Samsung’s stagnation in the foldable market is finally coming to an end, as the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is catching up with the competition in some major ways. However, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 actually has me pretty excited, and not just because it’s going to be super thin.
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I’ve been using Samsung foldables since 2020’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 hit the scene. The pricey foldable was my start to the form factor, and I have purchased nearly every generation since, save for the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6, in my opinion, got too much hate. It was genuinely good, it just wasn’t as impressive as the competition.
Even after using some of the best foldables on the market – Oppo Find N5, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and others – there’s always been an ineffable quality about Samsung’s foldables that continues to make me enjoy them. Something about Samsung’s fit and finish is just still appealing.
And, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it really seems like Samsung is combining that with all of the things that have made the competition so great.
That starts, of course, with the updated hardware. We’ve been hearing for months that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be thinner and, recently, we’ve gotten some images that really show that off. Leaked retail marketing and the first official-looking images show a foldable that’s drastically thinner, finally catching up to everyone else.
That alone is reason to look forward to this new release.
But there are a few other aspects I’m actually pretty excited about.
One UI 7 helped elevate the experience of using the Galaxy S25 Ultra earlier this year. Despite the phone as a whole being remarkably unremarkable, Samsung’s revamped software helped breath some new life into the experience. Even after just limited use of the same update on my Galaxy Z Fold 6, I’m pretty confident it’ll do the same thing for the Fold 7.
There’s also the camera. The main camera is rumored to be a 200MP sensor and while the rest of the package is a mystery, I am looking forward to Samsung’s most expensive smartphone actually having a true flagship camera – especially as the Galaxy S25 Ultra did show some limited, but meaningful improvements to the camera. The one camera improvement that definitely is there is the decision to finally give up on that useless under-display camera, as Samsung is going back to a standard hole-punch for the inner camera.
The display is something else I’m looking forward to. Partially because the inner display is bigger, yes, but also because there are rumblings that it will have some sort of anti-reflective coating. This was easily one of my favorite aspects of 2023’s OnePlus Open, and I’m been crushed that it hasn’t become more popular. Rumors haven’t really set this one in stone so, while I’m hopeful, I’m also taking that with a grain of salt.
What do you think about the Galaxy Z Fold 7? Are you looking forward to its launch? Let’s discuss!
This Week’s Top Stories
Samsung was ‘shocked’ over Pixel 10 switch to TSMC chips
A report this week revealed that Samsung was initially “shocked” over Google’s decision to move to TSMC for the Pixel 10’s Tensor G5 chipset. It didn’t come to a shock as anyone else, but at least it seems to be serving as a wake-up call for the company.
More Samsung leaks
Beyond just the Galaxy Z Fold 7, this week also delivered new leaks of the Galaxy Watch 8 series, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and the date it’s all going down – July 9.
Stay tuned!
Google Phone redesign
The Google Phone app got its first big redesign in years this week, with a Material 3 Expressive revamp now starting to roll out.
Welcome to Will Sattelberg!
In a bit of our own 9to5 news this week, we’ve welcomed Will Sattelberg to the team! Formerly of Android Police, expect to see Will assisting in our news, reviews, and editorial coverage, as well as expanding our podcasts. Stay tuned, and go drop him a follow on Twitter, Threads, and Bluesky.
More Top Stories
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