After quite a few leaks and rumors, Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 7 is right here, bringing a bevy of design and software program enhancements. As with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it seems like Samsung has one thing to show with the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and its daring but acquainted design reveals us that it does take heed to customers… a minimum of considerably.
There is definitely so much to love in regards to the Galaxy Z Flip 7, however there are some large query marks. This consists of the transfer to a different chipset regardless of Samsung’s different telephones this yr utilizing the most recent from Qualcomm, in addition to Samsung’s insistence on not following Motorola’s footsteps with regard to precisely how that newly expanded cowl display is dealt with.
So, do you have to purchase the Galaxy Z Flip 7? Must you go for the cheaper Galaxy Z Flip FE or perhaps even final yr’s Galaxy Z Flip 6? Or do you have to skip Samsung’s flip telephone altogether and get the Motorola Razr as a substitute? Let’s break it down.
Let’s get the fundamentals out of the best way
On the time of writing, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is at the moment out there for preorder and can hit shops on July 25. The telephone begins at $1,099 for the 256GB variant, which is identical beginning value as final yr’s Galaxy Z Flip 6, whereas the 512GB variant retails for $1,219. That mentioned, there are many Galaxy Z Flip 7 preorder offers out there, together with one from Amazon with a free storage improve and a $200 present card.
This is a breakdown of the specs:
Class | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 |
---|---|
Show | 6.9-inch, 2520 x 1080, FHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, LTPO (1-120Hz) |
Cowl show | 4.1-inch Tremendous AMOLED, 60/120Hz, 948 x 1048 |
Working System | Android 16 (One UI 8) |
Chipset | Samsung Exynos 2500 |
RAM | 12GB |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB |
Rear Digicam 1 | 50MP, f/1.8 large |
Rear Digicam 2 | 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide |
Entrance-facing Digicam | 10MP, f/2.2 large |
Battery | 4,300mAh |
Charging | 25W wired charging, 10W wi-fi charging, 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging |
Weight | 188g |
Dimensions (folded) | 85.5 x 75.2 x 13.7 mm |
Dimensions (unfolded) | 166.7 x 752.2 x 6.2 mm |
Safety | IP48 |
Colours | Blue Shadow, Jetblack, Coralred |
Design modifications that matter
Whereas a lot of the eye has been positioned on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 for attaining an ultra-thin profile, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 can be thinner than its predecessor, regardless of having a bigger battery. That is thanks partly to a redesigned hinge, which is thinner and extra sturdy. Actually, Samsung says the Z Flip 7 is 1.1mm thinner than the Galaxy S23 when unfolded. It is fairly a powerful feat and one which I’d argue issues extra for flip telephones than foldables.
Since flip telephones have much less inside house, it is pretty troublesome to squeeze in a big battery. Not solely that, however folding them in half makes them vertically extra compact, which is nice, but it surely additionally doubles the thickness past that of a standard telephone. Because of this a thinner profile is at all times higher, as a result of then Galaxy Z Flip 7 circumstances will not really feel monstrously thick when the telephone is closed.
For that reason alone, I am already a giant fan of what Samsung has executed with the telephone.
Aesthetically, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 appears implausible, and whereas not each shade choice is a success, there’s something for everybody. I discover that the Mint and JetBlack colorways are fairly uninteresting, however the CoralRed and Navy shade choices are clear standouts, giving Motorola’s somewhat colourful telephones a run for his or her cash.
The duvet display we needed… nearly
Along with a thinner profile and nicer colours, Samsung has taken a web page from Motorola’s guide and adopted a a lot bigger cowl display. Stretching throughout all the high half of the telephone, the exterior show measures 4.1 inches, making it barely bigger than the duvet display on the Motorola Razr Extremely 2025.
That is nice as a result of it means content material on the duvet display can have far more room to breathe, from selfie previews to app panels, and extra. It can additionally look and move significantly better, because of the next decision and 120Hz panel. The cowl display on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is not the sharpest, so this shall be fairly the development.
So far as cowl display performance, there’s good and dangerous information.
Due to One UI 8 and Galaxy AI, the extra expansive cowl display positive factors new AI capabilities, together with the Now Bar and Now Temporary, which give entry to dwell app updates, music controls, and a rundown/recap of your day. Plus, you get Gemini Dwell digicam sharing and all the same old FlexCam options, permitting you to have a extra visible dialog with Gemini and take selfies with the first 50MP digicam or group pictures utilizing Auto Zoom.
At a look, it looks as if Samsung is leaning extra into the duvet display expertise, which is nice. Nonetheless, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 nonetheless would not allow you to use apps on the duvet display out of the field. As famous by Andrew Myrick in his hands-on, Samsung nonetheless retains this performance behind the MultiStar module in Good Lock, that means customers should do a bit of additional work to allow this.
We have not had an opportunity to see if there are any enhancements to the general expertise, however this already would not bode effectively.
That mentioned, utilizing apps on the duvet display could be very helpful, but it surely’s not the be-all end-all of all the Galaxy Z Flip 7 expertise. I make a giant deal out of it as a result of Motorola makes it fairly easy and genuinely helpful on the Razr sequence, so it is frankly baffling that Samsung would not do the identical, as a substitute specializing in panels and AI.
