The Galaxy S Ultra phones have enjoyed unparalleled superiority over everything else in Samsung's flagship lineup for a few years, and with good reason. It's the device that Samsung equips with the best of everything, the best chipsets, the best camera experience, and the best materials.

This has been Samsung's hero device, something that has remained in a league of its own against scores of Android-powered challengers. One could even say that it's the only real Android rival to the iPhone in some of the world's most important markets, such as the United States.

So naturally, if you wanted to spend upwards of $1,000 on your next Samsung flagship this year, you'd go and buy the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is the latest offering in this iconic series. However, Samsung's lineup now has something that's worthy of taking the baton from the Galaxy S Ultra series.

Samsung has made one of the most significant upgrades to its foldable lineup with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 this year. It's astonishingly thin at just 8.8mm when folded, a 48% decrease compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 that was launched just a year ago. By all accounts, it's the world's thinnest foldable phone right now. What makes it seem so unreal is that it's even lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

It takes a moment to wrap your head around this when you hold the phone in your hand for the first time. While the Galaxy S Ultra series is impeccably refined every year, it's still an iteration on the decades-old slab design.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an incredible rethinking of what a smartphone can be. a true productivity and entertainment powerhouse that doesn't weigh you down or isn't as versatile as one of the best Samsung phones ever made.

Power users have long gravitated towards the Ultra series due to its exceptional performance. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 kicks it up a notch with its larger 8-inch foldable panel. That gets you triple-window layouts, a dedicated taskbar, floating apps, and more. It's productivity on steroids.

You can also experience the true potential of AI features on this tablet-sized screen. Features like Circle to Search, Generative Wallpaper, Live Translate, Note Assist, and more are an absolute joy to use on the larger display. This additional screen real estate elevates Galaxy AI from just another feature to a workflow enhancer.

Performance is on-par with the Ultra, as both phones use the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset this year. Samsung's meaningful upgrade to the camera setup on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 also ensures that the gap between these smartphones in this department is closed significantly.

Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a bit more expensive than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the added cost provides you exponential value. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is squarely in the premium segment but has no form factor advantage behind it. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 gets you a phone, a tablet, and a mobile productivity suite in one package.

Samsung's foldable hardware has matured significantly. Foldables are no longer experimental, they've been around for more than half a decade. Samsung has made major improvements in water resistance, hinge durability, and display toughness. It's ready for the mainstream and is now the best representation of what a flagship phone should be.

While every brand has a solid flagship slab phone with good cameras, very few have good foldable phones, fewer have world-class foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It's Samsung's moonshot, an embodiment of its future-facing innovation.

So if you've decided to spend more than $1,000 on a Samsung flagship this year, don't just settle for refinement, choose reinvention. It isn't just Samsung's most ambitious phone. It's Samsung's best phone.