The Galaxy Fold7 is one of the most futuristic smartphones of this year, the release of which will undoubtedly affect the future lineup of Samsung flagships. The company managed to create a very thin folding design, which is actually limited by the thickness of the USB-C port and is a significant step forward compared to previous models of the Fold series. However, whether the smartphone has become more convenient to use and what compromises Samsung had to make to provide such a thin body, I will tell in this review. I used the Galaxy Fold7 for three weeks, so I have collected quite a few impressions that I want to share.
Specifications of the Galaxy Fold7
| Dimensions and weight | When folded – 158.4x72.8x8.9 mm When unfolded – 158.4x143.2x4.2 mm 215 grams |
| RAM and storage | 12GB/256, 512GB or 16GB/1TB |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
| Graphics processor | Adreno 830 |
| Wireless modules | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC |
| Displays | External 6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2520x1080 pixels, 1-120 Hz, 21:9, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, 2600 nits Flexible 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2184x1968 pixels, 1-120 Hz, 2600 nits |
| Main cameras | 200 MP wide-angle, f/1.7, Dual Pixel PDAF, optical stabilization; 10 MP telephoto, f/2.4, PDAF, optical stabilization, 3x zoom; 12 MP ultra-wide-angle, f/2.2, 120˚, PDAF, electronic stabilization. |
| Front cameras | 10 MP, f/2.2 10 MP, f/2.2 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers |
| Battery | 4400 mAh |
| Exercise | Wired up to 25W, wireless up to 15W, reversible up to 4.5W |
| Connectors | USB Type-C 3.2 |
| Operating system | Android 16, One UI 8 |
| Recommended price | from 84,999 UAH |
Design and usability
The Galaxy Fold7 is the thinnest foldable smartphone Samsung has ever made, and that has a significant impact on both its perception and usability. Last year, while using the Fold6, I couldn’t help but think that foldable smartphones were finally becoming “normal” in the sense that they were as comfortable to use as solid-state devices. At 8.9mm thick when folded, the Galaxy Fold7 clearly demonstrates this claim. For comparison, last year’s Fold6 was 12.1mm thick.
The smartphone is only slightly thicker than the Galaxy S25 Ultra and even three grams lighter than it. It is as comfortable to hold in your hands as any modern monoblock, the only thing is that the corners are sharper here, like in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, so you need to get used to it. Thanks to the smaller thickness, the device no longer feels like a “brick”: it fits more easily in pockets and sticks out less, and the two halves of the display now fold almost without a gap.
Samsung achieved this with a redesigned Armor FlexHinge, which is 27% thinner and 43% lighter than the Fold6. The hinge features an improved waterdrop design with multi-directional rails, which reduces the visibility of the screen crease and distributes the stress more evenly when bending. The crease on the internal display is still noticeable at certain angles.
As for the materials, the frame and back cover are made of a durable aluminum alloy (Armor Aluminum), which, according to Samsung, has become 10% stronger and harder. In addition, a titanium element has appeared in the design – a thin titanium plate is installed under the screen, which increases rigidity, allowing the display to be thinner without losing strength.
The glass on the outer screen is the new Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 (instead of Victus 2 before): it contains ceramic nanocrystals in a glass matrix, which improves crack resistance while maintaining a small thickness. The back panel is also protected by this glass.
The internal flexible display is covered with a special layer of ultra-thin glass (UTG), which is now 50% thicker than its predecessor. This should reduce susceptibility to dents. Although, of course, the flexible screen still requires care: it is covered with a soft protective film, on which small scratches may appear over time. At the same time, Samsung continues to improve durability, claiming a folding life of 300,000 cycles. However, water protection has remained at the IPX8 level, sand or fine dust can still be dangerous for the hinge.
The smaller height and wider folded width make the smartphone more comfortable to use than previous models, as it now has a 6.5-inch external screen. However, it is worth mentioning the design features.
To achieve a thinner design, Samsung has made some simplifications. First, S Pen support has been removed: the Fold7 no longer has a corresponding digitizer. While users could previously write on the internal display with a pen (Fold3-Fold6 supported the S Pen Fold Edition), this option is now unavailable. Samsung representatives explained this as a forced change in favor of a thinner body. However, the company hints that it is looking for innovations for future generations of the Fold, so it may return the pen when it can integrate it without compromising on size.
