The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 was launched in Brooklyn New York early this morning and as usual the media in Malaysia was given early access to Samsung’s 7th generation foldable screen device. What’s interesting this time and can Samsung’s offering compete with what Oppo, Honor, Huawei, Tecno, and Xiaomi have to offer? Here’s my first look.
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
External Screen – 6.5″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz
Inside – 8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz
HDR10+
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor (3nm)
2X 4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L chip
6X 3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M
Adreno 830 Graphics Chip
RAM 12/16GB LPDDR5X
8GB RAM Plus
Internal Storage 256/512/1000 GB UFS 4.0
Main Camera 200MP f/1.7 OIS, (Wide Angle)
12MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide)
10MP, f/2.4, OIS 3x Optical Zoom (Telephoto)
10MP f/2.2 Selfie Camera (Outside)
10MP f/2.2 (Inner)
Battery 4400 mAh
25W wired charging
12W wireless charging
4.5W reverse charging
SIM/Telephony 2 Nano, 1 eSIM
5G
NFC Yes
Audio Jack No
Waterproof IP48
Scanning System Side fingerprint scanner
Selling Price RM 7,799 (12/256 GB)
RM 8,399 (12/512 GB)
RM 9,899 (16/1000 GB)
SCREEN and DESIGN
In the previous five iterations, Samsung has slowly given the screen wider after receiving comments about the external screen being too narrow. On the Fold7 it has reached its final form like Frieza with it now being the same width as the Oppo Find N5 and Magic V3. The typing process on the external screen is now more comfortable than on the Fold6.
However, it is still not completely the same as the screen ratio on the S245 Ultra for example. The outer screen is now 6.5″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz compared to 6.3″ on the Fold6 model with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. Durable Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 is used on this outer screen.
The inner screen has grown to 8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz compared to 7.6″ last year, making the inner screen look more boxy. This year, there is no longer a 4MP under-screen camera system with a hole-punch camera returned with a 10MP camera. Not only is the UDC camera gone, S-Pen support has also finally disappeared with Samsung representatives saying this is because it is a feature that the majority of Fold users do not use.
The fold line is becoming harder to see with Samsung saying the Armor Flex Hinge design and the structure under the screen have been changed to get the most taut screen possible. There are still lines but they are no longer noticeable. This year's UTG layer is also 50% thinner.
The Z Fold7 also passes the IP48 standard for waterproof and dustproof capabilities. This year Samsung lost to Honor which offered the Magic V5 with IP59 waterproof and dustproof capabilities.
Last year's boxy body aesthetic is maintained once again. Two weeks ago I managed to go to Bangkok and used the Galaxy S25 Edge. The thin and light but still premium feeling of the S25 Edge can be felt on the body of the Z Fold7. It's like two S25 Edges placed side by side. The process of opening the screen is also easy because of the flat sides used. There is no need to pick up the two "wings" of the screen like when using the Honor Magic V3 last year.
Samsung says it is thin. But how thin is it? It is 4.2mm thick when open and 8.9mm when folded. This puts it only 0.1mm thicker than the Magic V5. Despite being a foldable device, the Z Fold7 only weighs 215 grams which is lighter than the S25 Ultra which weighs 218 grams. An engineering feat that should be praised because for a long time the Fold device has been criticized for being heavy and thick compared to candybar-type devices,
The finish of the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back panel and the sides of the device are dull which makes it not easy to trap dirt and is also less slippery. The power button and volume rocker are still placed on the right “door” with the power button also doubling as a fingerprint scanner. Even though the body is getting thinner, the palms and fingers do not feel painful holding the device or using the buttons. I'm just a bit disappointed that the fingerprint scanner is still on the power button while Vivo has already offered two under-screen fingerprint scanners on the X Fold series.
At the top of the left door there is an audio grille with a thin groove design. Elements from the S25 Edge series are reused on the Z Fold7. At the bottom of the left door there is another groove for the audio grille. This is to ensure balanced stereo audio can be produced. At the bottom of the right door there is a USB-C charging port. The body of the Z Fold7 is very thin, it is only slightly larger than the charging hole.
The three main cameras on the back consist of a 200MP OIS wide-angle lens, 12MP ultra-wide-angle and 10MP telephoto up to 3X optical. On the inner screen there is a 10MP selfie camera and on the outer screen there is a 10MP selfie camera in the screen hole. The only changes are made to the 200MP main camera and the 10MP selfie camera which is now no longer 4MP UDC.
The camera bump is very high and I feel it is higher than the thickness of the body. As a result, the device cannot be placed flat on a table surface. Buying a frame is now becoming increasingly mandatory. Although large, the bump does not cause the device to be "head-heavy" so that it is unbalanced when held. The body of this year's model maintains the IP48 waterproof and dustproof capabilities. Slightly lower than the Magic V5 which exceeds IP59.
USAGE AND SOFTWARE
The One UI 8 operating system based on Android 16 is used. This makes the Z Fold7 along with the Z Flip7 and Z Flip7 FE the first devices to launch with Android 16. The Android 16 flavor provided is the same as that used on the Pixel 9 Pro XL as there are still no Material 3 Expressive interface elements. The One UI interface is still used with some minor changes.
The device operates smoothly assisted by the Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite processor, up to 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. There are still features such as connecting viewing from the external screen to the inside, viewing the device to watch videos only on one side of the screen, multi-window of three simultaneous applications and a taskbar at the bottom that facilitates the multitasking process.
All Galaxy AI features such as Translate, Writing Assist, Sketch Assist, Now Bar, Now Brief and Circle to Search are also included. New is Google Gemini and Gemini Voice can be invoked using the power button.
Speaking of RAM, the RAM Plus feature can add up to 8GB of memory virtually. It can be turned off if the owner does not want some of the storage to be taken to add RAM. There are also options to only add 2, 4, and 6 GB of virtual RAM.
Samsung's strength still lies in software. Like the Galaxy S25 series, the Galaxy Z Fold7 and the Galaxy Z Flip7 will receive support for 7 operating system version updates and 7 years of security patches, which is much longer than other Android device manufacturers except Google.
CONCLUSION
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold67 is lighter, wider, larger, has a better camera and is lighter than the previous Z Fold. The six-year wait for a big change has finally come at a time when its competitors are increasingly daring to innovate and provide higher specifications.
Samsung's bet this year is still on software. It is the first device to use Android 16 with the Galaxy AI capabilities introduced in the S25 Ultra series earlier this year. This is the strategy chosen by Samsung.
Competition in the foldable screen device category is getting fiercer with the Oppo Find N5 earlier this year being the device to beat and the Honor Magic V5 entering the Malaysian market in a week. Both are flagships but with better cameras, better cameras and faster charging.
With a starting price of RM7799 (12/256GB), the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is a premium foldable device that can only be beaten by the Mate XT in terms of price. This is still RM500 more expensive than a model with the same RAM and storage last year. The impact of Trump's Tariffs on devices outside the United States is now clearly visible.
For Samsung fans, this is the best foldable device they have produced this year. If you have no brand loyalty, I have to say what Oppo and Honor have to offer looks more attractive. Samsung needs to be more serious about making major innovations on their devices if they want to remain competitive in the global foldable device market.
Pros
Thinner and lighter design but still comfortable in the hand.
Larger outer and inner screens.
High-end specifications.
More powerful camera.
IP48 waterproof
Support for 7 Android versions and 7 years of security patches.
Cons
No more S-Pen support
Battery still 4400 mAh.
Charging still only 25W.
Prices have gone up again.