OnePlus 11 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 | TechTalkTown
OnePlus 11 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
OnePlus 11
OnePlus
8.5
Best-value 2023 flagship — 80W charging at half the price
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Samsung
8.5
Finally feels like a normal phone
OnePlus 11
What Reviewers Agree On
80W SuperVOOC wired charging — full in ~25 minutes, dramatically faster than S23+/Ultra's 45W or iPhone 15 Pro Max's 20W
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 8/16GB RAM + UFS 4.0 — flagship performance matching the S23 family
6.7" LTPO 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED, 1300-nit peak — class-leading display at this price
5,000mAh battery delivers all-day endurance with the new 8 Gen 2 efficiency
Alert Slider returns after being dropped on the OnePlus 10T — Apple-style mute toggle beloved by enthusiasts
$699 starting (8/128GB) — $200-500 less than S23 Ultra/iPhone 15 Pro Max for genuinely flagship hardware
Pros & Cons
OnePlus 11
Pros
80W SuperVOOC wired charging — full in ~25 minutes, dramatically faster than S23+/Ultra's 45W or iPhone 15 Pro Max's 20W
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 8/16GB RAM + UFS 4.0 — flagship performance matching the S23 family
6.7" LTPO 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED, 1300-nit peak — class-leading display at this price
5,000mAh battery delivers all-day endurance with the new 8 Gen 2 efficiency
Alert Slider returns after being dropped on the OnePlus 10T — Apple-style mute toggle beloved by enthusiasts
Detailed Comparison
Performance
OnePlus 11
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + up to 16GB RAM + UFS 4.0 — flagship-grade performance matching the S23 family. OxygenOS 13 on Android 13 (now more 'ColorOS-like' after Oppo merger).
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 8/16GB RAM + 128/256GB UFS 4.0 — flagship performance, matches Galaxy S23 family on benchmarks.
OxygenOS 13 on Android 13 — increasingly 'ColorOS-like' since Oppo merger, divisive among long-time OnePlus fans.
4 OS updates + 5 years of security — short vs Pixel 8's 7 years; ages through Android 17 / security 2028.
Cooler sustained performance than S23 Ultra — OnePlus's vapor chamber + 8 Gen 2 throttling tune is best-in-class for gaming.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy delivers fluid everyday performance, but in this thinner chassis Samsung has clearly throttled the chip to manage heat — Digital Trends benchmarks show the Fold 7 trailing both the S25 Ultra and even the 7-core Oppo Find N5 on multi-core CPU. GPU performance is closer to flagship S25 levels, and the phone gets warm but not distressingly hot under gaming load.
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NO wireless charging — regression from OnePlus 10 Pro that had 50W wireless; major spec sheet gap vs all $999+ rivals
IP64 rating only (no dust immersion, splash-only) — much weaker than S23/iPhone 15's IP68
Only 4 OS upgrades + 5 years of security — short vs Pixel 8's 7 years
Hasselblad camera processing trails Samsung/Apple/Google on absolute quality — colors can be inconsistent
OxygenOS 13 has become more 'ColorOS-like' since the Oppo merger — divisive among long-time OnePlus fans
32MP 2x telephoto reaches only 2x optical (vs S23 Ultra's 10x periscope) — limited zoom range
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
What Reviewers Agree On
At 4.2mm unfolded and 215 grams the Fold 7 finally feels like a normal phone when closed — the cover screen's 21:9 aspect ratio and slimmer chassis are the headline upgrades every reviewer leads with.
The redesigned Armor FlexHinge with a waterdrop fold has made the inner-display crease the least visible on any Samsung foldable to date — close to imperceptible when running a finger over it.
The larger 8-inch inner display and 6.5-inch outer display are bigger and brighter (2,600-nit peak) than the Fold 6's, with Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the cover and a new titanium support lattice that makes the inner panel feel solid under the finger.
Borrowing the 200MP main sensor from the S25 Ultra is a real, visible upgrade over the Fold 6's 50MP unit — finally putting the Fold's main camera in the same league as Samsung's flagship slab phones.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy delivers fluid everyday performance — no stutters with three apps tiled on the inner display, even at high gaming settings.
Samsung's seven years of OS upgrades and security patches (through 2032) match the industry's best long-term support window and Samsung has committed to keeping preloaded Galaxy AI features free.
