If managed well, the Z Fold7 has the potential to propel this device category from today’s niche to mainstream
The tagline of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is “Galaxy S25 Ultra Unfolds.” I found that to be true during my last almost a month of rigorous use, after getting it on the day of the announcement. In many aspects, it is even better, because of its obvious large 8-inch display and lighter weight, but also for better grip and single-handed usage — no wonder it is seeing unprecedented traction, as reported by Samsung.
In my view, Z Fold7 is a “no-compromise” foldable tablet-phone, phablet, hybrid, or whatever you want to call it. It indeed is the ultimate productivity device. The only remaining hurdle is its hefty price tag. If managed well, the Z Fold7 has the potential to propel this device category from today’s niche to mainstream.
Check out our analysis of Samsung Unpackedhere and reviews of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and other devices.
Z Fold7 — “No-compromise” Ultra-like foldable experience
I have been using foldables since the Z Fold4, which, in my view, was the first mainstream-class device. So far, Z Fold users have had to make compromises, be it size, shape, weight, battery life, camera performance, or something else. But Z Fold7, for the first time, eliminates the tradeoff and allows users to have both the Ultra-like flagship smartphone experience and the convenience of a tablet.
Z Fold7 is comparable to Galaxy S25 Ultra in thickness (0.35 inch, folded and 0.17 inch unfolded vs. 0.32 inch), weight (7.6 Oz vs. 7.7 Oz), camera system (200 MP sensor), performance (powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Samsung, SoC), full suite of Galaxy AI features, and more. In essence, when folded, it looks, feels, and works like a flagship phone.
Apart from the expansive 8-inch display, many things are even better than the S25 Ultra. For starters, it is lighter and fits much better, with a firmer grip when held in one hand. Since the camera bump is slightly thicker, I was thinking it might be top-heavy and prone to slipping and falling. But that is not the case. Its slightly smaller size seems perfect. I would say it will offer a much better single-handed grip for most users with average-sized hands.
Z Fold7 is beyond comparison against its predecessor, Z Fold6. It is markedly better in every respect. The improvement in thickness and weight is obvious. However, what is not that obvious is the wider width, when folded. Z Fold6 was narrow; it was very inconvenient to type, making people unfold it even for simpler tasks like texting. But Z Fold7 feels like a regular phone when typing, avoiding those unnecessary unfolds. Less unfolding means less power consumption and longer battery life.
My pet peeve with modern phones continues with the Z Fold7. The phone’s exterior body is very smooth and very slippery. The chances of dropping it, especially when trying to unfold are very high. I highly recommend using one of those sleek cases to protect this expensive device.
The phone has excellent performance and battery life, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, SoC. I found the battery life of the Z Fold7 to be far better than that of the ZFold 6. I get a full day of battery life even for my intense productivity use case. Key to the longer battery life of any foldable is the balance between the use of the outer and folding displays. For typical smartphone uses, like emails, texting, and others, I use the outer display and only unfold when the large screen adds value. I am not a big gamer; hence, I don’t have opinions on the subject. But with the same SoC as S25 Ultra, the performance should be similar. The larger screen substantially improves the gaming experience but might also affect the battery life.
There are a few shortcomings compared to S25 Ultra as well. First, the telephoto camera is only 10MP and space zoom is limited to 30x, compared to 50MP and 100x of S25 Ultra. This made no difference to my productivity use case. Surprisingly, Z Fold7 has a smaller battery (4,400 mAh vs. 5,000 mAh). That meant I had to charge this phone every day, compared to every other day of S25 Ultra.
Highly functional tablet
When unfolded, Z Fold7 is a delightful tablet. It is impossible to comprehend how thin it really is. You have to actually see it to believe it. Even with that thinness, it feels sturdy and solid. Some people complained about it bending around the hinge. But mine has remained straight as an arrow.
