Samsung has confirmed that the next Galaxy Unpacked event will be held on July 22nd in London, which means we’re likely just two weeks away from the unveiling of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series.
That being said, if you don’t want to wait (or you simply don’t want to shell out $2,000 for a smartphone), you’re in luck: last year’s Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is currently $500 off at Best Buy, making it a pretty compelling prospect for folks who want a great foldable phone experience without breaking the bank.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a beautiful foldable phone with a thin and lightweight design, two Dynamic AMOLED displays, and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset with 12GB of RAM. When opening the book-style foldable, the center crease is finally as imperceptible as Samsung claims it to be, and the upgraded camera system is one of the best we’ve ever seen on a foldable.
The phone’s thin frame means that the battery life isn’t anything to write home about (and Samsung removed the embedded stylus), but if you want a premium foldable phone experience, it doesn’t get much better than the Z Fold 7 (well, maybe with the Motorola Razr Fold, but that’s another discussion).
How does last year’s phone compare to the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8? Well, we don’t have official specs just yet, but the latest leaks and rumors suggest that the Z Fold 8 simply takes the foundation of its predecessor and adds a larger battery with faster charging and possibly an upgraded screen. Are those small updates worth an additional $500 at minimum? I don’t think so, but you’ll have to make the call.
Android Central’s take
I’ve said it before and I’ll it again: we don’t need new phones every single year. With the current global memory shortage and prices going up on tech all across the board, maybe OEMs like Samsung should focus more on optimizing the devices that people already have rather than pushing out new generations every year.
This is particularly true when new devices only offer small upgrades between generations. If I were in the market for an unlocked foldable phone, I’d go with this discounted Galaxy Z Fold 7 and keep a bit of cash in my pocket for a rainy day. After all, what’s the point of giving a device a seven-year software promise if you’re not going to keep it for more than a year or two?