Samsung Unpacked has arrived and with it a slew of new releases from Samsung — top of this list is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Now, cast your minds back to 2019. Avengers: Endgame was on the big screen, a little known singer from Scotland called Lewis Capaldi was topping the charts and the first Death Stranding was puzzling gamers the world over.
2019 was also the year the Galaxy Fold made its debut — and a lot has changed since then. It was a chonky thing, measuring 62.9mm in width when folded. This was the pocket bulge to end all pocket bulges but it was also something of a marvel, a handset that folded out to reveal a tablet-like 7.9 inch screen.
Skip to today and Samsung has somehow managed to trim the waistline of the Fold 7, so it now measures 8.9 mm thick when folded which is superthin in comparison.
Shortlist was lucky enough to get some time with the Fold 7 — here are 5 things you need to know about this transformational device…
1. The two displays are majestic
There are two displays on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. The first is what’s called the cover display (what you see when the thing is folded) and this measures 6.5 inches and uses Dynamic AMOLED 2x tech.
Then unfolded, the main display sits proud at 8 inches and uses the same display tech as the cover. This main display is some 11% larger than the previous model, so there is plenty of screen real estate here for all your multi-tasking needs. There’s also something on board called Vision Booster which offers up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness.
2. There’s power and performance under the hood
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip. This is Qualcomm’s top chip and has been built for AI. And there are a ton of AI features on board here, including: Gemini Live, Circle to Search, Photo Assist, Portrait Studio, Generative Edit, Side-by-Side Editing, Show Original, and Audio Eraser. Phew!
Alongside the 8 Elite chip, Samsung is offering 12GB RAM on its 256GB and 512GB models. This goes up to 16GB on the 1TB Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
3. And the new design is jaw dropping
Again, the thickness of this handset is incredible. At just 8.2mm thick when folded, it really does feel like you are holding a normal, non-foldable phone. Weight isn’t an issue either — at just 215 grams, it’s actually lighter than the S25 Ultra.
Samsung has also made sure that the phone is durable, given how many times you will be folding the thing to show off at your mates in the pub, this can only be a good thing.
This includes an improved Armour FlexHinge, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the cover display, and sturdy aluminium frame, and a stronger, thicker main display with a titanium plate layer.
4. Cameras have had a serious upgrade
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 comes with the first 200MP wide-angle camera in the Galaxy Z series, as well as a 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera and a 10MP telephoto making up the rear three-lens setup.
There is also a 100-degree front camera and a 10MP selfie camera on the cover. A next-gen ProVisual Engine helps improve the quality of the images taken, and there’s a new night video mode to help with after-hours shooting.
5. Samsung is offering a really good reason to upgrade
For the first time, Samsung is offering a ‘buy and try the new Galaxy Z Series’. What this means is, you can use the device for 100 days, and if you aren't happy then they will send a courier to collect and as long as it’s in good condition, you’ll get a refund.
Plus, anyone who pre-orders the new Galaxy Z Fold 7 now will get double your storage — so you’ll get a 512GB for the price of 256GB.
As for the price, it’s as follows: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: 12GB RAM + 256GB (£1799), 12GB RAM + 512GB (£1899), 16GB RAM + 1TB (£2149).
And there's more...
Samsung also revealed two new versions of its Flip series: The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the cheaper Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.
This is available from £1,049 for the full fat Flip and £849 for the Flip FE.
It also bolstered its Samsung Watch range, with the Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.
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