Huawei’s foldables are stealing the highlight, leaping forward with enormous cargo good points. However Samsung’s new Z Fold7 fights again with its modern design and sharper screens—who wins the foldable face-off?
Huawei’s foldable cellphone shipments climbed 257% in early 2024, snagging 35% of the market and bumping Samsung from the highest spot. The South Korean firm is again on the town—with its lightest, thinnest Fold to date.
The Z Fold7 brings a sharper cowl display, recent {hardware}, higher cameras, and a great deal of AI methods over the Z Fold6. However can the 7-th gen foldable assist Samsung take again the lead? In my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 vs. Huawei Mate X6 comparability, I’ll assist you choose the best cellphone.
Design
The Mate X6 and Z Fold7 each fold like a e-book, and so they are available slimmer, lighter our bodies than their predecessors.
Again in 2023, Huawei launched the Mate X5. That one got here in fairly cumbersome—14.76 mm (0.58″) when folded, 8.82 mm (0.35″) unfolded. It additionally weighed round 243 to 245 grams (8.57 to eight.64 oz), relying on the mannequin. Quick ahead to the Mate X6, and the cellphone trims issues all the way down to 9.9 mm (0.39″) folded, 4.3 mm (0.17″) unfolded, and weighs 239 grams (8.43 oz).
Now, check out the Z Fold7. When closed, it’s simply 8.9 mm (0.35″) thick, method slimmer than the 12.1 mm (0.48″) Fold6. Open it up, and also you get a 4.2 mm (0.17″) profile as a substitute of 5.6 mm (0.22″). Weight decreased too—it’s 215 grams (7.58 oz) now. That drop makes a distinction in hand, particularly once you open it up and the spacious display spreads the load throughout a large physique. Samsung shaved off round 10%.
If you happen to like your tech skinny, right here’s one thing cooler. The Galaxy Fold7 even beats HONOR’s Magic V5 in slimness. That cellphone measures 8.8 mm (0.35″) folded and 4.1 mm (0.16″) unfolded. As for weight, Honor’s cellphone is available in at 217 grams (7.65 oz). So yeah, Samsung takes the lead there. Huawei and HONOR are nonetheless enjoying catch-up on that entrance.
Samsung didn’t cease on the physique. It additionally cleaned up the FlexHinge design. Now, the Fold7 blends into the physique higher and offers a easy open-close movement. Even the hinge inside appears to be like cleaner. Over at Huawei, engineers acquired inventive with the hinge, too. They changed the same old 2 camshafts with 3. That reinforces how flat the cellphone folds by 48% and the way nicely it stays in place mid-fold by 25%.
Show
The Z Fold7 comes with a 6.5″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the skin. It hits 2,520 × 1,080 in decision, packing in 422 pixels per inch. The refresh price shifts between 1 Hz and 120 Hz, supplying you with a easy really feel when scrolling or swiping.
Loads of reviewers say the Fold7’s outer show feels higher than the one on the Fold6. It really works like a daily cellphone display, and that’s what makes it click on. Many keep on with the outer display more often than not, in contrast to with the Fold6 the place the within show felt like the principle possibility.
Now take the Mate X6. Huawei gave it a 6.45″ OLED outer display at 2,440 × 1,080 decision. It’s an LTPO 2.0 panel with a 1-120Hz refresh price and peak brightness of two,500 nits.
Open the Fold7 and also you get an 8.0″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X show inside. It runs at 2,184 × 1,968 decision with a density of 368 ppi. That’s greater than the 7.6″ panel on the Fold6.
As for the Mate X6’s interior display, it is available in at 7.93″. The decision reaches 2,440 × 2,240. It helps the identical adaptive refresh vary, hits 1,800 nits in brightness, and retains eye pressure low with 1-nit minimal brightness and 1440 Hz PWM dimming.
Digital camera
Huawei’s Mate X6 provides a stable digicam setup. The primary sensor shoots at 50 MP and incorporates a variable aperture between f/1.4 and f/4.0. It additionally features a 40 MP ultrawide digicam and a 48 MP telephoto lens with 4x zoom that doubles as a macro shooter. The standout characteristic is the Extremely Chroma sensor, which makes use of 1.5 million spectral channels to spice up shade accuracy—images look extra pure and true to life.
