Apple might release a foldable iPhone, possibly in 2026 or 2027, but nothing is confirmed yet.
Patents and experts suggest the foldable iPhone could have special features like a crease-free screen or dual displays.
Industry insiders, like Ming-Chi Kuo, say the iPhone Flip could be very expensive, over $2,500.
There’s speculation that Apple could combine an iPhone and an iPad to create a double-wide phone. Alternatively, the iPhone Flip might fold like the iconic Motorola Razr. It could even have a triple fold for a larger screen.
These are just rumors, and some experts believe Apple might introduce a foldable iPad before a flip phone. Regardless, discussions about a foldable Apple device are increasing. Could it be worth the anticipation?
When Could a Foldable iPhone Be Released?
There’s no official release date for a foldable iPhone. However, rumors suggest it might debut in 2026 or 2027, which isn’t too far in the future if it indeed launches.
Here’s why the rumors are growing:
Is Apple Even Considering the Release of Any Kind of Folding Device?
Even without official details from Apple, it’s evident the company has shown interest in foldable devices for several years.
Patents filed in 2011, 2014, June 2016, August 2016, 2018, and 2020 prove this, and there are probably others we’ve missed. Of course, this also shows that they haven’t brought a foldable device to the market despite apparent interest.
There are various designs in those documents, and some of them are wildly different from the others, including a way to fold the device multiple ways. The plans could mean, though, that they’re referring to something completely different, like an e-reader or tablet, instead of a phone.
Patent US8929085B2.
Another patent filed in 2019 is for a device with a wrap-around display: “In the described embodiment, the flexible display assembly is configured to present visual content at any portion of the transparent housing.”
Could this type of display be worked into a new kind of foldable phone? The truth is that no one knows at this time.
Imagine it: A designer’s rendering of the iPhone Fold concept.
Michal Dufka
Our Thoughts on Potential Foldable iPhone Features
Over the years, as phones have gotten larger, we’ve enjoyed more screen real estate for things like reading, watching movies, playing games, and multitasking. A foldable phone is perfect for these kinds of activities.
No one truly knows what Apple might develop, though the company is consistently innovative with its new products.
Maybe they would make a version that works better than all the rest, something that wouldn’t suffer from a visible crease down the middle when the screens fold over each other. Or, as this patent shows, maybe a foldable Apple phone might use self-heating pixels to help avoid damage when folding.
Whatever Apple does one day, iOS, the software that runs the iPhone, could and should be revamped to support multiple displays. We wouldn’t expect it to function too differently than the typical, one-screen iPhone, though, since too much change could pull dedicated customers away and the company most likely would still be producing standard types of iPhones.
iPhone apps would also need to support multiple screens for them to look great on a dual-screen iPhone. Otherwise, there’s no point in the larger phone.
Given a larger phone could resemble a tablet, it makes sense that it might support the Apple Pencil. The latest Pencil version currently works only on a small selection of iPads but this idea of a large, folding iPhone (particularly if it has a triple fold) could mean a massive screen that a Pencil would be perfect for.
We’re dreaming, of course, but Apple has surprised us with some pretty cool things in the past so we’re going to keep imagining what new iPhone concept might be on the horizon.
How Could a Foldable iPhone Work?
Several possibilities exist for a foldable phone design: a large, foldable screen like the Galaxy Fold; two separate screens with a visible hinge like the Surface Duo; or three screens—two main ones and a third for use when folded.
Based on leaks, patents, and suggestions, it’s looking more like we could see a clamshell design, at least for the company’s first foldable. This means the iPhone Flip would look like a typical phone from a distance, but would fold vertically and could include a small screen on the outside—similar, say, to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
The rumor mill is claiming that Apple is reportedly testing multiple prototypes that contain foldable displays, and they want the phone to be half as thin as a typical iPhone so it’s not too bulky when closed. They may release two versions of the flip phone; a dual-screen one and a Z Flip lookalike. Some analysts think the first will be of the clamshell variety.
Here’s an example of what a clamshell iPhone Flip could look like. The images and videos there, created by artist Michal Dufka, are stunning.
