Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 is its Thinnest Foldable Yet and a Standout from Unpacked

During its Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung revealed its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldable devices, launching July 25. Refreshing the lineup for the year, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 bridges the gap between the foldables and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is designed to replicate the ‘Ultra’ experience but in a foldable design. No, Samsung is not adding an Ultra device to the foldable series. Instead, it’s letting the Galaxy Z Fold 7 do a lot of heavy lifting. And from some hands-on impressions, the device may live up to that philosophy.

Replicating what the Galaxy S25 Ultra brings to the table, Samsung introduces a larger display to its Galaxy Z Fold 7. The foldable smartphone features a stunning 8-inch AMOLED display when unfolded (up from 7.6 inches). It’s a marvel to boot up a YouTube video on the 6.5-inch cover display only to transition over to the larger plot of real estate after opening the device. When interacting with apps like Weather or Messages, the extra .4 inches is great for relaying important information on screen.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the thinnest foldable the company has developed thus far. When folded, it’s almost as thin as the Galaxy S25 Ultra at 8.9mm. Unfolded, the device is 4.2mm, nearly as thin as a USB-C port or a pencil, which shocked me to see in person. Off the heels of the Galaxy S25 Edge, I’m very compelled by Samsung’s focus on cutting-edge thin products. Compared to its predecessor, which weighs 239g, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is lighter at 215g. What’s most impressive is that Samsung isn’t taking out any of the guts of the foldable to accommodate the thinner design.

This means the device comes with a three-lens array, including a 200-megapixel main wide shooter with 2X optical quality zoom, a 12-megapixel ultra wide lens and a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens. The selfie camera is upgraded significantly from its predecessor. Instead of a 4-megapixel selfie camera, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is paired with a 12-megapixel lens. With the ProVisual Engine, the device offers advanced noise analysis to clean up photos, especially those taken at night or in dark environments.

Powering the device is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, the same processor as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The use of the 3nm chipset allows for AI tools and innovations. Disappointingly, the device features a 4,400mAh battery, the same as last year. Speaking to Samsung Canada’s Head of Mobile Business Raj Doshi, he implores that thanks to the use of the Snapdragon 8 Elite and software optimizations, the battery can actually provide upwards of 20% long-lasting battery efficiency compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6. “The product teams have done a phenomenal job to actually make sure that the battery life is extended even with the broader screen and the greater usability across the front and the inside screens, Doshi says. “These things are done to allow better optimization. Things like autodimming and stuff like that. Also, app management is something that the software’s AI can actually do…The battery longevity is about 20% longer in terms of productive use versus the [Galaxy Z Fold] 6.”

As mentioned, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 leverages Galaxy AI, Gemini Live, and other AI innovations. During Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung confirmed that all default Galaxy AI features, provided by One UI 8, will remain free to all users. With its 8-inch display, many AI features, like the Now Brief, are being tailored and tweaked for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to make use of the full-screen real estate. One of the AI features being touted is Visual AI. Using Gemini Live, I was able to share the screen with the AI assistant to garner contextual information based on text and images on the screen. This can be helpful when you need directions when looking up a restaurant for dinner or troubleshooting an on-screen issue. With Photo Assist and Generative Edits, Galaxy Z Fold 7 is able to provide side-by-side edits and comparisons using the display. So I was able to see how the images I took and cleaned up looked against the original photo.

The device is built to be more durable and strong. Samsung incorporates an ‘Armor FlexHinge’, which is said to be reengineered to disperse stress and protect the display from wear and tear over time. For the display, Samsung worked with Corning to incorporate Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 for a durable yet still stunning screen.

While having only a few hours with hands-on time with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it’s already becoming one of my favourite smartphones of 2025. The impressive engineering that’s gone into reducing the device’s thickness while expanding the screen size is astounding. While not fully committing to adding an ‘Ultra’ style device to its foldable lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 looks like its stepping up to the plate in a big way. The suite of cameras on the foldable is very enticing, capturing the essence of why so many people gravitate to the S25 Ultra to begin with. Leaving Samsung’s Unpacked and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 behind, I am incredibly interested to see how Samsung’s claims on the battery shape up through my own practical workflow and day-to-day use.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options. Samsung will launch the device on July 25, and pre-orders are live now, starting at $2,499 in Canada, less than the $2,564 price tag of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at launch. The device will be available in ‘Silver Shadow,’ ‘Blue Shadow,’ and ‘Jetblack.’