Samsung’s latest foldables have only been on shelves for a month, but one is already picking up an unwelcome bit of déjà vu from last year’s Z Fold 6. As Android Authority drew our attention to, multiple Galaxy Z Fold 7 owners are reporting that the paint — or more accurately, the anodized finish — is chipping off their $2,000-plus devices. And in most cases, they swear it’s not from drops or abuse.
A curious case of chipped paint
Suspiciously similar to last year’s
This is what the edge of the Blue Shadow model should look like with no flaking paint.
Reports started surfacing on Reddit nearly three weeks ago. Multiple posts and comments have emerged containing photos of the aluminum frame showing flakes of missing finish near the power button, around the USB-C port, and along the side rails. One owner, who claims to have “babied my phone the day I purchased it,” said the coating started peeling despite only ever using Samsung’s 25W charger and a high-quality case. Another said they woke up to what looked like a speck of lint, only to discover it was a bare patch of aluminum after the finish chipped away further.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The Fold 6 had a nearly identical controversy last year. That prompted Samsung to issue support documentation suggesting poorly grounded third-party chargers could degrade the anodization on its foldables. The company recommended using only first-party power bricks, warning that current leakage from non-OEM chargers might corrode the protective surface.
However, the latest complaints complicate that narrative. Several users say they only used Samsung’s official charger, while others point out that the anodized layer shouldn’t fail under normal circumstances at all. One particularly detailed comment argued that the aluminum wasn’t treated properly during manufacturing, meaning the finish simply wasn’t bonded to the frame the way it should have been.
What’s being done about the finicky anodization?
Most reports center on Blue Shadow, with few on Jetblack, and seemingly none on Silver Shadow.
Samsung’s customer service responses seem mixed. A few users report being told cosmetic damage isn’t covered under warranty since it doesn’t affect performance. Others, like a Z Fold 7 buyer in Denmark, say Samsung arranged a pickup to evaluate whether the defect qualifies for repair or replacement. In at least one case, a service center escalated the issue to corporate for review.
Still, for a phone that starts at over $2,000, spontaneous paint flaking is more than a minor annoyance. It’s a quality control problem. It also risks undermining confidence in Samsung’s premium foldables at a time when Chinese brands are heating up the competition.
We’ve reached out to Samsung for comment and will update if the company provides an official response. In the meantime, if you’re the proud owner of a new Z Fold 7, try not to get caught up staring too closely at the frame.
