While the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (full review) took most of the spotlight at Samsung’s foldable smartphone launch this year, the company also introduced the Galaxy Z Flip 7, a smartphone aimed at a wider audience with a much more affordable price than its premium sibling (NIS 3,900 compared to NIS 7,300).
Design: Galaxy Z Flip 7 – Thinner and Durable Clamshell
The Flip 7 continues to maintain its clamshell design, making this smartphone extremely compact when closed. It can be easily held in one hand, slipped into a pants pocket, or a small wallet. The smartphone underwent a slight slimming down, with an open thickness of 6.5 mm compared to 6.9 mm in the previous generation. For comparison with a regular smartphone, the Galaxy S25 is 7.2 mm thick, so the Flip 7 is thinner. When folded, the thickness rises to 13.7 mm compared to 14.9 mm in the previous generation. The weight is 188 grams compared to 187 grams—not heavy.
The Flip 7 comes in four colors: Dark blue, black, silver, and mint green. The last color is sold only on Samsung’s website. In terms of durability, it has the same water-resistant hinge as its more expensive sibling, the Z Fold 7. The device itself is water-resistant with an IP48 rating, but not dustproof. The external screen and the back of the device are protected with Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Display: Galaxy Z Flip 7 – Upgraded External Screen
Samsung upgraded the device’s external screen. In the previous generation, it had a thick black frame with the bottom part also framed, but now the screen covers the entire exterior, including the area around the cameras. The external screen grew from 3.4 inches to 4.1 inches. It is a high-quality Super AMOLED display with a brightness of 2600 nits for comfortable viewing in direct sunlight and a high refresh rate of 120 Hz.
The internal screen grew from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches, still using the successful LTPO AMOLED 2X technology, which means rich colors and a variable refresh rate of up to 120 Hz for smooth motion in the interface while saving battery. Peak brightness reaches 2600 nits, and I had no trouble viewing it in direct sunlight. By the way, the crease on the screen still exists, but it does not interfere.
Interface: Galaxy Z Flip 7 – Gemini and More on the External Screen
The larger and more convenient external screen encourages the user to prefer using it in certain situations. For example, you can read WhatsApp messages and even use the keyboard on the screen to reply, although automatic reply suggestions based on message text do not work in Hebrew, which is unfortunate.
The external screen includes a variety of widgets that make its use efficient, such as a calendar, voice recorder, calculator, SmartThings home automation scripts, call list, contacts, Spotify, and of course the Now Brief introduced in the S25. This interface provides personal insights, including weather updates, appointments, photos taken during the day, and step and sleep data (from Samsung watch/ring). In addition, it shows Spotify playlist recommendations tailored for the moment.
The external screen also features a quick control panel accessible by swiping up, for Bluetooth, airplane mode, music player, brightness, and more.
Google’s AI assistant – Gemini – is available here and can be activated from the external screen with a long press of the physical power button. This allows you to operate it and even switch to live mode without going to the device’s internal screen.
Beyond these built-in Samsung capabilities, it is possible to install the Good Lock app from the Samsung store, allowing any app to run on the external screen. I found it convenient to use Gmail for quick email checks, open the door via Nuki, use the Yellow app to display barcodes for store payments, the gym entry barcode, and of course WhatsApp.
The operating system here is Android 16 with Samsung’s new interface – One UI 8 – better adapted for AI functions, alongside various design changes in the interface.
Hardware: Smooth Performance with a Samsung Processor
The processor is Samsung-made – Exynos 2500 with 12 GB of RAM, not a Qualcomm processor like in the Fold 7 or Flip 6. In any case, this processor worked smoothly, although in some cases I experienced slight heating, mainly when connected wirelessly to Android Auto in a car. The physical fingerprint sensor on the side of the device was not very convenient for me, as it sometimes did not recognize me on the first try. Of course, facial recognition can also be used alongside it.
This is a 5th-generation device with WiFi 7, eSIM capability, Bluetooth 5.4, but without UWB (for compatible accessories for more precise location tracking). The stereo speakers delivered good results and support Dolby Atmos for richer sound.
Camera: Good Shots, as Long as Lighting is Sufficient
The camera retained the same sensors as last year: A dual-camera setup with a 50 MP main sensor with 2x optical zoom and a 12 MP wide sensor. The selfie camera is 10 MP. It is a good camera, not on the level of a flagship device. It produces successful daytime photos, but struggles in lower light, even in well-lit areas like a pool. For example, shooting in shade immediately results in some graininess, and even detail levels are not sufficient. The camera tends toward natural tones rather than Samsung’s rich and familiar color. This is not necessarily bad or good, just a matter of taste. The selfie camera delivered good results.
Battery: Barely Lasts a Full Day, Slow Charging
The battery capacity increased from 4,000 mAh to 4,300 mAh. For me, it lasted from around 8:30 AM until 7:45 PM, leaving 9% battery with nearly 4.5 hours of screen time. This is average performance, and the outdated charging rate – 25W with slow 15W wireless charging – also needs to be considered.
Price: NIS 3,900 (256 GB version)
Bottom Line: The Galaxy Z Flip 7 received an upgrade to its external screen and offers a variety of features that allow you to use it a bit more before opening the device and moving to the main screen. It remains a compact smartphone, easy to carry in a pocket, probably more than any other smartphone. The clamshell fold is a fun and enjoyable feature. The camera delivers good results but has not been upgraded from last year, and the battery, although slightly larger, still struggles to last a full day.
For Tzachi Hoffman’s website: https://thegadgetreviews.com/