For those who’re involved about how sturdy Samsung’s foldable telephones are, I am right here to let you know to not fear. And that is very true relating to the brand new Galaxy Z Flip 7, which holds its personal amongst as we speak’s best smartphones.
After lower than six hours with the Galaxy Z Flip 7, I by accident carried out my very own casual drop check. At a catered affair in Brooklyn, I walked outdoors to get a view of the waterfront, and after I pulled the Z Flip 7 out of my pocket, I fumbled it. I watched helplessly as Samsung’s latest foldable cellphone fell to the bottom. The noise it made when it clacked towards the concrete triggered everybody round to have a look at me with a understanding, sympathetic expression that mentioned, “Aw, that is a disgrace. Your cellphone is toast.”
Have you ever ever dropped your cellphone? There’s that Schrödinger’s cat-like second earlier than you decide it up if you’re anxious to see if the phone survived.
Fortuitously, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 was superb. The 4.1-inch cowl display screen did not have any cracks or scuffs. The 6.9-inch interior show was unhurt as a result of the cellphone was shut. The one inform that it kissed the bottom was a tiny scuff on the underside of the cellphone close to the microphones. Samsung’s declare that its new “Armour Flex Hinge” is built to withstand impact is certainly true.
Within the early days of foldable telephones, one of many largest unknowns was their sturdiness. It is superb that about six years later, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 can deal with being dropped on concrete prefer it had landed on a velvet pillow. Now, I nonetheless would not take the Flip 7 (or any foldable cellphone) to the seaside, as it could solely stand up to particles which can be 1mm or bigger. So going to a confetti manufacturing facility can be superb, however a salt manufacturing facility is a particular no-no.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s skinny design
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is 6.5mm thick when open and 13.7mm thick when closed.
The star of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event was the Galaxy Z Fold 7. At 8.9mm thick when closed, the Fold 7 is ridiculously skinny. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 seems prefer it additionally went on Ozempic, but it surely’s 13.7mm thick when closed. That is slim, however not Fold 7 slim. Why could not the Flip 7 be tremendous slim just like the Fold 7? I simply maintain imagining a Galaxy Z Flip 8 with the identical thinness because the Fold 7.
For some perspective, here is how the Flip 7 compares to its clamshell kinfolk:
Galaxy Z Flip 7 thickness vs. different flip telephones
| Cellphone | Closed | Open |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 | 13.7mm | 6.5mm |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 | 14.9mm | 6.9mm |
| Motorola Razr Plus | 15.32mm | 7.09mm |
| Motorola Razr Extremely | 15.69mm | 7.19mm |
| Motorola Razr (2025) | 15.85mm | 7.25mm |
The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s large cowl display screen
Listed below are three Galaxy Z Flip 7 telephones in numerous colours.
The original Galaxy Z Flip had a tiny, 1.1-inch pill-shaped cowl show. It was excellent for displaying the time however just about ineffective for the rest. The defining characteristic on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is its 4.1-inch cowl show. The display screen seems unimaginable. I used to be checking my notifications on the display screen beneath direct daylight and was capable of learn every thing. One of many hang-ups I had reviewing the Galaxy Z Flip 6 was switching from the interior display screen to the duvet show open air. There can be occasions on sunny days the place I might barely make out what was on the duvet show, regardless of having no points with the principle display screen.
Samsung has elevated the utmost brightness of the Flip 7’s cowl display screen to 2,600 nits, which is identical because the interior show. Each screens now prime out at 120Hz, too, which ought to make for a way more constant expertise by having system animations, gameplay and scrolling by a social feed look tremendous clean.
The 6.9-inch interior display screen is large, but it surely does not really feel unwieldy after I use it. The Flip 6 had a 6.7-inch show, however that further 0.2 inches on the Flip 7’s display screen makes it really feel a lot greater, which my middle-aged eyes are grateful for.
By way of performance, the duvet display screen’s pure state is widgets. And a few, like Spotify’s widget, are all I want in lieu of utilizing full apps. However I need apps on the house display screen, so I must allow this performance within the Labs part of Settings and obtain the MultiStar app. It takes a few minutes to arrange, however I do want the interface supported apps by default.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cameras
The Z Flip 7 has a 50-megapixel digicam with a wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide digicam in its cowl display screen.
The Flip 7 has three cameras: a 50-megapixel wide-angle, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel selfie digicam (in the principle 6.9-inch display screen). The cameras are the identical as these on the Flip 6 and Flip 7 FE. However the telephones run on completely different processors, so variations or enhancements in photographs and movies (if any) will come from Samsung’s processing and machine studying.
