Does more gear inches on a folding bikes work better? Below are technical details of 2 folding bike that I am considering.  

Friends, can I safely assume that the option 2 with more gear inches would be a good choice. I am a recreational weekend rider. I am gonna ride this for not more than 30 minutes on comparatively flat paved suburban roads with slight hills. I do not fancy fast but yes I would like to tackle some ascend and descend comfortably. 

Is there a bigger question technically related to gears that I am missing?

Option 1


Gearing  14-28T 6-speed freewheel. 
Chainwheel 52T steel chainwheel with 170mm alloy crank arms.
ChainRing Teeth : 52 
Rear Sprocket Teeth: 14,16,18,21,24,28 
Gear inches  69, 60, 54, 46, 40, 35
6 Speed Shimano drivetrain


Option 2 


48T steel chainwheel with 170mm alloy crank arms.
ChainRing Teeth : 48
Rear Sprocket Teeth : 14,16,18,20,22,24,34
Gear inches  64, 56, 49.8, 44.8, 40.8, 37.4, 26.4
7 Speed Shimano drivetrain


Thanks
"Gear inches" is a way to define how "difficult" a given gear is.  A larger value means that the gear is more "difficult" and will take more leg muscle to move the bike forward.  A smaller value means that the gear is "easier" and hence you'll be able to climb steeper hills.  

We can't tell you what range of values is right for you.  Your option 2 above has 7 different combos, vs 6 for option 1, and the "smallest" gear is smaller (in gear inches), meaning it will be "easier" than the "smallest" gear for option 1.  The "largest" gear for option 2 is also smaller than the "largest" for option 1, meaning that you will not be able to go as fast on flat land or going downhill.

But none of this really has anything to do with the bike being a folder, other than the fact that folders typically have a more limited gear range.