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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G review: Sleek, compact, and beyond the hype
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G is a sleek and reliable foldable. It could be one of the best phones, but a few trade-offs may make you reconsider.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
12 GB RAM- 256GB / 512GB Storage
- 6.9-inch/ 4.1 inch Display Size
₹1,21,999
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Flip, fold, and flaunt! If I had to use three words to describe the Galaxy Z Flip 7, I would use these, because Samsung has finally created a foldable that not only feels like a traditional phone, but also makes a bold statement when it comes to flaunting a premium segment smartphone. It's sleek, portable, sturdy, and undeniably stylish, if you ask from a girl’s perspective. But, is it worth paying Rs. 1,09,999 for a premium design? Well, I have had the chance to spend some time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G to find out.
This year, the upgrades are quite noticeable, and the expanded cover screen has been refined, providing greater usability in comparison to the Galaxy Z Flip 6. In terms of aesthetics, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has definitely won me over, but with day-to-day usage, I also came across a few flaws that still persist. Despite the flaws, it manages to deliver a flagship-level experience with its core features.
Now, without any further delay, let’s dive deep into the detailed review and know if the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G is finally a bold upgrade after seven generations of innovating foldables.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G Design:
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 has received notable design upgrades despite maintaining its form factor, and it's exactly what I've been hoping for. The clamshell has become even more premium with an ultra-thin design, bigger cover display (AKA FlexWindow), and slimmer bezel. But, is it phenomenal? Well, it should be noted that Motorola did it first with the Razr 50 Ultra last. But I will still give Samsung higher points for bringing a more premium design.
If we take a look at the numbers, then the Galaxy Z Flip 7 measures just 6.5 mm when open, and 13.7 mm when folded. The cover display size has been increased from 3.6 to 4.1 inches, but the compactness and portability as remained the same, which is what I like about the smartphone. The main screen is also expanded from 6.7 to 6.9 inches, making the phone weirdly taller and tougher to use with single hand.
Coming to the display crease, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G had a nearly invisible crease during the initial usage, but I believe the more you use it, the more you notice, and then it starts to become more visible. However, the slimmer aluminium hinge gives the foldable a more sturdy feel this year. The foldable also makes a satisfying click sound when I fold the device, and I have been going a little extra to flaunt the sound. During my time of usage, the hinge or the display crease did not showcase signs of weakness, and it will go as it is for a great time.
In terms of durability, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and offers the same IP48 rating for dust and water protection. Well, I am not quite happy with the IP rating, since it does not make the foldable as durable as other flagship phones with an IP68 rating. Therefore, you have to be extra careful.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G Display
With Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G, Samsung has introduced major upgrades to the FlexWindow. Firstly, we have a bigger 4.1-inch Super AMOLED display with higher resolution. Secondly, the display offers a higher refresh rate of up to 120Hz, making it smooth to navigate through the multiple widget screens. However, with the dual camera lenses on top of the display, a few functions could be restricted. To make these functions accessible, there’s a small display-like icon placed alongside the camera, which adjusts the screen orientation, which in my opinion, is quite a thoughtful addition.
With a bigger screen, the interaction of the display has been enhanced, but Samsung has still restricted third-party app support, which requires users to unfold the screen to access apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Gmail, and others. However, we still have a way around, as with the GoodLock app, you can access all these apps on the cover screen, but in my opinion, it should not include these tedious steps to do so. Despite the restrictions, the cover display delivers punchy and crisp colours.
Now, when you unfold the Galaxy Z Flip 7, you get a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display that offers a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 2600nits peak brightness. Well, as far as the main screen is concerned, you will not find any flaw, from vivid colours to smooth navigation, gaming, and others, the display lives up to the premium experience. Hence, the foldable has the best pair of displays in comparison to other competitors in the market.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G Camera
Coming to the camera, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 features the same pair of dual rear cameras as its predecessor, which include a 50MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera. I also did not see any major software changes in terms of performance, as it provided similar camera quality to the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Don’t get me wrong, the Flip 6 had an amazing pair of cameras that offered detailed and crisp images, but with the Flip 7, it mostly feels the same. Additionally, the poor edge detection issue in the portrait mode persists, which felt disappointing despite being a new generation model. So, if you want to know more about the camera, you can also check out the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review.
If I have to talk about the camera performance, I would say I mostly relied on the 50MP main camera lens for selfies as well as regular pictures, since it provided the best results among the other two. The picture appeared crisp, colours were accurate and natural, and it impressively captures the light that enhances the overall scene in both daylight and low light conditions. The 12MP ultrawide camera also does a great job, but the 10MP selfie camera is quite underwhelming. For AI-powered editing, Galaxy Flip 7 now includes Audio Eraser and Generative Edit feature, which comes under the Galaxy AI umbrella, and they do quite an amazing job.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G Performance and software
For performance, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G is powered by the Exynos 2500 chip, a major shift from the flagship Snapdragon processor. Well, I was not quite happy with this change; the chipset actually did not disappoint, and the performance was promising. The foldable was fast, responsive, and reliable throughout the time of usage, and I did not encounter any major stutter during usage. With heavy usage, the heating issue was quite frequent while taking photos, playing graphic-centric games, or extended hours of multimedia usage. However, the heating did not affect the usage at any point. Therefore, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 felt quite reliable for multitasking and casual gaming.
Now, coming to software experience, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 runs on Android 16-base OneUI 8, which offers several new features. Although the visual aspects of the new software are quite similar to those of OneUI 7. However, the overall interaction with smartphones was seamless. The foldable transitions from cover to main screen also felt smoother and more optimised, enhancing the day-to-day interaction, and Samsung widgets are a standout, especially in the cover screen.
With OneUI 8, Samsung also introduces improved AI features, such as greater app support for Now Bar and Now Brief, Audio Eraser for video editing, deep integration of Google Gemini, AI-powered translation on the cover screen, and much more, offering a smarter user experience. Lastly, it's quite impressive that Samsung is offering seven years of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G Battery and charging
Now that we know that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G is a reliable phone for performance, camera, and day-to-day usage, its battery life also showcases a substantial improvement. This year, Samsung has upgraded the battery size from 4000mAh to 4300mAh, giving a few extra hours of usage. With social media scrolling, casual gaming, photography, and multimedia usage, the smartphone lasted an entire day for me. However, its charging speed is painful. It still offers 25W charging speeds, which take more than 1 hour and 30 minutes to fully charge, which is not ideal for a premium segment phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G review: Verdict
Now, the question remains, is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G worth Rs. 1,09,999? Samsung has significantly refined its clamshell foldable. From a sleek and highly premium design, crisp display, decent performance, to clean software, the smartphone meets all the flagship requirements. However, no camera upgrades and slow charging speed could come as major trade-offs for buyers.
Despite these shortcomings, the foldable captures crisp images, but it would have been appreciated if Samsung had improved its portrait photography, and the selfie camera is also not up to the flagship standards. Lastly, a slightly faster charging speed could have been a welcome addition to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G, to make it the best in the foldable market.
Apart from these two major areas, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 5G is one of the best compact foldable phones I have come across this year, and if you are a casual user and charging speed is not a bother, then you should definitely go for the smartphone.
