Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Biggest expected changes

By now, we've grown accustomed to a new Galaxy Fold model appearing each summer. But to hear Samsung tell it, a Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6 comparison won't produce the usual year-to-year improvements we'd expect from an annual foldable phone update.

Instead, Samsung sounds like it has a much bigger launch in mind, going so far as to tout the upcoming foldable as the Galaxy Fold Ultra in one of its many teasers leading up to this summer's likely launch. That could mean a new name for Samsung's premium foldable device, but even if this new model arrives, as expected, as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it figures to introduce some notable changes from its predecessor.

That would be a significant step, as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is considered to be among the best foldable phones out there, even if it's facing stepped-up competition from similar devices by Google and OnePlus. Clearly, Samsung wants to re-establish its foldable as the one to get.

To pull that off, Samsung is looking to deliver a foldable phone with a thinner design, improved cameras and more AI features. Here's what else we know about the likely Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6 changes ahead of the new phone's arrival.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Price and availability

Samsung moved up the launch of last year's foldable phones to early July, in part to roll out the phones ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris. There's no Olympics this year, but Samsung is sticking with that early July launch date, announcing an Unpacked event for July 9.

When the Galaxy Z Fold 6 arrived last year, it came with a $100 price hike that brought the cost of Samsung's premium foldable phone to $1,899. The good news is it doesn't sound like Samsung will raise prices again this year, but we're also unlikely to see a price drop.

Instead, look for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to once again start at $1,899. For context, that's $100 more than what Google charges for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which offers the same basic design as Samsung's foldable.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Design

Each version of the Galaxy Fold seems to introduce additional changes to its design, and Samsung has made no secret of its goals for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Samsung has already promised the "thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet" with this year's release.

To put that claim in context, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is already quite thin at 6 x 5.2 x 0.22 inches when unfolded. Reportedly, Samsung plans to make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 anywhere form 3.9mm to 4.5mm at its thinnest point, which would be shaving quite a bit off the 5.6mm-thin Z Fold 6. A leaked photo comparing the two phones shows just how thin the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be.

In terms of weight, the Galaxy Z Fold tips the scales at 8.4 ounces. Leaked specs claim the new phone will weigh in at 7.5 ounces.

Slimming down the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could have repercussions elsewhere on the phone. For instance, a rumor claims Samsung is doing away with the stylus digitizer layer of the display for detecting where a stylus is. That would mean no S Pen support, though a contrary rumor contends that Samsung is updating the S Pen to work a thinner Galaxy Z Fold model.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 color rumors suggest the phone will be available in black, silver and blue. Last year's model came in silver, pink and navy with several other options available as exclusives when you ordered the Galaxy Z Fold 6 from Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Display

Look for bigger displays on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, as Samsung is reportedly taking its cues from the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition that was exclusive to Korea last year. That means an interior display of 8 inches, compared to the 7.6-inch panel that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers when unfolded.

We're expecting a bigger cover display as well. The Galaxy Z Fold 6's external display measures 6.3 inches, but that's supposedly expanding to 6.5 inches with this year's Fold.

As is the case with any foldable phone, we're interested to see whether a crease will be visible on that main screen where the phone folds in two. Samsung did a good job making the crease less visible on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and a new foldable phone display developed by Samsung reportedly removes the crease once and for all. That advance may not be ready in time for the Galaxy z Fold 7 , though.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Cameras

Samsung will reportedly take one other cue from the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition in addition to that model's thinner design. That phone also featured a 200MP main camera, much like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Edge. Reportedly, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will join those phones in offering that powerful main lens.

If so, it would mark quite an upgrade from the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which features a 50MP sensor for its main camera. Other camera specs are likely to remain unchanged, though, we we're assuming the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will adopt the same 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lenses found on its predecessor. The external selfie cam should remain a 10MP shooter, and we've not heard if Samsung is upgrading the 4MP camera underneath the interior display.

Based on Samsung's pre-launch teasers, though, it sounds like the company is planning something other than boosting the megapixels on the Galaxy Z Fold 7's main camera. Samsung has also talked up AI features powered by a phone's camera, leading us to think that the camera setup on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be tied in to new Galaxy AI features launching with this phone. (We'll talk more about AI in a bit.)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Performance and battery life

Any mystery as to what chipset the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will use has been cleared up by regulatory filings for the new phone. They list a device powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite found in the Galaxy S25 lineup.

As a result, we're expecting a performance boost for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 over the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 silicon. That's based on Galaxy S25 Ultra benchmarks, in which that Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered device posted better scores in CPU and GPU testing than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung probably hopes that the Snapdragon 8 Elite can help the Galaxy Z Fold 7 improve in another area — battery life. Foldable phones have a hard time lasting long on a charge in our test, where we have the devices surf the web over cellular until they run out of power. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 lasted just over 10.5 hours, which is barely better than the average smartphone.

The challenge facing Samsung is that there's not much room inside the Galaxy Z Fold to boost the battery size beyond the 4,400 mAh power pack that the Z Fold 6 used — especially with Samsung trying to make this year's model thinner. Indeed, rumors predict that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will likely keep the same sized battery as its predecessor, so any improvement to battery life will have to come from the Snapdragon 8 Elite's enhanced power efficiency.

Like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, rumors tip the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to offer 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Software

When not hyping up the thin design of its upcoming foldable, Samsung has also teased new AI features for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Specifically, Samsung has promised "seamless AI integration optimized for the foldable format."

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is no stranger to AI features, having gained the same Galaxy AI capabilities introduced to the Galaxy S24 lineup in early 2024. Last year's Fold even introduced a few AI features of its own like Sketch to Image for turning sketches into more detailed images through generative AI.

However, Samsung seems to be suggesting that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will do more than merely pick up the latest Galaxy AI capabilities. Instead, it seems like some of the new AI features will be designed for foldable devices in general and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in particular.

Regardless of what those AI features will be, it seems like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will debut with Samsung's One UI 8 interface built on Android 16. Google just released the Android 16 update for its phones, with Samsung currently running a One UI 8 beta. That seems to set up the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to be among the first Samsung phones with the new software pre-installed, though the update will roll out to older phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, too.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Outlook

Based on the amount of pre-launch chatter from Samsung, the phone maker clearly has big hopes for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. We'll see if it can deliver on those promises soon enough.

More from Tom's Guide

• I've never been tempted to get a foldable phone — here's how Samsung could change that with the Galaxy Z Fold 7
• We don't need a Samsung Ultra foldable — we need a cheaper one
• Best Samsung phones