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Galaxy Z Fold7/Flip7

I think the Fold 8 will finally be ready for prime time next year. Coincidentally, it’s when Apple will release its first foldable. Now, Samsung, we all see what you are doing. Now, watch us magically get these things:
  • S-Pen support
  • Faster charging
  • Bigger battery
  • Crease free screen
  • Improved cameras
Nevertheless, I’ll continue to enjoy my Fold 7 until the Apple Foldable is released next year. It wouldn’t surprise me if Samsung redesigns the Fold 8 next year, considering the increasing competition in the US market. In fact, the Fold 7 is Samsung’s fifth year with the same design.

IMG_0006.jpeg
 
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HouseLannister said:
www.gsmarena.com

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 review

The Galaxy Z Fold7 now employs an 8.0-inch foldable LTPO OLED panel with 1968 x 2184px resolution in a nearly square-ish aspect ratio. Last year's model...
www.gsmarena.com www.gsmarena.com

GSMArena always does a good job presenting actual metrics to their reviews.

Vs. The Fold6:
  • Screens are not as bright.
  • Battery life is less for web browsing, but higher for gaming and mobile.
  • Speakers are a slight downgrade.
  • Charging speed is slightly faster.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing, I hadn't seen this review yet. Kind of disappointed about the weaker speakers and battery life. I was a big time gamer in my youth but don't game at all nowadays, so the lesser battery life while web browsing has greater impact for me.

The Fold7 is a marvel of engineering and feels great in the hand, but it seems the compromises are piling up:

No S Pen
Lesser battery life, depending on usage
Speaker downgrade due to thinner design
 
nfl46 said:
I think the Fold 8 will finally be ready for prime time next year. Coincidentally, it’s when Apple will release its first foldable. Now, Samsung, we all see what you are doing. Now, watch us magically get these things:
  • S-Pen support
  • Faster charging
  • Bigger battery
  • Crease free screen
  • Improved cameras
Nevertheless, I’ll continue to enjoy my Fold 7 until the Apple Foldable is released next year. It wouldn’t surprise me if Samsung redesigns the Fold 8 next year, considering the increasing competition in the US market. In fact, the Fold 7 is Samsung’s fifth year with the same design.

View attachment 2530366
Click to expand...
I think those of you hoping for the return of the S-Pen next year are in for a rude awakening. Unless there is a massive backlash and ground swell of support due to its omission this year (spoiler..there won't be), it's gone. It requires compromises in the hardware that most people would rather not deal with--getting a bit thicker again to accommodate the digitizer layer. All things being equal, I'm sure most users would prefer sacrificing thickness for better battery life first. And the last thing Samsung wants to do next year is backtrack on making this year's device so thin--it's the main point of ALL of their marketing.

Just look at their past history with S-Pen related hardware. First, the beloved Note, the founder father of the S-Pen is outright discontinued and the S-Pen is instead added to Ultra model of the S-series. Next, it loses its storage inside the phone and consequently loses some of its functionality. At some point I'd wager it's going to disappear from the Ultra as well.

The niche of S-Pen users is too small to compromise Samsung's design desires for their hardware just to appease that small group.

The last 4 items on your wish list are far more likely, especially if they start using silicon carbon battery tech.
 
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Ludatyk said:
I don't know... I think the ZF6 has a distinct design than the previous ones. It's more boxy than round, maybe you can fault Samsung on not changing the camera arrangement. But in terms of shape of the device... the ZF6 seems different than the rest.
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We’ll see how things unfold (no pun intended). Samsung needs to step up its game now that Apple has joined the foldable race. Next year marks their eighth attempt at foldables. Consumers will ultimately benefit from the competition between Samsung and Apple in the United States. The same applies to VR headsets. Samsung is also joining the fray. I’m eagerly anticipating the future developments in the coming years.
 
tbayrgs said:
I think those of you hoping for the return of the S-Pen next year are in for a rude awakening. Unless there is a massive backlash and ground swell of support due to its omission this year (spoiler..there won't be), it's gone. It requires compromises in the hardware that most people would rather not deal with--getting a bit thicker again to accommodate the digitizer layer. All things being equal, I'm sure most users would prefer sacrificing thickness for better battery life first. And the last thing Samsung wants to do next year is backtrack on making this year's device so thin--it's the main point of ALL of their marketing.

Just look at their past history with S-Pen related hardware. First, the beloved Note, the founder father of the S-Pen is outright discontinued and the S-Pen is instead added to Ultra model of the S-series. Next, it loses its storage inside the phone and consequently loses some of its functionality. At some point I'd wager it's going to disappear from the Ultra as well.

The niche of S-Pen users is too small to compromise Samsung's design desires for their hardware just to appease that small group.

The last 4 items on your wish list are far more likely, especially if they start using silicon carbon battery tech.
Click to expand...
We’ll see. Since I’ve never used the S-Pen on any of my Samsung devices, I was among those who were okay with its discontinuation in the Foldable.

However, Samsung will find itself in an uncomfortable position if Apple introduces an Apple Pencil for their upcoming foldable device.

