Galaxy Z Fold7: The leap that makes the Fold6 look like a phone from the past

When I tried the Galaxy Z Fold6, it changed the way I used a smartphone. That first encounter with a foldable device that opened like a book and became a kind of tablet marked a turning point. Flex mode, which allows you to leave it half-open on a table , was perfect for cooking, watching a series, or answering emails without holding the device. It was, without a doubt, a different experience than anything I'd used before.

But when the Galaxy Z Fold7 arrived in my hands, the perspective completely changed. The generation gap isn't so much in the software, but in how it feels to hold : the new model makes the Fold6 feel like an old, thick, and heavy phone.

The Fold6 was already advanced, but its 239 grams weight and 12.1 mm folded thickness were noticeable. The Fold7 drops to 215 grams and just 8.9 mm, with a thickness of just 4.2 mm when unfolded. The difference is stark: it disappears in your pocket, is comfortable and manageable in your hand, and when folded, it could be mistaken for a Galaxy S25.

Samsung also reinforced the hinge with the new Armor FlexHinge and improved the frames with more resistant aluminum. The result is a solid and slim foldable, without the feeling of fragility that the Fold6 still conveyed. The sacrifice is in the under-screen camera: it disappears to make way for the traditional hole. In return, the front camera increases from 4 MP to 10 MP, offering much sharper selfies.

Here's another key leap. The Fold6 offered 7.6 inches internally and 6.3 inches externally, with good brightness but with one problem: the cover screen was too narrow. For those of us with wide fingers, typing on it was uncomfortable and prone to errors.

The Fold7 fixes this with a 6.5-inch Full HD+ external display and an internal display that goes up to 8 inches QXGA+. Both have adaptive 120Hz and brightness of up to 2600 nits , a huge jump from the 1600 nits of the Fold6 cover. The result is that the external screen now feels like that of a conventional phone, without the width limitation. And when unfolded, the immersive experience improves for both work and entertainment.

The Fold6 featured a 50+12+10 MP rear camera system. In the Fold7, the main sensor jumps to 200 MP, accompanied by the same 12 MP ultra-wide-angle and 10 MP 3x telephoto lenses. The difference is noticeable in the detail of the photos and how the AI ​​​​engine handles night scenes and portraits.

There's also a solid leap forward in performance. The Fold6 debuted the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, while the Fold7 integrates the 8 Gen 3 Elite, with up to 40% more power in the CPU, GPU, and AI. This translates to smoother multitasking, smoother gaming (thanks to the new, larger vapor chamber), and superior handling of Galaxy AI features.

The battery remains at 4,400 mAh with 25W charging, enough for a full day of intensive use. In practice, it doesn't feel longer-lasting than the Fold6, but it does feel more efficient during extended screen-viewing sessions.

The Fold7 gains an ultra-thin design, brighter and larger displays, more powerful cameras, and an AI-optimized chip. It loses support for the S Pen, which some will find a sacrifice, but in my case, it's not dramatic: on the Fold6, I used it more to impress than for real productivity.

The conclusion is clear: while the Fold6 showed me how a foldable could change my habits, the Fold7 convinced me that this is no longer a technological experiment, but a smartphone that finally feels natural and mature. The first time in years that it's actually worth making the immediate jump from one generation to the next.