Here’s ConceptsiPhone’s rendering of a dual-screen “iPhone Fold”:
What Industry Experts Are Saying
Apple expert and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the foldable iPhone might have a book-style design, featuring a crease-free inner display close to 8 inches and an outer display around 5.5 inches. Predictions from Omdia estimate the inner screen to be between 7.3 and 7.6 inches.
For reference, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 6.9 inches. So, either way, it would indeed be a phone-tablet hybrid; a foldable phablet-style device.
When folded, Kuo says the device might measure 9-9.5mm thick, slimming down to 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded—that’s a bit smaller than Samsung’s latest foldable which measures 12.1mm and 5.6mm, respectively). The hinge is expected to blend stainless steel and titanium alloy, while the casing will be made of titanium alloy for durability.
The rear camera will sport a dual-lens system, with a front-facing camera accessible in both folded and unfolded states. Due to space constraints, Face ID may not be feasible, leading to the return of Touch ID on the side button.
Kuo has also revealed that Apple is testing color e-ink display tech that might be used as a second screen for a foldable device:
What about the price? Kuo predicts that the foldable iPhone could launch at a premium price point, ranging from $500 to $1,000 more than Apple’s current most expensive offering, potentially reaching $2,500 or more.
Ming-Chi Kuo estimates that mass production will start in the fourth quarter of 2026.
If all these rumors and experts are on to something, we think it would definitely be worth the wait for a foldable iPhone. The Chinese phone company Huawei released a triple foldable screen phone in October 2024, so it’s not like the idea is terribly far-fetched.
Huawei’s first triple foldable screen phone, the Mate XT.
NurPhoto/Getty
Apple is undoubtedly paying attention to competitors like this, which could also mean a delayed release of a foldable concept as the company gets its hands on competitive devices and tries to one-up them.
If any company can disrupt the entire smartphone industry with a groundbreaking, next-generation foldable phone, it could be Apple. Are you ready for it?
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: One-minute review
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the closest thing to a tech inflection point we have at the moment. It’s by far the best large-screen foldable ever made – super-thin, super-light, exquisitely made, undeniably powerful, and full of AI smarts – and goes straight to the top of our list of the best foldable phones you can buy.
It’s Samsung’s first foldable to almost entirely not underdeliver on cameras, featuring the line’s first-ever 200-megapixel camera. This feels like more than progress; it’s a folding phone revolution.
I like it so much that I find myself frantically searching for weaknesses. I probe each part looking for a place where Samsung may have miscalculated and, with very few exceptions, I can’t find any weaknesses.
If I had to pinpoint where Samsung trips up, it would be in two areas: the removal of the digitizing layer, which leaves the Galaxy Z Fold 7 unable to work with the S Pen, and the price, which now flirts with $2,000 in the US. That’s a lot to spend for any phone, though in fairness this really is like two devices in one – a flagship phone and 8-inch tablet – and so you might be able to justify the outlay.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 hands-on: the essence of Ultra in an insanely thin device – YouTube
Watch On
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review: price and specs
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at $1,999.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,899, which is $100 more than the previous model in the US, and AU$150 more in Australia – there’s no price hike for buyers in the UK. The base model comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. At the time of writing, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is on preorder now, and ships from July 25. It’s available in Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, and Jetblack, plus a Samsung online-exclusive Mint.
Those prices make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 one of the most expensive foldables you can buy – in the US it now costs $100 more than a similarly configured Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, for instance. There will be deals, especially for trade-ins, so look out for those.
I agree, this is a lot to pay for a smartphone, but the Z Fold 7 is not just a phone. It’s also a tablet, yet so thin and light that someone glancing at it in your hand might have no idea it’s a two-in-one. The question is, are you willing to pay more for something that is truly special?
