Samsung may be the OG of mainstream foldables, but it is never in the race for the thinnest. Well, folks, that changed yesterday when the Korean electronics giant surprised consumers with an 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) thin Galaxy Z Fold7.
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 may not be King of Thin; that title remains Honor Magic V5’s, but it sure out-thin Oppo Find N5 by a few hairs. But TBH, it’d feel much like the rest of the thin foldables when it is at such an extreme thin profile.
In fact, when opened up, it is just a hair thicker than the Magic V5, at 4.2 mm (0.17 inches). Technically, it is the same thickness as the V5, depending on the material of the V5.
Samsung is probably more excited than you and I. And rightfully so. The brand is so proud of this leap, it felt the need to amplify this unprecedented achievement by comparing it to its first.
But there’s no need for that. When it comes to thinness, it is a leap from even when compared to its predecessor. That’s a 26% reduction, if anyone’s doing the math. So, yeah, Samsung finally did it, giving profile thickness-obsessed consumers a reason to look at the Galaxy Z Fold again.
At the core of this advancement is the Armor FlexHinge. This new structural innovation fuses advanced materials with an optimized design that affords the compactness while offering superior durability. The Z Fold7 also boasts a 6.5-inch (165.1 mm) Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display, up from 6.3 inches. So, you’d see more when folded.
Open it up and you’re greeted with a stunning 8-inch (203.2 mm) display—11% larger than the previous gen, making it the biggest Z Fold display yet. With up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness and Vision Booster, glare becomes a non-issue, even under direct sun.
Performance gets a serious boost too, courtesy of the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. This chip brings a 41% NPU bump, plus 38% in CPU and 26% in GPU over the last gen. That’s more than enough to keep Samsung’s suite of AI tools humming, including real-time translation, Photo Assist, and the smarter-than-ever Generative Edit.
And yes, the camera got a glow-up too. It now features a 200 MP wide-angle camera that captures four times the detail and 44% more brightness. There’s also a 10 MP, 100-degree ultra-wide cam on the main display that makes group selfies and wide shots a breeze.
Prices for the unlocked unit start at US$1,999.99 for the 256 GB model, but why bother with 256 GB when the pre-order special for the 512 GB is also US$1,999.99 (U.P. US$2,119.99). I know. It ain’t cheap. If anyone’s doing the math, that’s a 5.2+% bump in the base price. But at least this time, we have some real advancements. I think Apple should start taking notes. Just saying…
The Galaxy Z Fold7 is available to pre-order now and ships starting July 25. Color options include Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, Jet Black, and a Mint exclusive to online orders.
Images: Samsung.
