Samsung Galaxy ZFold 7 Review A Foldable Revolution
With the new Galaxy ZFold, Samsung has entered what is probably one of the most change-laden editions for this series in years. ZFold 7 was designed to sit in this former grey area between a standard smartphone and indeed a souped-up tablet like never seen before with significant shifts in design towards an even thinner, lightweight construction, an improved camera setup, and of course, a wider cover screen. But was it all worth the effort now. And is this finally foldable for the masses. Join us as we take a deep dive into the full review.
Design and Build The Most Forward-Leaping
The most defining and striking physical change is seen with the ZFold 7. It is way thinner than all its predecessors and feels a lot lighter. It is almost dimensionally similar to a smartphone at an 8.9mm thickness when folded. When opened, it cradles an ultra-thin 4.2mm. It has lost 24 grams since last year; in fact, it is one or two grams lighter than the S25 Ultra. This changes everything; this is the first Fold that doesn't, by itself, feel bulky.
The cover screen is arguably a great win. At 6.5 inches today and obviously with an aspect ratio of 21:9, it is wider, hence, far better for everyday tasks, for example, typing and browsing. Gone are the narrow, remote-like feelings from previous iterations. Durability was still given priority, along with an Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, and some crazy IP48 dust and water resistance. The hinge design does feel tough and allows the phone to fold shut with no gap; on the downside, some find it slightly tougher to open due to its thinner profile.
Display Bigger, Brighter, and with a Punch-Hole
The inner screen has grown from 7.6 to fully 8 inches, giving you a lot of room to multitask and look at content. It's a beautiful foldable OLED panel with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and eye-popping colors. This year marks quite a departure, as Samsung ditched the under-display camera (UDC) in favor of a classic punch-hole selfie camera. While this shift truly enhances the quality of inner-screen selfies, it does mean that the display now has an imperfection in the form of the punch hole. The crease is still there but feels a bit flatter this year, and is something that you have to consciously think about to notice in daily use.
The maximum brightness for both inner and cover displays stands at 1400 nits in automatic mode, which is decently bright for outdoor use. In terms of brightness, this does show a modest reduction from last year. A significant exclusion, however, is the lack of S Pen support, a feature many power users have come to love, and was most likely sacrificed in the thinness race.
Performance and Software Snapdragon Elite Power
Going under the hood, ZFold 7 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, a monstrous performer that also powers the S25 series. The combination of 12GB or 16GB of RAM makes for a recipe for the highest possible performance. From playing load heavy graphics games to handling multiple apps at once, the performance is seamless. Good thermal management has been maintained despite its thin construction; under certain arduous heat dissipation tests, the opposing effect was noted with slight throttling.
Android 16 with Samsung's new One UI 8 Clean interface, great feature-set Merging multitasking goodness with a sleek taskbar, easy split screen activation, and popup window support, DeX for the added desktop experience makes this cherry on top. Samsung continues its stellar software support with a tempting prospect seven years of operating system and security updates.
Camera An Ultra Upgrade
The camera system gets a flagship-level revamp with the borrow of the 200MP main sensor from the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This is a massive upgrade and brings Fold's photographic capabilities up to par with the high-end phones out there. Photos from this main camera are super, full of details, great dynamic range, and pleasing sharpness.
It is joined by a 10MP 3x telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide with autofocus capabilities, which also make for some cool macro shots. While the main sensor is the star, the telephoto and ultrawide are probably more comparable to the standard S25 series solid, but not groundbreaking. The biggest advantage of the foldable form factor remains that powerful rear cameras can be used for high-quality selfies while using the cover screen as a viewfinder.
Battery and Charging The Achilles' Heel
Despite its more slender design, Samsung has been able to pack in a 4,400mAh battery. Battery life is fair with no standout glory. With medium-level usage keeping the cover screen busy, it would give a comfortable day's use. On the flip side, heavy use of the big inner screen would make you reach for the charger just around the evenings. Here is where some competitors with heftier batteries hold an edge.
Speed is the worst belittler. The ZFold 7 is still burdened with wired charging limited to 25W, something bordering on the anachronistic in 2025. Nearly an hour and a half is required for a complete charge, considerably far from the rapid charging adopted by a host of alternatives. Add wireless and reverse wireless charging to the mix, but slow wired charging remains a clunker on a premium device.
Gaming Performance A Pocket Powerhouse
ZFold 7 isn't just an office tool. It's a superb gaming machine by any measure. With the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip coupled with an 8-inch, 120Hz inner display, it is as immersive as gaming can actually get, so much so that this, alas, is not something the actual phones can offer. Larger, more comfortable virtual controls, and the size of the screen allows the details to really pop.
Native Android apps run fine on ZFold 7 with utmost ease. Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG Mobile can run buttery 120 FPS on max settings. Even the graphical monsters like Genshin Impact can pull off a decent 55-60 FPS on high settings. The thermals were pretty good; the phone gets warm on the back side near the camera module with extended play, though performance stayed quite consistent and no major throttling set in.
There is an interesting function for a gamer "Pause USB Power Delivery" can be activated during charging. This allows the charger to power the phone and bypass the battery, greatly minimizing heat generation, thus letting you play continuously without worrying about battery health or getting it hot.
Emulation and Cloud Gaming
This is where the ZFold 7 excels in emulation. It's almost a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is just right for older consoles. Playing games from these systems such as the Nintendo 3DS is almost heavenly, as the foldable screen represents the dual-screen layout flawlessly. Titles from GameCube and PS2 look terrific, almost eliminating black bars as they fill the screen and (gameplay-wise) run like a dream. Add a controller, perhaps the Gamesir G8, and the ZFold 7 might just become the best portable emulation device on the market.
The cloud gaming service, from Xbox Game Pass, also benefits from a large screen, creating a console experience away from home. It can be mixed up with a high-power processor and a good-size screen with high refresh rate; now ZFold 7 is an excellent and flexible choice for any kind of gamer.
Pros
- Ultra-thin and lightweight design
- Wider workable cover screen
- Amazing 8-inch inner display
- Flagship 200MP main camera
- Top-notch Snapdragon 8 Elite performance
- Excellent multitasking software and extended updates
- IP48 dust and water resistance
Cons
- S Pen stylus support is missing
- Average battery life, particularly with the inner screen on
- 25W charging is pretty slow
- Camera bump is noticeable, so it wobbles on flat surfaces
- A hefty price tag begins at $2,000
- Speakers have been downgraded from previous iterations
Our Rating
Final Takeaway The Best Foldable With a Condition
Galaxy ZFold 7 is a behemoth of engineering. It is the first time a book-style foldable actually feels like a normal phone closed and a powerful tablet open. The design has utterly changed the game.
Samsung has delivered on the promise of a no compromise phone experience in a foldable. Upgraded camera, powerful performance, and refined software have made it an extremely capable device. But it does come with compromises. For some, the lack of S Pen will hurt, and with merely decent battery life and slow charging, it misses out on perfection.
If you were waiting for a foldable that shed the bulk of its predecessors, ZFold 7 is an easy recommendation if you can stomach the premium pricing. It is a flexible, powerful, and truly futuristic device that offers an experience no traditional smartphone can match. It may not be perfect today, but it really is the zenith of foldable technology.
