5 phones you should buy instead of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE

Android Authority

3 days ago

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Samsung's new folding phones are all officially on sale, meaning you can now readily get your hands on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. The Fold 7 and Flip 7 are both shaping up to be excellent upgrades, but the Flip 7 FE is quite strange.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is Samsung's first attempt at a 'budget' foldable, and while the intent behind the phone is good, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The Flip 7 FE is essentially a repackaged Galaxy Z Flip 6, but with an Exynos chip instead of a Snapdragon one, less RAM, and much more boring colors. And at $900, it's not exactly cheap.
While you could do worse than the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, you could do a lot better, too. Before you spend your money on it, here are five Flip 7 FE alternatives I think you should buy instead.
Which phone do you think is the best Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE alternative?
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
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Motorola Razr (2025)
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Motorola Razr Ultra
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Samsung Galaxy S25
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Other (let us know in the comments)
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The first Z Flip 7 FE alternative I'd recommend starting with is the phone it's so heavily inspired by: the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The Flip 6 is essentially the same phone as the Flip 7 FE, but with better performance, nicer colors, and potentially a much lower price.
First and foremost, almost everything about the Flip 6 and Flip 7 FE is the same. Both phones have a 6.7-inch inner display, 3.4-inch cover screen, 50MP primary camera, 12MP ultrawide camera, 4,000mAh battery, and 25W wired charge speeds — all crammed into a body with the exact same dimensions and weight.
So what's different? The Flip 6 has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, whereas the Flip 7 FE has an Exynos 2400. Both chips performed similarly in our testing, though the Snapdragon one is slightly more powerful. Combined with Flip 6 featuring 12GB of RAM instead of the 8GB that the Flip 7 FE has, last year's Flip is the more technically capable. It's a minor advantage, but an advantage nonetheless. Perhaps more importantly, the Flip 6 comes in lovely blue, green, and yellow colors — all of which are worlds better than the boring white and black Flip 7 FE colors.
The best part, though, is the price. Since the Flip 6 has been available for about a year, it's pretty easy to find massive discounts at carriers and retailers. And if you're OK buying refurbished or renewed, you can find even better savings that way. You may need to look around a bit, but with the right deal, the Flip 6 is a no-brainer purchase over the Flip 7 FE.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Solid dual-camera setup • Excellent build quality • Class-leading update commitment
MSRP: $1,099.99
The Flip gets refreshed.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 introduces several exciting updates over previous Flip phones. It is equipped with a larger battery, improved cooling, and a next-gen chipset. 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage mean you do not need to compromise on performance. The 3.4-inch front display offers info at a glance, while the 6.7-inch 22:9 main AMOLED display offers a 120Hz refresh rate.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Going a step further, I also think there's a strong argument to be made for going all out with the flagship Galaxy Z Flip 7. While it is more expensive ($1,100 vs. the Flip 7 FE's $900 price), I'd argue that it's money well spent.
By far, the most significant benefit of choosing the Flip 7 over the Flip 7 FE is the cover display. Not only is the 4.1-inch panel on the Flip 7 larger, but it's also sharper, brighter, and smoother. It's the best cover display hardware we've ever seen on a Z Flip, and it makes a very noticeable difference in daily use.
The display technology for the inner screen is largely the same on both phones, though the Flip 7 has a slightly larger overall size and slimmer bezels. The Flip 7 also gets a newer 3nm Exynos 2500 chipset, double the base storage (256GB instead of 128GB), 12GB of RAM, and a larger 4,300mAh battery.
I think those upgrades make the $200 price difference easily justifiable, especially when ongoing trade-in deals and other promotions can knock down the $1,100 sticker price considerably.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