Secondly, the under-screen selfie camera. In the Fold5/6, the internal camera was hidden under the screen pixels, but its quality suffered, the module received less light and had a resolution of only 4 megapixels. In the Fold7, engineers decided that it was better to have a full-fledged 10-megapixel camera in the hole than a weak hidden one, this is of course a step back in technology, but a step forward in terms of benefits. The hole for the front camera on the large screen is noticeable, but selfies are clearer, and during video calls from tablet mode, the interlocutor will see you in better quality. As for me, this is a justified exchange, especially since the under-screen camera in previous Folds was still noticeable.
Thirdly, the thickness of the case has decreased significantly, but the camera module has become more prominent. This is not exactly a minus, because it is still physically impossible to fit high-quality modules into half of the case with a thickness of 4.2 mm. But it is worth knowing that if you use the Fold7 without a case, the smartphone will “wobble” very much on the table when folded. This has never bothered me much, but I know that there are people who pay attention to such design features.
In conclusion, I would like to note that the expectations from the Galaxy Fold7 are justified, the thinner body and lower weight allow you to use the smartphone more comfortably during the day when folded. The 6.5-inch external display is suitable for most tasks, while the device is more compact than the 6.7-6.9-inch models. And when you need a larger screen to read a document or book, or play games or watch videos, the internal 8-inch display is a great replacement for a compact tablet.
Displays
One of the most important updates to the Fold7 was its display and usability in different modes. This year, Samsung changed the proportions and completed a change in the concept of the device: if earlier the Fold model had to be used more often in tablet mode, because the external screen was less convenient, now the emphasis has shifted to full use in the folded state.
The external screen is now 6.5 inches, Samsung used a Dynamic AMOLED 2X matrix with a resolution of 2520x1080 pixels, a frequency of up to 120 Hz and an aspect ratio of 21:9. That is, almost like regular smartphones, for comparison, the Fold6 had a 6.3-inch display and an aspect ratio of 22.1:9. The wider screen of the Fold7 allows you to use the keyboard, applications, social media feeds much more comfortably, there is no feeling of crampedness or a cropped interface.
From my experience: 80-90% of the time I used the external screen of the Galaxy Fold7, because it is more convenient to use it on the go. The device easily copes with the role of a regular smartphone when folded, you can conveniently text, scroll through social media feeds, use the navigator or camera, and only when necessary, "unfold the tablet" when you need a larger display.
The internal flexible screen itself also uses the Dynamic AMOLED 2X matrix, but has an 8-inch diagonal and a resolution of 2184x1968 pixels, a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and a peak brightness of up to 2600 nits. Compared to the Fold6, the internal flexible screen has become 11% larger. Although the hinge has become smaller, it still allows you to fix the display at different angles, so it is convenient to put the device half-open (in Flex mode) for video calls or watching videos, in fact, like a mini-laptop.
Samsung has also optimized the software features for the large display. One UI for Fold supports the Taskbar at the bottom – a persistent strip with icons for recent and favorite apps, like the Windows taskbar. When you open any app, you can bring up this bar, allowing you to quickly switch between apps or run them in split-screen mode. For example, you can drag the mail icon to the right and open it next to the browser.
Many popular Android apps are already optimized for large screens: the interface automatically transforms into a two-column layout (Gmail, Instagram, etc.) or shows more elements than on a smartphone. This gives a tablet-like experience: reading news, working with documents or spreadsheets on the Fold7 is really comfortable.
I'll dwell a little more on Flex mode – this is when the smartphone is bent at an angle of 90° (half the screen is standing, half is lying). In this mode, many programs adapt: YouTube shows videos on the upper half, and playback controls are on the bottom. The camera even gets a mini-tripod mode - you can put the Fold as a "laptop" and take group photos or timelapses without holding it.
As a result, the Galaxy Fold7 has better displays and a more comfortable folded experience, with the internal screen opening up more possibilities when you need a larger display. Switching between modes is seamless when you open the case, and apps instantly adapt to the larger screen if they support larger displays.
