Ever since foldable phones first appeared, I’ve had a complicated relationship with them. I wanted to love the concept from the very beginning, and I truly tried, but I could never get past how unwieldy they were. If you’ll remember, early foldables were comically thick, essentially feeling like two regular phones stacked on top of each other.
Over the years, manufacturers have been on a mission to slim them down. Now, with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, we’ve reached a significant milestone. It’s the thinnest foldable Samsung has ever produced and the thinnest you can buy in the United States right now. The long-standing goal of making a foldable as thin as a normal smartphone has finally been achieved.
And yet, I still don’t want one.
What’s the deal? If thickness was my main complaint, why haven’t I jumped on the foldable bandwagon? As it turns out, after spending some time with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, I’ve realized that while Samsung has engineered a brilliant solution to the thickness problem, that isn’t the problem I’ve needed it to solve.
The best-feeling Fold ever made
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Before I get into what’s holding me back from the Galaxy Z Fold 7, let me be clear: this phone is a marvel of engineering. The company made huge gains this year, making the phone 36% thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and a whopping 43% thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The moment I held it, I could feel the difference. It’s still a hefty device, don’t get me wrong, but it is undoubtedly the best-feeling foldable Samsung ever made.
To put it in perspective, when closed, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is basically the same thickness as my daily driver, the Google Pixel 9 Pro. When you unfold it, the thinness is even more apparent. Each half is so slim that the USB-C port on the bottom barely fits. Despite this, the device doesn’t feel flimsy; it feels just as sturdy as its thicker predecessors.
Samsung has created the best foldable it has ever made — possibly the best that any company has made yet.
Samsung has also continued to refine its hinge technology. The action is smoother, and the crease on the inner display is less of an eyesore than ever. The internal screen is also bigger, now measuring eight inches, and the cover display sports a new 21:9 aspect ratio that makes it feel much more like a normal phone.
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