Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is how ordinary it feels in my hand. Well, at least when it's closed. Unfolded, it's a whole different story.
I got to check out the Z Fold 7 during Samsung's Unpacked event in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, along with the Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE. (Also happening this week is Amazon's Prime Day, which is unlikely to include these devices but includes sales on Samsung TVs and laptops.)
Watch this: Ultra Thin: First Look at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 02:45
At 8.9mm thick when folded and weighing 215 grams, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 doesn't feel much different than a standard slate phone. The 6.5-inch cover display makes it something I can see myself willingly using to scroll through social media, text and watch videos.
But when opened, Samsung's book-style foldable is anything but ordinary. At just 4.2mm thick, it boasts a wildly slim profile that steals the spotlight from even the 5.8mm-thick Galaxy S25 Edge. The 8-inch inner display is 11% larger than the one on last year's Z Fold 6, which should help with multitasking. And a Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 cover and Victus 2 back make it feel nice and sturdy.
The Z Fold 7 feels exactly like what foldable phones have strived to be all along: thin, lightweight and spacious -- and also as "normal" as possible, at least where it matters. It also features an impressive 200-megapixel main camera, just like the not-so-thin S25 Ultra.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 weighs 215 grams, and has a more spacious display. Joseph Maldonado/CNET/PCMag
In an exclusive interview, Drew Blackard, Samsung's senior vice president of mobile product management, told CNET that by slimming down the Fold and leveling up the cameras, the book-style phone "is now a mainstream form factor." After holding the phone, I can understand what he means. The Z Fold 7 does away with the thicker build and scaled-back cameras that previously characterized foldables, and introduces something that feels equal parts sleek and familiar.
Samsung is by no means the first company to launch a thin foldable; Oppo's Find N5, Huawei's Mate X6 and Honor's Magic V3 also boast impressively slim designs, to name a few. But with the release of both the Galaxy S25 Edge and now the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung is doubling down on the skinny phone craze.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 boasts the same 200-megapixel wide camera as the S25 Ultra. Joseph Maldonado/CNET/PCMag
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