Slim and sharp-sighted: Samsung unveils new folding smartphones Galaxy Fold 7 and Flip 7

The Galaxy Z Fold7 smartphone has become thinner, and the Galaxy Z Flip7 has increased its screen size — Samsung held a presentation of smartphones and other gadgets. The release of new clamshells is dictated by the growing competition in the market of folding phones from companies from China, experts interviewed by Izvestia note. Despite the fact that Samsung does not officially supply its products to the Russian Federation, retail chains have already opened pre-orders for new devices.

What is the difference between Samsung's new clamshell

Samsung held a presentation of the Galaxy Unpacked in New York on July 9, where it introduced a new line of folding smartphones — the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7.

The vendor positions the first of them, the "older" and more expensive model, as the thinnest device in this series — about 9 mm, which is about 3 mm less than the previous Fold. The main camera has improved — its resolution is 200 MP compared to 50 MP a year earlier. The main difference between the "younger" Flip7 model is the increase in the external screen compared to the previous version: its diagonal is 4.1 inches versus 3.4 inches. The devices also have an increased battery capacity.

Another device presented during the presentation is the Samsung Galaxy Flip Z 7 FE. This is a simplified and more budget—friendly version of Flip with a Samsung Exynos 2400 processor and a 4000 mAh battery: 6.9 mm thick when unfolded, 14.9 mm when folded.

In addition, Samsung showed off the new Galaxy Watch8. They are distinguished by the enhanced capabilities of artificial intelligence, in particular, related to health monitoring. The gadget can use special sensors to monitor the level of antioxidants, measure the load on the cardiovascular system, and much more.

— The Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 are the brand's thinnest folding devices with support for the Galaxy AI smart AI assistant and an advanced camera with generative photo editing. The Galaxy Z Flip7 is a new model in the line with basic features at a more affordable price, designed for those who just want to try a folding smartphone," said Andrey Gubanov, CEO of MTS retail chain.

According to him, Samsung confidently holds the leadership in the folding smartphone market in Russia — the brand accounts for 57% in units and 54% in money of all sales in this segment. Andrey Gubanov believes that the demand for new Samsung folding models will be already at the pre-order stage.

According to MTS, a total of 43,000 folding devices worth 4.5 billion rubles were sold in the Russian smartphone market in the first half of 2025. This is 36% more in units and 35% more in money compared to the same period in 2024.

The main parameters that will be of interest to the user of the new Fold7 are thickness and weight, according to the commercial director of Refrigerator.<url>" Alexey Pogudalov.

—The 9 mm is one of the thinnest models in this form factor," he noted.

What both models have in common is artificial intelligence, which makes it possible to process texts, photos, and videos, he believes. Such devices have their own audience, but the volume of consumption in this segment is small, Alexey Pogudalov added.

How much will the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 cost?

Russian retail is already opening pre-orders for the Z Fold and Z Flip of the seventh series, and some sites are even starting to sell these devices. Ozon reported that the delivery of the first orders is scheduled from July 22.

— Smartphones with a folding screen have already occupied their stable market niche. Wildberries records a significant increase in interest in folding phones: in the first half of 2025, the share of clamshells in the smartphone category tripled compared to the same period last year. The launch of sales of the latest Fold 7 on our site will only contribute to the demand for such smartphones," the company noted.

The popularity of this form factor is growing: after Samsung's release, other brands, including Huawei, Xiaomi and Tecno, also released their Fold and Flip models, which led to a sharp jump in sales, the Ozon press service noted.

According to the marketplace, in the first half of 2025, the demand for folding phones increased 2.3 times in the Fold segment and 1.8 times in the Flip segment compared to the same period last year.

"We expect high demand for Samsung seventh—generation smartphones and are opening pre—orders for all gadgets simultaneously with the world premiere," a representative of the Inventive Retail Group (which manages the Samsung Galaxystore chain of mono-brand stores) told Izvestia Lyudmila Semushina.

By pre—order, prices for the Z Fold 7 range from 148.99 thousand rubles to 192.99 thousand, depending on the amount of memory, for the Z Flip 7 - from 91.99 thousand to 99.99 thousand rubles.

Folding smartphones have become part of everyday reality, moving from the category of devices with an unusual form factor to the status of gadgets that customers like because of their multitasking, said a representative of M.Video-El Dorado".

According to him, the cost of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 starts from 91.99 rubles, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 — from 148.99 thousand for versions with 256 GB of internal memory.

— Interest in folding smartphones in Russia is gradually growing. According to Avito, sales of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 increased by 9% over the year," said Pavel Komarov, head of the Electronics and Home Appliances business at Avito.

He believes that with the release of updated devices, activity in the secondary market will traditionally increase — users will start selling previous models in order to switch to new products, and some buyers, on the contrary, will consider buying previous-generation devices at a more attractive price.

In turn, Marvel Distribution believes that the new models will be in low demand due to the rather high price and limited audience. There are not many people in Russia who are comfortable with such a form factor, it's more of a niche story (folding phones in the smartphone market account for about 1% in units and 2% in money), explained a company representative.

Market participants note that Samsung's new "clamshells" have largely become a response to the expansion of Chinese manufacturers into this market segment: they are producing more and more folding devices, and competition in it is increasing.

Samsung began to pay attention to Chinese competitors, the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 were created taking into account what they offer to the market and what users want, said Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group.

— Everyone wanted to see a Fold with a good camera and a slim one — and the device is made with a camera like the flagship Galaxy S25. Retail orders for this model are large. Flip, as expected, got a large external screen. This gives hope that the model will be popular," the expert believes.

According to his forecast, in the first three months of sales in Russia, the new Fold will account for 30%, Flip — 70%.

Samsung's leadership in the clamshell category is being actively challenged by Chinese brands, Wildberries noted. Over the past year alone, updated models of folding smartphones have been released by Huawei, Honor, and Tecno. This also affects the average price of such devices, which has even decreased by about 8% this year, the representative of the marketplace concluded.