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Review: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 - Subtly better

Samsung has tweaked the format of its Flip phone, and it makes a bigger difference than you might think.

Elias Nordling
Published Modified

When Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip 7, they showcased all previous generations of their Flip phones so that one could see the development that has taken place. From year to year, the steps are usually not that big. Each time, they explain how they have improved the durability of the screen and hinges, which makes one wonder how fragile the first phones really were. In the parade of models, the Z Flip 7 stands out because, for the first time in a long while, they have tweaked the format.

That they made the phone thinner was expected. The difference is not dramatic; compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is 1.2 mm thinner when folded. I didn't expect to even notice this, but I do. A folded flip phone can still be somewhat of a lump in the trouser pocket, and the fact that this lump has become thinner makes a real difference.

That they also chose to make the phone larger in other dimensions doesn't feel as obvious, but it works. The inner screen has become 6.9 inches but with a slightly less elongated format than before. They have shrunk the bezels around the screen, so the phone hasn't grown as much as the screen. This means that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is about as easy to use with one hand as its predecessors. Okay for writing text, for example, but you can't reach the top of the screen with one hand. The larger screen is noticeable without the phone feeling bulkier.

Limited when folded

In the folded position, the phone is naturally excellent to use with one hand, and I wish more apps were adapted for it. The outer screen has also become larger, and for that matter, it has a higher refresh rate and maximum brightness. It now wraps around the camera lenses, which is cool, albeit not necessarily practical. As the phone is preset, you have no apps on the outer screen, just a couple of widgets. In the phone's settings, there are a few apps you can activate that are adapted to the outer screen, where primarily Maps is useful. In the settings for this, Samsung has now also included a link to multistar, their app that allows you to actually add and run any app on the outer screen (we have written about how to do it here). However, most apps are not adapted for such a small and almost square screen and can be difficult or impossible to use. To take two examples, the note app Keep works quite well for making shopping lists, for example, while the Merlin app, which identifies bird sounds, runs as it should, but it is very difficult to see which birds are identified because the app cannot fit everything on the small screen, so it ends up behind the controls.

The external screen can also be used to take selfies with the regular cameras. However, to take anything other than selfies, you need to unfold the phone, and this applies to most other things as well. It can be said to be both an advantage and a disadvantage of the format that you constantly have to unfold the phone to do something. It can feel like a resistance, but it can also be a barrier against reflexively getting stuck on the phone.

The phone's fingerprint reader is located on the side and can unlock the phone both in open and closed mode. The narrow format means you have to swipe your finger over it rather than just hold it to wake the phone.

Both screens have a generous maximum brightness that allows them to be used even in sunlight, but the inner screen has a plastic screen protector to protect it, and you get a visible crease in the middle. This means you get more reflections on the screen than on a regular mobile.

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The phone is powered by the Exynos 2500 processor package, which is Samsung's own equivalent to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The top speed can match Snapdragon, but the processors easily overheat under prolonged high load, and then the performance drops. I notice this basically only in artificial performance tests; in everyday use, the phone feels lightning-fast in all applications.

Cameras without surprises

The cameras in the phone are familiar, as they are the same as those in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 or for that matter the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus minus the telephoto camera. This means that the phone is not particularly good at zoomed-in pictures, but the main camera takes good but not exceptional pictures in both direct light, backlight, and darkness.

The phone is one of the first with Android 16, but the differences between system versions are now so small that you hardly notice them. Google instead releases the real updates in the form of feature drops that appear several times a year. Samsung, on its part, has added the One UI 8 user interface, which is a discreet update of the version that was in the Galaxy S25. Samsung speaks very little about new AI features this time, and at least for people coming from an older Samsung phone, the most noticeable new features are Now Brief and Now Bar. Now Brief is supposed to gather information from various sources and give you an AI-generated summary of what you need to know, and Now Bar is a button-shaped part on the screen that, in addition to linking to Now Brief, is used for music controls and more.

Now Brief initially seemed promising as an idea, but as time has gone on and it still does nothing more than tell me roughly what time of day it is, the weather, and suggest YouTube videos I don't want to watch, I'm starting to lose patience with it. Since it also sprinkles notifications like “Now it's Morning!” or “Now it's Evening!” it tips over to become a pure annoyance that you preferably turn off.

Speaking of notifications, Samsung has jumped on the trend of splitting notifications and quick menus into different screens, depending on whether you swipe down from the right or left part of the screen. It takes a while to get used to (and if you don't want to, you can turn it off) but particularly the notifications have become clearer because of it.

The battery life is at a good level, both in everyday use and measured in screen time, but just like with other Samsung phones, certain demanding apps can drain the battery quickly if they are allowed to run constantly.

The foldable format doesn't really offer any advantages, but it is different, which can be a reason in itself to choose it. The main disadvantage is instead the price tag, you get a phone that roughly corresponds to the Galaxy S25, minus the telephoto camera, but you have to pay several thousand kronor more. It's up to you if it's worth it.

Questions and Answers

Is the phone less durable than a regular mobile? It has an IP rating of 48, which means it is as waterproof as a regular top model, but it is more sensitive to dust.

Is there a gap between the screens when the phone is folded? No, those days are over. This reduces the risk of something getting in and damaging the inner screen when the phone is folded.

How many system updates is the mobile promised? Samsung says 7 generations of system updates and seven years of security updates. 

An alternative

If you think the price tag is too steep, there is the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE for a couple of thousand less. But it is a bit bulkier with smaller screens.

Camera example

On one hand, the cameras handle most things except zoom reasonably well, on the other hand, they don't really stand out positively either.

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