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs
Header Cell – Column 0
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Dimensions (folded):
72.8 x 158.4 x 8.9mm
Dimensions (unfolded):
143.2 x 158.4 x 4.2mm
Weight:
215g
Main display:
8-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED
(2184 x 1968), 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Mobile Platform for Galaxy
RAM:
12GB / 16GB (1TB only)
Storage:
256GB / 512GB / 1TB
OS:
Android 16 / One UI 8
Primary camera:
200MP f1.7
Ultrawide camera:
12MP f2.2
Telephoto
3x 10MP f2.4
Cover Camera:
10MP f2.2
Inner Camera:
10MP f2.2
Battery:
4,400mAh
Charging:
30 mins with 25W adapter (wired)
Colors:
Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow and Jetblack [Samsung.com Exclusive] Mint
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: design
Super-thin unfolded, and almost as thin as a standard smartphone when folded
Weighs less than the single-screen Galaxy S25 Ultra
Excellent materials and construction
Hinge mechanism is pleasingly stiff and strong
If you think the pace of smartphone and flagship innovation feels somewhat ho-hum, you probably haven’t seen or touched the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
This is one of the best design upgrades I’ve seen in a while, not because it’s radically different to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 that came before it, because it isn’t, but because it’s so much better in all the ways that truly matter.
I’ll start with the physical specs, because they’re the most remarkable thing about of this new handset, especially when compared with the Z Fold 6 and, yes, even the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Unfolded, the Z Fold 7 is just 4.2mm thick – that’s 1.4mm thinner than the Z Fold 6. Folded, the Z Fold 7 is 8.9mm, 3.2mm thinner than the Z Fold 6 and only 0.7mm thicker than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Think about that: this foldable, which when folded is hiding a gorgeous 8-inch display, is almost imperceptibly thicker than a single-screen flagship device.
Even the weight is impressive. Between versions, Samsung shed a whopping 24 grams, and the Fold 7 is even 3 grams lighter than the S25 Ultra. Yep – two screens, and it’s still lighter than the flagship.
Perhaps that shouldn’t be so surprising. When I hold the Z Fold 7 up to the S25 ultra, the foldable is smaller than the Ultra, which is 162.8mm x 77.6mm, while the Z Fold 7, when folded, is 158.4mm x 72.8mm.
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(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Carrying the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is now like holding a secret. At a glance, it looks like a standard, 6.5-inch smartphone. It’s not until you take a closer look that you notice the seam down one edge and the hinge on the opposite side.
Size and weight aside, the phone feels good in my hand because of the excellent materials. Its Armor Aluminum frame is covered, front and back, with Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. A substantial, pill-shaped three-camera array sticks out of the back. Whenever I put the phone down camera-side-first, it tips at an awkward angle. I guess that’s the price I have to pay for a better imaging system.
On the top edges when you’re holding the phone (there are two when it’s folded) are a pair of microphone holes, a vent, and a SIM slot (yes, this phone still uses a nanoSIM card, along with a multi-eSIM option).
The bottom edges feature more microphone holes, a speaker slot (its stereo pair are along the top edge of the cover screen), and the USB-C data and charging port. The tolerances here are quite something – the USB port appears to just barely fit in the space.
The only buttons are the long volume rocker and the power / fingerprint reader / Gemini button.
The foldable screen hinge, which has been shrinking over each Z Fold generation, is the thickness of an average No. 2 pencil, and its subtlety and unobtrusiveness further help it pull off the ‘standard flagship’ masquerade.
Samsung has reengineered the hinge, and it’s noticeable. The phone is firmly closed when folded (magnets inside help with that) and has considerable, but not overly resistant, tension as you open it and it snaps into position as a fully flat 8-inch tablet.
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Yes, it can handle the water (but not dust or sand).(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Unfolding the phone you’re greeted with a flexible display surrounded by a roughly 2mm, forgiving raised border that keeps the Fold 7 from making a metallic snapping sound when you close it.
