The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has arrived, and while its sleek, ultra-thin profile looks like a major win for Samsung, not everything about this foldable is an upgrade. 
Yes, it’s thinner, lighter, and powered by the efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip. But those refinements come at a price-both literally and figuratively.
The most glaring omission? No more S Pen support. Samsung sacrificed stylus compatibility to shave off a few millimeters. While that might please minimalists, it’s a real blow to productivity users who relied on the S Pen for drawing, taking notes, and navigating the large inner display. For those users, this foldable feels like a step back, not forward.
And it’s not the only regression. The under-display camera-one of the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s most futuristic features-is gone. Instead, the Fold 7 returns to a traditional punch-hole selfie cam on the inner screen. That means more visual interruption while watching videos or using apps. It’s baffling that Samsung didn’t evolve the in-display tech but simply axed it altogether.
Then there’s the price. The Fold 7 starts at $1,999, a full $100 more than its predecessor. In a time of economic uncertainty, that’s a big ask, especially when the Fold 6 remains available at lower prices and offers features some users now miss. Meanwhile, Chinese rivals like the Honor Magic V2 pack bigger batteries (up to 5800mAh) and equally sleek designs, sometimes at lower prices.
To be fair, the Fold 7 isn’t a bad phone-it’s just not the obvious upgrade some hoped for. If Samsung had retained S Pen support, kept pushing in-display tech, and maybe offered more value, the story would be different. But as it stands, this foldable feels more like a compromise than a revolution.