At Samsung Unpacked in July, the phonemaker introduced its most advanced foldable yet: the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It supersedes last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 with upgrades big and small (or rather, big and thin), but how exactly do they compare? Here’s the Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6 specs comparison. 

Samsung has been releasing foldable phones for over half a decade now since the initial Galaxy Fold (no “Z” back then) launched in 2019, and the company has gotten pretty good at the newer smartphone format. Gone are the days of display and hinge durability issues; now, Samsung’s foldable phones are as reliable as their flat counterparts… though at $2,000, the Z Fold series’ prices are still high enough to put them out of reach of all but deep-pocketed enthusiasts.

The Z Fold 7 packs the latest Samsung upgrades and some design innovations, while the Z Fold 6 is still a powerful and capable device, leaving either a great choice for those who can afford them — just note the $100 difference in list price, as all those upgrades have led the Z Fold 7 to start at $2,000 while the Z Fold 6 starts at $1,900. Here’s how both foldable phones compare.

Design and display

Both the Z Fold 7 and Z Fold 6 follow the same broad design: a book-style foldable that has an outer screen to function more or less like a flat smartphone when folded closed. It can be unfolded to reveal its wider, more tablet-like inner display, providing more screen real estate for tasks, games and watching media. 

The Z Fold 7, however, takes the Z Fold 6’s design and slims down its thickness so it takes up even less space in pockets or bags. The Z Fold 7 is 8.9mm when folded up, down from 12.1mm thick in the folded-up Z Fold 6. Likewise, when unfolded, the Z Fold 7 is only 4.2mm thick, down from the 5.6mm in the Z Fold 6. That’s even thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge’s 5.8mm thickness, which commands an $1,100 price because of its own deliberately thin and light design. 

While users may not see how much thinner the Z Fold 7 is unless they put it side by side with another phone, there are areas where it’s noticeably trimmed down — there’s hardly any bezel left around the top and bottom of the USB-C port. The new foldable comes in at 215 grams, which is about the weight of most flatphones, and lighter than the Z Fold 6’s 239 grams.

Both foldables are IP48 rated for dust and water resistance, meaning while they may survive being dunked in water for at least 30 minutes (the “8” in that rating), they won’t protect against molecules smaller than 1mm (the “4” in that rating, lower than the “6” in most phones’ IP68 rating) — so keep either foldable away from dust and sand.

Read more: I Held the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It’s So Thin I Almost Forgot It’s a Foldable

The Z Fold 7 is overall slightly taller and wider than its predecessor, which results in bigger screens. The new foldable has a 6.5-inch AMOLED Full HD Plus (2,520×1,080 pixels) cover display, up from the 6.3-inch AMOLED Full HD Plus (2,376×968 pixels) cover display on the Z Fold 6. Both models have 1 to 120Hz variable refresh rates. 

Similarly, the Z Fold 7 has a larger 8-inch AMOLED tablet-like (2,184×1,968 pixels) inner display compared to the Z Fold 6’s 7.6-inch AMOLED tablet-like (2,160×1,856 pixels) inner display. Both also have 1 to 120Hz variable refresh rates.

Cameras

The Z Fold 7’s camera array is mostly unchanged from last year’s model, with one glaring exception: the 200-megapixel main camera, which it inherits from the Galaxy S25 Ultra that launched in January (and also made it to the Galaxy S25 Edge that arrived in May). While we haven’t had much time to try it out, the Z Fold 7’s main camera should take sharper photos than the 50-megapixel one on last year’s Z Fold 6.

On paper, the Z Fold 7’s remaining cameras seem otherwise identical to their counterparts on the Z Fold 6: a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto and a 10-megapixel front-facing camera on the cover screen. The 10-megapixel camera on its internal display is now inside of a display cutout, moving away from the under-display camera that prior Fold phones used.

Both foldables shoot video in 8K at 30 frames per second.

Specs and battery

It’s not surprising that the Z Fold 7 gets a boost in specs over last year’s Z Fold 6. The most notable is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite in the Z Fold 7, which is more powerful and efficient than the Z Fold 6’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

The Z Fold 7 has the same internal storage options as its predecessor: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. But whereas the Z Fold 6 only offered 12GB of RAM for all three of those storage options, the new foldable kicks it up a notch by offering 16GB of RAM for its largest storage (the 256GB and 512GB are again paired with 12GB of RAM). 

The Z Fold 7 has the same 4,400mAh battery capacity as last year’s Z Fold 6. But until we test out the new foldable, we won’t know whether its particular setup will result in more or less battery life — the slightly larger displays on the Z Fold 7 would suggest it would drain its battery faster, and prior testing with Snapdragon 8 Elite phones found they drained more power.

Connectivity-wise, the Z Fold 7 has the edge with its Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support, which are newer and more advanced than the Z Fold 6’s Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support.

