Portability and performance in a trending form factor

Samsung's 'thinner than two slices of cheese' foldable impresses with its design, display and performance

- Tushar Kanwar

For most of the world outside of China, Samsung's foldables are synonymous with the entire category, having been the pioneer of the form factor for well over half a decade. Of late though, iterative updates and heated competition had made its very mature and otherwise capable lineup feel a little behind the times.

With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (₹1,74,999 onwards), that changes. It looks like it's fresh off a successful diet, transforming into one of the slimmest and lightest book-style foldables around.

What's remarkable about the Z Fold 7 is just how "normal" it feels in the hand—at 8.9mm thick when folded and weighing 215 grams it doesn't feel much different than a standard candy-bar phone with a 6.5-inch screen. That's a whole 26% slimmer than the outgoing Z Fold 6, while weighing less than phones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the S25 Ultra. Open it up, and the side profile is just 4.2mm thick—for reference, the insanely slim S25 Edge was 5.8mm thick. Even folks with average-sized hands can comfortably grip the opened Z Fold 7 in one hand, although the slim edges do make it slightly tougher to pry the phone open—to the point that I often got precariously close to dropping it.

If you do fumble and drop it, Samsung has kitted the device with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the rear panel, Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the outer screen and a new re-engineered hinge to better absorb shocks. Don't ask me what happens if it falls face-down after opening. It's still IP48 rated for dust and water resistance, but I'd still be careful at the beach.