Samsung slims down foldable smartphone, brings AI to watches

While the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 focus on design improvements, Samsung is integrating a generative AI assistant on the wrist for the first time with the Galaxy Watch8.

Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event took place on the evening of July 9 (Vietnam time). It's no surprise that the Korean company focused on launching a series of new mobile devices, including foldable smartphones and smartwatches.

This year, Samsung launched 3 new foldable smartphone models. Galaxy Z Fold7 focuses on thin and light size, Z Flip7 focuses on the external screen experience, while Z Flip7 FE focuses on affordable price.

Next, the Galaxy Watch8 focuses on health tracking features, a square design, and artificial intelligence. These are the highlights of Samsung's recent event.

Galaxy Z Fold7

Without many surprises, Samsung focuses on upgrading the design on the Galaxy Z Fold7 with a large screen, thin and light size and improved camera.

The Galaxy Z Fold7's outer display size has increased from 6.3 inches to 6.5 inches. With a resolution of 2,520 x 1,080 pixels, the Z Fold7's outer display ratio is now easy to use and similar to a normal smartphone, instead of being too narrow like previous versions.

The Z Fold7's inner display has increased from 7.6 inches to 8 inches. According to Samsung, this is the largest size on a Galaxy smartphone ever. The Korean company still uses ultra-thin glass to increase durability and reduce creases.

The Galaxy Z Fold7 also focuses on improving thinness and lightness. Compared to its predecessor, the device's thickness has been reduced from 5.6 mm to 4.2 mm (when unfolded), and 12.1 mm to 8.9 mm (when folded). The product's weight has been reduced from 239 g to 215 g.

When opened, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is just slightly thicker than a USB-C port. Photo: Bloomberg .

Samsung has experimented with the ultra-thin approach on the Galaxy S25 Edge. With a foldable smartphone like the Z Fold7, thinness and lightness can make more sense. However, the product cannot surpass the Magic V5, the thinnest foldable smartphone today (8.8 mm).

According to The Verge , the Galaxy Z Fold7's 8.9mm thinness is comparable to some devices like the Oppo Find N5. When opened, the product is only slightly thicker than the USB-C port on the bottom edge. However, Samsung had to "sacrifice" the S Pen to achieve thinness.

The Korean company also removed the hidden camera from the screen. Instead, the main screen of the Z Fold7 adds a circular hole at the top for the 10 MP selfie camera. The water/dust resistance on the device remains the same with the IP48 standard.

The back of the Galaxy Z Fold7 is equipped with a 200 MP main camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 10 MP telephoto camera. Similar to the Galaxy S25 Edge, Samsung brings a 200 MP sensor to the Z Fold7 with "Ultra-class" quality, although it still needs time to evaluate.

In terms of configuration, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a 4,400 mAh battery. The device uses One UI 8 with the familiar Galaxy AI feature set.

The Galaxy Z Fold7 costs $2,000 in the US, more expensive than the Z Fold6 ( $1,900 ). The device comes in three color options: blue, silver, and black. Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, with 12GB or 16GB of RAM.

Google's Gemini AI assistant is optimized for the Galaxy Z Fold7's large screen. Photo: Bloomberg .

In an interview with Bloomberg , Drew Blackard, Vice President of Mobile Product Management at Samsung, emphasized the design changes of the new Galaxy Z, hoping to attract more users because foldable smartphones still only account for a small portion of smartphone sales.

“This will be a game-changer that will help make foldable smartphones more popular,” Blackard said.

According to Blackard, the Galaxy Z Fold line has attracted tech enthusiasts, mainly because of its multitasking capabilities.

“The product is aimed at an older audience and skews male. The Fold has the highest repurchase rate of any of our devices,” Blackard said, noting that Z Fold users are very loyal and tend to upgrade to the next generation.

Galaxy Z Flip7 and Z Flip7 FE

The highlight of the Galaxy Z Flip7 comes from the external screen that covers the entire front, similar to the Motorola Razr. Samsung calls this Flex Window with the size increased from 3.4 inches to 4.1 inches, the refresh rate is 120 Hz for a smoother experience.

Samsung uses the extra screen on the Z Flip7 to display the time, date, and Now Bar, with the space above still containing widgets and app controls.

The Galaxy Z Flip7 is also thinner than its predecessor, with its thickness reduced from 6.9 mm to 6.5 mm when opened. One of the notable upgrades comes from the increased battery capacity to 4,300 mAh.

