Despite the new look, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a far-too-similar foldable to the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The new clamshell phone has a larger exterior screen that integrates (with a heavy sigh) Google Gemini, but compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Z Flip 7 is still thick enough that it will protrude like a bony crag from any user’s thin pockets. I understand why Samsung places so much emphasis on its expensive flagships, but the fact is there are more people walking around with Flips than Folds in hand. Until we get a device as thin as the old-school Razr flip phones of yesteryear, the potential of foldables will remain untapped.
See Galaxy Z Flip7 at Samsung.com
See Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Samsung.com
Folding phones are more fragile than candy bar-style devices. It comes down to the extra mechanical failure points from having a hinge, plus the need to have a thinner display that can bend. For the Z Fold 7, Samsung spent a lot of time talking up how thin it was while expounding on how much more durable it is compared to past generations. There’s a new hinge system with its “dual rail structure” that helps the screen bend into a teardrop shape when closed up. Even better, the Z Fold 7 is now 8.9mm when closed up—barely any thicker than a Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Z Flip 7 is 13.7mm, less than the 14.9mm of the last-gen model. It’s an improvement, but practically, it’s still not something meant for anything but an extra bag.
There may be a good reason we don’t have a Flip as thin as a Fold. The book-style foldable has more room for a bigger battery (4,400 mAh, the same capacity as last year’s Z Fold 6), enough to power the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. Instead of Qualcomm, Samsung opted for a 3nm Exynos2500 chip for the Z Flip 7 with potentially less power demand. Current battery and chip constraints may have forced Samsung to keep the clamshell thicker.
Size and survivability matter more with foldables than any other thin phone, and far more than any Galaxy S25 Edge-like device. A few weeks ago, before Samsung’s latest Unpacked, I rode shotgun with my partner to get her Z Flip 5 repaired. The device didn’t suffer a spectacular break. The phone’s built-in screen protector had stopped adhering to the display around the crease. It was a simple fix, but one that only Samsung could supposedly do; neither Best Buy nor multiple independent repair shops wanted to touch it. Unfortunately, the nearest remaining Samsung shop located near me in New York City was an hour’s drive away. It meant the site was inundated with customers looking for repairs or remedies. While we stood in line, it seemed like every other person who came to the help desk also had one of the older Z Flip models in various states of wear and tear. Even with marginal improvements, these phones are only rated for so many years of operation. They have a short shelf life, and that’s by design.
Despite all Samsung’s talk of improved hinge systems, both the book- and clamshell-style foldables are still rated IP48, which means they’re still vulnerable to damage caused by stray dust. Recent rumors suggested Google may have managed to land an IP68 rating for its inevitable sequel to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Either way, Samsung’s devices linger on a precarious edge of survivability, where regular use could lead to a critical failure. It’s not like everyone can make it to a Samsung store for repairs.
The Z Flip 7 should have a more durable “armor” aluminum frame with a better hinge design, but that IP48 rating remains a lasting concern. The big improvements this year are the larger 4.1-inch cover display that looks extra stylish as it runs edge-to-edge. It’s a higher brightness and now goes up to a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s an additional 50-megapixel main camera, though the ultra-wide still remains 12 megapixels. It’s essentially the same camera setup as last year, though it has a 4,300mAh battery capacity compared to 4,000 on the Z Flip 6.
The Z Flip series sells more than the Z Fold, at least according to sales figures by investment firm Hana Securities, posted by leaker Jukan Choi. Over the five months prior to January 2025, the Z Flip 6 reportedly sold 2.81 million units compared to 2.09 million Z Fold 6 phones. That was less than the number of Z Flip 5 sold, but the flip phones have remained more popular. A big reason is price. Older Z Fold models retailed starting at $1,800, but have since crept up to the Z Fold 7’s $2,000. The Z Flip 7 is the same $1,100 as the Z Flip 6.
Samsung knows the phones that people can afford sell better, and that’s why it’s launching a more affordable $900 Z Flip FE (“Fan Edition”) with a smaller exterior screen. Motorola offers a similar pricing scheme with its Razr series of flip phones. The base Razr with its smaller exterior screen goes for $700, while the new Razr Ultra demands $1,300. The Z Flip FE is equivalent to last year’s Z Flip 6, down to the 14.9mm thickness and 3.4-inch FlexWindow. At this rate, we’ll have to wait several more years before we get a Z Flip phone that’s thin enough for most pockets and cheap enough that you may actually consider it over a regular phone.
It seems Samsung still thinks people buy its flip-style phones as an accessory. But we’re not all so interested in style over function. I’ve reviewed both the Z Flip 5 and Z Flip 6, and in my mind they’re more than a cute, expensive flip-style phone to hang on a pocketbook. The exterior screen is a boon for anybody trying to avoid any doom-scrolling tendencies. You glance at the screen, check an email or text, then avoid the usual habits of swinging over to Instagram or Bluesky for mindless digital meandering. We’re not so much as inching closer to what could be the perfect foldable. We’re creeping there millimeter by millimeter. At this rate, it will be years before we finally see a flip foldable for the rest of us.
See Galaxy Z Flip7 at Samsung.com
See Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Samsung.com
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