Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review: Best flip phone yet with bigger cover screen and improved battery
The new 4.1-inch Super AMOLED cover screen is brighter, smoother, and far more usable than before. Picture: Noel Campion.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 isn’t a revolutionary upgrade from the Flip 6, but instead polishes the experience in meaningful ways. With a sleeker design, a larger cover screen and stronger software integration, it feels like Samsung is edging ever closer to the perfect flip phone, even if some compromises remain.
This year's Z Flip 7 appears familiar, but while holding it, the refinements are noticeable. It’s thinner, slightly taller, and a little wider than the Z Flip 6, measuring 6.5mm when open and 13.7mm folded, with a light weight of 188g. That extra width is noticeable, but the thinner profile balances it nicely, making the phone feel sleeker and more comfortable to handle.The build itself continues Samsung’s premium approach with an armour aluminium frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, and IP48 water and dust resistance. Samsung has refined the hinge once again with what it now calls the Armour Flex Hinge, and it feels noticeably more precise. It opens more smoothly than before and holds its position at a wide range of angles, yet still delivers that oh-so-satisfying snap when you open or close it. I look back with nostalgic, rose-tinted glasses at iconic phones like the Motorola Razr V3, which was uber-stylish for its time. The single-handed flick to snap open that clamshell was addictive, but back then, we weren’t opening our phones with the same relentless regularity. There were no endless social feeds to scroll, no app stores to raid, no smart assistants to pester.
Samsung has consistently led the way in display technology, and the Z Flip 7 continues this trend. Inside, you get a slightly larger 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 1080 x 2520, a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ certification, and peak brightness hitting 2,600 nits. Outdoor visibility is excellent, even in direct sunlight.
The crease is still visible, but far less so than in older models. You’ll feel it if you run your finger across the centre, but in daily use, it isn’t distracting.
The bigger story this year is the cover display. Samsung has finally ditched the awkward cutout, giving us a 4.1-inch Super AMOLED panel that matches the smoothness and brightness of the inner display. It runs at 120Hz and feels like a proper, usable screen rather than a novelty. I found myself using it much more than on the Flip 6, checking notifications, replying to quick messages, and even running apps without needing to open the phone. It’s the upgrade the series has been crying out for. However, it doesn’t go far enough, yet! I’d love to see more features and apps available to the cover display in a future update.
Samsung hasn’t pushed the boundaries on the Z Flip 7’s cameras. You still get a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP selfie camera inside.
In good light, the main camera produces sharp, balanced images with Samsung’s usual vibrant colour profile. The dynamic range is wide, and portraits have solid edge detection. The ultrawide lens matches colour tones reasonably well, but detail suffers, and the lack of autofocus makes close-up shots challenging.
The selfie camera is decent for video calls, but not a standout for photography.
Without night mode, shots are grainy with murky shadows. Night mode rescues things, but sometimes adds too much sharpening.
On video, you get up to 4K 60fps across all cameras, which is respectable, though stabilisation and detail don’t quite match the best flagships. For most casual creators, though, it’s more than good enough.
The biggest question mark this year was Samsung’s decision to move away from Qualcomm and use its own Exynos 2500 3nm chipset in the Flip 7. But in real-world use, performance feels every bit as good as last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Multitasking is snappy, apps launch instantly, and gaming runs smoothly with no noticeable overheating. Paired with 12GB of RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, the phone doesn’t miss a beat. The base storage has also been increased to 256GB, which is far more practical in 2025 than the previous 128GB starting point.
Samsung has increased the battery capacity to 4,300mAh, surpassing the Flip 6’s 4000mAh. It’s not a dramatic leap, but every little helps. In daily use, I found that the Flip 7 comfortably lasts through a day, although heavy gaming or extended camera use will drain it faster.
Wired charging tops out at 25W, taking around 90 minutes for a full charge, which is slow by today’s flagship standards. 15W wireless charging is available, along with 4.5W reverse wireless charging, which is handy for topping up earbuds or a smartwatch on the go.
The Z Flip 7 ships with Android 16 and One UI 8, which is great to see. One UI has matured into one of the most powerful and customisable Android skins around. Samsung also includes its full suite of Galaxy AI tools, from summarising articles and live translation to photo editing and the new Note Assist feature, all of which prove surprisingly useful in day-to-day life. Notably, Samsung allows AI processing to remain entirely on-device, a reassuring touch for privacy-conscious users. Software support is also best-in-class, with seven years of OS and security updates.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 delivers a larger, more practical cover screen, a sleeker design, reliable performance, and an excellent software experience. It’s undoubtedly Samsung’s best Flip yet, though not a huge leap forward. Flip 6 owners may not feel compelled to upgrade, but if you’re coming from the Flip 4 or 5, this is a far more tempting step up.
€1,140 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
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