Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on: Bigger screens, bigger battery, better foldable?

Engadget

6 days ago

Once again, it's time for Samsung's mid-year Galaxy foldable showcase. Over the last 10 years, Samsung gave us curved edges, curved screens, and then screens that fold (both ways). While we're still waiting for that rumored tri-fold Galaxy, Samsung has primed two new Flip foldables, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and (surprise!) the Z Flip 7 FE.
First, there's the Galaxy Z Flip 7. This year, the biggest change is a larger 4.1-inch second display with cutouts for the dual cameras. This occupies the entire front surface of the device and is a considerable increase from the 3.4-inch display of last year's Z Flip 6. (It also looks a lot like Moto's most recent foldable.)
The Flex Window is also better in almost every way. It can reach peak brightness levels of 2,600 nits (matching the S25 Ultra), has a 120Hz refresh rate and the thinnest bezel yet (1.25mm) of any Samsung smartphone. The front screen is a significant improvement over the Z Flip 6, but refinements also extend to the main display.
Samsung has expanded the primary internal screen to 6.9 inches, up from 6.4 inches. It's now in the more typical smartphone display ratio of 21:9. Previous Flips had a more elongated screen, making it harder to paw at the upper corners. This means video content fits better, too.
What about the crease? Well, in person, it looks the same as last year's phones, and, interestingly, Samsung isn't hyping some hard-to-measure crease visibility metric. I did chuckle when the company said that it made the main screen's ultra-thin glass '50 percent thicker.' The wording's clunky, but it points to Samsung's continued focus on improving toughness and longevity. The Flip 7 now has a new waterproof coating beneath the glass and AMOLED display. Once again, the hinge has been further strengthened.
And yet, the Flip 7 is thinner than last year's model. It measures 6.4mm (0.25 inches) thick, down from 6.9mm. That's equal to the Galaxy S25 edge, where the major selling point was its thinness. I shouldn't have to say, but that thickness doubles when you fold it away – Samsung says it's 13.7mm (0.54 inches) when closed. However you measure it, this is the thinnest Flip yet. Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, Z Flip 7, Z Flip 6, side by side comparison. (Image by Mat Smith for Engadget)
Despite less space, Samsung has increased the battery up to 4,300mAh, 300mAh more than the Z Flip 6.
Samsung is addressing our issues with its recent Flip foldables. It's also delivered solid battery life on nearly every device it has launched in the last year or so. The company also mentioned that the Flip 7 packs a new 3nm processor, the company's own Exynos 2500 chip.
This is intriguing: last year's foldables featured the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy that delivered impressive battery life. I'm interested in seeing whether Samsung's latest silicon delivers similar performance and efficiency.
While Samsung has equipped the Z Fold 7 with a new sensor, the Flip 7 essentially matches last year's model, featuring a 50-megapixel primary camera with 2X optical zoom and a 12MP ultra-wide secondary camera. This year, the Flip 7 can record video in 10-bit HDR, up from 8-bit, resulting in richer colors for those seeking even more polished video from their smartphone. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
Camera controls have been refined to better suit the Flex Display on the front. There's now a zoom slider for smoother video punch-ins and more broadly, an interface tidy-up. If you're into using Samsung's built-in photo filters, the Flip 7 will show live previews in each filter before you even choose one. Some of my favorite software features introduced on the Z Flip 6, auto-zoom and auto-frame, are back once again in the Flip 7. While the Flip is closed, the cameras can detect and track users, zooming in and out to focus on the subject automatically.
Software-wise, Samsung is folding in the Gemini AI smarts and Now Brief features that debuted in the S25 series. As a refresher, it's Samsung's rival take on the iPhone's Dynamic Island. It'll present health information, music and video controls and live updates from supported apps like Uber. It's a perfect fit for the Flip, with its small glanceable screen. Similarly, you can now chat to Google's Gemini Live AI assistant without unfurling the phone.
As I mentioned in my review of the Galaxy S25, the appeal of the Now Brief and Bar depends on how frequently you use it. Hopefully — and I've asked Samsung to confirm this — transferring data between Galaxy devices should include the profile and information used to populate these two features. With the Flip 7, you can tap into the Now Bar without opening the phone. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a more typical 16:9 screen ratio. (Image by Mat Smith for Engadget)
Samsung is also adding weekly updates to your Now Briefing, although it was hard to discern from the demo devices earlier this week whether that would be future-facing summaries of your schedule or more of a what-you-did-last-week summary of the week that's already happened – it's something we'll be testing during review.
There isn't much new functionality for the larger 4.1-inch secondary screen, which is a shame. In this regard, Motorola still manages to offer more with its flip phones.
The Flip 7 is also the first Flip device to support mouse and keyboard peripherals, which means, yes, Samsung Dex is back. It never left. And Samsung will continue to tell us all about it. If you want to plug your foldable into a giant monitor, you can now do that.
There's also the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, priced at $900, with a 6.7-inch main display and a 3.4-inch Flex Window on the front. And if you think it looks and sounds familiar, you're right. This is almost entirely the Galaxy Z Flip 6 with a new name. The only significant aesthetic change is that the Z Flip 7 FE lacks the metal accents on the cameras. The only meaningful spec change is an Exynos chip, replacing the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
The Z Flip 7 FE has a 50MP primary camera and 12MP ultra-wide, with a 10MP camera once it's unfolded. The FE does a good job of showcasing how much thinner the Z Flip 7 is and how much better that full-width cover display looks, but those aren't great selling points in and of themselves. The timing sucks, too: in Amazon's Prime Day sale, the Z Flip 6 is $800. That's $100 less than this "new" entry-level foldable, which is almost identical.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will launch at the same price as its predecessor, at $1,100. It'll come in multiple colors: a very handsome dark blue, red and the usual monochrome black and white options. There will also be a mint color, available as an online exclusive. Preorders open today, with devices shipping on July 25. If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.