As we approach the end of June, the world of smartphones turns its attention to the next release cycle for the best phones. Unlike the first half of the year, which focused on candybar flagships like the OnePlus 13 and Galaxy S25 series, the second half is expected to focus on updates to the best foldable phones.
Chief among these is the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is set to launch in the coming weeks. Unlike past years, Samsung is also taking a new approach of teasing and confirming information ahead of the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7.
Those teasers have already confirmed this year breaks the mold, with Samsung ushering in a thinner and lighter era. Between the various leaks and Samsung's messaging, we already have a good idea of what the Z Fold 7 will likely feature.
While many changes are expected, these two features in particular have already got me excited for the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
The thinnest and lightest Galaxy Z Fold ever
One of the chief complaints with Samsung’s approach to folding phones over the past few years has been that the company has failed to keep up with the competition. Devices like the Honor Magic V3 and Oppo Find N5 have pushed the boundaries of thickness and features, and last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 was over 3mm thicker when folded.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is already confirmed to usher in the era of super-thin foldable devices at Samsung. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition was already thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but now every Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 user will benefit from a much thinner phone.
Put frankly, the Fold 6 was just too heavy and thick compared to the competition. I’ve been using the Oppo Find N5 as my daily folding phone since its launch, but I’m excited to see what a thin Samsung phone experience is like.
How thin it is going to be is still up for debate. There have been conflicting reports, but consensus suggests that it will be between 3.9 and 4.5 mm thick when unfolded and around 9 mm thick when folded. I use the word thin quite literally: this is a sizable departure from last year, with the Z Fold 6 measuring 5.6mm when unfolded, and a substantial 12.1mm when folded.
It’s not just the thickness that’s meant to undergo an overhaul, but also the weight. A thinner phone means fewer materials and a sizable weight reduction. The magic of the Oppo Find N5 is that it’s not just thin, but it’s also fairly light at 228 grams.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is rumored to be even lighter at 215 grams, which is 24 grams lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. However, Samsung had to fix more than just the thickness and weight, and it appears that it has also done so.
The Ultra foldable experience
Yes, this is the new thing, first made popular by Motorola with the Razr 2025 Ultra last month. Samsung has made two significant announcements in the run-up to Unpacked, with the first focusing on the thickness and the second on the rumored Ultra foldable experience.
There’s a lot of mystery to this — it’s great to see companies still able to keep things under wraps — but it seems like the Z Fold 7 will bring an Ultra experience to folding phones, but probably without Ultra in the name.
What does that mean? It's unknown for sure, but Samsung’s initial teaser confirms that we’ll see bigger screens and better cameras. There’s also the mention of “new ways to connect and create” as well as “industry-leading hardware, cutting-edge performance, and seamless AI integration optimized for the foldable format”.
The words that matter are bigger screens and better cameras because they address two fairly substantial complaints about the Galaxy Z Fold lineup to date. Samsung has largely maintained the same folding phone form factor for years, featuring a narrow front screen, even as the competition has shifted to larger displays.
The Find N5 features a 6.62-inch cover display and an 8.12-inch main display, whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has smaller 6.3-inch and 7.6-inch displays, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has 6.3-inch and 8-inch displays, respectively. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be the best of all worlds with a rumored 6.5-inch cover display and the largest main display at 8.12 inches. This extra screen real estate will transform the Galaxy Z Fold 7's utility.
This has been a long time coming, especially since the cameras have been a notable weak spot in the Galaxy Z Fold series so far. Despite being the most expensive smartphone in Samsung’s lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 had a triple camera setup that left me wishing for a camera as capable as the one found in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This was further enhanced by the Oppo Find N5's camera, which is arguably the best of any folding phone, despite its super-thin profile.
Thankfully, this also looks to be addressed in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. There are many rumors, some of which conflict, but an educated guess suggests we’ll see the primary camera jump to the 200MP sensor used in the Galaxy S25 Edge and the S25 Ultra. This is likely to be a substantial upgrade over the 50MP primary camera used before.
I tested the Galaxy S25 Edge camera, and I was fairly impressed overall. The biggest challenge was not the primary or ultrawide camera, which are very similar to the ones expected on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but rather the lack of a telephoto lens. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is likely to address this issue with the same 10MP telephoto lens as found in the Galaxy Z Fold 6, offering 3x zoom.
The most exciting Galaxy Z Fold in years
Every year, I get excited for Samsung’s new folding phone, but while it still feels magical, it hasn’t been the most practical device thanks to the inferior camera, smaller displays, and thicker form factor. In short, everything that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is rumored to fix.
If the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is as good as rumored, it will be one of the best folding phones you can buy. After years of being disappointed, the radical overhaul expected in the Z Fold 7 — a long-overdue overhaul, I might add — makes this the most exciting Galaxy Z Fold in years. I can’t wait to see what Samsung has to show us.
For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming foldables, check out our Ultimate Guide.
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