Samsung's new smartphone supports DeX and Gemini AI on the external screen, features not available on the previous generation. Despite being thinner and more powerful, the device still supports IP48 water/dust resistance.

The Galaxy Z Flip7's outer display now covers the entire front. Photo: Bloomberg .

Galaxy Z Flip7 is equipped with 2 rear cameras, including a 50 MP main camera and a 12 MP super wide-angle camera, the inner screen still integrates a 10 MP selfie camera.

In terms of configuration, the Z Flip7 is equipped with an Exynos 2500 processor, pre-installed with One UI 8 on Android 16. According to Bloomberg , this is the first time Samsung has used an Exynos chip on a foldable smartphone after a long time of optimizing performance, energy consumption and heat dissipation.

The integration of Exynos into the Z Flip7 shows that the Korean company wants to restore trust from users, while reducing dependence on Qualcomm.

Aimed at active users, the Galaxy Z Flip7 has 3 color options including blue, black and red. Galaxy AI features are still fully supported such as Gemini Live, Now Brief, Now Bar, word processing, direct translation... along with a series of AI photo editing tools.

The design of the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE is quite similar to the Z Flip6. Photo: The Verge .

This year, Samsung first launched the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE. Compared to the Z Flip7 (priced at $ 1,100 ), the Z Flip7 FE is $ 200 cheaper with an old-style external screen, 50 MP main camera, Galaxy AI support, Exynos 2400 chip and 4,000 mAh battery capacity. However, the product will compete with the Razr version priced at only $ 700 from Motorola.

Compared to the first generation, concerns about durability, size and battery have been gradually addressed by Samsung. Features such as aluminum frames, water resistance and tempered glass make the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip more durable with each generation.

Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic

Besides the foldable smartphone, Samsung also introduced the Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic, a pair of smartwatches with a new design.

Similar to the Galaxy Watch Ultra, the product has a round screen in a slightly square case. This is also the biggest change in the design of the Watch8 compared to its predecessor.

Jeffrey Kim, Senior Product Manager at Samsung, said the square design helps the watch lie flat on the wrist, the body is 11% thinner but the battery capacity is larger (10-20 mAh depending on the model).

According to The Verge 's experience, the Galaxy Watch8 is quite comfortable to wear on the wrist, especially the large model. Note that the Watch8 Classic only comes in a 46mm option.

The new smartwatch duo also has slight hardware upgrades. In particular, the Watch8 Classic adds a Quick Button to activate quick tasks, along with a new strap mounting system.

The front of the Galaxy Watch8. Photo: Bloomberg .

The bigger upgrades on the Galaxy Watch8 are focused on software. Running Coach can plan a suitable run based on the first 12 minutes of exercise. Bedtime Guidance calculates circadian rhythms to suggest optimal sleep times. Sleep stress levels are also measured with Vascular Load.

The Galaxy Watch8 also integrates Gemini AI on the Wear OS 6 platform. The assistant allows users to command the watch using natural language, such as activating a run with the equivalent calories of a slice of pizza, finding the best gym nearby, or creating a music playlist for a 10-minute run.

After giving a command, Gemini will search for information and activate the corresponding app. Users still need the internet to use AI, but this is the first time a truly generative AI assistant has appeared on a smartwatch.

The next innovation is called Antioxidant Index. After scanning your finger with the sensor, the Galaxy Watch8 can measure the antioxidant index, thereby recommending suitable foods to include in your meals, such as fruits and vegetables.

The Galaxy Watch8 costs $350 , $50 more than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the Watch8 Classic starts at $500 . With the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung adds a blue color option, doubles the storage capacity (64 GB), and uses the same processor as last year.

Galaxy Watch8 Classic with rotating bezel. Photo: The Verge .

According to Bloomberg , the Galaxy Watch has long played an important role in Samsung's ecosystem, as the company often promotes it alongside other devices to boost sales. However, with the Galaxy Watch8, the Korean company is positioning it as a standalone product, integrating many attractive features.

At the event, Samsung did not mention the Galaxy Ring smart ring. However, the company representative affirmed that it is continuously improving the product experience.

"I think given the amount of work and what you'll see in the coming months, the ring will be worth more with a bunch of software improvements.

That's something we're focusing on through Samsung Health, which can bring more utility because the potential is huge. Everything is still in the early stages," Blackard emphasized.

Hands-on Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip7: Thinner and lighter than the iPhone The series has a major design upgrade, making the two foldable devices significantly thinner and lighter.

Source: https://znews.vn/samsung-lam-mong-smartphone-gap-mang-ai-len-dong-ho-post1567404.html