There’s still a crease, but it’s far less pronounced than what you see on the Z Fold 6. That’s due in part to the new teardrop-shaped screen fold hidden in the redesigned hinge, meaning the thin, flexible screen curves into a perhaps more forgiving teardrop shape when the phone is folded. This is likely what accounts for how it can more easily unfold to a nearly perfectly flat plane. I can only see whatever minimal crease remains at certain odd angles, and more so when the screen is off. To the touch, it’s barely perceptible.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is IP48-rated, which means it can handle a sustained dunk in fresh water (not salt water!), but I would keep it away from dust and sand. I ran my device under a tap with no ill effects.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: displays
The main display is now 8 inches
There’s a noticeable punch hole for the camera
The cover display is also larger
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
A wider and taller Z Fold means not one, but two bigger screens. The cover display is now a 6.5-inch 21:9 display that is finally indistinguishable from a standard flagship phone display.
Where the Z Fold 6 has a 968 x 2376 resolution, the Z Fold 7 cover screen is an expansive 2520 x 1080, 422ppi, 1-to-120Hz AMOLED 2X screen. It has a punch-hole for the 10MP selfie camera, but it does not feature an under-the-screen fingerprint reader – that’s integrated with the power button (and works quite nicely, as does unlocking with your face).
It’s a lovely, bright screen that’s now wide enough to more easily accommodate a more usable virtual keyboard, and fully serviceable when you don’t want to unfold and use the main display.
Like the cover display, the main display is larger this year. It’s now an 8-inch display, up from the Z Fold 6’s 7.6 inches. It’s also got more pixels, jumping from 2160 x 1856 to 2184 x 1968. It’s still QXGA+ and supports the dynamic 1-to-120Hz refresh rate.
While that display size now matches Apple’s iPad mini, the sixth-generation mini’s 8-inch screen has an aspect ratio of 3:2, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is now 5:6. This makes the Z Fold 7 more of a square as compared to the iPad’s slightly rectangular display.
In practice, this means that on the Z Fold 7 some videos and games may have larger black borders at the top and bottom. It doesn’t bother me, but you might want to see what Netflix looks like on the phone before placing your order.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The main screen is big, bright, and responsive. It was useful in bright sunlight, and all motion looked fluid and smooth. I left it on the default setting, which lets the system adjust the refresh rate on the fly, up to 120Hz and down to 1Hz, which is not as energy efficient as locking in at 60Hz. Both screens are rated for a max brightness of 2,500 nits.
In Future Labs testing and with HDR enabled we got up to 2,245 nits on the main screen and 2,060 nits on the cover screen. Those are admirable numbers, and mean you shouldn’t have any trouble viewing these displays in direct sunlight.
There’s no digitizing layer in the foldable display, but you can still use an analog capacitive stylus to draw on and navigate the screen (Image credit: Future)
To achieve the 4.2mm thickness, Samsung made some changes to the panel configuration, most notably dropping the digitizing layer that, in the Z Fold 6, offered support for specially tipped S Pens. I was initially pretty upset about this, but I did find that I could still draw with my finger – it’s not as precise, but it’s not terrible, and I can still use my finger to mark up images for Generative Editing and Sketch to Image. My doodles for the latter are not as good as those drawn with an S Pen, but the screen had no trouble interpreting my rough sketch and transforming it into a very realistic mouse.
I can report, though, that while the S Pen or any digitizing stylus will not work, a classic dumb, capacitive-compliant stylus – one you can buy for six bucks on Amazon – does work with the display. It won’t record pressure or angle, but it makes it a lot easier to draw.
That punch hole is larger than before, but with good reason (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The other thing you might notice on this new Galaxy Fold 7 display is the noticeably larger camera punch hole. It’s not only bigger in order to accommodate a better, 10MP camera (it was just 4MP on the Fold 6); the hole is also no longer covered with pixels, so it remains visible at all times. It’s positioned a tiny bit more centrally along the top edge than the punch hole on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s flexible display, on which the equally large hole is positioned towards the far-right corner and is maybe a bit more out of sight.
These things aside, I love this big, multi-tasking screen, which has room for a couple of apps, or larger-screen views of favorite apps like Weather and Maps. It’s also a nice canvas for Gemini Live, which makes the most of the larger space.
I also enjoyed drawing on it, streaming shows on Netflix, and playing action games.