Nevertheless, we’ll see how this all plays out in the next year or so. I’ll switch from the Fold 7 to the Samsung Tri-Fold and Samsung VR headset in the Fall and then I’ll ultimately switch to the Apple Foldable and Apple Vision Pro 2 for good.
 
tbayrgs said:
I think those of you hoping for the return of the S-Pen next year are in for a rude awakening. Unless there is a massive backlash and ground swell of support due to its omission this year (spoiler..there won't be), it's gone. It requires compromises in the hardware that most people would rather not deal with--getting a bit thicker again to accommodate the digitizer layer
Click to expand...
It would be one thing if Samsung was on record indicating that the S-Pen will no longer be part of the Fold series going forward. The only messaging that was given to the public is they are working toward adding it in the future.

Just look at their past history with S-Pen related hardware. First, the beloved Note, the founder father of the S-Pen is outright discontinued and the S-Pen is instead added to Ultra model of the S-series. Next, it loses its storage inside the phone and consequently loses some of its functionality. At some point I'd wager it's going to disappear from the Ultra as well.
Click to expand...
I had this mindset up until Samsung had made a statement regarding the S-Pen in its future with the Fold series, but I'd like to add that the S Ulra and Fold are two different devices. The S-Pen makes more sense for the Fold series than the S Ultra since we can unfold it to have a tablet experience.

And I stated this before... once Apple enters the market with a foldable that has Pencil support, I'm certain Samsung will follow suit.
 
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Ludatyk said:
It would be one thing if Samsung was on record indicating that the S-Pen will no longer be part of the Fold series going forward. The only messaging that was given to the public is they are working toward adding it in the future.


I had this mindset up until Samsung had made a statement regarding the S-Pen in its future with the Fold series, but I'd like to add that the S Ulra and Fold are two different devices. The S-Pen makes more sense for the Fold series than the S Ultra since we can unfold it to have a tablet experience.

And I stated this before... once Apple comes enters the market with a foldable that has Pencil support, I'm certain Samsung will follow suit.
Click to expand...
That’s exactly my reasoning for Samsung reintroducing the S-Pen to the Fold line, as well as the article about their reconsideration of it for the future. I find it utterly absurd to omit it from the Tri-Fold line. That phone could potentially have a screen size of 10 inches when all three screens are unfolded.

I get it: remove it from the S Ultra line but they should reconsider it for the Fold and Tri-Fold (especially this one) line of phones.
 
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If Samsung switches to a silicon carbon battery for the 8 maybe it would save enough space to add a digitizer back. But I don't see Samsung adding thickness to the phone after all that was done to make the 7 so slim but who knows. I use my stylus occasionally but I'm ok without it so the 7 is definitely worth it to me.
 
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scott craft said:
If Samsung switches to a silicon carbon battery for the 8 maybe it would save enough space to add a digitizer back. But I don't see Samsung adding thickness to the phone after all that was done to make the 7 so slim but who knows. I use my stylus occasionally but I'm ok without it so the 7 is definitely worth it to me.
Click to expand...
I don't know, I'm thinking they are not going that way TBH. I hope I'm wrong
 
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Ludatyk said:
It would be one thing if Samsung was on record indicating that the S-Pen will no longer be part of the Fold series going forward. The only messaging that was given to the public is they are working toward adding it in the future.


I had this mindset up until Samsung had made a statement regarding the S-Pen in its future with the Fold series, but I'd like to add that the S Ulra and Fold are two different devices. The S-Pen makes more sense for the Fold series than the S Ultra since we can unfold it to have a tablet experience.

And I stated this before... once Apple enters the market with a foldable that has Pencil support, I'm certain Samsung will follow suit.
Click to expand...
I hadn’t seen that Samsung had commented that they are working towards its return so if that does happen, I absolutely stand corrected. 👍
 
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NeonNights said:
Thanks for sharing, I hadn't seen this review yet. Kind of disappointed about the weaker speakers and battery life. I was a big time gamer in my youth but don't game at all nowadays, so the lesser battery life while web browsing has greater impact for me.

The Fold7 is a marvel of engineering and feels great in the hand, but it seems the compromises are piling up:

No S Pen
Lesser battery life, depending on usage
Speaker downgrade due to thinner design
Click to expand...
The speakers confirmed this.

I put the same song in the store with the Fold 6 and the Fold 7 and it looks much worse in audio than the 6, which has exceptional audio. The same thing happened with the iPad Pro M1 to the M4, being a much thinner device.

For someone who consumes content without headphones, it can be important. In my case as an audio fan, I consider it a loss (more when 6 had great audio), but in the end 95% of the time I listen to music from the speakers at home or with headphones on. What I use most to listen to music is the Galaxy Tab in the office.

These fine devices cause that, no matter how good speakers they have, the space in them doesn't allow them to have enough "body," generating a loss in audio, especially in media and bass.
 
RSB96 said:
The speakers confirmed this.

