Samsung Launches Three New Foldable Smartphones As It Fends Off Chinese Rivals

Samsung on Wednesday unveiled three new foldable smartphones at a time when the company is facing increased competition from Chinese rivals such as Honor and Oppo, reports CNBC. The company's share of the global foldable phone market slipped to 45% in 2024, down from 54% a year earlier. Today's new devices include the ultra-thin Galaxy Z Fold 7, the clamshell-style Galaxy Z Flip 7, and the more affordable Flip 7 FE. Here's a breakdown of each: The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is super thin at a thickness of 8.9 millimeters (0.35 inches) closed and only 4.2 millimeters open. It's also much lighter than its predecessor, weighing 215 grams (7.62 ounces). These stats put the phone on par with both Honor's Magic V5 and the Oppo Find N5. The new Fold device has a 6.5-inch cover screen and an 8-inch main display when opened, making it bigger than its predecessor. It's also decked out with premium new cameras, featuring a 200-megapixel main lens, as well as a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor, 12-megapixel ultra-wide and two 10-megapixel front cameras on both the cover screen and on the main display.

Samsung's new Fold generation is, nevertheless, much more limited than other devices in the market when it comes to battery capacity. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a 4,400 milliampere-hour (mAh) battery -- far less than the 6,100 mAh power pack in Honor's Magic V5's or the Oppo Find N5's 5,600 mAh battery. Samsung says its device is capable of 24 hours of video playback.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 7 is also thinner than its predecessor, coming in at 6.5 millimeters when opened flat. By contrast, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a depth of 6.9 millimeters when unfolded. The new phone has a 4.1-inch cover screen and a 6.9-inch main display. It comes with a 50-megapixel main camera and 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor on the back and a 10-megapixel lens on the main display. It also has a bigger 4,300 mAh battery, which Samsung says supports 31 hours of video playtime on a single charge.

In addition to Flip 7, Samsung is also introducing a cheaper version of the phone, called the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, which is slightly smaller and thicker than its more premium counterpart. What about the AI features, you ask? They all include various AI-driven camera tools that can identify and suggest removal of unwanted people or objects in photos, and an audio eraser that filters out background noise in videos.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 also integrates Gemini Live, allowing users to overlay the AI assistant during live video recordings -- for instance, to receive real-time outfit suggestions.

The Z Fold 7 starts at $1,999, and the Z Flip 7 starts at $1,099. Meanwhile, the Flip 7 FE is priced at $899.

"What about the AI features, you ask?"

[ffkom]

No, I absolutely do not ask about such gimmicks. I'd rather be interested in how easily replaceable the battery is.

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

I wouldn't mind if they actually worked. The old Google Assistant could do a lot of stuff reliably, but when you ask Gemini the same thing it chokes.

They also started putting some stuff behind paywalls, like now you can't ask YouTube Music to play a specific thing via voice unless you subscribe.

I get the enshittification of YouTube Music in the name of profit, but Gemini costs them more to run. They have a subscription version, but if it can't do basic stuff I've been using for a decade then clearly I'm not

200 megapixel lens, 4mm thick

[VaccinesCauseAdults]

Is this the new megahertz myth? How many of the two hundred million pixels contain information?

Re:

[TwistedGreen]

Well the picture you take is actually filtered through an AI that reconstructs the image to appear how you want it, so there's really no information at all.

Re:

[AnOnyxMouseCoward]

Seriously... I wish they just told me the sensor size instead. 200 MP with a normal phone sensor will just lead to 25MB photos that are just as blurry when zoomed up as the 10MP camera.

Not listening

[Shakes Fist]

My money goes to the manufacturer of a decent credit card sized phone, not some gimmicky nonsense.

You know what...

[Misagon]

I would rather be able to make phone calls with tablet that is sturdy, durable and does not fold.

Then have to use external devices to make phone calls: such as headset, smartwatch or ... a portable handset.

A tablet will be able to have more battery for radio communication and processing power, and is the superior device for when I actually need the touch screen anyway.
Size does not matter. I'm carrying my man-bag with my anyway.

Why? Why is this not possible? Does Google's Android license forbid it?

Had a flip phone before my iPhone...no thks

[bsdetector101]

My 6 year old iPhone XR still works great and about the screen size of the new flip phones. Don't want to flip !

Re:

[dbialac]

I've owned 4 Z Flips. The first 3 phones (1, 3, 4) were great. They protected themselves when you dropped them because of the clamshell design, so there's no need for a case. The first was with me in the hospital for 5 weeks while nurses slid my tray and dropped it over and over and over. There's no cracks on the screen. It still works and I still use it. They all fit way better in your pocket than a conventional phone. The 5+ suck because the external screen creates a need for a case, which defeats the pur

Still way too expensive

[RUs1729]

As long as manufacturers keep the prices so high, these gadgets will stay firmly in a small niche. In the case of Samsung, their penchant for bloatware (and particularly bad bloatware too - Samsung's software sucks to high heaven) that can't be removed is another incentive to steer clear of them.