I have been ready years for Samsung to get critical about making foldables, and with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, it lastly has. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a extra well-rounded machine than its predecessor in nearly each means, with greater screens, extra battery life, and a thinner design. Nonetheless, if you happen to’ve used a Flip earlier than, you may know dimension was by no means the largest factor limiting the duvet display’s utility — software program restrictions have been.
I switched again to the Galaxy Z Flip 6 about two weeks earlier than my Galaxy Z Flip 7 evaluate unit arrived, and I have been each day driving the brand new mannequin for just a few days now. Because it seems, the larger 4.1-inch cowl display on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 hasn’t been the game-changer I hoped it might be. Not solely did Samsung fail to develop the Flex Window’s utility, it truly eliminated Galaxy Z Flip 6 options.
Utilizing the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 cowl display was a recreation of seeing how far I may get earlier than reaching the inevitable Open cellphone to proceed message. Finally, it feels such as you’ll at all times attain that useless finish. In some instances, you may attain it faster on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 than the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Opponents just like the Motorola Razr provide a fully-featured cowl display, making the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s regressions much more evident.
Samsung caught lots of flak for its implementation of the duvet display, known as the Flex Window, on Galaxy Z Flip modes. I used to be truly considerably keen on it, considering that the small outer show was higher suited to widgets, notification administration, and digicam use quite than working full-blown apps.
The corporate elevated the scale of the Flex Window between the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 from 3.4 inches to 4.1 inches, main many to imagine we have been getting an unrestricted cowl display for the primary time. As a substitute, we get one thing someplace within the center. The brand new mannequin is not nearly as good at working primary One UI 8 widgets anymore, nevertheless it can also’t run common Android apps or add any third-party widget.
This is what I imply. On the Galaxy Z Flip 6 up to date to One UI 7, the folder-style cowl display can run both full-screen widgets or widget panels with smaller, particular person gadgets. You’ve gotten customization choices that allow you to see a full-size climate widget spanning your complete cowl display, or a smaller one which coexists with different widgets. Personally, I believe full-screen Flex Window widgets — like Climate, Cellphone, and Samsung Well being panels — present a ton of knowledge whereas trying nice.
Samsung utterly axed this function from the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and I am unable to perceive why. There aren’t any 4×4 app widgets accessible on the bigger cowl display that I’ve discovered though they’re functionally potential, and labored on older fashions. The one exceptions are the Apps and MultiStar modules, that are 4×4 on the grid, however are extra akin to a house display launcher than an precise widget.
As a substitute of scrolling by way of Flex Window screens to information-dense widget panels on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, you now should discover a smaller widget and faucet it to open up the total visible breakdown. It leads to an expertise that’s much less intuitive and requires extra faucets in comparison with the outdated one on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. In case you like placing one sort of widget on every Flex Window display, your show will look empty as a result of half-height widgets.
There is not any good cause for eradicating options that ought to work generation-to-generation, however I may’ve excused it if Samsung gave me one thing in return — like with the ability to put any Android 16 widget on the duvet display.
Whereas some have speculated the brand new UI and larger Flex Window made this potential, I can affirm it nonetheless is not. A couple of third-party widgets can be found, like Spotify and TikTok, however I do not use Spotify and I do not know why you’d need TikTok in your cowl display.
As a substitute, I might’ve liked to make use of the Tesla widget on the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cowl display to unlock my automobile or begin the AC with out opening my cellphone. Alas, I am unable to try this. And I am unable to even run the Tesla app natively on the duvet display with out utilizing Good Lock and MultiStar.
For what it is price, my Motorola Razr 2025 cannot run the Tesla widget on the duvet display both, nevertheless it can run the app with none software program tweaks. It additionally helps way more cowl display widgets natively than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, together with Discogs and NJ Transit, pictured above.
These are issues that foldable telephones have already solved, and I am shocked that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 eliminated Galaxy Z Flip 6 cowl display options with out including anything.
You are able to do fewer issues on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 cowl display
Samsung’s arbitrary cowl display limits on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will pressure you to run into “useless ends” sooner, which is irritating. You’ll be able to’t handle widget panels on the duvet display in any respect in One UI 8 on the brand new mannequin; each motion requires opening the principle show. Merely making an attempt to maneuver the situation of a widget or including a brand new one will immediate you to flip the cellphone open.
As you may see within the picture above, you may simply add and handle widgets on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 cowl display. Once more, I discover myself at a loss making an attempt to know why Samsung would change this habits. It is so unusual that Motorola truly does the other, and can solely allow you to tweak the duvet show on the duvet show.
Samsung allow you to select both technique on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which is the perfect user-interface possibility. It was higher than the Razr, and now, it is higher than the brand new Galaxy Z Flip 7.
There are different oddities like how, for some cause, you may’t open the Cellphone app on the duvet display — even with Good Lock. Because of Samsung killing 4×4 Flex Window widgets, you may’t use these both to make calls. The one means to take action is by including a 2×2 Cellphone widget to your cowl display, tapping the sting of it to open a full-screen view, and discovering the dialer.
Extra faucets than the Galaxy Z Flip 6, each single time.
The one factor the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cowl display is clearly higher at in comparison with the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is interacting with Gemini — the newer mannequin has full assist for the voice assistant, chatbot, and even multimodal Gemini Dwell.
There’s a lot to love concerning the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, however after just a few days of use, I am unsure the larger cowl display is one in every of them. You continue to cannot run Android apps natively with out Good Lock and MultiStar, and the Flex Window widgets are much less helpful themselves. All informed, I discover myself utilizing the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cowl display lower than the one on the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
The polished Flip
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 affords a ton of nice options, like bigger screens and extra battery life, nevertheless it’s nonetheless restricted by software program.
