An Exciting Hands-On: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, Flip7, Flip7 FE & Watch8 Debut
Samsung Unpacked '25 Hands-On: Hot Folding Phones And Cool Smartwatches
We spent some time with each device, and here are our first impressions. But to start, don’t miss our hands-on video.
The Galaxy Z Fold7 Is Impressively Thin And Light
With the Galaxy Z Fold7 ($1,999), Samsung finally catches up to the Chinese competition with an ultra-thin and light design that matches the Oppo Find N5’s thickness (8.9mm folded, 4.2mm unfolded) and beats the Honor Magic V5’s weight (215 vs. 217g). As a reminder, the Oppo Find N5 (successor to the Oppo Find N3/OnePlus Open) was the thinnest book-style folding phone until losing the title (last week) to the Honor Magic V5.
In fact, the Z Fold7 is even lighter than Samsung’s very own Galaxy S25 Ultra (215 vs. 218g) and only 0.7mm thicker (8.9 vs. 8.2mm). Like with the Galaxy S25 Edge, it’s hard to convey in words, photos, or even video how thin, light, and impressive the Z Fold7 actually is. You have to experience it in person to really understand. With the Z Fold7, Samsung also fixed the cover screen’s aspect ratio, which is now standard at 21:9.
The Z Fold7 ends years of Samsung making thick, narrow, tall, and awkwardly proportioned book-style folding phones while Chinese manufacturers were thriving to make folding phones that look and feel no different than a bar-style flagship when folded. Even Google was able to out-design Samsung with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold last year – that’s how challenging the market competition is right now. In other words, the Z Fold7 brings Samsung back in the game.
Under the hood, the Z Fold7 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, just like the Galaxy S25 series. It’s available in three RAM and storage configurations: 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 16GB/1TB. Battery capacity is 4,400mAh, and the Z Fold7 charges at 25W (wired) and 15W (wireless). Meanwhile, the Chinese competition uses 5,500mAh+ silicon-carbon batteries and charges at up to 80W (wired) and 50W (wireless).
While these imaging specs are fine, the Chinese competition often equips book-style folding phones with 50MP ultrawide and periscope telephoto shooters. Another miss for the Z Fold7 is the lack of S-Pen support. Samsung claims it’s because it wanted to make this folding phone ultra-thin, but the Oppo Find N5 supports an active stylus on both its cover screen and main display while being the same thickness as the Z Fold7.
The Galaxy Z Flip7 Gets A Full 4.1-Inch Cover Screen
The Galaxy Z Flip7 ($1,099) finally puts Samsung’s folding flip phone on par with Motorola’s best. It’s priced between the Razr+ ($999) and Razr Ultra ($1,299), and while it features a slightly larger cover display than what Motorola offers (4.1 vs. 4.0 inches), it packs a smaller battery than the Razr Ultra (4,300 vs. 4,700mAh) and lacks the Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, making due with Samsung’s Exynos 2500.
Outside, you’ll find a 4.1-inch 120Hz LTPS AMOLED cover screen (948x1048 pixels, almost 1:1) covered in Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Inside, there’s a 6.9-inch FHD+ 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED folding main display (2520x1080 pixels, 21:9). Both panels are capable of 2,600 nits of peak brightness, and are beautiful. As a bonus, the crease is less pronounced on the Z Flip7 than on Samsung’s previous folding phones.
On the camera front, the Z Flip7 inherits the Galaxy Z Flip6’s 50MP f/1.8 1.0-micron main shooter with OIS and 12MP f/2.2 1.12-micron 123-degree ultrawide, alongside a 10MP f/2.2 1.12-micron selfie camera. When it comes to durability, the Z Flip7 is rated IP48 for water and dust resistance and uses Armor Aluminum (for the frame) and Gorilla Glass Victus 2. As you’d expect, the Z Flip7 also runs One UI 8 on top of Android 16.
The Z Flip7 comes in the following hues: Blue Shadow, Jet-black, Coral-red, and Mint (Samsung exclusive).
The Galaxy Z Flip7 FE Is A More Affordable Z Flip6
Take last year’s Galaxy Z Flip6, swap the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Samsung’s Exynos 2400, keep everything else pretty much the same, then drop the price by $200, and you get the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE ($899). Clearly, this Fan Edition (FE) is taking aim at Motorola’s base model Razr ($699), yet somehow costs $200 more. That’s definitely an interesting strategy. It’s available in Black or White, and runs One UI 8 on top of Android 16.
The Galaxy Watch8 And Watch8 Classic Get Google Gemini
Wrapping things up, Samsung also introduced a pair of new squircle-shaped smartwatches: the Galaxy Watch8 ($349) and Galaxy Watch8 Classic ($499), with LTE versions costing $50 more. In addition, last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra ($649) now boasts 64GB of storage (up from 32GB), and comes in a new Titanium Blue color. Both Watch8 models run One UI 8 Watch on top of Wear OS 6 which now features Google Gemini and Samsung’s Now Bar.
“New features include Bedtime Guidance, to optimize your sleep; Vascular Load, which measures stress on your vascular system while sleeping; Running Coach, to help strategize your training; and Antioxidant Index, to measure your carotenoids for healthy aging.”
The Watch8 comes in 40mm and 44mm versions, with 1.34-inch and 1.47-inch 3,000-nit AMOLED screens, and with 325mAh and 435mAh batteries, respectively. Color options include Graphite and Silver. Meanwhile, the 46mm Watch8 Classic features a 445mAh battery and a 1.34-inch 3,000-nit AMOLED display surrounded by Samsung’s signature rotating watch bezel, last offered on the Watch4 Classic. It’s available in Black and White.
Both smartwatches are powered by Samsung’s Exynos W1000 SoC, come with 2GB of RAM plus 32GB of storage (Watch8) or 64GB of storage (Watch8 Classic), and are water resistant to a depth of 5ATM (50 meters) with a combined IP68 plus MIL-STD-810H rating.
Final Thoughts On Samsung’s Devices From Unpacked 2025
When it comes to folding phones, Samsung is definitely back. The Galaxy Z Fold7 finally stands up to the Chinese competition in terms of design, and the Galaxy Z Flip6 and Z Flip6 FE are going after Motorola’s Razr lineup. With these new folding phones, Samsung’s broad ecosystem and feature-rich software are no longer held back by so-so hardware. Add Samsung’s powerful marketing and sales channels to the mix, and it’s a recipe for success.
Availability for the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE is still TBD. Stay tuned for more coverage about these devices in the coming weeks, including our Galaxy Z Fold7 review.
