Phones
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: the honest verdict
"The first foldable phone I'd actually buy," says Tom's Guide, matching the wider critical consensus.
No single aggregate score — here's what the reviewers agree on, below.
The short version
Reviewers agree that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung's most convincing book-style foldable yet. Its much thinner, lighter body feels closer to a regular flagship phone, while the larger outer and inner displays, fast performance, strong multitasking software and upgraded 200MP camera preserve the reasons to buy a foldable. The honest trade-off is severe: US reviewers cite a $2,000 price, while battery capacity, 25W charging and the loss of S Pen support lag behind the ambition of the design.
What reviewers loved
- The 8.9mm folded body and 215g weight remove much of the bulk that made earlier Fold models awkward to carry.
- The 6.5-inch cover screen feels practical for normal phone use, while the 8-inch inner display gives apps, entertainment and multitasking substantially more room.
- The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy delivers the fast, responsive flagship performance reported by CNET, Engadget and PCMag.
- The upgraded 200MP main camera captures more detail and gives users greater freedom to crop than the previous 50MP camera.
- One UI 8, big-screen app optimizations and Galaxy AI make stronger use of the folding format, particularly for multitasking and Gemini Live screen sharing.
What held it back
- The $2,000 US price cited by reviewers makes it dramatically more expensive than a conventional flagship phone.
- The 4,400mAh battery is only average, and CNET notes that rival slim foldables offer substantially larger capacities.
- Charging remains limited to 25W, which CNET describes as meager for a phone this expensive.
- Samsung removed S Pen support, while reviewers also found occasional inner-screen formatting issues and noticeable judder during video playback.
Buy it if you want a pocketable phone and tablet in one device, value big-screen multitasking, and can comfortably absorb the premium price.
Skip it if battery endurance, fast charging, stylus input or value for money matters more than having the thinnest and most polished Samsung Fold.
What the reviewers say
The strongest agreement concerns the redesign. Engadget reports that the Fold 7 is 10 percent lighter and 26 percent thinner than its predecessor, reaching 215g and 8.9mm when folded. CNET says both screens can now be used without the compromises associated with older generations, while What Hi-Fi? describes the construction as rigid, robust and finally comparable to a proper phone rather than a fragile technology experiment.
Critics also praise the larger displays, flagship-grade processor, multitasking software and 200MP main camera. PCMag calls it the best folding phone available and awarded it 4.5 out of 5, while CNET gave it 8.5 out of 10 and an Editors' Choice award. Their reservations are consistent: the price is exceptionally high, battery life is merely average, charging is slow, and S Pen support is gone. What Hi-Fi? additionally reports video judder and sound that is good rather than great.
The competition
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
PCMag identifies it as the other mainstream book-style foldable available in the US, but reports that it is thicker and heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Engadget says the folded Z Fold 7 is roughly the same size and weight, making the S25 Ultra the conventional flagship alternative for buyers who do not need an 8-inch folding screen.
Oppo Find N5
CNET highlights its much larger 5,600mAh battery compared with the Fold 7's 4,400mAh capacity.
Should you buy it?
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the first Samsung Fold that critics broadly describe as practical enough to replace a normal flagship phone without giving up the tablet-sized inner screen. Buy it for the remarkably thin and light hardware, two useful displays, strong multitasking and upgraded main camera. Do not pretend it is good value: reviewers consistently flag the steep price, average battery, slow charging and missing S Pen support. RightWei summarizes independent hands-on reviews and does not test review units itself.
Sources
RightWei aggregates and summarizes independent reviews — we link to the original hands-on tests so you can go deeper. We don't test units ourselves.