Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: More Screen, More Battery But Something's Missing

Samsung’s yearly foldable refresh includes a trio of devices this year. While nan Z Fold 7 comes pinch a top-tier processor and cameras, nan Z Flip 7 carries complete galore method specifications from its predecessor. In fact, nan astir important upgrade this twelvemonth is simply a much expansive beforehand display, aliases Flex Window, arsenic nan institution prefers to telephone it.

Samsung has also, somehow, added an moreover bigger artillery to a slimmer foldable, which is technically impressive. However, nan institution made minimal package additions and humble improvements successful places. The upgrades are good, but are location capable of them?

Hardware

Samsung has caught up to 1 of its fewer foldable rivals by substantially expanding nan beforehand show from 3.4 inches to 4.1 inches. The 2 camera cutouts are nan only things interrupting this bright, vivid display.

Despite bigger screens (and battery), nan Flip 7 is besides thinner than past year’s model. It measures 6.4mm (0.25 inches) thick, down from 6.9mm (0.27 inches). That's adjacent to nan Galaxy S25 edge, wherever nan awesome trading constituent is its thinness. I shouldn’t person to opportunity this, but that thickness doubles erstwhile you fold it away: Samsung says it’s 13.7mm (0.54 inches) erstwhile closed. However you measurement it, this is nan thinnest Flip yet.

The Flex Window now has a 120Hz refresh rate, tin scope highest brightness levels of 2,600 nits (matching nan S25 Ultra) and features nan thinnest bezel yet (1.25mm) of immoderate Samsung smartphone display. The brightness summation is simply a important upgrade connected a surface that’s utilized chiefly to glimpse astatine your instrumentality from crossed a table aliases extracurricular successful sunlight. Samsung said it was capable to further widen nan show to nan edges by applying a waterproof coating connected components beneath nan AMOLED display. This meant little bezel is needed astir nan screen’s perimeter.

Samsung besides expanded nan foldable’s main surface to 6.9 inches — a notable measurement up from nan erstwhile model’s 6.4 inches. The institution besides wisely shifted person to a much emblematic smartphone show ratio of 21:9. While it’s not rather nan aforesaid as, say, nan Galaxy S25 aliases iPhone 16, video contented now fits better.

Previous Z Flips had much elongated screens, making it difficult to scope nan precocious corners erstwhile utilizing 1 hand. While nan Z Flip 7 has a amended facet ratio, it’s besides bigger, which unluckily intends it has nan aforesaid issue. If Samsung had changed nan facet ratio while keeping nan surface size, it mightiness person struck nan ergonomic saccharine spot.

Not for nan first time, Samsung says it’s further strengthened nan Flip's hinge mechanism. While I can't attest to its longevity, nan Flip 7 does adjacent pinch a beefier 'thunk' than its predecessors.

I for illustration that it takes a small spot much spot to unfastened because it makes nan full instrumentality consciousness much solid. If you’re hoping this is nan twelvemonth wherever nan show crease disappears, I’m acrophobic that isn’t happening. For those who person ne'er owned a foldable though, nan Flip 7’s crease is mostly unnoticeable.

The cameras

The communicative of this year's Flip's cameras? More of nan same. The Flip 7 has nan aforesaid 50-megapixel f/1.8 superior setup pinch optical image stabilization (OIS) and a 12MP ultra-wide lens pinch a 123-degree section of view. There’s a 10MP camera connected nan inside, too, but pinch nan Flip’s improved beforehand screen, you really should beryllium utilizing nan superior camera duo.

The champion images travel from well-lit scenes. Samsung’s Night Mode is simply a small aggressive, but it’s still awesome for nighttime shots, moreover if it leaves an over-processed look connected tegument tones and faces. The Flip 7 defaults to 12.5-megapixel images, but you tin move to 50MP stills if you want each nan item — and you person a dependable hand. There’s nary dedicated telephoto camera, which intends nan zoom is constricted to a 2x crop, hindering nan Z Flip 7’s versatility. Once again: if you want a foldable pinch nan champion cameras, you’ll person to spell pinch nan Fold series.

