Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review
Samsung recently presented two new foldables; the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7. In addition, the Korean brand also announced the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. Recently, we got to work with the Galaxy Z Flip 7, the high-end model in the Flip series. The hinge and aluminium frame have been improved and the cover screen now wraps around the cameras. There is also a larger battery, support for Samsung KnoX and more improvements. On paper, a very nice phone, but how is it in practice? We take you through that in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 review.
Unboxing
The front of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 packaging shows the contours of the new smartphone. Once opened, the device is already waiting for you. Inside the rectangular box, we find a USB-C cable, some paperwork and the SIM needle. A screen protector is already on the Flip's large screen. This should absolutely not be removed for the proper functioning of the phone.
Design and interface
Samsung has long known how to impress with its foldables. Whereas this form factor really had a wow factor in the beginning, anno nowadays this is a bit less so. It is far from being a unique thing. Still, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has something special. Namely, we received it in the blue 'Blue Shadow' colour. And how well this colour suits the device. It does make us happy. The deep blue colour is something different from a black or white device. If you are less fond of the blue colour, you can also go for the coral red, black or mint green colour.
Cover screen
A big improvement this year can be found with the cover screen. As mentioned, the screen now extends around the camera, something we also saw on the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra. This not only makes the whole thing sleeker, but also more usable. Still, not everything has improved on it. It is still a mystery why Samsung makes running apps on the cover screen so difficult. In our Motorola Razr 60 Ultra review, we already wrote that Motorola got this perfectly right. Just tick and go. With Samsung, you have to follow a whole roadmap. To do this, you have to download the Good Lock app from the Samsung Store, or Galaxy Apps. Then you look for different options and tick boxes, and you can start choosing which apps you want on the cover screen. We highlighted how it works earlier with the Z Flip 5 in this article. Unnecessarily complicated.
Once you have finally chosen the apps, nine out of 10 will work perfectly on the smaller screen. Not everything works equally well, for example, the save button of task app Taskito disappears behind the camera for the most part. But a quick check of Flitsmeister, your route in Google Maps, WhatsApp or any other app; it works fine. If you do want more screen space, it's just a matter of flipping open the screen and the app opens there.
We really recommend downloading the official Good Lock app though, otherwise you have a lot less freedom. Samsung lets you take the best selfies via the cover screen, of course, but you can also get to work with widgets and, of course, read your notifications and respond to them if necessary. We think there is still a bit more to be got out of the cover screen by Samsung.
The main display is a 6.9-inch AMOLED screen. This delivers fine images and is easy to read even on sunny days. It is nice that the screen can also be dimmed sufficiently in dark environments. The (plastic) screen protector ensures that, like the cover screen, it is quite sensitive to fingerprints. The crease is hardly felt anymore and also barely visible. This is where real strides have been made in recent years.
It must be said that the device feels incredibly solid. The hinge, the design, the keys; everything feels very premium. You have to get used to the fact that the fingerprint scanner is a bit higher, on the right side. Especially if you were (previously) used to the fingerprint scanner in the screen, it may take some getting used to in the first few days. The fingerprint scanner is responsive and can also be used to unlock the cover screen. At the bottom is space for the USB-C connector and speakers.
Interface
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7's interface is well put together, as you would expect from Samsung. From the box, the phone runs directly on Android 16 with One UI 8 over it. This ensures that you are completely up-to-date. In the process, you can personalise a lot so that everything is completely to your liking. You can sort the app menu by alphabet. Scrolling is then not horizontal through the menu, but vertical. Of course, there are the necessary widgets you can use and you can go directly to your notifications at the top of the screen. Furthermore, in the settings, you can adjust the grid size, work with columns and customise the folders.
In the Galaxy interface, you'll also find Galaxy AI. We've touched on those in other Samsung reviews, but features are also par for the course on the Z Flip 7. We are still not really impressed with Now Brief, which summarises your day with, for example, photos, calendar items and YouTube videos and weather information. In fact, we haven't used it recently.
Communication and multimedia
As you would expect from a high-end smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 does not disappoint on communication either. The SIM card slot is on the left side, but you can also use eSIM. Call quality is more than good and internet browsing is also good. You do notice that the phone seems to switch back to 4G a bit faster than other models; but that may have been a coincidence.