Images from the Mate X6 present the 4x zoom holds up nicely. Past 10x zoom, picture high quality drops, which is frequent—different flagship fashions deal with increased zoom ranges higher. The macro mode performs nicely, rating among the many finest foldable cameras in close-up photographs.
On the opposite facet, Samsung’s Z Fold7 options the 200 MP sensor from the Galaxy S25 Extremely. It sports activities an f/1.7 aperture, optical picture stabilization, and fast autofocus. The setup features a 12 MP ultrawide digicam with a 120-degree area of view and a ten MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
For sharpness and element, the Z Fold7 leads due to its large sensor. It captures positive textures that different telephones would possibly miss. Huawei excels in shade accuracy and macro pictures. If you happen to give attention to vibrant colours and close-up photographs, the Mate X6 impresses. If you need most element and versatile zoom choices, the Z Fold7 pulls forward.
Efficiency
The Z Fold7 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy—the identical chip contained in the Galaxy S25 Extremely. Huawei, however, went with its personal Kirin 9020 for the Mate X6. It’s a tweaked model of the Kirin 9010 you’ll discover within the Pure 70 telephones.
Kirin 9020 steps up in some areas. You’ll see smoother body charges, higher energy use, and fewer warmth than earlier than. However when it goes up in opposition to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, it falls quick. I checked out some gaming assessments on YouTube, and yeah, emulation works on the Mate X6—however don’t anticipate it to deal with Swap or PC video games. Additionally, just a few cell titles look off when the cellphone’s folded.
Battery
The Z Fold7 runs on a 4,400 mAh battery. You may juice it up with 25 W wired charging, 15 W wi-fi, and even high off one other machine with its 5 W reverse wi-fi characteristic. Over on Huawei’s facet, the Mate X6 carries an even bigger 5,100 mAh battery and handles 66 W wired and 50 W wi-fi charging. If you happen to use one in all Huawei’s SuperCharge bricks.
So right here’s the tradeoff. Samsung offers you a slimmer, lighter foldable. Huawei offers you extra battery however provides a little bit of chunk. Personally, I’ll take the larger battery each time. What’s the massive deal between 7.6 ounces and eight.8 ounces? Or 0.35 inches and 0.39? You would possibly really feel it for a second, however after that, you gained’t even discover.
Software program and AI
The Z Fold7 runs on Android 16, the most recent model of Google’s working system. Samsung layers it with One UI 8, including its personal spin to the general appear and feel.
You’ll get instruments like Circle to Search, Google Gemini, Writing Help, and Drawing Help. These work higher on the Fold’s bigger display, the place you’ll be able to see outcomes side-by-side or in a small floating window.
Samsung additionally dropped S Pen help on this mannequin to maintain the cellphone slimmer and stronger. That tradeoff feels tough. With instruments like sketch to attract, it makes me need the S Pen much more. I do know my mother would’ve used it on a regular basis in her artwork class—it’s her favourite technique to sketch.
The Mate X6 brings its personal set of software program options. Within the photograph editor, you’ll be able to erase undesirable elements with Good Take away. It additionally has a setting that hides message previews when another person appears to be like at your display, then sends the alert straight to your Huawei watch.
Huawei’s newest software program, EMUI 15 (the identify for HarmonyOS 4.3 exterior China), provides new lockscreen choices, smoother multitasking, gesture controls, and up to date emojis.
Verdict: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 vs. Huawei Mate X6
I’ve acquired to say, Huawei’s Mate X6 impressed me with its huge battery and vibrant colours. However Samsung’s Z Fold7 gained me over with its slimmer design, sharper screens, and a digicam that captures insane element.
If I needed to choose, I’d go for the Fold7 if I would like one thing modern and highly effective that feels superior within the hand. Nonetheless, if I would like longer battery life and extra punchy images, the Mate X6 holds its floor. Truthfully, it simply depends upon whether or not I’m after type and efficiency or staying unplugged for longer.