The benefit of a flexible screen is that the Galaxy Fold 7 doesn’t have to be only flat or folded – it can also be ‘L’ shaped, which I found useful when I was checking over an interview transcription, which I recorded and used AI to transcribe on the Fold. A 90-degree fold also proved useful for watching videos on one half of the screen while the rest of the Fold served as a steady base.
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Try the Fold 7 at a 90-degree fold!(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: cameras
200MP sensor is the upgrade the Fold line needed
Main-display camera is no longer an afterthought
The cameras are capable of some beautiful photography
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
There was nothing much wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s camera array. It has a nice 50MP lens, a 10MP, and a 3x optical zoom 10MP, but I was very aware that this was a flagship-class phone with a flagship-level price, and it bothered me that the best camera array was reserved for Samsung’s Ultra line.
That is no longer the case. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a new camera system, with two notable upgrades and one disappointment.
Here’s the full camera system:
200MP wide
12MP ultra-wide
10MP 3x telephoto
10MP cover-screen
10MP main-screen
The big news here is the new 200MP sensor that, while similar to what’s found in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, has been reengineered to fit into the Z Fold 7’s super-slim frame.
Like most high-megapixel smartphone cameras, this one defaults to a 12MP shot, combining (or pixel-binning) the information from multiple pixels for better clarity, contrast, and colors. It does a nice job, but there is a very good reason to shoot at the full 200MP (it’s easy to do – you just select between 12MP, 50MP, or 200MP): doing so lets you crop into almost any picture detail without losing clarity.
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200MP of information means you can crop in on an image, without losing detail to get your perfect composition(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
You can see some of my sample photos above. While the detail is excellent, I did notice that I probably need to stand a bit more still if I plan to crop in on these huge, full-resolution images. No matter what, though, I love that this sensor, with all the versatility it affords, is included.
While there’s now closer parity between the Galaxy Ultra and this Galaxy Fold, the latter can perform a trick that’s impossible with the S25 Ultra: you can shoot selfies with the main camera using the ‘Cover Screen Preview’ setting. This means that if you unfold the phone and choose that option in the camera app, you can use the cover screen as a viewfinder and control for the main, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses. I used the setting to take a 200MP selfie – I would show it to you, but the clarity is so good it’s horrifying.
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(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
I used all the camertas in a range of scenarios to capture these images.(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
I’m also pleased that the main-screen camera is now a full 10MP – 4MP for selfies and even video calls seemed a bit anemic. The tradeoff for that better camera is a bigger punch-hole in the flexible display, and one that isn’t covered with pixels when not in use. I think future Z Folds should shift this camera closer to one of the bezels.
The 12MP wide-angle has a solid 120-degree field of view, enough for some truly dramatic shots, but I think its macro capabilities are far more impressive. Look at the detail in the flowers below. Leave aside the excellent color accuracy – just look at the drama inside these blossoms, and in particular the ants transiting the petals. Well done on this lens, Samsung.
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The macro photography capabilities are quite good(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
I’m less impressed with the zoom lens; not because it’s bad, but it remains underpowered for a flagship. While the S25 Ultra has a nice 10MP 5x optical zoom, the now more ultra-y Fold 7 only gets a 10MP 3x optical zoom. Yes, I am fully aware of the Space Zoom options that go up to 30x, but that’s a digital assist, and drags in way too much artificial information for my tastes. When I want zoom, I like it to be optical all the way.
The 3x optical zoom does a nice job, and it’s definitely useful, just not as strong as I had hoped. In situations where you want to get closer to a subject you might instead choose to shoot with the 200MP main camera at full resolution and then crop in on the detail you want – at least you know the visual information will all be real, and not partially digitally generated.
I was also pleased with low-light photography and videography. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 shoots high-quality video up to 8K 30fps, though many video editors still can’t handle that video resolution.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Overall, I think this is a great camera system, especially because Samsung’s ProVisual Engine is finally doing a decent job of maintaining visual fidelity (unless you choose less-real presets).
