I haven't been a big fan of the race for thin mobile devices in recent years. I never thought Samsung should engage in this competition with its Chinese rivals. It should focus on its own goals instead.But the Galaxy Z Fold series, i.e., the Galaxy Z Fold 7, proved to be the exception. Here is why I think the Galaxy Z Fold is the only one that deserves to be thinner, and why the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an important milestone.The Galaxy Z Fold 7 isn't the only ultra-thin phone of the year. And I respect the super slim Galaxy S25 Edge for what it is. But I would never want it to replace the Galaxy S Plus.If Samsung wants to use the Edge to experiment with materials and designs, I don't mind it, as long as it doesn't come at the expense of other established phones.On the other hand, I consider the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to be the only Samsung device that truly deserves to be thinner. Now that it’s as thin as a regular flagship, the Fold 7 is much easier to recommend to friends and family. Early pre-order figures show that.Embodying the dual design better than everI believe that the Galaxy Z Fold series has always tried to embody the image of a regular slab-type phone that can unfold and magically expand into a larger tablet-like device. But no previous Fold model truly encapsulated that idea as much as the Fold 7 does.Most people who have used a Galaxy Z Fold before 2025 would tell you that it feels like a large-screen device first and a slab-type phone second. When folded, it's a bit too thick to pass for a regular phone and feels a little bit too odd. It's almost like the phone part of the experience is an afterthought.That's why the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is such a big deal. The problem has always been that the slab-type phone experience provided by the Galaxy Z Fold felt inferior to a regular rigid flagship. But the Galaxy Z Fold 7 addresses this issue like no other model before it.Thanks to its much slimmer 8.9mm profile when folded, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 truly is the first (excepting the limited-edition Fold Special Edition) phone in the series that feels more like a phone first and a tablet-like device second.Every Fold before the Fold 7 felt like it was a large device first, which could then fold into a thick and arguably inferior substitute of a slab-type phone. The new Fold 7 flips that dynamic. See the latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 deals Samsung Shop It may seem like a subtle change, but this transition is critical to the phone's whole image and core purpose. It's a huge milestone because the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is essentially the first phone in the lineup to truly embody Samsung's original idea of a phone that can transform into a tablet.I don't think I am alone in this. I believe that many people have been waiting for this moment for a long time. This is likely why the Fold 7 gained as much traction as it did throughout the pre-order period.As far as I'm concerned, Samsung finally nailed thinness where it mattered. It doesn’t need to keep squeezing the rest of its smartphone portfolio. The journey is complete. If marginal improvements can still happen, that's fine, but achieving even thinner profiles should no longer be the main goal.The post Samsung’s obsession with thin phones is misguided, except for the Fold 7 appeared first on SamMobile.