The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 builds upon the popular clamshell foldable design, offering a more refined experience with significant upgrades to its displays, performance, and battery life. Positioned as a “pocket-sized AI powerhouse,” Samsung aims to blend nostalgic form with cutting-edge functionality.
HARDWARE: FEATURES AND UPGRADES
Regarding its design and durability, the Z Flip 7 boasts a sleek and robust construction. It holds the distinction of being the slimmest Galaxy Z Flip to date, measuring a mere 13.7mm when folded. Samsung has bolstered its resilience with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 adorning both the cover and back, complemented by an Armour Aluminium Frame. A re-engineered Armour FlexHinge is touted to diminish the visibility of the crease and enhance overall sturdiness. The device maintains an IP48 rating, signifying resistance to larger dust particles and immersion in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes.
The main internal folding display has seen a slight expansion to a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. It offers a sharp FHD+ resolution of 2520 x 1080 and a remarkably smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, capable of adjusting from 1Hz to 120Hz. With a peak brightness of 2,600 nits and Vision Booster, it promises excellent visibility even under bright outdoor conditions.
A significant enhancement comes in the form of the FlexWindow, the Z Flip 7’s cover display. This is now a substantially larger 4.1-inch Super AMOLED display, boasting a resolution of 1048 x 948 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. Crucially, it’s also brighter, reaching an impressive 2,600 nits of peak brightness. This expanded and more capable cover screen enables far greater interaction without needing to open the phone, facilitating notification management, widget usage, and even leveraging Galaxy AI features.
PERFORMANCE, BATTERY AND CHARGING
Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is powered by Samsung’s cutting-edge 3nm Exynos 2500 SoC, marking a first for an Exynos chip in a Galaxy Z Flip device. This is coupled with a generous allocation of 12GB of RAM and storage options of 256GB or 512GB. This combination promises robust performance for everyday tasks, demanding applications, and the newly integrated AI functionalities.
Powering the device is a larger 4,300mAh battery (typical capacity), a notable upgrade from previous models. This is claimed to provide up to 31 hours of video playback on a single charge. It supports 25W wired fast charging, 15W wireless charging, and 5W Wireless PowerShare, so the charging isn’t quite what I’d expect from a giant like Samsung in the current era. However, there’s probably still some hesitance to push the boundaries after previous battery issues.
Running Android 16 with Samsung’s One UI 8, the Z Flip 7 deeply integrates advanced Galaxy AI features. Many of these AI functionalities are optimised for the FlexWindow, enabling hands-free voice searches, task completion via Gemini Live, and a “Now Bar” and “Now Brief” for quick access to essential information.
For connectivity, the device supports 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.4, and features a USB 3.2 Type-C port. It also includes satellite messaging support, enabled by the Exynos 2500 chipset.
CAMERA
The camera system largely mirrors its predecessor, featuring a dual rear camera setup: a 50MP Wide-angle lens equipped with OIS and Dual Pixel AF, and a 12MP Ultra-Wide lens with a 123° field of view. The front-facing camera on the main display is 10MP. Check out some of my test shots below.
While the hardware remains consistent, Samsung emphasises enhanced software capabilities such as improved Night Photography, 10-bit HDR video, and a new Zoom Slider. The larger FlexWindow also elevates the selfie experience, allowing users to utilise the superior rear cameras for self-portraits with a real-time preview.
USER EXPERIENCE
As AI continues to sneak into our everyday lives inevitably, manufacturers are doing more and more to make it work for us; the consumers. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 significantly refines the foldable experience, largely thanks to its drastically improved outer FlexWindow. Now a generous 4.1-inch, edge-to-edge display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, it transforms the device’s usability in its folded state. Users can accomplish a multitude of tasks – from responding to messages and controlling music to navigating with maps and interacting with Galaxy AI – without ever needing to open the phone, making quick interactions far more seamless and intuitive than previous generations.
Beyond the enhanced cover screen, the Flip 7 also boasts a more compact and durable design with a thinner Armor FlexHinge, and a larger 4,300mAh battery for extended usage. These physical improvements, coupled with the refined One UI 8 and integrated Galaxy AI features, provide a more robust and efficient user experience. Whether it’s the more natural aspect ratio of the main 6.9-inch display for media consumption or the AI-powered camera enhancements that elevate mobile photography, the Flip 7 delivers a premium, versatile, and genuinely pocketable smartphone experience.
A standout feature of the Galaxy Flip 7 is how Samsung has integrated its AI capabilities, collectively known as Galaxy AI, and in particular, Google’s Gemini, with the foldable form factor. The larger, edge-to-edge external display, or FlexWindow, is no longer just for notifications and widgets; it’s now a fully-fledged AI hub. You can use Gemini Live directly from the cover screen to get real-time assistance, ask for information, and even get translation in live conversations.
This makes the phone feel genuinely smart and intuitive, allowing you to accomplish tasks without even needing to open the device. Galaxy AI also extends to other areas, such as advanced photo editing, smarter transcription, and even a “Now Brief” that provides personalised daily updates on the cover screen, transforming the Flip 7 from a stylish phone into a truly intelligent and adaptable pocket companion.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
The Samsung Galaxy Flip 7 256GB version is available in Blue Shadow, Jetblack and Coralred for $1,799.00 through Samsung online, carriers and the usual retail channels.
