Galaxy Z Fold 7 impressions: My first days with the upgrade-worthy new foldable

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the big update that many have been waiting for, and after a couple of days using it, I’m already convinced that this is a worthwhile upgrade for any existing foldable owner, and the device that might finally be able to sell new buyers.

As mentioned in my hands-on earlier this week, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an overdue upgrade. Samsung, having started the foldable market, enjoyed a huge lead for years. But by resting on its laurels, the company also let basically every other brand move way ahead, making it hard to not only recommend Samsung’s foldables over others, but justify an upgrade for existing buyers – the latter, by Samsung’s own admission, making up the bulk of who was buying prior generations.

It’s pretty wild to put the Fold 7 up against the Fold 6. Samsung addressed effectively every complaint. And in day-to-day use, it just feels so much better to use. The thin profile and lightweight design feels great in the hand and borderline non-existent in my pocket, the second one to the point where I’ve felt like the phone was missing from my pocket on multiple occasions in just these first 72-ish hours.

But hardware is one thing, what about the rest?

As mentioned, I’ve been using this device for just under 3 days at this point, so I don’t have a ton to say conclusively about many parts of the device, but first impressions are all coming off nicely.

The new displays are so much more comfortable to use. The outer display just feels like a normal phone, so I’m using that easily 60-70% of the time as opposed to the Fold 6 where I felt forced onto the inner display more often. The inner display is bigger and better than ever, but it doesn’t feel drastically better than any others, and the display crease is pretty much unchanged from Fold 6. Samsung’s One UI 8 skin runs wonderfully on this device too, though I have already noticed some heat hiccups. On a couple of occasions, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has felt noticeably warm to the touch despite not being put through a ton of stress. That’s not shocking for a thin form factor, but that’s certainly a problem I didn’t have this early on Fold 6, and didn’t run into all that much on the Oppo Find N5 earlier this year. More time will be needed for a full verdict there.

The battery life, unsurprisingly, is pretty middling. Samsung’s 4,400 mAh power pack thankfully didn’t get smaller despite the thinner design, but Snapdragon 8 Elite alone can’t make up for the bigger, brighter displays and other changes. I’m seeing this battery be just enough for a full day, but I also haven’t had any particularly heavy days thus far. I’ve also not had enough time for the device to learn my usage patterns, so it’s definitely too early to make a call on if the battery is “good” or “bad.”

Then, there are the cameras. Again, time will tell here, but I’m optimistic. Samsung is using the same 200MP sensor from Galaxy S25 Ultra with the same processing stack and, while the company still needs to overhaul its cameras, there were some moderate improvements with that device earlier this year. Based on samples so far, I think we’re looking at similar results from the Fold 7’s camera.

That’s what has stood out to me so far with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. I’m really excited to use this device as my main phone over the next few weeks and get together a full review. If you have any specific questions, drop them below and I’ll answer as best I can.

The closest thing to a verdict I have right now is that, for the first time in perhaps 3-4 years, I think Samsung has delivered a foldable that’s worth upgrading to. With each prior generation the difference was neglible, and the cost to upgrade was often not worth it. While Fold 7 is the most expensive Fold in 5 years, it actually feels worth a higher price tag.

Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and Galaxy Watch 8 are now open through Samsung.com with up to $1,100 in trade-in values, plus an additional $50 in Samsung credit when you order through 9to5Google’s links below, but that credit only applies if you check out within 30 minutes.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Samsung.com

Galaxy Z Flip 7 at Samsung.com

Galaxy Watch 8 at Samsung.com

Galaxy Watch 8 Classic at Samsung.com