Productivity and OneUI 8
The Galaxy Fold7 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship processor for Galaxy, already familiar from the S25 series, with the Adreno 830 GPU, which is complemented by the following memory options: 12/256 GB, 12/512 GB or 16 GB/1 TB. In everyday use, the Galaxy Fold7's performance is expectedly at a high level: the interface works smoothly, applications launch instantly. Benchmarks show a performance increase of about ~30-40% compared to last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen3.
The basic 12 GB of RAM is enough to keep several programs running in the background without rebooting. Multitasking in the Galaxy Fold7 is generally implemented very well, you can open a browser, YouTube and chat on the internal display at the same time, and all three programs will be active. At the same time, you can even open an application almost in full size and quickly switch to another one, as if flipping the screen. For those who choose the maximum version with 16 GB of "RAM", the performance margin will be even greater, this is an option for those who want to have a margin of speed for several years to come.
Under load, the Galaxy Fold7 case can get hot, especially the half with the camera module, where the processor is installed. However, the device behaves somewhat differently depending on whether it is in the open or closed position. In the latter case, the heating of the case is slightly higher, but within the limits of comfortable use, but in the open position it seems that the smartphone does not heat up at all, is that mystical? In fact, everything is quite simple and to show what exactly is happening with the processor, let's take the 3Dmark Wild Life Extreme stress test.
When the Galaxy Fold7 is closed, it shows quite high results in the first rounds of the test, but then the processor drops frequencies, and by the last round of the test, performance is reduced to avoid overheating. The processor temperature rises to 41 degrees Celsius.
If you open the smartphone and run the same test, it begins to balance the speed of operation and heating, not giving the maximum from the very beginning, but at the same time not dropping the frequency much in all the test rounds. It turns out the best stability that I have seen recently on flagships, and even the number of points scored in the worst test round turns out to be higher than in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The processor temperature does not exceed 35 degrees Celsius, which makes the case slightly warm in general.
That is, Samsung's logic is that in the closed state, the user will most likely need higher performance for some short tasks, and in this regard, the Galaxy Fold7 gives the maximum that its cooling system allows. But in the open position, the focus is on long use and less heating.
As a result, relatively heavy games like Diablo Immortal run at high graphics settings, but not at maximum. However, you can play for quite a long time, and I don't really think anyone is seriously considering the Fold7 as a gaming smartphone. Another thing is that not all games adapt well to the internal 8-inch screen, sometimes the scaling, like in Civilization 6, is too large and the game interface elements overlap each other. I hope more developers will pay attention to this.
In the new One UI 8 interface for Android 16, Samsung has somewhat refreshed the design of applications and the functionality of the system in general. In particular, the Now Bar / Now Brief have been updated - interface elements that provide contextual information and tips. For example, the Now Bar can show music or workout data on the external screen of the Flip7 (on a widget), but the concept is similar on the Fold7: in the notification panel or on the desktop you get predictive reminders and tips based on your habits. The system remembers that, for example, at a certain time you are watching a video, and at that time it will place a widget with interesting videos from YouTube, or remind you of calendar events. This is a cool proactive approach, and although the capabilities of the Now Bar and Now Brief in One UI 8 have expanded, I would like to see more integrations from third-party developers.
The My Files, Weather, and Reminders apps also received an updated interface, and in Modes and Scenarios, there is an option to remind you to take an umbrella if the probability of rain is more than 50%. In DeX mode, it is now possible to change the screen resolution and orientation.
Overall, One UI remains one of the best interfaces for Android, it has a nice design, logical structure, and useful additions that make using a smartphone more convenient.
Galaxy Fold7 cameras
Samsung’s foldable smartphones have always been somewhat inferior to traditional flagships in terms of cameras. The Galaxy Fold7 changes that story, making arguably the biggest leap in photographic capabilities in the history of the Fold series.
The main camera received a 200-megapixel module. For the first time, Samsung installed a high-resolution sensor in the Fold, similar to the one used in the S25 Ultra. This is a 1/1.3" sensor (0.6 μm pixels, combined 16-in-1 to ~2.4 μm), capable of producing both 12 MP shots and detailed 50 MP or full 200 MP photos in good lighting. According to the company, the photos have become 44% brighter and more detailed compared to the 50-megapixel camera of the Fold6. For my part, I can confirm this, the image quality has really improved. During the day, the frames are sharp and saturated, with excellent color reproduction, and at night the Fold7 takes noticeably brighter and cleaner photos with less noise.