Listed below are a few of my favourite photographs from the Galaxy Z Flip 7 thus far:
I grabbed this shot of the New York skyline with the Flip 7’s fundamental digicam set at 2x. The highlights and texture within the clouds actually make this picture pop.
This picture of CNET’s Tara Brown and Vanessa Hand Orellana was taken with the Flip 7’s fundamental digicam, which did a very good job of dealing with the mixture of heat entrance lighting and the intense white backlight from the signal.
New York streets look nice at evening after it rains, particularly on this picture I took with the principle digicam.
I am a fan of ultrawide cameras, and this snap that I took with the Flip 7 is one instance why. I like the way in which Samsung’s ultrawide lens distorts and exaggerates the topic and makes it look extra dramatic.
This is one other picture from the cellphone’s fundamental digicam, taken in a dim airline cabin.
Each these pictures are from the principle digicam. The one on the left was lit purely by the signal, from behind me. And the one on the best captures the feel and particulars of the massive gelato cone.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 ultimate ideas for now
The hinge on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is almost 30% smaller in contrast with the one on final 12 months’s Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Samsung gave its foldable line a serious overhaul. And whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 7 looks like a wholly completely different cellphone from earlier Folds, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 looks like a pleasant refinement. I’ll say that I’ve had solely two days with the cellphone. And as enamored as I’m with the bigger cowl display screen, I am excited to see how the battery life measures up.
Samsung gave the Flip 7 a 4,300-mAh battery (in contrast with the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s 4,000-mAh battery), however I ponder if the elevated capability will probably be offset by the ability wanted for its Exynos 2500 chip and people bigger, brighter shows.
I’ve much more testing to do. However as I work my approach towards a full overview, I will attempt to not drop the Flip 7 anymore.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 specs vs. Motorola Razr Extremely, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 | |
| Cowl show dimension, tech, decision, refresh price | 4.1-inch AMOLED, 948×1,048p, 120Hz refresh price | 4-inch pOLED, 2,992×1,224p, as much as 165Hz variable refresh price | 3.4-inch AMOLED; 720×748 pixels; 60Hz refresh price |
| Inner show dimension, tech, decision, refresh price | 6.9-inch AMOLED, 2,520×1,080p, 1-120Hz refresh price | 7-inch AMOLED; 1,272×1,080p, as much as 165Hz variable refresh price | 6.7-inch AMOLED; 2,640×1,080 pixels; 1-120Hz refresh price |
| Pixel density | Cowl: 342ppi. Inner: 397ppi | Cowl: 417 ppi. Inner: 464 ppi | Cowl: 306 ppi. Inner: 425 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | Open: 2.96×6.56×0.26 Closed: 2.96×3.37×0.26 | Open: 2.91×6.75×0.28 Closed: 2.91×3.47×0.62 | Open: 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 Closed: 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | Open: 75.2×166.7×6.5 Closed: 75.2×85.5×13.7 | Open: 73.99×171.48×7.19 Closed: 73.99×88.12×15.69 | Open: 165.1×71.9×6.9 Closed: 85.1×71.9×14.9 |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 188 g (6.63 oz) | 199 g (7 oz) | 187 g (6.6 oz) |
| Cellular software program | Android 16 | Android 15 | Android 14 |
| Cameras | 50 megapixel (fundamental), 12 megapixel (ultrawide) | 50 megapixel (broad), 50 megapixel (ultrawide) | 50 megapixel (broad), 12 megapixel (ultrawide) |
| Inner display screen digicam | 10 megapixel | 50 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
| Video seize | 4K at 60fps | 4K | TBD |
| Processor | Samsung Exynos 2500 | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| RAM/storage | 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB | 16GB + 512GB, 1TB | 12GB + 256GB, 512GB |
| Expandable storage | No | None | None |
| Battery | 4,300 mAh | 4,700 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Sure | Facet | Facet |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None |
| Particular options | One UI 8, IP48 water resistance, 25-watt wired charging, Qi wi-fi charging, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Galaxy AI | IP48 score, 68-watt wired charging, 30-watt wi-fi charging, 5-watt reverse charging, twin stereo audio system, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic cowl show, 3,000 nits peak brightness on cowl show, 4,500 nits peak brightness on fundamental show, 5G. | IP48 score, 25-watt wired charging, wi-fi charging + powershare, 3x optical zoom (as much as 10x digital and 30x Area Zoom with AI Tremendous Decision tech) |
| US value begins at | $1,100 | $1,300 | $1,100 |
Correction, Jul. 12: The Galaxy Z Flip 7 runs on Samsung’s Exynos 2500 chip.
