For the past few weeks, Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold7 has been a conversation starter. By now, a lot of people have seen folding phones in different forms; but there’s something different about this particular device. It’s like Samsung has finally nailed the balance between innovation and everyday usability.
The Galaxy Z Fold7 doesn’t come across as a futuristic gadget trying to prove a point: it feels finished, purposeful, and powerful. The hinge works naturally with ease, the aluminium body is lightweight, and the 8″ inner display is more intuitive to use, whether you’re scrolling through social media, bingeing your favourite series, playing games or simply replying to email.
But over and above being impossibly light and surprisingly sturdy, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is skinny. When open, it’s only 4.2mm thick, which is inconceivable when you take into account what’s inside. It’s thinner than a pencil yet fits dual batteries, a high-end Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, multiple camera sensors, multi-layer Amoled panel and precision cooling.
AI is here
The Galaxy Z Fold7 is so much more than a smartphone with a big screen. In fact, the biggest shift isn’t even physical. It’s how Galaxy AI now runs beneath the surface, turning all that extra screen estate into something genuinely useful.
Demonstrating its multiscreen feature — ideal for busy multitaskers — you can translate a message on one side while replying on the other, Circle to Search an image without switching apps or edit photos with AI suggestions that pop up right next to what you’re doing.
And the best part is that on the Galaxy Z Fold7, this all happens in real time, on the device, so everything feels seamless. You’re not jumping in and out of different screens. Everything is there, your apps and tools side by side, ready when you need them.
Picture perfect
One of the things that will blow you away is the Galaxy Z Fold7’s camera setup. Yes, it’s a noticeable bump on the smartphone’s otherwise super slim frame, but you’re getting a triple lens system that includes a 200MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto (never mind the 10MP selfie camera in the cover).
What’s important to note here is that the Galaxy Z Fold6 only had a 50MP camera, which is not terrible by any means, but having the same main lens as the Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra flagship is a big deal.
Whether you’re shooting with the device, open or closed, the shutter speed is super quick, and the quality of the photos are top-notch. The clarity is breathtaking. Even in low-lighting conditions, you’re able to take pictures that aren’t blurry … but if there happens to be something there you don’t want, making changes is fun using Samsung’s AI editing suite. You could lose hours playing around with the 50 or so photographic features.
What I noticed is that with a little AI assistance, the Galaxy Z Fold7 understands the context of your picture and can make editing suggestions. And because this is a foldable phone, you have the ability to compare the original and edited photo side by side. There’s so much more, but in a nutshell, there’s never been a Fold with a better camera line-up or editing options until now.
Big screen moments
One of the main things you’re ultimately getting when using the Galaxy Z Fold7 is an incredible viewing experience.
If you’re obsessed with social media, TikTok and Instagram’s larger layouts become so much more engaging on a bigger screen. It should go without saying that any streaming service simply looks better on the Galaxy Z Fold7’s display.
And if you’ve ever tried to read on your smartphone and given up, the Galaxy Z Fold7 makes for the perfect e-reader. (I downloaded the Libby, the library app, and logged into the City of Johannesburg Library Services only to fall down into a rabbit hole of international publications. I even managed to borrow and finish two popular BookTok recommendations using Libby, something that would be possible, but not as easy, with a regular-sized smartphone.)
And, because the Galaxy Z Fold7 is so light (only 215g), if you’re going to be holding it for hours on end consuming media, your hands won’t tire.
A game-changer
Another area where the Galaxy Z Fold7 really shines is gaming. Mobile gaming is only getting bigger (just look at all the new handheld consoles coming out) — and Samsung has made sure this phone can more than keep up.
It handles demanding titles like Call of Duty: Mobile with ease, and gameplay looks beautifully fluid across both displays. The 8″ inner screen gives you room to breathe — heads-up displays aren’t crammed into corners, and touch controls finally make sense on a screen this size. You can even use split screen to follow a tutorial without ever hitting pause.
What I didn’t expect was how well Galaxy AI fits into gameplay. With Circle to Search, you can draw a block around a boss before a battle and instantly get more information, maybe even the sneaky trick to winning, in a pop-up window. It can even pull up YouTube guides without you having to leave the game.
Built to last
With the Galaxy Z Fold7’s 4,400 mAh dual battery, you can game, stream or scroll for hours without worrying about running flat halfway through a session.
Samsung has built a device that intelligently manages power depending on what you’re doing, so light use like reading or messaging uses far less battery than intensive gaming or video playback.
And even if you do get close to empty, fast charging gets you to around 50% in half an hour. The Galaxy Z Fold7 comes with a USB-C to USB-C data cable but no wall adaptor, something to keep in mind.
Storage is another standout. With up to 1TB of internal memory and high-speed UFS 4.0 support, you can download massive games, store entire series for offline viewing, and keep thousands of photos or eBooks without a second thought. It’s the kind of capacity that makes the Galaxy Z Fold7 feel more like a pocket-sized entertainment hub than a phone.
As far as foldables go, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is leagues ahead of its competitors. It’s the first device that genuinely feels ready to replace a regular smartphone. It’s sleek, powerful and practical, proof that foldables are no longer a novelty.
While it’s taken seven generations to get to this point, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7 feels like the future of smartphones … only this time, the future has finally caught up.
For more information or to order your new Galaxy Z Fold7, visit the Samsung website.
• About the author: Tiana Cline is a freelance business technology journalist.
This article was sponsored by Samsung.
