I revisited the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 after a year, and it got me more excited for Z Fold 7

It’s not a hot take to say that Samsung hasn’t changed the core design of its Galaxy Z Fold series since day one. While the cover screen has grown over time, the overall candy bar-style form factor has remained mostly untouched. 

While brands like Honor, Vivo, and Google have released slimmer foldables, Samsung has stuck to steady, incremental upgrades, resulting in a sturdy hinge that holds at almost any angle and polished software for productivity.

Also: Samsung offers $1,000 off preorder deal for new Galaxy foldable phones ahead of Unpacked

Still, the Z Fold line lacks some of the innovative hardware features found in rival foldables. With the Galaxy Z Fold 7 on the horizon, I revisited the Z Fold 6 running One UI 7. After a week of testing, I’m more excited than ever about what Samsung has planned at Unpacked.

My experience with the Galaxy Z Fold 6

When I first used the Galaxy Z Fold 6 last year, I was coming from the Honor Magic V3 — a thinner and lighter folding phone with a more usable cover screen. While Samsung’s user interface felt better and the hinge was stronger, the cover screen still wasn’t the best. 

And these were the things I noticed again now that months have passed. The narrow cover screen is enough for a glance or quick replies, though not the most ideal to use as a regular phone or with two hands. I unfold the Galaxy Z Fold 6 more than I open my Magic V3 — not out of likeness but out of necessity.

Also: I replaced my iPhone 16 Pro with the Galaxy S25 Ultra – and it’s good news for Samsung

That said, I prefer Samsung’s One UI to every other Android skin. OnePlus Open’s OxygenOS was my favorite Android skin on a folding phone due to its Open Canvas multitasking. However, One UI 7 feels smoother and delivers on productivity capabilities. From my favorite transparent Calendar widget to Good Lock customizations, there’s more room to personalize the phone to my preferences. 

Since using the Z Fold 6 again for a week, I realized I need at least three upgrades with the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

1. The narrow design requires you to put in some hours of muscle memory training before you can get used to it. A wider coverscreen would make things much easier to type and consume content on. 
2. I missed having top-notch cameras. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 sports several reliable sensors, but none of them are necessarily the best from Samsung. 
3. With the Z Fold 6, I barely made it to the end of the day on a single charge. I had to charge it at least twice, almost every day. I need better battery life on this phone, whether it’s through physical capacity or improved power management.

Why I’m excited for the Galaxy Z Fold 7

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If Samsung’s recent teasers are to be believed, the company is all set to fix at least two of my issues. The company has hinted at the upcoming launching being the biggest Galaxy Z Fold design overhaul since the first model. Samsung says its Z Fold 7 will be “the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet.” That would make sense if it’s in relation to previous Samsung models, as brands like Honor have since released even slimmer devices.

Also: The best foldable phones you can buy: Expert tested

As per the teasers, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will finally feature a wider coverscreen like the Honor Magic V3 and OnePlus Open, offering better ergonomics. It is rumored to measure just 4.54mm in the unfolded state, which might put it at 9.10mm when folded. 

For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 12.1mm thick, so a 3mm reduction in depth would be a meaningful design change – a generational leap forward instead of another iterative upgrade.

Samsung says, “the Ultra experience is ready to unfold,” which could hint at the camera upgrade. Earlier, rumors have pointed toward the Galaxy Z Fold 7 borrowing its main camera from the Galaxy S25 Ultra. As a result, it could get an upgrade from 50MP to 200MP main sensor. That would be greatly appreciated by all consumers, professionals or not.

While megapixels aren’t everything, this would put Samsung’s folding phone on par with its Galaxy S series, allowing you to get the same flagship camera experience across both devices, unlike the current generation, where you pay more for the Fold 6 but don’t get the best of Samsung optics. 

Also: I changed 7 Samsung phone settings to instantly improve the battery life

As for my last problem with the Z Fold 6, I’m not holding my breath for Samsung to add a bigger battery to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, especially when it is rumored to pack the same 4,400mAh capacity. However, I’m still hoping to get more screen-on time (SoT) with it, thanks to the improved processing power and, hopefully, thermal management. 

We’ll learn all about the upcoming Samsung phone at Unpacked on July 9, so stay tuned for ZDNET’s coverage.

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