Flip Foldables Might Be A lot Extra, Even With Samsung’s Z Flip 7

Regardless of the brand new look, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a far-too-similar foldable to the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The brand new clamshell telephone has a bigger exterior display that integrates (with a heavy sigh) Google Gemini, however in comparison with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Z Flip 7 continues to be thick sufficient that it’ll protrude like a bony crag from any person’s skinny pockets. I perceive why Samsung locations a lot emphasis on its costly flagships, however the reality is there are extra folks strolling round with Flips than Folds in hand. Till we get a tool as skinny because the old-school Razr flip telephones of yesteryear, the potential of foldables will stay untapped.

See Galaxy Z Flip7 at Samsung.com

See Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Samsung.com

Folding telephones are extra fragile than sweet bar-style gadgets. It comes all the way down to the additional mechanical failure factors from having a hinge, plus the necessity to have a thinner show that may bend. For the Z Fold 7, Samsung spent numerous time speaking up how skinny it was whereas expounding on how way more sturdy it’s in comparison with previous generations. There’s a brand new hinge system with its “twin rail construction” that helps the display bend right into a teardrop form when closed up. Even higher, 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, lower than the 14.9mm of the last-gen mannequin. It’s an enchancment, however virtually, it’s nonetheless not one thing meant for something however an additional bag.

There could also be an excellent motive we don’t have a Flip as skinny as a Fold. The book-style foldable has extra room for a much bigger battery (4,400 mAh, the identical capability as final yr’s Z Fold 6), sufficient to energy the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. As an alternative of Qualcomm, Samsung opted for a 3nm Exynos2500 chip for the Z Flip 7 with doubtlessly much less energy demand. Present battery and chip constraints might have compelled Samsung to maintain the clamshell thicker.

Dimension and survivability matter extra with foldables than some other skinny telephone, and excess of any Galaxy S25 Edge-like device. A couple of weeks in the past, earlier than Samsung’s latest Unpacked, I rode shotgun with my accomplice to get her Z Flip 5 repaired. The system didn’t endure a spectacular break. The telephone’s built-in display protector had stopped adhering to the show across the crease. It was a easy repair, however one which solely Samsung may supposedly do; neither Greatest Purchase nor a number of unbiased restore retailers wished to the touch it. Sadly, the closest remaining Samsung store positioned close to me in New York Metropolis was an hour’s drive away. It meant the positioning was inundated with clients searching for repairs or cures. Whereas we stood in line, it appeared like each different one who got here to the assistance desk additionally had one of many older Z Flip fashions in numerous states of wear and tear and tear. Even with marginal enhancements, these telephones are solely rated for thus a few years of operation. They’ve a brief shelf life, and that’s by design.

Regardless of all Samsung’s discuss of improved hinge techniques, each the book- and clamshell-style foldables are nonetheless rated IP48, which suggests they’re nonetheless susceptible to break attributable to stray mud. Current rumors prompt Google might have managed to land an IP68 score for its inevitable sequel to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Both approach, Samsung’s gadgets linger on a precarious fringe of survivability, the place common use may result in a vital failure. It’s not like everybody could make it to a Samsung retailer for repairs.

The Z Flip 7 ought to have a extra sturdy “armor” aluminum body with a greater hinge design, however that IP48 score stays an enduring concern. The large enhancements this yr are the bigger 4.1-inch cowl show that appears additional trendy because it runs edge-to-edge. It’s a better brightness and now goes as much as a 120Hz refresh charge. There’s an extra 50-megapixel essential digital camera, although the ultra-wide nonetheless stays 12 megapixels. It’s basically the identical digital camera setup as final yr, although it has a 4,300mAh battery capability in comparison with 4,000 on the Z Flip 6.

The Z Flip sequence sells greater than the Z Fold, at the least based on gross sales figures by funding agency Hana Securities, posted by leaker Jukan Choi. Over the 5 months previous to January 2025, the Z Flip 6 reportedly offered 2.81 million items in comparison with 2.09 million Z Fold 6 telephones. That was lower than the variety of Z Flip 5 offered, however the flip telephones have remained extra well-liked. A giant motive is worth. Older Z Fold fashions retailed beginning at $1,800, however have since crept as much as the Z Fold 7’s $2,000. The Z Flip 7 is similar $1,100 because the Z Flip 6.

Samsung is aware of the telephones that individuals can afford promote higher, and that’s why it’s launching a more affordable $900 Z Flip FE (“Fan Version”) with a smaller exterior display. Motorola affords the same pricing scheme with its Razr sequence of flip telephones. The bottom Razr with its smaller exterior display goes for $700, whereas the new Razr Ultra demands $1,300. The Z Flip FE is equal to final yr’s Z Flip 6, all the way down to the 14.9mm thickness and three.4-inch FlexWindow. At this charge, we’ll have to attend a number of extra years earlier than we get a Z Flip telephone that’s thin enough for many pockets and low cost sufficient that you could be truly think about it over a daily telephone.

It appears Samsung nonetheless thinks folks purchase its flip-style telephones as an adjunct. However we’re not all so fascinated about type over perform. I’ve reviewed each the Z Flip 5 and Z Flip 6, and in my thoughts they’re greater than a cute, costly flip-style telephone to hold on a pocketbook. The outside display is a boon for anyone making an attempt to keep away from any doom-scrolling tendencies. You look on the display, examine an electronic mail or textual content, then keep away from the standard habits of swinging over to Instagram or Bluesky for senseless digital meandering. We’re not a lot as inching nearer to what could possibly be the right foldable. We’re creeping there millimeter by millimeter. At this charge, it is going to be years earlier than we lastly see a flip foldable for the remainder of us.

See Galaxy Z Flip7 at Samsung.com

See Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Samsung.com