Largest ever Flex Window • 6.9-inch dynamic AMOLED 2X folding screen • 7 years of updates
MSRP: $1,099.00
Melds Galaxy AI with the new edge-to-edge FlexWindow
With a 6.9-inch main display and a 4.1-inch FlexWindow outer display, the Samsung Galaxy Flip 7 focuses on putting AI smarts in your pocket. Measuring just 13.74mm thick when folded, it's the slimmest Z Flip phone yet. Packed with a 50MP camera and a suite of AI tools, Samsung calls the Z Flip 7 a "pocket-sized selfie studio."
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Motorola Razr (2025)
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
But let's say the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is too rich for your blood. If you're interested in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE primarily because of its lower price, I'd steer you toward the Motorola Razr (2025) instead.
In every regard, the Razr (2025) is either similar to or better than the Flip 7 FE. Starting with the displays, the Razr features a slightly larger 3.6-inch cover screen, but more importantly, it has a significantly higher resolution and a smoother 90Hz refresh rate (the Flip 7 FE is stuck with a 60Hz one). The Razr also benefits from 256GB of base storage, a larger 4,500mAh battery, and faster wired charging.
Both phones have comparable chips, the same 8GB of RAM, and similar rear camera setups. The kicker, however, is that the Motorola Razr (2025) costs just $700. Throw in some wonderfully fun color options, and it's far and away the better value foldable between the two.
Motorola Razr (2025)
Motorola Razr (2025)
Improved hinge • Flexible cameras • Excellent price
MSRP: $699.99
The most affordable 2025 Razr
A good looking 6.9-inch folding display is paired with a 3.6-inch external display to make up a compact folded phone, with few compromises at full-size. The Motorola Razr 2025 is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300X and 8GB of RAM, a 50MP camera, and a 4,500mAh battery.
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Motorola Razr Ultra
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The Razr (2025) is proof that Motorola knows how to craft a great mid-tier foldable. If you're curious about what an all-out flagship from the company looks like, look no further than the Motorola Razr Ultra.
Compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, the Razr Ultra beats it in every single way. In fact, it's one of the most highly specced and capable flip phones on the market today. Between the 4-inch cover screen with a 165Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of base storage, 4,700mAh battery, and 68W wired charging, the Razr Ultra has virtually everything you could ask for.
As you might expect, this does come at a price — $1,300 to be exact. That's definitely not 'affordable' and is significantly more expensive than the Flip 7 FE. However, the Razr Ultra is the best in its league. If you value having a top-tier cover screen, capable cameras, excellent battery life, and fast charging, splurging for it over the Flip 7 FE might make sense.
Finally, while the Razr Ultra is expensive, Motorola has proven that it can offer excellent promotions for the phone. You'll still pay a pretty penny, but it should be fairly easy to save a few bucks and/or get some freebies.
Motorola Razr Ultra
Motorola Razr Ultra
Blisteringly fast charging and excellent battery life • Ultra-flagship-tier performance • Top-notch materials and eye-catching Pantone colors
MSRP: $1,299.99
High-end processing power in a folding shell
Adding Ultra to the name, the Motorola Razr Ultra is the first folding phone from Moto with a top-tier processor. The 7-inch folding display is paired with a half-size front display to give you both a premium experience, and a compact and portable communication device.
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Samsung Galaxy S25
Joe Maring / Android Authority
My last pick is the only 'normal' non-folding phone on this list, and before you immediately write it off, at least hear me out. While it may lack the fun flip-phone design, the Samsung Galaxy S25 is a better and cheaper option than the Flip 7 FE.
There's no cover screen on the Galaxy S25, but its single 6.2-inch display looks great and is compact enough that you can easily use the phone one-handed. The S25's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is among the best available today, and the addition of a dedicated telephoto camera is a feature not found on the Flip 7 FE or any of the other Samsung phones mentioned on the list. Combined with an IP68 rating (compared to IP48 on the FE) and 12GB of RAM, those are a lot of perks.
The Galaxy S25 isn't a particularly exciting phone, but it is a practical one. And with a starting price of just $800, you'll keep some extra money in your wallet, too.
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