’s the price you pay for the new 200MP sensor, and frankly, it’s a price worth paying.

Durability is still a caveat, though. With IP48 protection, it’s water-resistant enough to shrug off a kitchen sink spray or even an accidental dunk, but dust and sand remain its enemies. You probably don’t want to take it to a beach festival.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Display(s)

Here’s where the Fold 7 levelled up once again. The outside cover screen is now a proper 6.5-inch, 21:9 AMOLED panel. No more narrow, remote-control vibes, this feels like a regular smartphone display. Wide enough for comfortable typing, bright enough for scrolling under harsh sunlight, and fast enough with 120Hz refresh to keep everything fluid.

For short bursts of usage, including messaging, quick Maps checks, and a social scroll, I didn’t even bother opening the main display.

But open it, and you enter another category altogether. The 8-inch inner screen is lush, square-ish, and massive, peaking at 2,500 nits of brightness. It makes Netflix binges, YouTube marathons, and even work spreadsheets feel indulgent.

Split-screen multitasking feels natural. I often had Gmail on one side and Docs on the other, and Gemini Live looks almost designed for this larger canvas.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 launched in India with an ultra-slim design, 200MP camera

Again, there are a few caveats. The new, larger punch-hole for the selfie camera is always visible and not tucked under pixels this time, which makes it noticeable. And the absence of S Pen support is a bigger deal than Samsung admits.

To shave millimetres, they ditched the digitiser layer, which means no smart stylus. A normal capacitive stylus works, but it’s not the same precision. If you’ve built your workflow around an S Pen, this could sting.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Performance, software and AI

The Fold 7 runs on a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite tuned for Samsung, and it’s every bit as powerful as it sounds. Benchmarks aside (where it actually outpaces the iPhone 16 Pro Max in GeekBench multi-core), the real story is that it never flinches. I had 40+ Chrome tabs open, Gemini Live watching my screen, Spotify streaming, and Call of Duty: Mobile running in the background, and yet, it didn’t break a sweat.

That sheer horsepower is complemented by software that’s finally caught up with the hardware. Out of the box, you get Android 16 and One UI 8; ahead of Google’s own Pixel 10. The interface feels tuned for the Fold. Widgets expand naturally on the larger screen, multitasking layouts are intuitive, and Samsung’s new Now Bar and Now Brief are genuinely useful personal dashboards rather than clutter.

The AI integration is surprisingly seamless. Google handles Circle to Search and Gemini, while Samsung brings Sketch to Image, Object Erase, and Audio Eraser to the table. None of it feels bolted on.

I used Circle to Search mid-game to identify a car in PUBG. I erased street clutter from a crowded photo and generated a more realistic background. I even asked Gemini Live to summarise my email thread while split-screening my inbox. This is AI as it should be – there when you need it, invisible when you don’t.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Cameras

For years, foldables were premium in price but compromised in optics. The Fold 7 finally fixes that.

The 200MP wide sensor is the star, and it delivers stunning detail and flexibility. Shooting in full resolution means you can crop into shots without them falling apart, something I actually found myself doing often.

The 12MP ultra-wide lens is wide enough for dramatic cityscapes but really shines in macro shots. The 10MP telephoto at 3x zoom is the weak link; it’s fine, but next to the S25 Ultra’s 5x zoom, it feels like a step down. For real zoom flexibility, you’re better off shooting 200MP and cropping. But portraits do have great background separation and skin tones.

Selfies finally get their due, with a proper 10MP under-display camera and the ability to use the main cameras for selfies with the cover screen as a viewfinder. The result? Some of the sharpest, most detailed selfies I’ve ever taken (almost uncomfortably so).

Colours from all cameras lean towards accurate rather than oversaturated, which feels like Samsung finally trusting its sensors rather than over-processing. Portrait mode is solid if not flawless, and low-light performance holds up well with clean, balanced exposures. Video shooting up to 8K at 30fps makes it future-proof too.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Battery life

The battery hasn’t grown; it’s still 4,400mAh. But the efficiency improvements mean it actually lasts. I consistently got 6-8 hours of screen-on time, which is a full day of work plus evening Netflix.

It’s not the best in class, but it outpaces its predecessor by a smidge, which is what we can really hope for in a 4,400mAh battery. Here’s to hoping Samsung bumps up the capacity in the next rendition of its Fold lineup.

Charging is quick enough. You get 50 per cent juice in about 30 minutes with a 45W charger (sold separately, of course). Wireless charging and reverse wireless charging are here too. So, the Z Fold 7 is not an endurance monster, but it’s dependable… enough. And for a device this thin driving two massive screens, that’s a win.

Unboxed Take: Should you purchase the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7?

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a defining moment in the journey of foldables. It’s when these phones stopped being novelties and started becoming more serious pieces of hardware. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is thinner, lighter, and more powerful than ever, with cameras that finally match its Ultra siblings. The screens are brighter, bigger, and more useful. The software and AI feel natural, not experimental.

It’s still expensive, and it’s still fragile compared to rugged slab phones. And losing S Pen support will put off a certain kind of power user. But for the first time, those caveats feel minor against the whole experience.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7 price in India revealed

The Fold 7 isn’t a gadget you show off at dinner parties. It’s the device you rely on for work, play, travel, and everything in between. If you’ve ever dismissed foldables as impractical luxuries, this is the one that might change your mind.

That said, you do have options. If Samsung’s One UI feels a bit heavy, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and now the new Pixel 10 Pro Fold (which will be on sale soon), offer a more stripped-back Android experience with a flatter, fuss-free design. If camera versatility tops your wishlist, the Vivo X Fold 5 brings superior zoom hardware into the foldable mix.

But here’s the thing – none of those quite match what Samsung has achieved here. After years of compromise and cautious steps, Samsung has delivered the refinement we were all waiting for. The Fold 7 isn’t just the best foldable you can buy; it’s the one that proves foldables have truly arrived.

For that reason, we rate it a strong 4.5/5 points. Has the Galaxy Z Fold 7 intrigued you? Drop a comment with your thoughts!