Most recently, Samsung Unpacked brought us new iterations of its foldable phones, launching the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 as well as the next iteration of its smartwatches in a refreshed lineup of the Galaxy Watch 8.

To my mind though, it was the Fold7 that was the star of the show, having been significantly slimmed down in form while simultaneously beefed up in its functions, and debuting the newest One UI 8.

The company enthused that the Fold7 is crafted for those who want the everyday portability and intuitive feel of a traditional smartphone, combined with the enhanced power and flexibility of a larger, unfolded display in one device.

Thinner, lighter, better in almost every way

And, in my limited hands on time with it, it really felt like a true hybrid, a 6.5-inch phone with a Dynamic AMOLED 2x cover display that was a pleasure to hold in the hand when folded, and a portable but substantive 8'' tablet when unfolded. In its latest iteration, Samsung has  made the screen wider - which was my main drawback against the foldables previously. The device is impossibly thin and light for a foldable and still feels sturdy and premium in the hand. 

The main display on Galaxy Z Fold7 is now 11% larger than the previous generation, providing more screen real estate for watching movies, browsing the web, doing content editing and multitasking across multiple apps.

Even though I had limited time with it, what is very apparent is that the screen is as expected from Samsung - beautiful. The device boasts up to 2 600 nits of peak brightness, which should make it very usable whatever the lighting condition, including direct sunlight.

Samsung stressed that the Galaxy Z Fold7 is ''built to move with users'', and has been engineered for everyday durability and built to last longer, with a restructured hinge and foldable display.

The toughness of the cover display has also been improved, now sporting Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, a new glass ceramic that has crystals intricately embedded within its glass matrix.

This, Samsung explained, secures the screen’s durability and crack deflection capabilities and delivers protection in a remarkably thin form factor, while Advanced Armor Aluminum in the frame and hinge housing increases strength and hardness by 10%.

Power to the people

Unfortunately, one thing that hasn't carried over from the Z Fold6 is the digitizer layer, which means there is no S-pen support on this one. That, it seems, was the tradeoff for making the Z Fold7 this thin and light.

In terms of processing, it is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, which the company asserted delivers performance boosts of 41% in NPU, 38% in CPU, and 26% in GPU compared to the previous generation. It should also help with battery life, though that would bear more testing. More importantly, the latest processor here fuels Galaxy Z Fold7’s ability to process more AI experiences on-device without compromise.

The device's cameras are also top notch, with the company upping its camera game in the Fold7. The device now sports a 200MP wide-angle camera and a 10MP 100° camera on the main display, with a wider view to more easily capture group selfies.

Samsung’s next generation ProVisual Engine processes images faster, enabling every photo and video to be more crisp, vibrant and full of detail.

With Night Video, intelligent motion detection now separates moving subjects from still backgrounds to reduce noise.

All about AI

But a much thinner frame, stronger hinge, less visible crease and better camera is only half the story of why I think the Z Fold7 is Samsung's most compelling foldable to date.

It is also the functionality packed into the device which makes it more intriguing, and this is noticeably AI focused.

Samsung explained that the Galaxy Z Fold7 ''harnesses the power of the foldable display to amplify the power and convenience of AI, delivering experiences that are instinctive, adaptive and effortlessly efficient. With the new One UI 8 that is context-aware and naturally responsive, optimised for Galaxy Z Fold7’s flexible format and expansive screen offer a more intuitive and immersive way to interact with AI. There’s less jumping between apps and screens and more frictionless creativity and productivity happening seamlessly in one place.''

To this end, the device ships with the latest version of One UI  - One UI 8 - which Samsung continued has been designed as a true multimodal agent, seamlessly combining large-screen multitasking with intelligent tools that understand what users type, say and even see.

For example, Gemini Live is now enhanced with multimodal AI that understands what users see, say and do, making it possible to seamlessly type or speak contextual questions and get answers without having to toggle back and forth between apps. Screen sharing on Gemini Live or camera sharing on Gemini Live, users can show Gemini what they are looking at on the screen or on the camera, then ask questions to get instant insights.

Circle to Search has also been expanded to gaming. Circling an item in a game will yield instant results, tips or tactics in a floating view that ensures an uninterrupted experience.

Into a new era

But an improved and refined version of its lineup is par for the course with Samsung. Welcome, but not unexpected. Personally the most interesting part of this week's unpacked came from Justin Hume, the Vice President for Mobile at Samsung South Africa, who noted that we are now entering an era where AI is not simply an add on, but is actually at the core of the UI that has been brought to market.

''Additionally, this is not just about AI, it is more about what AI can do for us when the best hardware is combined with the services on offer. They start accelerating collaboratively, which is when true breakthroughs start to take place,'' he enthused.

''When AI is paired with mobile technology, it transforms literally everything about the experience. So from multimodal experiences that understand audio, visuals and text simultaneously, to deep levels of personalization that predict what you need next, that is the promise that is coming forward now.

That is when mobile devices stop being just tools, they start becoming teammates. That's the magic, and this is really where users can start getting excited,'' he continued.

Justin Hume

What I saw at this latest Unpacked wasn't just the debut of a thinner foldable, or even just the launch of compelling new features. It was the next step for where our mobile devices evolve to become more than they have been, intelligent companions, that help us live smoother lives, with the Z Fold7 continuing if not leading the charge.

My main takeaway from this year's Unpacked is that one thing is for sure - it is certainly an exciting time to be alive. 

To make picking up or upgrading to its latest foldable more compelling Samsung is currently running a promotion whereby preorders, which are now open, will be bumped up to the next level of storage for free.

So, ordering a 256 GB Z Fold7 will give you the 512 GB, while ordering the 512 GB will net you the 1 TB version. Personally, I would go for the highest capacity possible considering that it doesn't have expandable storage. 256 GB gets filled up quickly, 512 GB gives more breathing room and 1 TB in a device of this calibre is ideal. I do still wish that Samsung would just make 512 GB the entry level for storage and then break the 1 TB barrier and offer us a 2 TB or (dare to dream) a 4 TB version especially on its Ultra and top tier lineup.  

Beyond the preorder window the prices are as follows:

Galaxy Z Fold7 1TB – R49,999

Galaxy Z Fold7 512GB – R45,999

Galaxy Z Fold7 256GB – R42,999

As is customary, users get a choice of colours, with the Galaxy Z Fold7 coming in Blue Shadow (which I feel is the most distinctive and attractive), Silver Shadow and Jet Black colour options.