I’ll admit it: fashionable flip telephones nonetheless confuse me. Greater than 5 years after the unique Galaxy Z Flip arrived, I’m nonetheless undecided who should purchase one.
Normally, you find yourself paying a premium for worse battery life and inferior cameras. Is what you get in return – a way more pocketable machine and sensible selfies – actually value it? For my part, it’s by no means improved my smartphone expertise total.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t cease me from being excited when a brand new flip telephone is launched (I’m Tech Advisor’s Cell Editor, in spite of everything). Samsung has simply unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and it’s sturdy competitors for some of the attention-grabbing telephones of the yr up to now, Motorola’s Razr 60 Extremely.
Samsung’s new flagship flip (we additionally now have a extra reasonably priced model within the Z Flip 7 FE) delivers lots of the upgrades I’ve been craving, however there are nonetheless vital shortcomings that make it onerous to advocate, at the least up to now.
The quilt display screen I’ve been ready for… virtually
A lot has been made from the Razr 60 Extremely’s full-screen cowl show, which makes the Galaxy Z Flip 6 look virtually historic by comparability.
Nonetheless, Samsung has determined that now could be the time to fireside again, and it means enterprise. The 4.1-inch, 120Hz ‘FlexWindow’ on the Z Flip 7 is definitely greater than Motorola’s model, and it appears beautiful in individual.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
I actually loved my couple of minutes attempting it out, particularly with the spectacular new Gemini Stay integration. One UI 7 staples, such because the ‘Now Bar’, make it simple to see at-a-glance info from the likes of timers and third-party apps akin to Uber with out opening the telephone, whereas a number of the new widgets and customisation choices look nice.
The Z Flip 7 is sensible for taking selfies, particularly with the brand new choice to mechanically zoom out and in to maintain you within the body. It could additionally use AI to detect when there’s one thing vital within the background (the Eiffel Tower was used for instance in my briefing) and never crop that out, both.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
That every one being mentioned, you continue to can’t simply run any app on the duvet display screen! In the event you’ve learn my Galaxy Z Flip 6 assessment, I’m in all probability sounding like a damaged file, however the hoops you will need to bounce by means of to entry all Play Retailer apps are nothing in need of ridiculous.
I perceive that not each app will play properly with the bizarre facet ratio of the show, and essential instruments akin to Google Maps are natively supported. However with the digital camera lenses now obscuring elements of the show anyway, it actually doesn’t matter if issues look a bit bizarre every so often.
The hoops you will need to bounce by means of to entry all Play Retailer apps are nothing in need of ridiculous
Motorola solves this by merely displaying a warning once you open the app for the primary time. Why does Samsung proceed to make it so tough?
Sturdy design, however nonetheless not absolutely secure from the weather
One of many most important issues that struck me when attempting out the Galaxy Z Flip 7 was its sturdiness. I used to be involved that the bigger cowl display screen would make it extra fragile, but when something, it feels extra sturdy than the Z Flip 6.
The upgraded ‘Armour Flex’ hinge feels particularly robust, but the crease is barely much less noticeable on the 6.9-inch inside show than final yr.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Nonetheless, it’s not completely secure from mud. An IP48 score is on par with the Razr 60 Extremely, which means it will probably survive a dunking in as much as 1.5m of water however continues to be vulnerable to any stable objects smaller than 1mm. In different phrases, be careful for sand on the seaside.
I used to be involved that the bigger cowl display screen would make it extra fragile, but when something, it feels extra sturdy than the Z Flip 6
I perceive the issue in reaching an IP68 score on even non-folding flagship telephones, but it surely’s nonetheless a compromise you’ll want to concentrate on.
Promising cameras, however why nonetheless no telephoto?
Samsung is sticking with the 50Mp most important sensor that carried out so nicely on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. No complaints right here – it delivered glorious picture high quality in a wide range of situations, together with selfies.
The cruel lighting of the hands-on space doesn’t present a perfect situation for testing, however preliminary proof suggests picture high quality on par with – if not higher than – final yr.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The front-facing digital camera is far much less necessary on flip telephones, however the 10Mp lens appears to be simply superb for video calling and the like. And whereas it’d be good to have a greater ultrawide, I discovered the 12Mp sensor to ship first rate photos, particularly when the lighting was good.
Nonetheless, I nonetheless don’t perceive why Samsung hasn’t added a devoted telephoto lens for optical zoom. With out it, you’re completely reliant on the inferior digital zoom, with picture high quality deteriorating quick when you transcend 2x.
If Samsung actually needs its flip telephones to have no-compromise cameras, the shortage of a telephoto have to be mounted
As somebody who commonly goes to live shows, I can just about neglect about getting good images until I’m proper subsequent to the stage. And the argument of not having sufficient house for one more lens isn’t legitimate when the duvet display screen is a lot bigger.
If Samsung actually needs its flip telephones to have no-compromise cameras, the shortage of a telephoto have to be mounted.
An even bigger battery, however what about charging?
In my Z Flip 6 assessment, I complained about its subpar battery life. A 4000mAh cell simply isn’t sufficiently big on an Android telephone in 2025.
On the Z Flip 6, Samsung has addressed this… type of. The brand new 4300mAh cell is an enormous gen-on-gen enchancment, with the corporate now claiming as much as 31 hours of video playback on a single cost.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Nonetheless, that is based mostly on a 720p video working regionally, so it doesn’t present an correct reflection of battery life. I hope the brand new Exynos 2500 chipset and software program optimisations will ship comfy all-day battery life, however I nonetheless have my doubts.
Oh, and charging continues to be a measly 25W! Come on, Samsung, you are able to do higher than that. At the least give us the 45W of the S25 Extremely – it isn’t a lot to ask.
Charging continues to be a measly 25W! Come on, Samsung, you are able to do higher than that
Cheaper than the Razr 60 Extremely, however nonetheless costly
Regardless of some significant upgrades on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, I’m happy to see the value stay the identical. When the telephone is launched on 25 July, it’ll begin at the very same £1,049/$1,099 as its predecessor, which means it’s now cheaper than the Razr 60 Extremely (from £1,099/$1,299), particularly within the US.
Nonetheless, that is nonetheless lots to pay for a telephone with apparent compromises. Until you’re actually offered on the flip type issue, it’ll in all probability be onerous to justify.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is an enormous step in the suitable route, but it surely doesn’t seem like the game-changing machine that Samsung is hoping for. I actually hope I’m flawed, however you’ll have to attend for my full assessment to search out out.
We’ve additionally received early hands-on opinions of the 7 Fold 7 and the 7 Flip 7 FE, if you wish to try extra of the brand new lineup.