In respect to video capture, nan Flip 7 tin grounds video successful 10-bit HDR, up from 8-bit, for much colour accuracy and detail. And you tin still clasp nan Z Flip 7 for illustration a retro camcorder, which remains acold much enjoyable than it should be.

Software

Despite nan bigger screen, Samsung hasn’t really evolved its Flex Window's package this year. There are a fewer improvements, though. When utilizing nan beforehand show to return selfies and videos, interface icons and mode buttons will float astir nan show to get retired of nan measurement of what it detects you’re trying to return photos of. If you’re looking to usage a typical select connected your shots, nan Z Flip 7 tin show a unrecorded preview of each select earlier you use them.

Two different package additions to nan Flip bid are nan Now Bar and Now Brief, introduced successful this year’s S25 series. The Now Bar is Samsung’s rotation connected nan iPhone’s Dynamic Island, displaying pertinent ongoing aliases time-sensitive accusation that isn’t rather a notification, but thing you mightiness want to cognize about. This includes fittingness metrics, upwind aliases unrecorded updates from ride-share apps for illustration Uber.

You tin pat into nan Now Bar without opening nan phone, and you won't person to unfold it if you’re looking to interact pinch Google’s Gemini Live either. It’s different Android characteristic that seems well-suited to foldables, arsenic you tin talk to Gemini pinch minimal beingness relationship connected nan Z Flip 7.

To usage astir different apps, you’ll still request to instal nan Multistar launcher (which is made by Samsung) successful bid to position and usage basal package for illustration Gmail and Chrome. This is nan workaround for now, arsenic Samsung hasn’t expanded nan approved database of six apps that are allowed to tally connected nan Z Flip 7’s Flex Window — a short database which bafflingly includes Netflix.

Battery life and performance

Despite being moreover slimmer than past year’s model, nan Flip 7 has a 4,300mAh artillery that’s 300mAh larger than its predecessor’s. That, on pinch a caller processor (its homemade 3nm Exynos 2500), has led to a leap successful longevity.

In our modular artillery rundown tests, nan Flip 7 played continuous video for 18 and a half hours. That’s a large jump from nan 13-hour rundown I sewage from the Flip 6. I was truthful amazed I ran nan trial 2 much times to corroborate and sewage akin results.

The caller spot ne'er felt peculiarly sluggish, either, whether I was gaming, utilizing Galaxy AI features aliases completing different taxing activities. That said, nan telephone would get warm, some successful my manus and successful my pocket, during camera testing and location-based tasks, for illustration utilizing Google Maps and CityMapper.

In my day-to-day use, pinch dense testing, I’d get done a coagulated time and a half earlier I had to deliberation astir recharging. Unfortunately, nan Galaxy Z Flip 7's wired charging speeds still apical retired astatine 25W, which Samsung has nan gall to telephone Super Fast Charging. It’s nan aforesaid velocity arsenic nan Z Flip 6 (and nan guidelines S25), but erstwhile different phones are utilizing 45W complaint speeds (or higher), it’s a small underwhelming, particularly connected a premium instrumentality for illustration this.

Wrap-up

By refreshing nan creation and further slimming down nan Z Flip, Samsung has made its smaller foldable easier to handle. At nan aforesaid time, it’s accomplished an engineering marvel by squeezing successful larger screens and a much important battery. However, definite aspects of nan Flip 7 are lacking, astir notably nan cameras, which haven’t been changed since past year.

Samsung besides needs to put much activity into its Flex Window. While nan expertise to usage astir apps connected nan smaller beforehand show is here, it’s still a fussy implementation and astir of them aren’t tailored for nan tinier screen. There’s untapped imaginable present and nan Z Flip 7 doesn’t push its class of foldables guardant by much.