The colors in all my shots are good and accurate – I’m impressed with how the cameras handle challenging Manhattan street shots that are so full of detail and riotous colors.
They also did well with backlit shots where a bright Manhattan sky might have overwhelmed the foreground – I think the Z Fold 7 found a decent balance. When I tapped on the sky to adjust the exposure in favor of the sky I got better cloud detail, but also surprisingly accurate blue sky color. Nothing is too saturated, and this I consider a victory.
Portrait mode does a nice job on people and objects, such as in my image of planter in the main gallery above, where it had a lot of detail to handle and acquitted itself nicely. It’s not perfect – some small leaves got lost – but I’m still pleased with the result.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Software and AI
The phone will ship with Android 16
There’s deeper Google Gemini integration
Gemini Live fills the main screen
Using Maps on the main screen is one of may favorite things to do with the Fold. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
In the software space, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a harbinger of releases to come. It’s the first flagship to release with Android 16, well ahead of the next big Pixel launches – including, we expect, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold – on August 20, and it also has the latest Samsung software in the form of One UI 8.
That former landmark is by Google design, with the tech giant rearranging its development flow to ensure that its big partners have these new releases in time for their latest flagship phones. As for the latter, Samsung just seems to be getting faster and more efficient at updating and improving its own Android overlay.
Both platforms are also infused with AI in the form of Samsung’s Galaxy AI and Google’s Gemini, though where one ends and the other begins may not always be obvious.
Broadly, Android is now as polished and useful as Apple’s iOS. It has many of the same features, including Live Updates in widgets, Quick Share (so much like AirDrop), and endless customization. It’s also a fantastic partner for the Fold because the platform is optimized for the larger 8-inch screen, so things like mail, weather, and maps all appear built for the flexible display. Even Google Gemini Live is right at home on the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s main display.
One UI 8 brings things like the Now Bar and Now Brief, a compendium of all the things you need to know at any point in the day. It’s well designed, accessible, and relatively useful. I check it because the Now Bar is always greeting me on my lock screen with a “Good morning!”, “Good afternoon!” or “Good evening!” and it almost seems rude not to acknowledge it by digging into the details of my Brief.
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Gemini Live is right at home on the big Main screen. It can look at what’s on your Fold, and what you show it through the camera(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
When I tap to open it, I see a weather forecast, a calendar of events, news of interest, and music. I can choose to add more elements from my phone, which I assume might make the Brief more useful.
There is, of course, a lot of AI on this phone. Google handles the Circle to Search and Gemini side, and the rest of the AI found on the phone is Samsung Galaxy AI.
At any point I can long-press the home-screen button to launch a Circle to Search task. After the press, I use my finger to circle something on the screen that Google Search can look at and offer results related to.
New here is the ability for Circle to Search to work in games. I used it while playing the racing game Asphalt 9 and PUBG. It works, but it’s not necessarily intuitive to bring up the home button and press it during gameplay. On the other hand, I do appreciate not having to leave the game or even capture a screenshot. I just long-press, circle, and Google Search does the rest. When I’m done, I return to the race.
You can ask Circle to Search about almost anything you circle on the screen, including this sketch I did with my finger. The results are hilarious (Image credit: Future)
Gemini is summoned by a long press of the power button. It has all the strength of Gemini 2.5 Flash on the web, and also Gemini Live. Gemini Live works in full-screen mode on the large main display, but I find it more useful when you share your screen with Gemini Live and it then operates in the background, offering insights based on what it can see on-screen and the questions you ask it.
You can also just have Gemini look through the camera and see your world, and ask it what it sees – unless you want everyone to hear your Gemini Live conversation, this would be a good time to invest in some Galaxy Buds Pro 3 headphones if you plan to be out and about with the Z Fold 7.
You can use Object Erase to remove objects from your photos… (Image credit: Future)
Other Galaxy AI-powered features remain, and are little changed from the last time I tested them on a Fold. I can use Sketch to Image to instantly add photo-realistic elements to existing photos – I added a mouse to my coffee table, although as I’ve mentioned it’s a bit harder to sketch the right image idea without an S Pen.