But there’s still one area where the Z Fold 7 remains painfully behind the times: charging. The foldable still has 25-watt maximum charging, which is pretty dismal and borderline embarrassing in 2025 for a phone of this price — even the flawed OnePlus Open that launched in 2023 had faster 67-watt charging, which filled that foldable from dead to 76% in half an hour. As a point of comparison, last year’s Z Fold 6 (also 25 watts) recharged just over 40% in 30 minutes. 

Both phones also have Qi wireless charging. Samsung is selling magnetic cases for the Fold 7 that add compatibility with Qi2 wireless chargers and other magnetic accessories.

Software, support and AI

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 launches with Samsung’s One UI 8 and Android 16 out of the box, which is an improvement over the Z Fold 6 arriving with Android 14. Yes, despite being a year apart, Samsung’s biggest foldable will arrive with the newest version of Google’s mobile operating system, which the software giant surprise-dropped back in June months ahead of its usual release window.

While this is obviously a big win for the new foldable to not have to wait weeks or months for Android 16, it’s also a longevity upgrade: Samsung is once again promising seven years of software and security updates for the Z Fold 7, which means it should get annual upgrades until 2032. But while the Z Fold 6 has the same number of upgrades, one of those was Android 15 that came out later in its launch year — meaning it should only get upgrades until 2030.

Both folding phones get the full suite of Samsung’s Galaxy AI features as well as Gemini access. From Google’s Circle To Search to erasing objects in photos, there’s a range of little tools and tricks. But because the Z Fold 7 gets more years of Android updates (and has a newer processor), it could get more Galaxy AI features in the future.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6

	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Cover display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	6.5-inch AMOLED, 2,520×1,080p, 1-120Hz refresh rate	6.3-inch AMOLED; 2,376×968 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate
Internal display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	8-inch AMOLED, 2,184×1,968p, 1-120Hz refresh rate	7.6-inch AMOLED; 2,160×1,856 pixels;1-120Hz variable refresh rate
Pixel density	Cover: 422 ppi; Internal display: 368ppi	Cover: 410 ppi; Internal: 374 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	Open: 5.63 x 6.24 x 0.17 inches; Closed: 2.87 x 6.24 x 0.35 inches	Open: 6.04×5.21 x0.22 in; Closed: 6.04×2.68×0.48 in
Dimensions (millimeters)	Open: 143.2 x 158.4 x 4.2mm; Closed: 72.8 x 158.4 x 8.9mm	Open: 153.5×132.5×5.6mm; Closed: 153.5×68.1×12.1mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	215g (7.58 oz.)	239g (8.43 oz)
Mobile software	Android 16	Android 14
Cameras	200-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto), 10-megapixel (cover screen, selfie)	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto)
Internal screen camera	10-megapixel	4-megapixel (inner screen under-display); 10-megapixel (cover screen)
Video capture	8K at 30fps	8K
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM/storage	12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB, 16GB + 1TB	12GB + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage	No	None
Battery	4,400 mAh	4,400 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Yes	Side
Connector	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	No	None
Special features	One UI 8, 25W wired charging speed, Qi wireless charging, 2,600-nit peak brightness, Galaxy AI, NFC, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, IP48 water resistance	IP48 rating, 25W wired charging, wireless charging + powershare, 3x optical zoom (up to 10x digital and 30x Space Zoom with AI Super Resolution tech)
US price starts at	$2,000 (256GB)	$1,900 (256GB)
UK price starts at	£1,799 (256GB)	£1,799 (256GB)
Australia price starts at	AU$2,899 (256GB)	AU$2,749 (256GB)

The third Unpacked of 2025 (following installments in January and May) will be on July 9 at 10AM ET, kicking off in Brooklyn, New York. The company usually debuts its latest foldables in the summer, so we’re expecting to see the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 here. However, there’s an extra wrinkle (don’t say wrinkle with foldables!): It’s looking like the premium Galaxy Z Fold Ultra is joining the family.

What exactly can you expect? We’ve written all about it. When it comes to foldables, one recent leak suggested Gemini Live will be a core part of the foldables’ presentation — which would make sense with this form factor. You’d be able to chat with the foldables without having to unfurl them. Leaked renders suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will have a slimmer profile than the prior model and even a navy blue option. Escape from the grey! If the renders are accurate, the cover display and inner display will be bigger too. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will also get a bigger screen, apparently.

Then there’s the Galaxy Z Fold Ultra. There are no specs teased yet, but the company insists this will have “industry-leading hardware, cutting-edge performance and seamless AI integration optimized for the foldable format.” This doesn’t appear to be the tri-fold design we’ve heard and seen in various places, however. Maybe that’s a Fold 8 situation.

Typically, Samsung will take the opportunity to update its accessories too, so there’s a good chance we’ll see the Galaxy Watch 8 and/or the Galaxy Buds. Roll on July 9 to see what appears.

— Mat Smith

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