To paraphrase Fatboy Slim, the Fold has come a long way, baby.
Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold phone, the Fold7, is the best yet. Praise it? Yes, I should.
Samsung’s revolutionary devices have captured my attention since the first one was brought to market in 2019. In the intervening years, the Fold has been refined, reshaped, and crowned with a suite of AI features. It’s like watching the Wright brothers’ plane turn into something resembling Concorde: exciting at the start, exciting with each new reveal.
Samsung drew back the curtain on Fold7 in late July this year, and I’ve been testing it, in a real-world setting that included watching one of Wembley’s biggest gigs of 2025 and sailboat racing off the UK’s coast, to see exactly what it has on its predecessor, the Fold6.
Let’s dive in.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 key specs
- AI Features: Interpreter, Live Translate, Chat Assist, Circle to Search, Note Assist, Transcript Assist, Photo Assist, Drawing Assist
- Storage: 256GB / 512GB / 1TB
- Display & Size: 8-inch 1968 x 2184 foldable AMOLED main display
- Dimension folded: 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9mm
- Dimension unfolded: 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2mm
- Weight: 215g
- Max Display refresh rate: 120Hz
- Front Camera: 10MP(Cover) + 4MP UDC(Main)
- Rear Camera & Zoom: 200MP, 12MP and 10MP cameras featuring optical zoom 3x, optical quality zoom 2x, digital zoom 30x
- Charging port: USB-C
- Battery: 4400mAh (typical)
- Video Playback: Up to 24 hours
- Colours available: Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, Jetblack and Mint
Design
If you’re a Fold devotee, as I am, the first thing you’ll notice is the weight of this phone - or rather, the lack of it. Has Samsung put it on Ozempic? This phone has shed an impressive 29g, going from the Fold6’s 239g to 215g. The Fold5 was even heavier at 253g. With the new release here, it seems absurd that we were burdening our pockets with a device so heavy just a few years ago.
It’s lighter, and almost unfeasibly slimmer too. When both leaves of the book-style foldable are closed, the depth is just 8.9mm, compared to its predecessor’s 21.1mm. Turn the device on its end, and the USB-C port looks like it barely fits in the Armor Aluminium frame.
The resulting holding experience is like holding a regular slab, whereas older models feel chunkier in the hand. Not a negative, by any means - the weight meant I knew it hadn’t slipped out of my pocket.
Fold7 retains its FlexHinge, so both sides of the phone sit flush against each other, with no gaps. When opened, the hinge is virtually undetectable - especially if you’re streaming or browsing.
Screen size has been dialled up too. Opened, there are eight inches to gaze in wonder at. Even closed is an improvement, at 6.5 inches versus last year’s 6.3. A tiny increase, but it does make it more awkward to get into my jeans pocket (but then, women’s pockets are notoriously designed to be smaller than men’s - a fight for another day).
My only gripe? The rear camera’s enclosure protrudes quite a bit, so it wobbles about when placed on a flat surface. Can anyone else hear a tiny violin?
Functions
As well as raising the bar on the Folds of old, this year’s arrival borrows features from sister phone, the S25, which launched at the start of the year, providing some brightness in winter’s gloom.
You can enable split screen to run three different apps on the same screen simultaneously, perfect for multitaskers (see below). Fold the screen up on the side, and you can use it like a teeny laptop if you need to. But if you’re looking to type anything more strenuous than texts on the go, you’re better off getting a small wireless keyboard like this one.
And it's full of the now-standard AI features, including Google-powered Circle to Search, Note Assist, Chat Assist, Browsing Assist, Live Translate, and Photo Assist, which is magic as far as I'm concerned (it removes small objects or stragglers, stitching together an alternative background, thereby rendering snaps perfect).
These AI features aren’t just fun to play with; they’re helping everyday tasks become more streamlined. Annika Bizon, VP Mobile Experience at Samsung UK & Ireland, puts it best: “Galaxy AI is more than just a collection of handy features; it represents a new, seamless way for your phone to work for you, intuitively supporting you and helping you stay ahead with zero extra effort.”
What’s new?
As well as a suite of AI features, the Fold7 boasts the S25’s Now Briefing bar, which displays important info on a closed screen, customised to you. So whether it’s the latest headlines, the weather, social media notifications or match fixtures, you can see it all at a glance.
This, plus a sleeker profile, more screen space and an incredible collection of cameras, brings the Fold7 up for the 2025 smartphone user.
Cameras
Okay, cameras: here’s where things get spicy. Samsung has upped the ante with a 200MP rear camera, which is part of a trio of lenses on the back of the phone. The others include a 10MP Telephoto lens with 3x Optical Zoom and a 12MP Ultra Wide lens.
What does this mean for the average user? See this side-by-side comparison of the zoom in action. The left is an image taken at the Wembley Oasis gig in normal mode; on the right is the camera at maximum zoom. The Gallaghers may look still tiny (I was seated very far away), but there’s no denying the clarity and colour correction, even in the jostle of a major gig.
Performance
In terms of smart features, I found the audio-to-text function, Transcript Assist, a huge time-saver when I needed an interview transcribed last week. It wasn't perfect, but editing the text was a lot less effort than stop-starting transcription from scratch.
Battery-wise, the best test was a 12-hour trip to Cowes, zooming alongside the racing boats on a RIB. I used the phone almost non-stop to capture content, alongside my usual messaging, searching and streaming on the way to the Isle of Wight and back to London. Starting with full battery, I returned with 20 per cent, which feels impressive given I was really hammering usage and forgot to take a portable battery pack.
Watching content on the open screen is a pleasure, and I still can’t get over how light and slim the device is. It’s hard to imagine where Samsung will go from here for next year’s Fold drop - tissue paper-thin depth? More hinges so the phone-to-tablet opens like an OS map? - but if any tech brand lives for pushing boundaries, it’s this Korean one.
Cost - is it worth the price?
With an entry price of £1799 for the entry 256GB Fold7, this certainly isn’t a device for the weak of pocket. There are other, cheaper foldables out there, but do they perform with the smoothness and capability of Samsung’s? In my book, it hasn’t found a contender yet.
If you can afford it and foldables are your flavour of phone, this is the best you’ll find.
Verdict
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
Building on the Folds that came before her, 2025’s Fold7 proves to be Samsung’s most impressive device yet.
The phone-to-tablet device is slimmer, lighter and smarter, packed with a suite of AI features that promise to streamline your life, including the Now Brief, a widget that groups all your important information and can be seen on the closed screen.
A 120Hz refresh rate means content runs smoothly just as it should with rich colour and deep blacks making viewing a total pleasure. High-performance cameras on the back, including a mega 200MP, mean you can capture details from significant distances.
Make no mistake, this is an expensive phone. But, if you’re determined to buy the best Android on the market, Samsung retains its crown as king.
Buy now £1799.00, Amazon