For music, there are stereo speakers on the Samsung. One is on the top, the other on the bottom of the phone. The sound quality is quite good, but not like what we have seen in several other high-end devices. It sits towards the shrill at full volume and we would have liked it to be a bit warmer.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 has two cameras. A 50-megapixel main lens and a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens. So it lacks a telephoto lens, but you can use the 2x crop zoom in the camera app. The camera app is self-explanatory. We sometimes find the selfies, which we shoot indoors with the camera on the cover screen, a bit mediocre; very bland. On a sun-drenched day, the camera also sometimes wants to capture images a little underexposed.
The wide-angle lens and main camera capture otherwise decent images, but it is less of a true camera phone. Unlike most high-end smartphones, the Flip 7 lends itself less to quick aiming and shooting. Then, a little too often, it results in a mediocre photo. At night, the quality is fine, as long as you don't use the zoom function. Then it becomes pixelated.
Below is a photo taken straight from the phone. If you want to see more photos, check out the digital photo album here.
Video camera
Filming with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is also a possibility, of course. The maximum quality you can get out of it is UHD at 60fps. What's nice is that you can also switch to the wide-angle lens in the highest quality and use 2x zoom. You can watch a video we shot with the phone below.
Performance and battery life
Inside the foldable phone is the Exynos 2500 octa-core processor, from Samsung's own factory. The processor has proven itself just fine in recent times. No annoying hiccups, lags or other features that won't make you happy. There is 12GB of working memory and for storage you can choose from 256GB or 512GB.
Battery
Before we get to the battery performance, a word about charging. That still comes at a relative snail's pace. For a device over a thousand euros, you secretly expect higher speeds than 25W by now. That it is possible, Motorola's Razr 60 Ultra proves. It takes about three quarters of an hour to charge its 4700 mAh battery. The 4300 mAh battery takes twice as long to get full. You can also charge the smartphone wirelessly.
But how does the 4300 mAh battery perform? In the early days, foldables managed to score only moderately in battery tests, mainly due to the design with less space for a battery. This is now largely a thing of the past, as Motorola already proved. Samsung does quite nice business, but especially when using the mobile network, we do see the percentages ticking away.
At least it is enough battery to make it through the end of the day. If you use the phone mostly on the mobile network (5G), we get a screen time of around 3.5 - 4 hours. With average use, we get a screen time of around 5 hours, while with WiFi use only, it goes just over 6 hours. Fine to get through the day, but not an exceptional score.
Energy label
Samsung has also forwarded the Galaxy Z Flip 7 to the European Product Register. Since June, it has been mandatory for manufacturers to provide their device with an energy label. Just as the WLTP calculation method provides insight into car consumption under equal conditions, the label should contribute to clear information on sustainability. That is not the only thing, by the way, as it also shows the level of repairability and battery life.
For the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, we see an energy label B, with a class A fall resistance and repair score C. Battery life comes to 42 hours and 4 minutes, according to the European test. The IP48 certification adds to the phone's dust and water resistance.
Update policy
As we have come to expect from Samsung, the Galaxy Z Flip 7's update policy is also very good. It should be, for the price of the phone. Seven years of updates are provided to the foldable. This includes Android updates as well as security updates. Since the smartphone already comes with Android 16, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will be updated up to and including Android 23 and through 2032.
Review
Clearly, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 has been further improved yet again. Using the Galaxy Z Flip 5 as a reference, we see a better camera, clearly better battery life and several refinements that clearly improve the device. Still, the Flip is not quite there yet. The camera still needs some attention here and there, and charging is still very slow for such an expensive smartphone. It is such a shame that you have to squeeze yourself into lanes to get everything out of the cover screen. Motorola has a clear edge here.
But we are certainly not negative about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7. Although the concept is not yet fully developed, the Flip feels very mature. Not only in terms of functionality, but also in terms of updates and design. If you have 1,200 euros to spare for a new smartphone and would like a foldable from Samsung, then the Z Flip 7 should not be missed.
Want to quickly get started with Samsung's latest foldable yourself? You can buy the device from:
- Feels premium
- Battery life is improved
- 7-year updates
- Charging sticks at 25W
- Sound quality is disappointing
