A screenshot from Samsung’s teaser hinting at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 design. (Credit: Samsung / The Shortcut)

We’ve been tracking Galaxy Z Fold 7 rumors for quite a while now, and so far, we’ve been led to believe that Samsung would be sticking with a normal naming convention for its next foldable. But in Samsung’s own teasers for the phone, it seems like the company could be categorizing it as an “Ultra” upgrade, and we have some questions.

In three newsroom posts hinting at the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung uses the following tagline: “The Ultra experience is ready to unfold.” We’ve seen Ultra smartphones from the company in the past, most recently with the impressive Galaxy S25 Ultra. Every single one, thus far, has been shaped like a normal smartphone and couldn’t fold in half. But it seems like Samsung wants to take the experience that equates to an “Ultra” smartphone and bring it to its Galaxy Z series – and we don’t know what that means.

The Galaxy S Ultra series has always been where Samsung includes all of the best chips, cameras, screens, and battery life it has to offer. It’s where the company debuted its 200MP camera, where it brought back the S Pen after the death of the Galaxy Note, and where you get the biggest screen. For Samsung to hint that this experience is coming to the Galaxy Z series is interesting, to say the least.

Thus far, the Galaxy Z Fold has fallen behind the S Ultra in terms of camera performance and, depending on the year, battery life. Its primary focus has been the fact it can fold in half, whereas the S Ultra wants to maximize everything you can cram into a normally shaped phone. By the looks of it, it seems like Samsung could be taking that approach with the Z Fold 7: take the form factor, improve it, and cram as much as you can into it.

But in what ways will Samsung make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 a Galaxy Z Fold Ultra? Here are some of the rumors we’ve heard that could help unravel the mystery of Samsung’s Ultra-interesting teasers.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold “Ultra” specs

(Credit: Evan Blass / Leakmail)

🤏 It’ll be the thinnest yet. One of the key characteristics of the next Galaxy Z Fold s its slim form factor, which will make it the thinnest folding phone Samsung has ever shipped. At around 4.5mm thick when open and 8-9mm when closed, the device will set a new precedent for foldables in the United States and help take the fight directly to Apple, who’s expected to ship a similarly-thick foldable next year. Whether this qualifies as “Ultra” is unclear, but it would certainly take a lot of engineering to figure out how to cram everything into such a slim body.

📺 Even bigger screens. Galaxy S Ultra screens are always the biggest in the lineup for Samsung’s flagships, and it looks like the Z Fold 7 will lean further in that direction with two larger panels: a 6.5-inch cover screen (versus 6.3 on the Z Fold 6) and an 8-inch folding screen (versus 7.6). You’ll get the most room ever offered on a Samsung foldable to watch movies, multitask, and more.

📸 A huge camera upgrade. Samsung is rumored to upgrade the camera system quite a bit on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 – and yes, in a very Ultra way. The main lens is expected to be the same 200MP sensor that’s available on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, complete with all the perks like better lighting and sharpness. It’ll be accompanied by a couple of other sensors (as revealed by one of Samsung’s teasers) which are also rumored to come with improvements. Altogether, it could be the most robust camera system on the foldable market.

🏎️ Faster performance. As is the case with every flagship Android phone this year, Samsung is widely expected to include the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor in the Z Fold 7, giving it the same Ultra-level performance as the S25 Ultra. Whether the same storage and RAM configurations are available has yet to be seen, but it’s not a stretch to say these phones will likely perform very similarly once the Fold 7 hits the market.

🪨 Enhanced durability. Samsung will also take things up a notch in the durability department, something any phone with the word “Fold” in its name will appreciate. The hinge is expected to be stronger this year and decrease the size of the crease in the middle of the screen, while water and dust resistance could be improved compared to the Fold 6. Of course, it’ll still be covered in glass, but will hopefully be strong enough for everyday adventures.

What’s not likely to happen?

An alleged hands-on photo of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. (Credit: PhonesFirst)

While most of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 should be pretty “Ultra,” there are a few key areas that we haven’t heard are getting improved compared to last year.

🔋 A bigger battery. For one, the battery isn’t expected to get bigger. All indications point to the same 4,400mAh cell being included from the Z Fold 6, which means we probably can’t expect a big boost in endurance this generation. Maybe the Snapdragon 8 Elite will be enough to keep it from dying too early.

✍️ The S Pen. Unlike the regular Galaxy S Ultra, the Z Fold 7 won’t include an S Pen. Samsung will likely ship a stylus for it separately, but it won’t come integrated like Samsung’s other Ultra line. Does the S Pen make a phone Ultra? Perhaps it doesn’t, if it isn’t included in the box with the Fold 7.

💰 A higher price. While some early leaks pointed to a higher price for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7, it doesn’t look like either phone will see a price hike after all. The Fold 7 is rumored to start at the same $1,899 as the Fold 6, while the Flip 7 could be $100 cheaper than the $1,099 Flip 6. With the amount of upgrades in tow, it’s nice to see Samsung could be holding off from increasing the price of the larger device.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra: the key takeaway

It seems like Samsung will be positioning this phone as the ultimate Ultra phone. By integrating the core experiences of a Galaxy S Ultra into a larger device with a foldable screen, it could wind up being the ultimate productivity/power-user smartphone.

Will all of this pay off for Samsung? We’ll have to wait and see. We’re less than two weeks from Unpacked on July 9 in Brooklyn, so stay tuned for more thoughts and coverage on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and everything Samsung announces.

In the meantime, you can reserve your spot in line to pre-order a Galaxy Z Fold 7 and get a $50 Samsung.com credit.

Get your $50 Samsung.com credit

Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoopand Instagram @LegendaryScoop.