The asymmetric protruding camera bump makes the phone wobble badly on flat surfaces — virtually every reviewer flags this as the design's one real misstep.
Deal Breakers
The S Pen and digitizer layer were removed entirely — there is no stylus support on either display, which long-time Note/Fold users see as a core feature lost to the thinness chase.
Battery life is the Fold's weakest area: same 4,400 mAh cell as the Fold 6 with slow 25W wired and 15W wireless charging, well behind the Find N5 (5,600 mAh, 80W) and Honor Magic V5 (5,820 mAh, 66W) that have moved to silicon-carbon battery tech.
At $1,999 (raised by $100 over Fold 6 and now subject to a further mid-cycle price hike) it is one of the most expensive non-foldable phones you can buy, and reviewers from the Verge to Ars Technica call out that this price is a real friction point.
Still IP48 — water-resistant but only rated against particles larger than 1mm, not a true dust rating like the IP58/IP59 Honor is now offering on the Magic V5.
iFixit gave the Fold 7 a 3/10 repairability score, with even basic battery replacement requiring dismantling much of the device — a fragility flag for a $2,000 phone.
$699 starting (8/128GB) — $200-500 less than S23 Ultra/iPhone 15 Pro Max for genuinely flagship hardware
Cons
NO wireless charging — regression from OnePlus 10 Pro that had 50W wireless; major spec sheet gap vs all $999+ rivals
IP64 rating only (no dust immersion, splash-only) — much weaker than S23/iPhone 15's IP68
Only 4 OS upgrades + 5 years of security — short vs Pixel 8's 7 years
Hasselblad camera processing trails Samsung/Apple/Google on absolute quality — colors can be inconsistent
OxygenOS 13 has become more 'ColorOS-like' since the Oppo merger — divisive among long-time OnePlus fans
32MP 2x telephoto reaches only 2x optical (vs S23 Ultra's 10x periscope) — limited zoom range
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Pros
At 4.2mm unfolded and 215 grams the Fold 7 finally feels like a normal phone when closed — the cover screen's 21:9 aspect ratio and slimmer chassis are the headline upgrades every reviewer leads with.
The redesigned Armor FlexHinge with a waterdrop fold has made the inner-display crease the least visible on any Samsung foldable to date — close to imperceptible when running a finger over it.
The larger 8-inch inner display and 6.5-inch outer display are bigger and brighter (2,600-nit peak) than the Fold 6's, with Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the cover and a new titanium support lattice that makes the inner panel feel solid under the finger.
Borrowing the 200MP main sensor from the S25 Ultra is a real, visible upgrade over the Fold 6's 50MP unit — finally putting the Fold's main camera in the same league as Samsung's flagship slab phones.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy delivers fluid everyday performance — no stutters with three apps tiled on the inner display, even at high gaming settings.
Samsung's seven years of OS upgrades and security patches (through 2032) match the industry's best long-term support window and Samsung has committed to keeping preloaded Galaxy AI features free.
The asymmetric protruding camera bump makes the phone wobble badly on flat surfaces — virtually every reviewer flags this as the design's one real misstep.
Cons
The S Pen and digitizer layer were removed entirely — there is no stylus support on either display, which long-time Note/Fold users see as a core feature lost to the thinness chase.
Battery life is the Fold's weakest area: same 4,400 mAh cell as the Fold 6 with slow 25W wired and 15W wireless charging, well behind the Find N5 (5,600 mAh, 80W) and Honor Magic V5 (5,820 mAh, 66W) that have moved to silicon-carbon battery tech.
At $1,999 (raised by $100 over Fold 6 and now subject to a further mid-cycle price hike) it is one of the most expensive non-foldable phones you can buy, and reviewers from the Verge to Ars Technica call out that this price is a real friction point.
Still IP48 — water-resistant but only rated against particles larger than 1mm, not a true dust rating like the IP58/IP59 Honor is now offering on the Magic V5.
The Fold 7 had no problems running Diablo Immortal at the highest display settings and the phone didn't even get very warm — though using it as a hotspot in direct sun on a high-80s afternoon caused it to start closing apps after 10 minutes.
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy boosts CPU and GPU by 38% and 26% respectively versus the standard 8 Elite, with NPU compute up 40% — paired with 12GB or 16GB of RAM.