This is a big step forward, as the predecessors of the Fold5/6 had good but typical 50-megapixel modules on the level of the younger S-series models, while Samsung's ultra-flagships have already managed to move from 108 to 200-megapixel modules. Now the Galaxy Fold7 has closed this gap.
However, not all smartphone cameras can compete with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the ultra-wide-angle camera also received a resolution of 12 megapixels with a viewing angle of 120 °. At first glance, it is similar to last year's, but the sensor has been updated, the pixel size has increased to 1.4 microns versus 1.12 microns in the Fold6. That is, we again have better light sensitivity. As a result, the "ultra-wide" takes better pictures in low light conditions, less noise at the edges of the frame, but it still lacks optical stabilization for the same high-quality result as the main camera. In daylight, the difference is less noticeable, both generations of modules gave excellent wide-angle photos.
An interesting detail is that due to the larger sensor of the ultra-wide-angle camera, the Fold7 is suitable for macro photography from a close distance – the minimum focal length allows you to bring the smartphone closer to the object and capture small details while maintaining a wide angle.
The telephoto camera in the Galaxy Fold7 has received the least changes, it uses the same 10-megapixel module with an aperture of f/2.4, a pixel size of 1.0 μm, phase detection autofocus, optical stabilization and 3x zoom. The pictures from this camera, as before, are good in sufficient light, in bright sunlight they show excellent detail, but at night the pixel size and aperture are already starting to fall short. However, even with insufficient light, you can get good pictures.
The Galaxy Fold7's digital zoom is extended to 30x using AI, but above 10x the quality drops significantly. Indoors and in the evening, the 3x camera can also produce a somewhat softer, grainy result. However, in general, the telephoto offers additional capabilities, especially since due to the crop, you can additionally take 2x pictures from the main camera. This sometimes helps out in poor lighting, because the 200-megapixel module is able to collect more light.
The front cameras, as mentioned, are two 10-megapixel ones. The external one (on the lid) is the same as in the previous generation: 10 megapixels, f/2.2 aperture with a viewing angle of ~85°. The internal one is now also 10 megapixels (previously it was a 4-megapixel under-screen one). The internal one has a wider angle of 100° to accommodate more of the scene during video calls when the Fold is half-bent on a table.
Both selfie cameras provide good quality for video chats, stories, etc. But if you need maximum quality, you can take selfies with the main camera, using the external screen as a viewfinder.
As always, the Camera app has a bunch of modes: Pro, portraits, Director's View (recording video from multiple cameras at once), dual preview (when the external screen also shows the viewfinder so that the person can pose). Everything works quickly and clearly.
In general, the Fold7 camera is now almost as good as Samsung's "ultra" flagships – yes, it still doesn't reach the Galaxy S25 Ultra with optical zoom, but it pleases with progress in the main module.
Galaxy Fold7 battery life
On the one hand, it can be stated that the size of the Galaxy Fold7 battery has not changed compared to the previous generation. However, on the other hand, it is worth giving Samsung engineers their due, because even despite a significant decrease in the thickness of the smartphone, they were able to maintain the battery capacity, which is 4400 mAh. The autonomy of the Galaxy Fold7 is approximately on par with the Fold6, the smartphone can easily withstand a day of active use with 5-6 hours of screen time. However, much depends on how actively the internal display is used and how "heavy" the user works with software.
I switched to the Galaxy Fold7 after testing the Galaxy S25, so overall I didn't feel any significant drop in battery life or the need to change my charging habits. As a rule, I put my smartphone on charge overnight so that I have 100% battery in the morning. In general, this is not recommended. But it is convenient, and the battery protection mode in Samsung smartphones charges the battery faster to 80%, while the other 20% is already slower, and the system adapts to charge to 100% just before I wake up. So the battery life cycle is not drastically reduced.
As for charging itself, the Galaxy Fold7 supports power supplies up to 25W, which isn't as fast as the 45W in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it can charge the smartphone from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes. In addition, it has wireless charging up to 15W and reverse charging up to 4.5W.
