The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is more than just great fun
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the phone you get when you want to have some fun, without missing out on the experience of a premium device.
I'm only three days into testing the Galaxy Z Flip 7, but couldn't wait to get an early review now that Samsung's latest clamshell phone is officially on sale.
I'll do a deep dive in the coming days, but if you were on the fence, I'd say this is the year Samsung's gotten a lot right with its foldables, including the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is now better than ever.
But no phone is perfect so don't be surprised by some of the trade-offs or the fact that she's pricey at $1,799 for 256GB and $1,999 for 512GB.
Is this Flip's biggest flex?
I still vividly remember my blue Sony Erricson flip phone. It was my pride and joy back then.
And if I think about it and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 I'm holding now, I can't help but be stupidly dumbfounded.
It's that nostalgia-inducing something old, something new and let's throw in something blue for the fun of it since that's the gorgeous colour I've been testing.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is about the size of a makeup compact. It's so unassuming that flipping it open to its full 6.9-inch screen feels like a magic trick. The inner display is taller and more immersive, and not awkward to hold as I'd initially expected.
Even the 4.1-inch cover screen is the biggest on a flip phone to date and can fit more text, widgets and apps and stretches out to the edge of the screen.
I haven't fully gone down the rabbit hole of personalising the cover display, but I like the fact that you can do more, even if it takes a few steps and you have to open your phone to make changes.
This can get tedious, but once you're done, it's lovely.
Samsung's also solved the infamous crease problem, so you're not seeing a dent when you're using the inner display for the most part.
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Software, performance and battery life
There have been qualms about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 running on the Exynos 2500.
It's not going to win any performance crowns, but for most people who aren't heavily invested in gaming and video shooting daily, things are going to be buttery smooth. I had zero concerns since I'm your average user.
I'm also a big fan of the One UI 8, which gives the Galaxy Flip 7 all the wonderful software feels. You can multitask with a 90:10 split or vice versa, or half-fold the flip to use the bottom half as a tracking pad.
Now, the battery life is better than the Galaxy Z Flip 6 on paper. I haven't run proper tests, but it's lasted me comfortably till bedtime the last couple of days.
Cameras seem pretty decent
There are three cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 7: a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel selfie camera.
The great thing about the flip is that you can open it up and use it as a tripod. This almost makes the selfie camera a little useless, but I've taken a selfie using it (you'll see soon), and it's pretty decent.
It was a dreary day in Sydney when I took these shots, so I'm keen to do a bit more testing before coming to any conclusions about the camera setup.
That's where I'll leave it for now, but check back in the next few days...I have a feeling I'll have a lot more to say.
And to fully wrap things up, here's a look at the Galaxy Z Flip 7's spec sheet versus the fan edition model and the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
| Specification | Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE | Galaxy Z Flip 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main display screen | 6.9-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz Adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz) 2520 x 1080, 21:9 | 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 2640x1080 (22:9), 120Hz Adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz) | 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz Adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz) Infinity Flex Display (2640 x 1080, 22:9) |
| Cover screen | 4.1-inch Super AMOLED Display 948 x 1048, 120Hz refresh rate | 3.4-inch Super AMOLED Display 748 x 720 | 3.4-inch Super AMOLED 60Hz Display 720 x 748 306 PPI |
| Physical dimensions and weight | 75.2 x 85.5 x 13.7mm (folded) 75.2 x 166.7 x 6.5mm (unfolded) 188g | 71.9 x 85.1 x 14.9mm (folded) 71.9 x 165.1 x 6.9mm (unfolded) 187g | 71.9 x 85.1 x 14.9mm (folded) 71.9 x 165.1 x 6.9mm (unfolded) 187g |
| Camera | 10MP Selfie Camera 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera 50MP Wide-angle Camera | 10MP Selfie Camera 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera 50MP Wide-angle Camera | 10MP Selfie Camera 12MP Ultra Wide Camera 50MP Wide-Angle Camera |
| AP | Exynos 2500 | Exynos 2400 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy |
| Memory and storage | 12GB memory with 512GB internal storage 12GB memory with 256GB internal storage | 8GB memory with 128GB internal storage 8GB memory with 256GB internal storage | 12GB memory with 512GB internal storage 12GB memory with 256GB internal storage |
| Battery | 4,300mAh (typical) dual battery | 4,000mAh (typical) dual battery | 4,000mAh (typical) dual battery |
| Network and connectivity | 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.4 | 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.4 | 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3 |
| Water resistance | IP48 | IP48 | IP48 |
| OS | Android 16 One UI 8 | Android 16 One UI 8 | Android 14 One UI 6.1.1 |
| Colours | Blue Shadow, Jet-Black, Coral-red, [Samsung.com Exclusive] Mint | Black, White | Silver Shadow, Yellow, Blue, Mint, [Samsung.com Exclusive] Crafted Black and Peach |
Sources
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