Huawei’s foldables are stealing the spotlight, jumping ahead with huge shipment gains. But Samsung’s new Z Fold7 fights back with its sleek design and sharper screens—who wins the foldable face-off?
Huawei’s foldable phone shipments climbed 257% in early 2024, snagging 35% of the market and bumping Samsung from the top spot. The South Korean company is back in town—with its lightest, thinnest Fold so far.
The Z Fold7 brings a sharper cover screen, fresh hardware, better cameras, and loads of AI tricks over the Z Fold6. But can the 7-th gen foldable help Samsung take back the lead? In my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 vs. Huawei Mate X6 comparison, I’ll help you pick the right phone.
Design
The Mate X6 and Z Fold7 both fold like a book, and they come in slimmer, lighter bodies than their predecessors.
Back in 2023, Huawei launched the Mate X5. That one came in pretty bulky—14.76 mm (0.58″) when folded, 8.82 mm (0.35″) unfolded. It also weighed around 243 to 245 grams (8.57 to 8.64 oz), depending on the model. Fast forward to the Mate X6, and the phone trims things down to 9.9 mm (0.39″) folded, 4.3 mm (0.17″) unfolded, and weighs 239 grams (8.43 oz).
Now, take a look at the Z Fold7. When closed, it’s just 8.9 mm (0.35″) thick, way slimmer than the 12.1 mm (0.48″) Fold6. Open it up, and you get a 4.2 mm (0.17″) profile instead of 5.6 mm (0.22″). Weight decreased too—it’s 215 grams (7.58 oz) now. That drop makes a difference in hand, especially when you open it up and the spacious screen spreads the weight across a wide body. Samsung shaved off around 10%.
If you like your tech thin, here’s something cooler. The Galaxy Fold7 even beats HONOR’s Magic V5 in slimness. That phone measures 8.8 mm (0.35″) folded and 4.1 mm (0.16″) unfolded. As for weight, Honor’s phone comes in at 217 grams (7.65 oz). So yeah, Samsung takes the lead there. Huawei and HONOR are still playing catch-up on that front.
Samsung didn’t stop at the body. It also cleaned up the FlexHinge design. Now, the Fold7 blends into the body better and gives a smooth open-close motion. Even the hinge interior looks cleaner. Over at Huawei, engineers got creative with the hinge, too. They replaced the usual 2 camshafts with 3. That boosts how flat the phone folds by 48% and how well it stays in position mid-fold by 25%.
Display
The Z Fold7 comes with a 6.5″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen on the outside. It hits 2,520 × 1,080 in resolution, packing in 422 pixels per inch. The refresh rate shifts between 1 Hz and 120 Hz, giving you a smooth feel when scrolling or swiping.
Plenty of reviewers say the Fold7’s outer display feels better than the one on the Fold6. It works like a regular phone screen, and that’s what makes it click. Many stick to the outer screen most of the time, unlike with the Fold6 where the inside display felt like the main option.
Now take the Mate X6. Huawei gave it a 6.45″ OLED outer screen at 2,440 × 1,080 resolution. It’s an LTPO 2.0 panel with a 1-120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 2,500 nits.
Open the Fold7 and you get an 8.0″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display inside. It runs at 2,184 × 1,968 resolution with a density of 368 ppi. That’s bigger than the 7.6″ panel on the Fold6.
As for the Mate X6’s inner screen, it comes in at 7.93″. The resolution reaches 2,440 × 2,240. It supports the same adaptive refresh range, hits 1,800 nits in brightness, and keeps eye strain low with 1-nit minimum brightness and 1440 Hz PWM dimming.
Camera
Huawei’s Mate X6 offers a solid camera setup. The main sensor shoots at 50 MP and features a variable aperture between f/1.4 and f/4.0. It also includes a 40 MP ultrawide camera and a 48 MP telephoto lens with 4x zoom that doubles as a macro shooter. The standout feature is the Ultra Chroma sensor, which uses 1.5 million spectral channels to boost color accuracy—photos look more natural and true to life.
Photos from the Mate X6 show the 4x zoom holds up well. Beyond 10x zoom, image quality drops, which is common—other flagship models handle higher zoom ranges better. The macro mode performs well, ranking among the best foldable cameras in close-up shots.
On the other side, Samsung’s Z Fold7 features the 200 MP sensor from the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It sports an f/1.7 aperture, optical image stabilization, and quick autofocus. The setup includes a 12 MP ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view and a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
For sharpness and detail, the Z Fold7 leads thanks to its massive sensor. It captures fine textures that other phones might miss. Huawei excels in color accuracy and macro photography. If you focus on vibrant colors and close-up shots, the Mate X6 impresses. If you want maximum detail and versatile zoom options, the Z Fold7 pulls ahead.
Performance
The Z Fold7 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy—the same chip inside the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Huawei, on the other hand, went with its own Kirin 9020 for the Mate X6. It’s a tweaked version of the Kirin 9010 you’ll find in the Pure 70 phones.
Kirin 9020 steps up in some areas. You’ll see smoother frame rates, better power use, and less heat than before. But when it goes up against the Snapdragon 8 Elite, it falls short. I checked out some gaming tests on YouTube, and yeah, emulation works on the Mate X6—but don’t expect it to handle Switch or PC games. Also, a few mobile titles look off when the phone’s folded.
Battery
The Z Fold7 runs on a 4,400 mAh battery. You can juice it up with 25 W wired charging, 15 W wireless, or even top off another device with its 5 W reverse wireless feature. Over on Huawei’s side, the Mate X6 carries a bigger 5,100 mAh battery and handles 66 W wired and 50 W wireless charging. If you use one of Huawei’s SuperCharge bricks.
So here’s the tradeoff. Samsung gives you a slimmer, lighter foldable. Huawei gives you more battery but adds a bit of chunk. Personally, I’ll take the bigger battery every time. What’s the big deal between 7.6 ounces and 8.8 ounces? Or 0.35 inches and 0.39? You might feel it for a second, but after that, you won’t even notice.
Software and AI
The Z Fold7 runs on Android 16, the newest version of Google’s operating system. Samsung layers it with One UI 8, adding its own spin to the overall look and feel.
You’ll get tools like Circle to Search, Google Gemini, Writing Assist, and Drawing Assist. These work better on the Fold’s larger screen, where you can see results side-by-side or in a small floating window.
Samsung also dropped S Pen support on this model to keep the phone slimmer and stronger. That tradeoff feels rough. With tools like sketch to draw, it makes me want the S Pen even more. I know my mom would’ve used it all the time in her art class—it’s her favorite way to sketch.
The Mate X6 brings its own set of software features. In the photo editor, you can erase unwanted parts with Smart Remove. It also has a setting that hides message previews when someone else looks at your screen, then sends the alert straight to your Huawei watch.
Huawei’s latest software, EMUI 15 (the name for HarmonyOS 4.3 outside China), adds new lockscreen options, smoother multitasking, gesture controls, and updated emojis.
Verdict: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 vs. Huawei Mate X6
I’ve got to say, Huawei’s Mate X6 impressed me with its big battery and vibrant colors. But Samsung’s Z Fold7 won me over with its slimmer design, sharper screens, and a camera that captures insane detail.
If I had to pick, I’d go for the Fold7 if I want something sleek and powerful that feels awesome in the hand. Still, if I need longer battery life and more punchy photos, the Mate X6 holds its ground. Honestly, it just depends on whether I’m after style and performance or staying unplugged for longer.
