The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung’s brand new flagship foldable. This smartphone was announced quite recently, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, and Galaxy Watch 8 devices. With that being said, we’ll now compare the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs. Samsung’s best book-style foldable goes against the one from 2023.
Considering that the company made quite considerable improvements this year, even compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, you can expect to see quite a few changes here. We’ll first list the specs of both phones, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery, cameras, and audio output. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Specs
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (unfolded/folded) | 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2mm / 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9mm | 154.9 x 129.9 x 6.1 mm / 154.9 x 67.1 x 13.4 mm |
| Weight | 215 grams | 253 grams |
| Main display | 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (1-120Hz) | 7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X (120Hz) |
| Cover display | 6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (1-120Hz) | 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (120Hz) |
| Resolution | 2184 x 1968 / 2520 x 1080 | 2176 x 1812 / 2316 x 904 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM | 12GB (LPDDR5X) | 12GB of RAM (LPDDR5X) |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0) | 256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0) |
| Main camera | 200MP (f/1.7 aperture, OIS, Quad Pixel AF, 0.6um pixel size, 85-degree FoV) | 50MP (f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel AF, 1.4um pixel size, 120-degree FoV) | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor size, 123-degree FoV) |
| (Periscope) telephoto camera | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, PDAF, 36-degree FoV, 3x optical zoom) | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1/3.94-inch sensor size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) |
| Selfie camera(s) | 10MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, 85-degree FoV) | 4MP (main, under-display, f/1.8 aperture, 1/3.0-inch sensor size, 2.0um pixel size) / 10MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.0-inch sensor size, 1.22um pixel size) |
| Battery size | 4,400mAh | 4,400mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included) | 25W wired, 715W wireless (charger not included) |
| Colors | Blue Shadow, Jetblack, Silver Shadow | Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Cream, Gray, Blue |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Design
While the general design language is fairly similar between these two phones, you’ll quickly realize they feel entirely different to hold and use. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a lot thinner and a lot lighter, it’s not even close. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 8.9mm when folded, compared to 13.4mm of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. That’s a huge difference, huge. It’s a smaller and less important difference when unfolded, but even in that state the Fold 7 is 1.9mm thinner.
What about their weight? Well, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 weighs 215 grams compared to 253 grams of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Yes, that’s also a major difference you’ll end up noticing. Both phones are fairly slippery, though, due to their glass and metal build. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 does have sharper angles, but it’s more comfortable to hold and use. Both phones have a centered display camera hole on the cover display. The Fold 7 also has a display camera hole on the main display, while the Fold 5 has an under-display camera on the main panel.
The power/lock and volume up and down buttons are located on the right-hand side of both of these phones. The frame is flat on both of them. You’ll notice that both of them also have similar-looking camera islands. They’re located in the top-left corner on the back, and those are three vertically-aligned cameras, which are placed on top of a pill-shaped camera island. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is taller, wider, and thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The newer phone is IP48 certified for water and dust resistance, while the Fold 5 is IPX8 certified for water resistance.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Display
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 features an 8-inch Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display. That panel supports HDR10+ content, and it has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). The peak brightness is 2,600 nits, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 90%. The resolution here is 2184 x 1968. The cover display measures 6.5 inches, and it’s a Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel with a resolution of 2520 x 1080. That panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, and it’s flat. It also supports an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz).
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, on the other hand, has a 7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display. That panel supports HDR10+ content, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 91%, while the resolution is 2176 x 1812. The cover display, on the other hand, measures 6.2 inches, and it’s a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. That dispaly is flat, and it is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2. It supports a 120Hz refresh rate, and the resolution here is 2316 x 904.
All four of these displays are good, actually. All of them are vivid, bright, and have great viewing angles. They all supports a high refresh rate too, which is always great to see. The Fold 7 does have LTPO panels, both of them, unlike the Fold 5. It also has larger display, and a less visible display crease on the main panel, thanks to a watedrop notch. So, yes, there are some advantages for the Fold 7.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor. That is a 3nm chip, and it’s the most powerful chip the company has to offer now. It’s paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. The Fold 5, on the fčlip side, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a 4nm unit. That chip is paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. Neither phone supports storage expansion.
Is the newer phone snappier in comparison? Yes, it is. That is to be expected, it does, after all, have a newer chip, a chip that is two generations newer. The thing is, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 still performs perfectly fine. It does not lag or anything like that, it’s simply not as fast as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which surprises basically nobody. All in all, both of them are excellent performers, that’s for sure.
What about gaming? While the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is still a very capable gaming smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 does offer better performance. That’s not surprising, not at all, it does have a notably more powerful processor after all. If you had to choose between the two, get the Fold 7, especially if you’re playing demanding games. If not, it really doesn’t matter, in all honesty, both of them do a great job.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Battery
Samsung hasn’t really changed the battery capacity or type inside its ‘Fold’ phones for years. Both of these smartphones include a 4,400mAh Li-Po battery. The company opted not to go for a silicon-carbon battery inside the Galaxy Z Fold 7, unfortunately. This battery capacity is rather modest compared to the competiton, but the battery life results we’ve been getting for the first few days of use are promising.
The battery life the phone offered is solid, around 7-8 hours of screen-on time. Do note that it may take a week or more than that to see if those numbers will hold up. Yes, those results are not as great as something some other book-style foldables would offer, but they’re sure better than we hoped for. We’ll have some final results for you in our full review. However, thus far, it does notably better than the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
What is not better, however, is the charging speeds Samsung is offering. Both smartphones support 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. It will take you over an hour and 20 minutes to fully charge these two smartphones, with a compatible charger, as one is not included in the retail box. It’ll take you somewhere between an hour and 20 minutes, and an hour and a half, actually.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has three cameras on the back. A 200-megapixel main camera (1/1.3-inch sensor size, multi-directional PDAF, OIS), A 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size) is also included, along with a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom).
The Galaxy Z Fold 5, on the other hand, has three rear cameras too. It has a 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS), along with a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (1/3.06-inch sensor size, 123-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (1/3.94-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom).
Samsung’s newest foldable does come with a much-improved main camera. A well-known sensor, that we’ve seen in other high-end offerings from Samsung. This is a larger camera sensor, and it should offer a notable improvement over the Fold 5. It also offers an improved ultrawide camera, though not by much. Samsung, unfortunately, did not opt for a periscope telephoto camera.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 was not as impressive in the camera department when it launched, and the same goes for its successor. Well, the Fold 7 should represent a notable improvement in the camera department, especially when it comes to the main camera. It remains to be seen… in our upcoming full review.
Audio
Both of these smartphones have stereo speakers. The speakers on both phones are actually very good. The loudness is good, and the sound output quality is also very nice. We still have some more testing to do for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, though, but it seems to be on a similar level to the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
You will not find an audio jack on either of these two phones. You can, however, connect your wired headphones to their Type-C ports, if you want. If you prefer wireless connectivity, the Fold 7 offers Bluetooth 5.4, while the Fold 6 supports Bluetooth 5.3.
RELATED POSTS
View all
