I love smartphones so much. When foldables became a thing, I was super excited because it was a new area of innovation in a market that had started to get stagnant and monotonous. Foldables haven't gotten cheaper (as we all hoped they would as the tech improved), but the market has certainly gotten more exciting.
However, despite being one of the pioneers of the space, in recent years, Samsung has sat back complacent as Chinese OEMs not only continued to slim down foldables but pushed the boundaries of what could be fit into those thin bodies. This year might finally be different, as it seems the Z Fold 7 will almost be the thinnest foldable in the world.
Samsung Will Take the Galaxy Z Fold 7 More Seriously This Year
For the average consumer who wants to buy a foldable phone anywhere in the world, the easiest manufacturer to settle in with is Samsung. The company's international presence is massive, far surpassing competitors like OnePlus, Honor, and Google. Unfortunately, that ease might be the only significant advantage Samsung has with its foldables. Looking at the spec sheet, the competitors have overtaken the South Korean electronics giant.
However, this year, it seems that something shook Samsung out of its sleep. While it might not compete neck-to-neck with the Chinese OEMs when it comes to every aspect of the spec sheet, the company is bringing a lot of solid hardware this year. We know a bunch of the device's specs, thanks to Instant Digital on Weibo, and they seem very solid.
- 6.5-inch cover display
- 8-inch foldable display
- 200MP main camera
- 10MP selfie camera
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
- 4,400mAh battery
Sadly, the battery doesn't look like it is going to get any bigger than it was last year. That's pretty annoying considering Chinese OEMs have shown how much of a difference silicon-carbon batteries can make. A battery below 5,000mAh in a foldable is uncompetitive in 2025.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 Seems Set to Be the Second Thinnest Foldable in the World
Samsung might not be putting all of its passion into the hardware of the device, but one place it is going to be world-class is in the dimensions of the upcoming foldable. Instant Digital's leak gives us a look into the folded and unfolded dimensions, and if true, it will blow the Z Fold 6 right out of the water.
| Folded Thickness (mm) | Unfolded Thickness (mm) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 | 8.9 | 4.2 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 | 12.1 | 5.6 |
| Oppo Find N5 | 8.9 | 4.2 |
| Vivo X Fold 5 | 9.2 | 4.3 |
The Z Fold 7 is rumored to measure 8.9mm thick when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded. For reference, the Z Fold 6 was 12.1mm and 5.6mm, respectively. That's a massive leap. For reference, the current thinnest foldable is the Oppo Find N5, and the Z Fold 7 will match both its folded and unfolded dimensions. That's an impressive jump for a single Z Fold iteration.
However, the Honor Magic V5 will launch before the Z Fold 7, and Honor has confirmed that the device will measure 8.8mm when folded, which will give it the crown. That means Samsung will just narrowly lose out on the title. Regardless, being up near the top is what matters most, if you ask me, and for Samsung, it'll mean twice as much.
