Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Review: The Near-Perfect Formula

Samsung's new Fold foldable smartphone has passed through our editorial team, and it's almost flawless. Our review.

If you're already familiar with the foldable smartphone market, chances are you're already familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. It's undoubtedly one of the leaders in the field of "book-like" foldable phones. For once, Samsung is once again releasing a version of its traditional foldable phone. This time, the focus is on slimness and performance, and this Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could well be the ultimate foldable phone. Check out our review.

The recap of our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 test

Near-perfect design for a foldable smartphone. As thin as it is light. Good photo capabilities, particularly thanks to the new 200 Mpx sensor Two very good screens despite slightly over-the-top colorimetry Seven years of updates

A feeling of heat when playing games or taking photos/videos Such a slow charge for a phone costing over 2000 euros... A very high price

A very fine design, so close to a classic smartphone

As mentioned earlier, Samsung has gone all out this year on the design of its Galaxy Z Fold 7. The smartphone aims to be one of the thinnest in the industry with a thickness of just 8.9 mm when folded and 4.2 mm when open. This thinness is very noticeable in everyday use, as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has all the hallmarks of a classic smartphone in its folded format.

While we're not fans of the race for thinness in the smartphone market (admittedly, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and the upcoming iPhone 17 Air aren't particularly appealing), this isn't the case for foldable phones. Whether it's the previous Galaxy Z Fold or other brands like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, these devices had the unfortunate tendency to be extremely thick and uncomfortable to use in their folded form.

Once folded, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has all the hallmarks of a very classic phone. Its dimensions are similar to those of a Galaxy S25 Ultra, with slightly rounded edges and a very good grip, provided you tolerate large screens. Unfortunately, the back of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is perhaps the only design criticism we could make, since the camera sensors are so thick that it's almost impossible to use the phone on a flat surface without constantly tilting it.

It's when we unfold the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 that we truly appreciate how thin it is. Barely thicker than its USB port, the smartphone also impresses with its lightness and premium feel. The crease in the middle of the internal screen is still somewhat visible, but is barely felt when our fingers run over it.

Two screens for exceptional quality

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7's external display has a 2520 x 1080 (FHD+) resolution and AMOLED quality with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. It is also possible to lock this frequency at 60 Hz for a little less fluidity, but at the benefit of better battery life. The internal display has the same specifications, but with a different resolution (2184 x 1968 QXGA+).

Two modes are also available for color management. Vivid mode (enabled by default) further accentuates the colors displayed on your screen. This is the mode we recommend for everyday use, as Natural mode is a bit too dull.

On a daily basis, it's very pleasant to consume content on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7's two screens. However, we would have appreciated being able to take advantage of the anti-reflective treatment found on the S24 and S25 Ultra, especially given the price of the Z Fold.

In terms of brightness, Samsung announces a maximum peak of 2600 nits. A figure that we tend to believe given the Z Fold 7's screen can be bright and excellent for brightness, even in direct sunlight.

Excellent performance, but a shadow on the picture

Samsung has naturally equipped its most expensive smartphone with one of the best chips currently available on the market: the Snapdragon 8 Elite. It also benefits from 12 or 16 GB of RAM, depending on your configuration, to run your applications and games.

Opening and closing apps on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a joy. The foldable smartphone handles various software programs perfectly, as well as multitasking, with the ability to display up to three different apps at once. Everything remains very fluid, and we didn't encounter any freezes or slowdowns during our tests.

Unfortunately, this isn't the case when it comes to processor heating. While taking multiple photos and videos in an afternoon, we quickly noticed the phone heating up. Nothing particularly alarming or stopping us from holding the device in our hands, but it's still worth pointing out.

The same story occurs when launching big games like Wuthering Waves or Genshin Impact . Very quickly, the smartphone starts to heat up during our gaming sessions. Performance remains excellent with graphics pushed to the max, but it's difficult not to remain unmoved by the smartphone's heat.

For its Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung has decided to switch to a 200 MP main sensor coupled with a 10 MP telephoto lens and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle sensor. Overall, the results for everyday use with good lighting are very good. While the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 never really reaches the photo performance of the S25 Ultra, it doesn't disappoint either. The sharpness is very decent even on shots full of details and the exposure is also very good. The observation is also valid for the ultra-wide-angle sensor which, while it loses a little in quality in the smallest details, is still very decent. By default, the smartphone photographs at 12 MP, but it is possible to switch between 50 and 200 MP manually.

At 12 MP, the Galaxy Z Fold is capable of up to 30x zoom. The 50 and 200 MP cameras can reach 5x. However, these maximum zooms deliver very average or even unusable quality. In concrete terms, the smartphone displays more and more loss of detail beyond 3x.

At night, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 also performs well. Night mode is automatically activated and doesn't take long to activate when you take a photo. However, be careful not to move the smartphone too much while taking the photo, as this can quickly cause blurring.

Portrait mode also performs very well, with nice delineation around your subject. Whether it's hair, beard hair, or other small details, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 manages to isolate and highlight the elements while applying a background blur that isn't too pronounced.

Both selfie cameras (internal and external) have 10 MP and also deliver very good results. Once again, an S24 or S25 Ultra owner will benefit from better details, but the results are still totally usable.

A decent battery for a frustrating recharge

Samsung has chosen to integrate a 4400 mAh battery into its Z Fold 7. Unfortunately, it's not a carbon silicon battery like Honor does with its MagicV foldable series. While carbon silicon has the advantage of allowing the addition of batteries with higher capacities in a very small form factor, Samsung is still working on the issue before fully integrating it into potential future devices.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7's battery remains decent, however. While the smartphone doesn't achieve the best results in the foldable phone market, it easily lasts a full day. You can even get up to two days of use by activating the "power saving" mode and not overusing the device.

Unfortunately, the charging situation isn't as good. Still stuck at a meager 25W wired charge (15W wireless), the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 takes just over 1 hour 10 minutes to fully charge. Let's hope Samsung's team finally upgrades the smartphone to 45W in the next version!

Clear communications and seamless connectivity for the professional

We used the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 as our primary smartphone for a little over a week during this test. We made multiple phone calls, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger calls, and we never had any trouble reaching our callers. The smartphone also does an excellent job of isolating our voice when we're in a very noisy environment, ensuring our call remains audible.

In terms of connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 supports Bluetooth 5.4 as well as Wi-Fi 7, which guarantees excellent performance with other connected devices such as AirPods, a Google Pixel Watch and especially the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 smartwatch. Pairing is very quick every time and without any connection issues.

Our conclusion to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 test

Samsung has finally reached maturity with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. The foldable smartphone is no longer a "brick" that feels like it's in your pocket or bag with this new design that's very similar to a traditional phone. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 stands out as the best on the market thanks to its slimness, performance, and photography capabilities. Its battery remains generally good, but we strongly expect improvements in charging next year, as well as better heat management.