Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 now or wait for the Galaxy Z Fold 8

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to launch at a Samsung Unpacked event in London on 22 July. That is less than three weeks away which begs the question of whether to buy a Galaxy Z Fold 7 right now or wait for the Fold 8. The answer depends on which Fold 8 model you are comparing against (yes, there is more than one Fold 8 rumoured), what you actually use a foldable for and whether the price hike Samsung is reportedly bringing to its Ultra tier is something you are willing to absorb.

We have already covered the Fold 8 Ultra’s expected upgrades in detail separately. But in this article, we will focus primarily on the Fold 8 Ultra, which is the direct successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in terms of hardware and will help you decide whether to act now or wait the three weeks out.

What the Fold 7 still does well

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is not a phone that needs defending. It is still one of the two or three best foldables you can buy anywhere in the world right now. The 200MP main camera, the slim 4.2 mm unfolded profile and the refined book-style form factor make it an impressive device from the get-go. If you can find it at a meaningful post-announcement discount once Samsung’s attention shifts entirely to the Fold 8, the Fold 7 could be an excellent value purchase.

The most compelling case for buying the Fold 7 now is essentially due to its price. Once the Fold 8 launches, Samsung and retailers will need to move Fold 7 inventory, which typically translates to real-money discounts. If the Fold 7 drops to a price point that significantly undercuts the Fold 8 and the specific upgrades in the Fold 8 are not things you prioritise, that could make sense. But we are not at that price point yet and you would be buying last year’s device without any guarantee of how deep those discounts will go.

Fold 8 Ultra expected upgrades

As per the rumour mill, there are four upgrades in the Fold 8 Ultra that are rather meaningful and each one addresses a criticism of the Fold 7.

Display resolution: The Fold 7’s inner panel sits at roughly 368 ppi which is noticeably softer than the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s approximately 500 ppi. The Fold 8 Ultra is expected to close that gap entirely, bringing the foldable screen in line with Samsung’s own best flat-panel flagship. For a phone that costs as much as a Fold, having a display noticeably softer than the equivalent S-series model has been a difficult compromise to accept.

Battery and charging: The jump from 4,400 mAh to 5,000 mAh is around a 14% increase in capacity and in practice should translate to meaningfully better battery life on a device that many users already find battery-anxious. More significant is the charging speed as rumours indicate the Fold 8 is set to get support for 45W versus the Fold 7’s 25W which is nearly double the rate. These two changes are some of the most important user-facing improvements in the lineup.

S Pen: The S Pen support is expected to return after Samsung dropped it from the Fold 7. For buyers who use the large inner display for note-taking, document annotation or anything that benefits from stylus input, this is an important correction. It is reportedly exclusive to the Ultra model which means the standard Fold 8 will not support it.

The crease: Samsung is said to have significantly reduced the visibility of the inner crease on the Fold 8 Ultra. This has been one of the most persistent criticisms of foldable phones across generations, and if Samsung has actually solved it to a meaningful degree, it changes the day-to-day experience of using the inner display more than any on-paper spec.

Fold 8 leaked pricing

Leaked European pricing suggests the Fold 8 Ultra will carry a EUR 100 price hike over the Fold 7 in that market and the general indication is that the Fold 8 Ultra will cost more than the Fold 7 did at launch.

Both S Pen support and the upgraded 50MP ultrawide camera are reportedly exclusive to the Ultra model. The standard Fold 8, which introduces a new wider form factor to Samsung’s lineup and is reportedly priced similarly to the Fold 7 and does not get either feature. This means buyers choosing the standard Fold 8 to save money are not just getting a different form factor; they are also losing two of the most talked-about upgrades in the range.

Samsung needs meaningful differentiation to justify the Ultra premium. But it also means the Fold 7 versus Fold 8 decision is really three separate decisions: Fold 7 now at current price, standard Fold 8 at launch, or Fold 8 Ultra at a higher price, of course all with their own trade-offs.

Foldable iPhone on the horizon

The rumoured foldable iPhone is expected at some point this year. If Apple does launch a foldable and it arrives after you have already bought a Fold 7, you have missed the comparison entirely. If the Fold 8 Ultra launches in late July and the foldable iPhone arrives in September or October, you will at least have had the chance to compare both before committing. That alone is a reason to wait three weeks rather than buy now.

Conclusion

Wait if: You care about display quality, battery endurance, charging speed, S Pen or seeing what the foldable iPhone looks like before committing to Android. Three weeks is a short wait for what seem to be meaningful upgrades on the most-criticised features of the Fold 7.

Buy the Fold 7 now if: You find it at a significant discount after the Fold 8 announcement, the specific upgrades do not match how you use the phone, or you need a device immediately and the Fold 7 is your best option at a price that feels right.

Skip the standard Fold 8 if S Pen or the best camera setup matters to you: the wider form factor is new and interesting, but if you are coming from a Fold 7, moving to a device without S Pen or the upgraded ultrawide is arguably a lateral move in feature terms, not an upgrade.

All specifications mentioned here are based on leaks and have not been confirmed by Samsung. Final India pricing and availability will be announced at Samsung Unpacked later in July.