It’s also easy to remove unwanted objects from images and replace them with the right background. This, depending on the size of the object, is generally effective, though there do seem to be more steps than in Apple’s Clean Up. On the Fold, I scribble on what I want to remove (it can be multiple objects), hit the erase icon, and the phone removes them, but I also have to hit ‘Generate’ to replace the background. My iPhone 16 Pro Max does both in one step.
…and Sketch to Image to add objects (Image credit: Future)
Drawing Assist, which lets you turn rough doodles into much higher-quality artwork and is another feature that benefited from S Pen support, also still works, and may come in even more handy now that you’ll likely be forced to use your fingertip to make your rough sketch.
(Image credit: Future)
Galaxy AI’s reach extends to video, and I used Audio Eraser to clean up the sound on a video shot in the heart of New York City’s Times Square. The capabilities more or less match those in Apple’s Audio Mix tool, although how the tools pinpoint which extraneous sounds to target differs quite a bit. Audio Eraser focuses on crowd noise, voices, and wind, and the results were good, though my voice did end up sounding just a tiny bit robotic, although not dissimilar from the results I got with Audio Mix the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.
I am, naturally, only scratching the surface of Android 16, One UI, and their AI capabilities, which also include things like Live Translation, Text Translation, and Chat Assist. Overall, though, this is a platform I could easily love. If you’re already an Android fan, Android 16 will be a welcome upgrade. If you’ve used a Galaxy before, One UI will be instantly familiar but also improved. The AI is deeply embedded but never intrusive. It looks and feels the way I thought Apple Intelligence would on an iPhone, and how I hope it will look and feel when Apple eventually delivers the updated Siri.
Software and AI score: 4.5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Performance and Battery
Custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor
Plenty of RAM and strong overall performance
Battery is still 4,400mAh, but all-day battery life is real
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Not only does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 pack Qualcomm’s best silicon, it’s a customized chip produced just for Samsung’s latest foldable: the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Samsung. The difference between the standard Elite and the Samsung version is small but notable: most reports put the 8 Elite’s max clock speed on its 2-core cluster at 4.32GHz. On the Galaxy Z Fold 7, according to Geekbench 6, it’s running at 4.47GHz. The six-core cluster is running at 3.53Ghz, which is the same speed as the standard 8 Elite.
Samsung backs this powerful, AI-ready silicon with 12GB of RAM for the 256GB Z Fold 7. The 1 TB model gets 16GB of memory.
I ran Geekbench 6 three times for both the CPU and GPU, and the numbers are impressive. This is the first time in memory that an Android phone’s multicore performance has beaten the latest flagship iPhone; in this case the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Here are my average numbers:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Single-core Avg: 2,512
Multi-core Avg: 8,986.67
OpenCL: 17,391
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Single-core: 2,892
Multi-core: 8,327
GPU Metal Score 33,001
Yes, Samsung (really Qualcomm) beat Apple on the multi-core scores. It may look like Apple handily beat Qualcomm on the GPU side, but those numbers (OpenCL versus Metal) are not directly comparable. What matters here, though, is the performance, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has power to spare.
I found it fast and fun for everything from web browsing to video games and video editing.
I tried stressing out the system by opening 51 tabs in Chrome and Gemini Live, which is probably a more resource-intensive operation. A funny side note here: when I allowed Gemini Live to view my screen and asked it how many browser tabs I had open, it said “10.” I tried to guide it to the number listed next to the microphone icon, and it said “11”. When I pointed out its error, Gemini Live apologized and said it had no idea why it made that mistake.
I wasn’t done pushing the system, so I also launched PUBG. The game opened without issue, I started to play (quickly, to my delight, finding an ultralight aircraft to fly around the island) and the phone never skipped a beat (the back got a little warm). I even used Circle to Search to learn more about a car I found.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Put another way, this is a thin, light, and very powerful system, and it’s ready to multitask like the private productivity wonder it is. Plus, there’s now true differentiation between the Fold 7 and its little sibling, the Galaxy Flip 7, which runs the ostensibly less powerful Samsung Exynos 2500 processor. That’s a fun little foldable phone with a full-screen cover that can accommodate Gemini Live, but it’s not about getting things done. And that’s the beauty of the Z Fold 7: with its now standard flagship-sized cover screen and even larger 8-inch main screen, it’s the perfect blend of pocket-sized power and portability.
