The Galaxy Z Fold 7: Thin, Light, and Missing a Few Tricks

Samsung has finally dropped the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the company isn’t shy about flaunting one stat: it’s the thinnest Galaxy foldable ever. Clocking in at just 8.9 mm when folded, the Fold 7 looks almost anorexic compared to the 17.1 mm original Fold from six years ago. Quite a glow-up – or shrink-down, rather.

But here’s the kicker: Samsung isn’t alone in the thin race. Honor’s Magic V5 measures 8.8 mm and Oppo’s Find N5 hits 8.93 mm. So while Samsung’s achievement is solid, it’s not exactly groundbreaking in the grand scheme. That said, one passionate foldable watcher – Ice Universe – decided to test the claims himself, rolling a marble over phones and busting out calipers like a pocket scientist. The result? The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is not just Samsung’s slimmest, but the thinnest and lightest book-style foldable available for purchase right now.

Ice Universe measured a feathery 218g on his scale, lighter than both the Honor (224g) and the Oppo/Vivo options (up to 236g). It’s clear Samsung squeezed every last gram out of this device. But what did they sacrifice to get there?

The most obvious omission is support for the S Pen, once touted as the Fold’s productivity badge of honor. And then there’s the battery – a humble 4,272 mAh unit, barely worthy of a mid-range phone, let alone a flagship foldable running dual displays. It’s hard not to see the smaller battery as the price for Samsung’s weight loss obsession.

That trade-off sparks a question: what if Chinese manufacturers pulled the same battery-downsizing stunt? Honor’s Magic V5 and Oppo’s Find N5 come with massive 6,100 mAh and 5,600 mAh cells, respectively. If they followed Samsung’s playbook and shrunk those to ~4,000 mAh, we’d have foldables so slim they might disappear sideways. Pair that with silicon-carbon batteries – already gaining traction in China – and we’re looking at thinner devices with blazing-fast charging and solid endurance.

But there’s a limit to slim. Eventually, something’s got to go. If frames get any thinner, USB-C ports might be next on the chopping block. We’re already hearing about portless prototypes – where wireless is the only option – and the current thinness war may just accelerate that shift.

It’s worth noting that Samsung still trails Chinese rivals in other areas, especially cameras. While the Fold 7 is lighter, Honor and Oppo are out here stuffing better sensors into their foldables. The inner display cameras on Samsung still feel like afterthoughts compared to the versatile shooters on Chinese flagships.

In the end, the ultra-thin design of the Z Fold 7 may win headlines, but it’s not without cost. Between the absent S Pen and compromised battery, it feels like Samsung gave up a lot to chase millimeters. The engineering is impressive, no doubt. But users might wonder if shaving off a few grams is worth sacrificing features that made the Fold series stand out in the first place.

Still, what gives Samsung the edge isn’t just weight or thickness – it’s availability. You can buy the Z Fold 7 almost anywhere, backed by global support and warranties. No shady importers or crypto-only transactions required. So while we daydream about foldables that charge in seconds and fit in a shirt pocket, most users will be rocking Samsung’s latest – even if it’s a little thirsty on battery life.