Nonetheless, you must be capable of get loads out of it, even when you must do some further digging for canopy display apps (assuming you even need them). As I famous after a yr with the Galaxy Z Flip 6, most individuals I do know with Galaxy Z Flip fashions appear completely effective not utilizing apps, and enabling them is merely a bonus.
Bye-bye Snapdragon
Maybe one of the vital attention-grabbing modifications to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the change from Snapdragon to Exynos. In contrast to the Galaxy S25 sequence and the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Flip is the one one among Samsung’s flagships to not use the Snapdragon 8 Elite. As a substitute, Samsung is utilizing the lately launched Exynos 2500.
Given the repute of Exynos, this may increasingly appear to be a significant downgrade in comparison with different Snapdragon 8 Elite telephones. That mentioned, it won’t be as dangerous as you assume, as early benchmarking has revealed some spectacular numbers, notably in GPU efficiency.
Sadly, it isn’t as rosy in the case of the CPU efficiency, as numbers counsel that the brand new chip matches the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, however provided that’s solely a last-gen chip that also performs very effectively, that does not appear to be an enormous loss.
Class | Exynos 2500 | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
---|---|---|
Course of | 3nm | 3nm |
CPU | Cortex-X5 3.3 GHz 2 x Cortex-A725 2.74 GHz 5 x Cortex-A725x5 2.36 GHz 2 x Cortex®-A520 1.8 GHz | 2 x 4.32GHz Oryon 6 x 3.53GHz Oryon |
GPU | Samsung Xclipse 950 GPU | Adreno 830 |
NPU/AI | 24K MAC NPU (2-GNPU+2-SNPU) and DSP | Hexagon NPU (INT4, INT8, INT16, FP16) |
Reminiscence | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
Storage | UFS 4.0 | UFS 4.0 |
Digicam | Single digicam 320MP (Max), Single digicam 108MP @30 fps, Twin digicam 64MP+32MP | 108MP single digicam with zero shutter lag, 320MP picture, 10-bit HEIF, Dolby HDR |
Video | 8K 30fps encoding, 4K at 120fps | 8K HDR at 60fps, 4K at 120fps |
Connectivity | 5G NR Sub-6GHz 9.64 Gbps downlink, 2.55 Gbps uplink Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, UWB | X80 5G Modem, 10Gbps downlink, 3.5Gbps uplink Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 |
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a implausible chip, but it surely is likely to be too good for flip telephones. The Razr Extremely 2025, for instance, would not appear to hit awe-inspiring benchmarking numbers in comparison with different 8 Elite gadgets, regardless of the telephone performing very effectively in each day use. The compact Z Flip 7 could not require all that energy, and Samsung could also be extra involved in effectivity than the rest.
I ought to observe that I do not put a lot inventory in benchmarking and as a substitute rely solely on my expertise utilizing gadgets. The Razr Extremely 2025 can deal with absolutely anything I throw at it, however I can not assist however surprise if all that energy is why Motorola stuffed a 4,700mAh battery into it. In the meantime, Samsung appears content material with a 4,300mAh battery for the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and given the distinction in how these two chips are configured, I think about Samsung is ready to etch out extra battery life with much less.
After all, time will inform how the chip will carry out, and you will have to attend for our evaluation for extra particulars.
Verdict
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 seems like an enormous step in the correct route for Samsung. The improved design and bigger cowl display make this a way more aggressive flip telephone, which ought to make Motorola nervous. That mentioned, the jury remains to be out on whether or not the Exynos 2500 will shine or fall flat when in comparison with the competitors.
The cheaper pricetag is one thing the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has over the Razr Extremely 2025. You may get it in a decrease storage configuration than what Motorola gives, saving you about $200. Even at 512GB, it is nonetheless cheaper than Motorola’s flagship, though that is with much less RAM.
Total, I feel that anybody within the Galaxy Z Flip 7 ought to think about shopping for one. You are getting an attractive flip telephone, loads of AI options from Google and Samsung, and in depth software program replace assist to make sure that you may get new Android variations and options for years to return.
You must also take a look at our Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs. Razr Extremely 2025 comparability for an early take a look at how these two telephones stack up.
The AI flip telephone
Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 7 takes big leaps ahead by way of design and capabilities. The mix of stable {hardware} and software program make this a telephone value contemplating.
What in regards to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE?
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is a curious telephone as a result of it marks Samsung’s first try at providing a extra reasonably priced foldable. It is primarily the Galaxy Z Flip 6, however with an Exynos chipset and a decrease beginning value of $899.
That mentioned, the pricing would not really feel notably aggressive, particularly when you may probably get the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy Z Flip 6 for roughly the identical value, with potential value cuts and promotions. It might have been nicer to see Samsung pull off one thing just like the $699 Motorola Razr 2025. Actually, Android Central’s Brady Snyder calls the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE a “dangerous deal,” suggesting that you simply go for Motorola’s Razr as a substitute.
Alas, we’ll must see how Samsung’s first foldable FE experiment fares in the long term, however you’d most likely be significantly better getting the flagship Galaxy Z Flip 7 and staying away from the FE, until you could find a great deal.