In GeekBench 6 the Fold 7 scored 2650 single-core / 8143 multi-core / 16245 GPU — below the Galaxy S25 Ultra (2974 / 9475 / 17776) and even below the 7-core Find N5 in multi-core (7912).
Yet to experience a single stutter or any lag — high-end gaming on the internal screen with Crashlands 2 at max quality runs fine, and the 16GB RAM model handles three internal-panel apps simultaneously.
SoC performance turns out lower in benchmarks than the S25 Ultra, which can probably be traced back to the weaker cooling in the slimmer build — though this doesn't make much of a difference in everyday operation.
The 20-minute 3DMark stress test drained 7% on the Fold 7 versus 13% on the S25 Ultra — the chip is throttled to manage battery, mostly affecting CPU.
Slight stutters at times compared to the best flagship phones — likely one of the compromises we have to accept in ultra-thin phones, similar to the Galaxy S25 Edge.
Value & Verdict
OnePlus 11
$699 starting (8/128GB) was a $100 reduction vs OnePlus 10 Pro's launch — aggressive flagship pricing that undercut Samsung/Apple by $200-500. Now $400-550 used in 2026 — outstanding value if you can live without wireless charging.
Launched at $699 (8/128GB) / $799 (16/256GB) — aggressive flagship pricing that undercut S23 ($799) and S23+ ($999) on value.
At $400-550 used in 2026 with 1+ year of OS updates left — exceptional value for an SD 8 Gen 2 phone with 80W charging.
vs S23 Ultra ($1,199): OnePlus wins on charging speed + price; Samsung wins on cameras + S Pen + periscope + IP68 + longer updates.
vs Pixel 8 ($699): OnePlus wins on charging + display brightness + raw performance; Pixel wins on camera AI + 7-year updates + IP68.
Engadget verdict: 'best-value flagship of 2023' — biggest 80W charging differentiator at the lowest price among true flagships.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
At $1,999 the Fold 7 carries a $100 hike over the Fold 6 and has already seen a further mid-cycle price increase nine months after launch (per a much-discussed r/gadgets thread). It is one of the most expensive non-folding phones on the market, but it is also the only book-style foldable in the US that delivers a true 'feels like a normal phone' closed experience — the OnePlus Open is two years old, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has been superseded, the Find N5 and Magic V5 aren't sold here. For most US buyers who want a foldable, this is the only realistic choice.
It's so nice. It's two thousand dollars. Somewhere between those two statements you'll know whether the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is for you.
Unequivocally, you should buy the Galaxy Z Fold 7 — the first folding phone that can persuade people globally to try a folding phone, and the only book-style foldable available worldwide.
Samsung has finally delivered the ultra-slim, lightweight foldable so many have been waiting for — it could be the best phone of 2025.
After Unpacked I was hovering over the checkout button to pre-order the Flip 7 and hesitated; when the Z Fold 7 landed in my hand, something clicked that had never clicked before.
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy performance is throttled in this chassis — Digital Trends benchmarked the Fold 7 below the S25 Ultra and even below the 7-core Oppo Find N5 in multi-core CPU.
iFixit gave the Fold 7 a 3/10 repairability score, with even basic battery replacement requiring dismantling much of the device — a fragility flag for a $2,000 phone.
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy performance is throttled in this chassis — Digital Trends benchmarked the Fold 7 below the S25 Ultra and even below the 7-core Oppo Find N5 in multi-core CPU.
I'm a foldable believer now — this phone proves it's not a precious item that needs to be coddled, and it has totally made me a believer in the form factor.
This is the first 6.5-inch slab phone and 8-inch tablet two-in-one that doesn't feel like a two-in-one — even committed iPhone users were amazed by the form factor.
Two weeks in I just don't like it nearly as much as I thought I would — the tablet experience is noticeably worse than previous generations, the hinge is harder to open, the speakers are worse and the camera bump is severe.
Even with the most aggressive trade-in promo the Fold 7 still costs more than $1,000 out of pocket — agony of a $1,400+ replacement makes a $200 used Chromebook the smarter big-screen buy.
It is probably cheaper to get a normal phone and a separate tablet for when you want a large screen — the dominant view among Ars Technica forum commenters skeptical of the foldable form factor.
The Z Fold 7 just got a price hike nine months after release, with users on r/gadgets blaming memory shortages — a recurring complaint that this should have gotten cheaper, not more expensive.
