The Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 keep me optimistic about Samsung's future hardware

16 Mar 2025, 16:26 by Jon Gilbert · Android Police

Even by the unremarkable standards of recent smartphone launches, the Galaxy S25 series launched to a resounding 'meh' from reviewers. While our reviewer, Will Sattelberg, eventually concluded that the S25 Ultra nails the basics, it's impossible to ignore that Samsung refused to innovate in any meaningful way on its latest flagship (no, cramming more AI-powered features into a smartphone doesn't count).

For years, Samsung has refused to captain the mighty ship of smartphone innovation, but there's an opportunity to stop pesky upstarts like Nothing from taking the helm with a fun, unique, and practical smartphone. This opportunity takes the form of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7, which leaks have shown us that the company is still capable of producing interesting hardware.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 might borrow the Galaxy S25 Ultra's best camera

A 200MP upgrade

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The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the right phone at the right time for Samsung

Hot on the heels of innovation

After weeks of teasers, Oppo launched the Find N5 in global markets. There's a lot of cool hardware in this phone, but most importantly, it's the thinnest foldable phone ever. It's 8.93mm folded and 4.21mm unfolded. For comparison, a Pixel 8 is 8.9mm thick. It's a remarkable achievement, but the US can only look on in envy as Oppo has not announced a US release.

Enter the leaked Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs. Measuring 4.5mm unfolded and 9.5mm folded, it's a shame the Find N5 took the wind out of Samsung's sails. Nevertheless, for US foldable enthusiasts, this is likely the thinnest foldable they'll be able to get this year.

But why does a thin Samsung foldable matter? It shows that Samsung has taken steps to improve the foldable experience in a noticeable and exciting manner. The Z Fold 7 will be 3mm thinner than the Fold 6. This difference might not seem like a lot if you've never handled a foldable, but it's a huge difference in your hand.

Samsung has also improved on the Z Fold's display. The Z Fold 7's 8.2-inch main panel is noticeably larger than the Z Fold 6's 7.6-inch display. Samsung's foldables lean towards narrow dimensions, so many will be glad to see this change.

Source: OnLeaks/Android Hardware

If you've read any of my editorials, you know how excited I get over practical upgrades. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has piqued my interest, not because of any of the AI features I'm sure Samsung will highlight at this summer's Unpacked, but because Samsung has made improvements where it matters, not in areas where it's not needed (looking at you, Now Brief).

If you need more convincing about why I'm excited about the Galaxy Z Fold 7, read our review of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. I'll point you towards this specific phrase:

" It's frustrating to see Samsung face real competition over the last twelve months, only for the company to not take any of the ideas that could've worked in their favor."

There's still plenty we don't know about the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and what we don't know could dull my excitement. Nevertheless, it's clear from something as mundane as the phone's dimensions that Samsung is taking a definite step towards creating a phone that will work in its favor and ours.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 isn't the only exciting foldable rumor from Samsung

The company's first trifold phone is on its way

Creating the world's thinnest foldable isn't the only milestone Samsung is missing first place with this year. All the signs point toward the company announcing its trifolding smartphone in 2025 alongside the Galaxy Z 7 series. Huawei's trifold smartphone is already available globally, but Samsung's trifold could take a different approach.

Rather than the Huawei Mate XT, which folds outwards, the rumored Galaxy 'G' Fold's screens will fold inwards, similar to how a triptych folds. The exact dimensions haven't been leaked yet, but it nevertheless looks to be a unique entry into the (admittedly thin) trifoldable market.

Like how Google's first foray into the foldable market ended with a whimper, not a bang, there's a good chance Samsung's first trifold phone will meet the same end. Nevertheless, enough interesting rumors are floating around that, like the Fold 7, this could be an exciting development from Samsung.

Forget about flagships; foldables are the future for Samsung

A trifold phone occupies a niche within a niche of the smartphone world, and even the upcoming Z Fold 7 will occupy a tiny fraction of Samsung's yearly smartphone sales. Between January and November 2024, the Galaxy S24 sold 12.1 million units, while the Z Fold 6 sold 2.09 million. Nevertheless, innovations for Samsung's Z-series could make their way to the S series.

I'm crossing my fingers for a Z Fold 6 launch that is both successful and innovative. If Samsung then applies these lessons to the S26 series, we could see new flagship phones that show the company is still capable of creating exciting mobile hardware.