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Samsung’s first Galaxy Fold looks unrecognisable next to the Fold 7
Samsung’s original Galaxy Fold was thick, heavy and fragile. Here is how it compares with the slimmer Galaxy Z Fold 7 before the new foldable's launch
- PUBLISHED: Tue 21 Jul 2026, 7:43 PM UPDATED: Tue 21 Jul 2026, 7:59 PM
When Samsung introduced the original Galaxy Fold in 2019, it felt less like a finished smartphone and more like a glimpse into the future.
The first Fold — bulky and expensive — weighed 276g and measured up to 17.1mm thick when closed. Its narrow 4.6-inch cover screen was useful for little more than quick messages, while opening the phone revealed a 7.3-inch display with a large camera cut-out.
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The launch was not smooth either. Samsung postponed the initial release after early review units developed broken, bulging and flickering screens. The redesigned version eventually arrived in the UAE for Dh7,199.
At the Samsung KX store in London, I got to compare the Korean tech giant's first-ever foldable to the latest available model — the Galaxy Z Fold 7 — and it shows just how much of that early experiment Samsung has refined.
At 8.9mm when folded, the Fold 7 is 48 per cent thinner than the original. It also weighs 215g — 61g lighter than its predecessor — despite carrying a larger 8-inch internal display and a far more practical 6.5-inch cover screen.
As for the camera, the original Fold used a 12MP primary camera, while the Fold 7 introduced a flagship-grade 200MP main sensor, alongside the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor and Galaxy AI features. In the UAE, it launched from Dh7,599 — only Dh400 more than the first Fold’s revised local price.
The basic idea, though, has not changed: a regular phone that opens into a small tablet. But the latest foldable device no longer feels like a bulky compromise you accept for owning a piece of technology like that.
Samsung will hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, with its official social channels teasing that “a new shape unfolds”. The expected new foldable now has a considerably stronger foundation to build upon.
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