This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
In the race for the thinnest and lightest phone, we thought Samsung had fallen behind.
After all, we saw the Honor Magic V5 a month ago, and supposedly that was the world's thinnest folding phone. The Galaxy Fold 7 was close, but not quite as thin, at least on paper.
Well, one quick reality check later, it turns out Honor tricked us, measuring the phone without the pre-applied screen protectors. However, considering that you should not remove the inside screen protector, I call this cheating (it would be fair to not include the screen protector for the outside screen in the measurement, though).
So at the end of the day, if you apply common sense measurements, the Galaxy Fold 7 turns out to actually be a tiny bit thinner, making it officially THE WORLD'S THINNEST FOLDABLE PHONE.
Congrats, Samsung!
Being the world's thinnest foldable phone is great, but…
I have to admit: I was blown away the moment I first saw the Fold 7 in person.
It's remarkably slim, and it weighs less than the Galaxy S25 Ultra (how is that even possible?!).
However, after that initial excitement wears off, you start to notice things and the one thing that bothers me with this otherwise sexy design is... I just can't open the Galaxy Fold 7 without a fight!
It's just too thin for my fingers to pry it open, and the flat sides don't make it any easier.
On a few occasions, I almost dropped the phone while trying to open it. I have to admit a few things here: it's not like I have big hands and big fingers that might prove clumsy. It's the opposite, I have slender fingers and I also often carry my phones without a case. And by this, I mean that I am confident in my dexterity — I have not dropped a phone in years.
However, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 had me on my tippy-toes all the time. It also not just any phone, it's a freaking $2,000 phone, I don't want to drop it in the first days of using it.
The solution
Vivo X Fold 3 Pro (on the top) uses angled sides which make opening it a lot easier (Image by PhoneArena)
There is a simple solution that Samsung could have and should have adopted — angled sides (rather than flat ones).
Vivo has done this with the X Fold 3 Pro, possibly realizing the thinness of the phone is becoming a real issue.
And this simple design tweak has proven very effective in reducing my anxiety when using a book-style foldable. However, few other phones have made this change, and I think that's a missed opportunity to fix a real problem.
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Unfortunately, it would be another year until Samsung has a chance to fix this. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is hitting store shelves soon, so it's too late for changes now.
So as much as you may love the new slim design, I strongly advise you to test it in store. Try opening the Fold 7 a few times and then decide whether you should buy that phone. Actually, this applies to any foldable phone, really. After all, what good is the latest and most modern design if you cannot use it…
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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.
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