Apple iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Verdict
Apple iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 tie on the OH Rank at a score of 67. Apple iPhone 17 wins on Performance and Screen; Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 wins on Desktop Replacement. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is 1.3mm wider than Apple iPhone 17. Apple iPhone 17 is the more recent release, from Sep 19, 2025.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
67
67
Apple iPhone 17
71.5mm (2.81in) · Sep 19, 2025 · Rank #115
13+7+11+12+9+5+5+0+5+0 = 67
* TOP Software* TOP Selfie* TOP Video Recording
EDITORIAL: The vanilla 17 gets a new A19 (3nm) chip along with now minimum 256GB of fast memory. In one of the biggest upgrades to an iPhone, Apple finally put in a 120Hz LTPO Retina OLED screen with advanced anti-glare coating. The resolution and Dolby Vision are the same as on the 17 Pro. Ultrawide camera is upgraded to 48MP and the new 18MP selfie is shared with Pro models too. In a true Apple fashion, battery tech is the same with just 130mAh more power. Taking the upgraded screen into account explains noticably worse battery endurance compared to iPhone 16.
PROs
fast A19 performance with a minimum of 256GB NVMe storage, sub-90min 30W charging (25W wireless), iPhone 17 Pro level 460ppi LTPO OLED screen with a proper 120Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision, IP68 protection (to 6m), reliable photos from a 48MP 26mm OIS main + 48MP 13mm ultrawide (both with PDAF), excellent photos from a new 18MP OIS PDAF Center Stage selfie, great videos front and back, stable and mature iOS with up to 6 years of updates
CONs
sub-24hr endurance from a 3692mAh Lithium battery, no SDmemory slot, no desktop replacement feature, slow USB-C 2.0 port tho there is a DisplayPort support, Siri laggs Android competition
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
72.8mm (2.87in) · Jul 2025 · Rank #126
11+7+10+12+9+5+3+0+5+5 = 67
FLY
EDITORIAL: Samsung brought it's top 200MP main camera (from S25 Ultra) to their best foldable. It also added AF to the ultrawide but unfortunately kept the telephoto at just 10MP. The phone is now significantly thinner compared to Z Fold 6 (from 5.6mm to 4.2mm when unfolded) but noticably wider compared to past models (72.8mm vs 68.1mm on Z Fold 6 and 67.1mm on Z Fold 5). Battery tech, endurance and charging remain the same, a disappointing performance from the world's biggest phone maker.
PROs
excellent build, nice new colors, fast SD 8 Elite with UFS4.0 performance, >1400nits bright 422ppi (368ppi inner) HDR10+ LTPO AMOLED screens, IP48 protection, good photos from 200MP OIS main + 12MP ultrawide cameras (both with PDAF), 7 years of OS updates, DeX - Samsung's excellent desktop replacement software
CONs
not as one-hand-friendly as it used to be, embarrassing lack of battery tech and performance improvement, 90min 25W slow charging, disappointing telephoto camera performance, no AF on either selfie, no SDmemory slot, Samsung's persistent effort to lock its customers into the phone & accessories echo-system
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
Visit Home page to compare world's best phones. You can see scoring and ranking explained on the About page.