I’m worried Samsung will make a critical mistake with the Z Fold Ultra

Nicely, issues simply received fascinating (and a bit complicated) for Samsung’s subsequent foldable telephone. On Tuesday night, Samsung introduced that it’s bringing the company’s “Ultra” branding to its foldables for the primary time this summer time. The announcement got here alongside a teaser of a book-style foldable, suggesting that the telephone we’ve been referring to because the “Galaxy Z Fold 7” could go by a unique title, seemingly “Galaxy Z Fold Extremely” or “Galaxy Z Fold 7 Extremely.”

As somebody who’s been fairly lukewarm on the final couple of years of Galaxy Z Folds, the prospect of a major improve this yr is thrilling. And with Samsung going all-out with the Extremely branding, it definitely means that’s what we’re getting.

The one drawback is that rumors counsel this yr’s Z Fold gained’t have all of the makings of an “Extremely” foldable. The brand new title is setting expectations at an all-time excessive, but when what we all know in regards to the new Z Fold is true, the Extremely title could also be unwarranted and deceptive.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has leaked so much over the previous couple of months, and assuming that’s the telephone that’ll be often called the Galaxy Z Fold Extremely/Z Fold 7 Extremely, among the leaks definitely point out the Extremely title shall be justified.

Maybe the largest signal of that is the brand new design. Leaked renders of the Z Fold 7 have recommended its aesthetics gained’t be that dissimilar to the Z Fold 6, although this yr’s telephone must be considerably thinner and lighter.

Samsung all however confirms this within the new teaser above, exhibiting the silhouette of a foldable telephone that’s noticeably thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. There’s additionally language within the press launch about this Extremely foldable providing ample energy “with out weighing you down,” hinting on the decreased weight, too.

We’ve heard studies that the Z Fold 7’s major digital camera will change the getting old 50MP sensor with a considerably extra succesful 200MP one, aligning it with the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s major digital camera. The screens are additionally rumored to be bigger, rising from an 8.2-inch inside show to an 8.5-inch one, together with a brand new 6.5-inch cowl display screen, changing the earlier 6.2-inch dimension. Lastly, there must be the same old chipset improve, that means the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will seemingly be powered by the identical Snapdragon 8 Elite chip discovered within the Galaxy S25 collection.

Thus far, so good, proper? A thinner and lighter design, bigger shows, a brand new major digital camera, and a greater chipset. These are all significant upgrades, and if we had been going from the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, I’d be fairly blissful. But when we’re now going from the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 Extremely, I count on the specs throughout the board to mirror that. And sadly, now we have cause to imagine that gained’t be the case.

As spectacular because the adjustments above could also be, there’s a lot in regards to the Galaxy Z Fold 7/Fold 7 Extremely that’s reportedly staying the identical — and so they’re fairly necessary issues, too.

Chief amongst them is battery capability. Regulatory filings point out that the new Z Fold will have a 4,400mAh battery, which, for reference, is the precise capability presently discovered within the Galaxy Z Fold 6. In reality, it’s the identical battery dimension that Samsung has used within the Z Fold collection for the reason that Galaxy Z Fold 3. In a world the place competing foldables just like the Honor Magic V3 and OPPO Find N5 provide 5,150mAh and 5,600mAh batteries, respectively, Samsung not making any progress on this entrance with its first Extremely foldable could be onerous to grapple with.

It’s additionally believed that charging speeds will stay the identical, which is equally disappointing. One other yr of 25W wired charging, in 2025, on an Extremely-branded foldable, would look ridiculous. That is very true since Honor and OPPO’s foldables talked about above blow Samsung out of the water, with 66W and 80W wired cost speeds, respectively.

Moreover, as thrilling as the brand new 200MP major digital camera could also be, we aren’t anticipating every other digital camera adjustments. Meaning one other yr of the 12MP ultrawide digital camera, 10MP telephoto digital camera, 10MP front-facing digital camera, and 4MP under-display digital camera — the identical digital camera specs we’ve had for the reason that Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Does any of that sound Extremely to you?

When Samsung first launched the Extremely moniker in 2020 with the Galaxy S20 Extremely, it signaled a drastic improve from the corporate’s different telephones. The Galaxy S20 Extremely was the primary Galaxy S handset with a 6.9-inch show, 16GB of RAM, a 108MP major digital camera, and 100x zoom. It was a giant deal, and it largely justified the Extremely title.

Within the years since, nonetheless, the burden behind that Extremely branding has grow to be much less and fewer. It feels hardly warranted on gadgets just like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy Watch Ultra, with the Extremely title now used out of behavior moderately than signaling vital adjustments or upgrades.

It’s been considerably commendable that Samsung has saved its Extremely branding away from its foldables for thus lengthy, so the truth that it’s coming this yr after six earlier generations is a giant deal — and why expectations for a Galaxy Z Fold 7 Extremely are so heightened.

If Samsung desires to launch a Galaxy Z Fold with the Extremely title, nice! But when that occurs, it ought to imply one thing. The primary Extremely foldable must be a major sufficient improve in all respects to earn its Extremely label, and primarily based on the leaks to date, it doesn’t appear seemingly that this may occur this yr. Samsung’s first Z Fold Extremely shouldn’t have outdated digital camera sensors, a mediocre battery capability, or woefully gradual charging speeds. But, that’s what we’re anticipating.

I’m not towards the concept of a Galaxy Z Fold Extremely ever being launched, however when it occurs, the primary Extremely must be the top of Samsung foldables; the easiest the corporate can do. If the Z Fold 7 Extremely isn’t that telephone, it shouldn’t be referred to as an Extremely.

And whether it is, that’s simply dangerous advertising and a foul thought throughout.