Audio performance out of the stereo speakers is loud but also clear. Do not expect booming bass, but if you want the Fold 7 to power a party via your Spotify playlist – which, yes, you can summon through Gemini – the Fold 7 has you covered.
Battery life for the 4,400mAh battery is rated by Samsung at 24 hours of video playback. However, in mixed use, battery life is anecdotally between 12 and 18 hours in my tests. Future Labs, which runs a more rigorous and intense web-browsing rundown, got just under 11 hours. This is a case where your mileage will vary, but I think you can expect a full workday of battery life.
The Qi wireless charging is supported, and while the phone only ships with a charging cable and not the adapter, I was able to charge the phone to 50% in 30 minutes using a 45W charger.
Connectivity on the T-Mobile 5G network was solid, and, in my neighborhood, better than what I get from Verizon. I’m also happy to report that the phone supports WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Performance and Battery score: 5 / 5
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7?
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The most expensive foldable out there, but it might also be worth it
4 / 5
Design
Excellent, slim and light design that still feels elegant and solid.
5 / 5
Display
Two fantastic and now larger screens. The crease is almost gone, but so is support for an S Pen.
4.5 / 5
Performance
Better than the best Qualcomm chip on other Androids, and the performance knocked our socks off.
5 / 5
Software
Android 16! One UI 8! So much AI. It may sound like a lot, but it’s a winning combination.
4.5 / 5
Cameras
The 200MP sensor is a major upgrade, and overall photography is excellent. We would have liked a 5x optical zoom.
4.5 / 5
Battery
Really good battery life
4.5 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: Also consider
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is, to my mind, the best, most widely available folding phone on the market, but it may not satisfy your foldable itch in every aspect. Here are some other worthy choices.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs
Header Cell – Column 0
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
OnePlus Open
Price at a launch:
$1,899 / £1,749 / AU$1,199
$1,699 / £1,599
Dimensions (unfolded):
155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1mm (unfolded), 155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5mm (folded)
153.4 x 143.1 x 5.8mm (unfolded), 153.4 x 73.3 x 11.7mm (folded)
Weight:
257g
239g (black); 245g (green)
Main display:
8-inch Super Actua display
2076 x 2152 / 1080 x 2424 pixels
7.82 inches (2440 x 2268)
Cover display::
6.3-inch Actua display
6.31 inches (2484 x 1116)
Chipset:
Google Tensor G4
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM:
16GB
16GB LPDDR5X
Storage:
256GB / 512GB
512GB UFS 4.0
OS:
Android 14
Android 14 with Oxygen OS 13.2
Primary camera:
48MP main
48MP (wide)
Ultrawide camera:
10.5MP ultrawide
48MP (ultrawide 114°)
Telephoto
10.8MP 5X zoom
64MP (3x telephoto)
Cover Camera:
10MP
20MP; 32MP
Inner Camera
8MP f/2.0
Row 13 – Cell 2
Battery:
4,650mAh
4,805mAh
Charging:
30W (wired)
67W SUPERVOOC (proprietary)
Colors:
Porcelain, Obsidian
Emerald Dusk (green); Voyager Black
How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Review test period: one week
Testing included: everyday use, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, and music playback
Tools used: Geekbench 6, and Nit-brightness-testing system
I carried the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 with me everywhere and used it as often as possible for everyday productivity, entertainment, and creativity tasks.
I spent a lot of time with the UI and with all the AI, as well as myriad systems and third-party apps.
I played games like Asphalt 9 and PUBG, and watched streaming video content.
I handled it with as much care as I give any other smartphone, but did also purposely ran it under water.
I did my own battery performance testing, but also relied on Future Labs for its lab-based results.
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