The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is drawing attention for its sleek new design – but not all of it is positive.
While Samsung proudly touts the Fold 7 as the lightest and thinnest foldable yet, some early hands-on experiences at retail stores are raising eyebrows.
Visitors checking out demo units ahead of the official July 25 release have noticed that some Fold 7 units aren’t unfolding completely flat. That’s sparked a flurry of concern: is this a design flaw, or just wear and tear on store display models?
Samsung revamped the hinge for this generation, introducing the Armor FlexHinge, which is not only thinner but supposedly tougher too. Built with reinforced aluminum components, it’s designed to handle serious folding action. But the new design might have introduced some unintended quirks. Some customers report that opening the phone feels stiff or that the two halves don’t perfectly align when closed. One possible explanation? The hinge might just be extra firm, needing more force to fully open – or maybe the super-slim build makes it harder to grip and unfold cleanly.
Tech reviewer Victor Hristov, who went hands-on with the Fold 7, didn’t encounter a faulty hinge per se, but did mention the phone feels a bit tricky to open. Whether that’s due to the hinge or the phone’s new proportions is still up in the air.
It’s important to remember that demo phones in stores are opened and closed dozens, if not hundreds of times per day. That’s well beyond typical use, and could be impacting how they function. The Fold 6 was rated for 200,000 folds – and it’s expected the Fold 7 will match or exceed that, but that durability promise might not apply to already-abused demo units.
Still, when you’re paying around $2,000, expectations are sky-high. For now, it’s unclear whether this is an isolated issue or something more systemic. If it’s just a matter of getting used to the new design, it’s likely to blow over. But if the Fold 7 truly struggles to lie flat out of the box, Samsung may need to brace for some backlash.