Samsung launches Fold 7; when will the iPhone redefine foldable smartphones?
On the evening of July 9, 2025 (Vietnam time), Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Alongside Samsung, numerous other Android phone manufacturers have also released their foldable phone products. Meanwhile, iPhone users are wondering when the world's largest phone manufacturer will finally achieve this 'technological breakthrough'.
Foldable phones, the Android smartphone trend.
In November 2018, Royole launched the FlexPai, touted as the first commercially available foldable phone with an outward-folding OLED screen. However, there was debate about its durability and practicality.
In February 2019, at the Mobile World Congress, Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Fold, along with the Huawei Mate X and prototypes from TCL such as the DragonHinge (including a bracelet-style design). However, both the Galaxy Fold and Mate X experienced quality issues, leading to a delay in their launch in April 2019. Samsung had to recall review units due to screen damage, while Huawei chose a more cautious approach, delaying the Mate X to allow for improvements.
Since 2019, the foldable phone market has begun to expand with models such as the Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip in November 2019, the Huawei Mate Xs in February 2020, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 in September 2020.
2021 saw the participation of many brands such as Huawei with the Mate X2, Xiaomi with the Mi MIX Fold, and OPPO with the Find N, marking a diversification in design and features.
Since 2022, companies like Vivo, Xiaomi, and Samsung have continued to launch new models, including the Vivo X Fold (April 2022), Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 (August 2022), and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4.
In September 2024, Huawei launched the Mate XT, the first triple-folding phone, ushering in a new era for foldable technology.
On July 9, 2025, Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at the Galaxy Unpacked event in New York, further solidifying its leading position in the foldable smartphone market.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is 8.9mm thin when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded, with a 6.5-inch cover screen, an 8-inch main screen, a 4,400mAh battery, and a 200MP main camera. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is 6.5mm thin when unfolded, with a 4.1-inch cover screen, a 6.9-inch main screen, a 4,300mAh battery, and a 50MP main camera. The Z Flip 7 FE is a more affordable version, with a thicker design and a smaller screen.
Besides Samsung, other manufacturers also have new foldable models in 2025, including the Motorola Razr 2025 (starting at $699), Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, OnePlus Open, Oppo Find N5, HONOR Magic V3, and Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, further enriching the market and increasing competition.
iPhone is left out of the game.
Since the first foldable smartphones were released, almost seven years have passed, and iPhone users are still eagerly awaiting the first foldable iPhone. But from the iPhone 11 series to the present (and soon the iPhone 17), what Apple has delivered are only a few groundbreaking features (according to the company) that have been available on Android for a long time, and which users call "redefining functionality."
All users remember about the iPhone upgrades since the iPhone 11 series is the redefinition of functionality. Designing at Apple seems easy. It appears that having been at its peak for too long, the iPhone has become its own "antagonist," lacking groundbreaking ideas and no longer leading trends, unlike what the company demonstrated under Apple CEO Steve Jobs with the iPhone 3, 4, and 5.
The iPhone 17 generation, just another old wine in a new bottle.
According to the latest information from WCCF Tech, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max may have a major change in back design. Instead of maintaining the traditional design, Apple is expected to adopt a prominent camera bar design similar to the Google Pixel series.
YouTuber Jon Prosser from Front Page Tech revealed that the iPhone 17 Pro will no longer use a triple-camera setup with separate cameras like previous generations. Instead, Apple will integrate the main camera, LED flash, microphone, and LiDAR sensor into a single long camera module, similar to the design of the Google Pixel 9.
Another interesting point is that the iPhone 17 Pro may come in a two-tone finish. The camera bar will be a darker color than the rest of the body, creating contrast and highlighting this new design.
Apple is also expected to upgrade the cooling system for the iPhone 17 with vapor chamber cooling technology. This solution, already used by many high-end Android devices, helps to distribute heat evenly over a wider area. As a result, the device will avoid performance degradation due to overheating and maintain stable operation, especially suitable for the iPhone's thin design.
As you can see, the innovations on the iPhone 17 are just minor refinements compared to the iPhone 16. Even the cooling system for the iPhone 17 is simply a redefinition of its function, a feature that has been available on high-end Android devices for many years.
A vague indication of potential problems is the slight decline in iPhone sales in Q1 2025. Without innovation, Apple could very well follow in Nokia's footsteps.