I put the same song in the store with the Fold 6 and the Fold 7 and it looks much worse in audio than the 6, which has exceptional audio. The same thing happened with the iPad Pro M1 to the M4, being a much thinner device.

For someone who consumes content without headphones, it can be important. In my case as an audio fan, I consider it a loss (more when 6 had great audio), but in the end 95% of the time I listen to music from the speakers at home or with headphones on. What I use most to listen to music is the Galaxy Tab in the office.

These fine devices cause that, no matter how good speakers they have, the space in them doesn't allow them to have enough "body," generating a loss in audio, especially in media and bass.
Click to expand...
Luckily for me I don't expect high quality sound from my devices, I'll use headphones for that. But yeah there's definitely give and take with device thinness.
 
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Congrats to those receiving the Fold 7 soon!

I went back to my heavier S Pen case for the Fold 6. Last week the S Pen came in handy during a work meeting. The wider case also makes it easier to type on the front screen and grip to unfold the phone than the thin and slippery Samsung slim clear case. This probably confirms that the wider Fold 7 with a case would be very comfortable in my hands. However, I just can't seem to pull the trigger on the Fold 7 and will keep waiting to see if Samsung sweetens promos. In the meantime I bought a new MagSafe car mount that holds the Fold 6 more securely without the camera bump interfering.

There are also early reports that OneUI 8 will improve/restore battery life on the Fold 6 that OneUI 7 hurt.
 
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NeonNights said:
However, I just can't seem to pull the trigger on the Fold 7 and will keep waiting to see if Samsung sweetens promos.
Click to expand...
At this point, I don't think its going down further until August when the Pixel drops or September/October for the iPhone release... $765 ($820 with taxes) is currently about the lowest I can get mine to.

What would be price that can push you to buy it?
 
Ludatyk said:
At this point, I don't think its going down further until August when the Pixel drops or September/October for the iPhone release... $765 ($820 with taxes) is currently about the lowest I can get mine to.

What would be price that can push you to buy it?
Click to expand...
That's a good question, and I honestly don't know. There's this nagging feeling that I'm gonna regret trading in the Fold 6.

I gave the Fold 7 serious consideration when the launch price was $995 after all applicable promos and trade-ins, but now it's several hundred dollars cheaper yet strangely doesn't have the same appeal. The Fold 6 continues being awesome.

I know promos are region-specific but there are posts about the Indonesia market having 1TB Fold 7 at the same price as the 512GB, so maybe I'll bite if Samsung recreates the deal in the U.S. I usually don't waffle and be this indecisive. I think it just shows how great the Fold 6 is that I don't want to let her go.
 
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Post-launch, the prices go back up, of course. No more double storage, reservation bonus, or $300 accessory incentives. And the trade-in value may go down over time.

But if you do wait, Black Friday last year saw $800 off the Fold 6 with no trade or up to $1500 with trade.

www.droid-life.com

Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slips Into $1,500 Off Black Friday Mode

As we continue to monitor the Samsung Black Friday deals situation, we see now that they’ve further discounted the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in recent days and made trade-in values as good as they’ve ever been. You can save a ton of cash on the Fold 6 (review) at the moment without... #BlackFriday #Deals
www.droid-life.com www.droid-life.com
 
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NeonNights said:
That's a good question, and I honestly don't know. There's this nagging feeling that I'm gonna regret trading in the Fold 6.

I gave the Fold 7 serious consideration when the launch price was $995 after all applicable promos and trade-ins, but now it's several hundred dollars cheaper yet strangely doesn't have the same appeal. The Fold 6 continues being awesome.

I know promos are region-specific but there are posts about the Indonesia market having 1TB Fold 7 at the same price as the 512GB, so maybe I'll bite if Samsung recreates the deal in the U.S. I usually don't waffle and be this indecisive. I think it just shows how great the Fold 6 is that I don't want to let her go.
Click to expand...
I'm like 90% sure I'm keeping the ZF6, occasionally I look to see if there's better promos going for the ZF7... but it's going to be a situation where Samsung has to do a ridiculously drastic price cut to make me consider it.

Also I'm looking to see what One UI 8 will bring to the ZF6... because if I get that Side-by-Side Editing AI feature, that would certainly make the decision easier to stay put. What is your percentages on being in favor of upgrading? Because I can really see you doing the trade-in within month or two...

HouseLannister said:
Post-launch, the prices go back up, of course. No more double storage, reservation bonus, or $300 accessory incentives. And the trade-in value may go down over time.

But if you do wait, Black Friday last year saw $800 off the Fold 6 with no trade or up to $1500 with trade.

www.droid-life.com

Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slips Into $1,500 Off Black Friday Mode

As we continue to monitor the Samsung Black Friday deals situation, we see now that they’ve further discounted the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in recent days and made trade-in values as good as they’ve ever been. You can save a ton of cash on the Fold 6 (review) at the moment without... #BlackFriday #Deals
www.droid-life.com www.droid-life.com
Click to expand...
By the time Black Friday rolls around... which is 4 months into the cycle, I think it's better off waiting for the ZF8 unless someone is in desperate need of a phone.
 
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