I used the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Fold 4 to see how far Samsung foldables have come in 3 years

Smartphone innovation is dead, they said. It’s partly true — year-over-year changes are minimal in 2026, and it takes a few smartphone generations stacking up to form compelling value propositions. It’s easy to miss just how far we’ve come in a couple of short years between phone generations, especially with relatively new categories like foldables. I bought the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 on the release date in 2022, and after using the Galaxy Z Fold 7 intermittently for more than six months, it’s hard to believe these two phones are related.

If you’ve ever owned or used a Galaxy Z Fold 4, you know just how poorly that decision aged. That model was the last Galaxy Z Fold generation to feel like a prototype. The experience got a little better with the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which folded completely shut for the first time. Then, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 added formal dust resistance with an IP48 rating. Finally, the current Galaxy Z Fold 7 tacked on a 200MP camera and a wider cover screen while making the chassis thinner and lighter.

Throw it all together, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a much bigger upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 4 after just three generations than you might expect. If you’re a Galaxy Z Fold 4 owner like me and haven’t upgraded yet, there’s not much else to wait for.

Foldable phones finally feel like a regular slab phone

I open the inner display of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 much more than I do while using the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That might sound counterintuitive, because the large folding display is the expensive part. However, it’s a testament to how much Samsung has refined the outer screen and overall form factor of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. In the photo above, you’ll see that the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s outer screen (middle) feels closer to that of the Galaxy S26 Ultra (left) than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 (right).

Samsung put a 6.2-inch cover display on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but it wasn’t very impressive. The screen could hit 120Hz and offered a FHD+ resolution, although the 23.1:9 aspect ratio left much to be desired. It was still tall and narrow, making typing on the external screen uncomfortable and error-prone. The phone’s 15.8mm thickness only made matters worse. Between the narrow aspect ratio and thick chassis, you could forget one-handed typing with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 shut.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 addresses each and every one of these concerns, starting with the form factor. It measures only 8.9mm when folded, which is almost half as thick as the Galaxy Z Fold 4. More importantly, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 didn’t fold flat. The hinge mechanism formed a wedge shape when shut, leaving a gap between the two halves of the phone.

This was a major usability and durability problem. You see all the dust and debris built up around the Galaxy Z Fold 7 screens in the photo above? The Galaxy Z Fold 4 doesn’t have the same dust or debris on the exterior because the hinge gap allowed all of it to enter the opening between the displays. Without a physical barrier or ingress protection for dust, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 displays and hinge mechanism were subject to damage.

Not only is the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s hinge sturdier, but the design also prevents anything from getting inside the hinge mechanism or between the displays. There’s official IP48 dust protection, too. It’s not quite the IP68 certification the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold gets, though it’s better than nothing.

The newer model is 48 grams lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s a stunning difference that is beneficial in every way but one. The small win for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is that its hinge can sustain more viewing angles when in Flex mode than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which has a tendency to topple due to its lightweight design.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7’s displays make the Fold 4’s look silly

The displays on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 make it feel ancient, sporting rounded corners and large bezels. The Galaxy Z Fold 7, on the other hand, has the rectangular and boxy design language of recent Samsung handsets. It’s cleaner and matches the square aspect ratio of the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s main display. Speaking of aspect ratios, they’re the biggest difference-maker in what it feels like to use the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 side-by-side.

The older foldable has a 23.1:9 aspect ratio that feels too constrained for daily smartphone use. It’s strictly reserved for emergencies, and even then, the keyboard is difficult to use on the narrow screen. The newer model has a 6.5-inch screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio, which is simultaneously wider and slightly taller, significantly improving usability. I use the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s outer screen way more than the inner display, and it’s due to the comfortable aspect ratio, plus the thickness and weight advancements.

Additionally, Samsung made the right decision in moving from an under-display front-facing camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s main display to a hole-punch cutout camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s inner screen. The company probably got the placement wrong, but at least the camera quality is improved on the newer model.

Everyone always talks about the crease on folding displays, although anyone who’s actually used them knows the crease becomes virtually unnoticeable after a few minutes of use. That said, the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s crease is basically nonexistent compared to the deeper crevice in the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Older Samsung foldables also suffer from cracks in the pre-installed screen protector that run along the crease after extended use, but Samsung seems to have solved that issue on newer models.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s cameras were never up to par

Do foldable phones need outstanding cameras? Not everyone agrees, but it’s reasonable to expect a $2,000 smartphone to offer a capable camera system. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 wasn’t exactly pulling its weight with a 50MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 10MP telephoto camera with just 3x optical zoom. All the cameras lacked sufficient detail compared to modern flagships, and the low optical zoom length was paltry. The dual 4MP (inner) and 10MP (outer) selfie cameras didn’t move the needle.

You asked, and Samsung answered with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The 200MP, f/1.7 main camera is both larger and more detailed than older Galaxy Z Fold cameras, finally closing the gap between foldable and flagship image quality. Unfortunately, the 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lenses are still unchanged, but at least you get a trusty primary lens. Due to the front-facing camera change, both Galaxy Z Fold 7 selfie cameras are 10MP now.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is finally worth investing in

The quality gap between the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 emphasizes that now is finally a safe time to invest in a foldable phone. I bought the Galaxy Z Fold 4 outright, and it was easily the most expensive phone I had ever bought at the time. As my time testing a Galaxy Z Fold 7 review unit showed, I picked a terrible time to invest in a foldable. In just a few short years, Samsung’s annual incremental foldable upgrades compounded to make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 a major overhaul compared to the three-year-old Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Most people upgrade their phones every three years, and if you’re a Galaxy Z Fold 4 owner, you might be due for a new phone. Whether you’re considering your first foldable or an upgrade, it’s clear that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is officially mature. I can’t tell you whether it’s worth spending $2,000 on, but I can say that Samsung foldables have evolved far beyond prototype-like devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4.