The split keyboard is my favorite. It’s such a joy typing on it. The larger display is the best for consuming any long-form content, from reading documents, long emails, long texts, to reviewing presentations, spreadsheets, browsing websites, watching videos, and more. It is ideally suited for typing long emails, texts, etc., as well as for editing content. You will see the real value of Z Fold7 when using multiple windows. You can arrange them in a few ways, resize them, and make them pop up, all through simple swipes. I think Samsung can further enhance this multi-window usability through context-based management and AI. For example, if I am writing an email and mention attachments, it’s logical that I might use the Gallery or the File manager to check out the photo or document to attach, so, bring those windows up. The on-device AI can learn my usage pattern and fine-tune this further.
There are many Galaxy AI features that are tuned for tablet display. Gemini Live is now multimodal and understands the context, including what you are watching and doing. For example, if you share your screen with Gemini Live in real-time, it can analyze the screen and help answer questions and even take actions across Samsung and Google apps. Generative Edit is adapted for the large screen, and it can even suggest what to erase. Audio Eraser works like magic, automatically detecting and removing background noise like traffic and wind noises, and unwanted disturbances from video and audio recordings. It can be used directly from the Gallery and on audio recordings in other apps like Samsung Notes, Voice Recorder, and phone-recorded voice calls.
In the early days of tablet introduction, I tried to adopt it into my usage pattern. I tried to juggle with my phone, laptop, and tablet, but it quickly became unmanageable, and I settled for a phone + laptop combination. Unfortunately, that means that, for anything that the phone can’t handle (e.g., long-form content), I had to fire up my laptop, which was a significant inconvenience. Most of the time, I would postpone those things and often forget. But not the case anymore. Z Fold7 has significantly reduced my laptop usage. This is even more true when I am on the go. When travelling, I usually only open my laptop at the end of the day; I manage to get by during the day just with the Z Fold7. Many executives and enterprise users will realize this very quickly when they start using Z Fold7. The secondary effect of using Z Fold7 is that the battery life of your laptop has been significantly extended.
What is needed to make Z Fold7 mainstream
Z Fold7 truly offers a tremendous opportunity for Samsung to transform this foldable category into mainstream, especially for productivity use cases and in the enterprise market. There is just one hurdle to overcome — the hefty price tag. Samsung should also consider adopting some unconventional tactics to promote this device to this target market.
The retail price of $2,000, notwithstanding Z Fold7’s exceptional value, is still very steep. Samsung is trying to lower the effective price for consumers through attractive trade-ins and other offers. However, I think the enterprise market will ultimately decide the success of the Z Fold7. Samsung should focus on both the supply and demand sides of this market.
From the supply side, work with the carriers to offer attractive volume/corporate discounts, long-term contracts, and other incentives to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO). From the demand side, do not treat this as another phone and only work through carriers. But also work directly with the enterprises. For example, target specific verticals, such as medical, retail, financial, and particular personas within large and medium-sized enterprises, such as sales personnel, road warriors, executives, healthcare and finance professionals, etc., who are always on the move and need large screens for their work. Samsung should develop typical use cases for these people, study and publish case studies to position Z Fold7 as an ultimate productivity tool and showcase the productivity gains and other tangible benefits. These would be immensely beneficial in influencing IT managers, CIOs, CFOs, and decision makers within enterprises.
Although Android OS, One UI 8, and many Google and Samsung apps are optimized for the tablet form factor, there is still a dearth of apps. Most apps simply don’t effectively utilize the larger display. Both companies, along with other OEMs, should work together to encourage and incentivize developers and create an ecosystem to not only optimize the existing apps but also develop new experiences tailored for foldables. The rumored entry of Apple into the foldables might give a bigger impetus to this effort.
In closing
After pioneering the foldable category, Samsung ultimately has a foldable tablet-phone that is ready for the mass market, especially in the productivity and enterprise domains. Z Fold7 is a no-compromise foldable rivaling any flagship smartphone in the market today, except for the price tag. A conscious all-around effort is needed to transition this category into the mainstream.
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