Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: Samsung’s most polished foldable yet?

You know how they say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well, Samsung’s Flip series wasn’t exactly broken, but it always had one big flaw that bugged me: that tiny, half-hearted, odd-shaped cover screen. It definitely was a cool phone, sure, but using it folded with that display always felt way too limited.

That’s finally changed with the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Samsung’s given it a proper edge-to-edge outer display, and honestly, it transforms the whole vibe. It’s no longer just about the aesthetics. It’s actually useful now. I’ve always respected the Fold series for its power moves, and I absolutely adore the Galaxy Z Fold 7, even with its quirks. But this year, the Flip 7 finally feels like it’s ready to compete for real.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: Design

At first, I thought the Z Flip 7 looked pretty much the same as the Flip6, barring the outer display of course. But the more time I spent with it, the more the little changes stood out. Samsung’s made the body slimmer and just a bit wider, and honestly, that tweak makes a big difference. When folded, it’s only 13.7mm thick. When unfolded, it's just 6.5mm. That’s thinner than the S25 Ultra, which is already super sleek at 8.2mm. What's more surprising though, is that when its unfolded, it's just a hair thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge, which, is very impressive.

It felt ridiculously easy to slip in and out of my jeans pocket, no awkward bulge or anything. My mom, who daily drove the Flip 4 for quite some time, also gave it a thumbs up, and mind you, she’s very picky about pocket-fit.

The rest of the design sticks to what Samsung does best: tough materials, clean look, solid finish. The front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the whole frame is wrapped in Armour Aluminium.

We get the same IP48 rating, so it can handle dust and a quick dunk in water without freaking out.

The hinge is a little tighter than I would like it to be. I was also a little taken aback by how aggressively the phone snaps closed, but these are things you get used to,

The power button and volume rocker are still on the right side. The power button doubles as a fingerprint reader, though I had to touch it twice sometimes to get it to work. Not a dealbreaker, but definitely something I noticed. At the bottom, you’ve got your USB-C port, mic, and speaker.

Now, let’s talk colours. Samsung’s offering the Flip 7 in Blue Shadow, Coral Red, Jet Black, and Mint. I tested the Blue Shadow version, and it looks seriously sharp. The metal frame and back panel match perfectly, and when the cover screen’s off, the top half goes black, giving it a nice contrast.

The dual camera lenses on the back on the back are slightly raised, but they blend in well and don’t feel bulky.

It’s the kind of design upgrade you feel more than you see, and I’m all for it.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: Displays

Samsung’s taken a solid step forward with the Flip 7’s displays, and it shows the moment you pick it up. The outer screen now runs edge to edge and has grown to 4.1-inches from the Flip 6’s 3.6-inches. That extra space instantly makes a difference. With ultra-thin 0.05-inch bezels and a Super AMOLED panel, it feels more functional and way sharper.

Brightness isn’t a problem either. This cover screen peaks at 2,600 nits and supports a variable refresh rate between 60Hz and 120Hz. With Vision Booster in play, it stays legible even under harsh sunlight, making it perfect for checking notifications or snapping selfies on the go. Typing felt a bit more comfortable, too, though a few software quirks held it back from being flawless. More on that in a bit.

Flip the phone open and you’ll notice the inner screen gets a size bump as well, growing from 6.7 to 6.9 inches. It’s a gorgeous Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a smooth adaptive refresh rate (1Hz to 120Hz) and the same 2,600-nit peak brightness. The tall form factor works great for reading and scrolling through social apps. However, when it comes to video playback, the experience still feels slightly boxed in, which might not be ideal for binge-watchers.

Yes, the crease is still there, but only if you really look for it. Once the screen’s lit up, it more or less disappears. I did find the inner screen a bit more reflective than the cover one, which was mildly annoying in bright rooms, but the high brightness helped counter it

So yeah, these display upgrades aren’t just spec bumps; they’ve genuinely made the Flip 7 easier and better to live with.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: Performance

Samsung’s taken a different route with the Flip 7 this year, swapping out the usual Snapdragon chip for its in-house Exynos 2500. Backed by 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, it sounds solid on paper, and in most areas, it performs well enough to back that up.

Day-to-day use felt smooth. The phone handled app launches, multitasking, and camera usage without any stutter. In benchmarks like Geekbench and Antutu, the scores were decent. They were not exactly chart-toppers, but respectable for a foldable. However, when I ran games or any graphics-heavy apps, I did notice the battery taking a hit faster than expected.

Heat management was something I noticed early on. From the setup screen itself, the phone felt slightly warm to the touch, and snapping a dozen photos in quick succession made the temperature rise just enough to be noticeable through the frame. It never became uncomfortably hot, but the warmth does appear quickly, even with light tasks. During longer gaming sessions, you’ll feel it more, though it remains manageable.

The Exynos 2500 seems tuned more for performance than thermal efficiency. For casual, everyday use, this won’t be a dealbreaker, but power users might want to pace themselves during extended gaming or heavy workloads. Using a case helps too, both for protection and to keep that subtle warmth from being distracting.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: Software

Software-wise, the Flip 7 has been a bit of a mixed bag for me.

It runs One UI 8 on top of Android, and like most Samsung phones, the overall experience is smooth and intuitive. If you’re coming from One UI 7, the interface will feel very familiar. There aren’t massive visual changes, but it still feels polished. I especially liked the improved multitasking view, which lets you toggle between two apps, one upfront and the other minimised, which makes multitasking more fluid than before.

One big addition this year is Samsung DeX support, a first for the Flip series. You can plug the phone into a monitor and get a full desktop-like interface. Personally, it’s not something I’d use, but I get why Samsung fans might appreciate the option.

There’s also Galaxy AI on board, offering tools like voice-assisted settings and writing style suggestions. In my experience, Google’s Gemini works better overall, and the new Gemini Live AI Mode is surprisingly fun on the Flip 7. You can chat with the assistant, share your screen for visual searches, and ask just about anything.

But where the software really stumbles is the cover display setup. You only get some limited widgets to begin with, which is not how most people use their phones. To customise it properly with your favourite apps, you have to download Samsung’s Good Lock app, then install the MultiStar module, configure the widgets, and only then can you get the experience you're looking for. That’s a lot of hoops to jump through, especially for a phone that costs over a lakh. A setup this basic should’ve been easier.

There are other quirks, too. You can’t use Gboard on the outer screen, you have to use Samsung Keyboard. And for some reason, when replying to WhatsApp messages from notifications, the Flip 7 often prompted me to open the device instead of letting me type on the cover screen. Hopefully, this is a bug that Samsung or WhatsApp devs patch soon.

The good news is you’ll get up to seven years of software updates, which is excellent for long-term support. And credit to Samsung, they do let you resize apps on the front display, which helps when certain apps haven’t been optimised for the square aspect ratio.

All in all, One UI 8 has its strengths, but Samsung still needs to iron out the rough edges, especially on the cover screen, to make the software feel as premium as the hardware.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: Cameras

The Flip 7 doesn’t bring any major camera hardware upgrades; it’s got the same setup as last year’s Flip6. You get a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP selfie camera on the inside. Honestly, I barely used that inner camera outside of video calls. Most of my selfies came from the cover screen anyway.

But as always, it’s the fold that makes the Flip 7 fun to shoot with. FlexCam mode kicks in when the phone’s half-folded, and it’s genuinely useful. I could tweak settings with one thumb and even use a touchpad-style interface to move the focus point. It's great for hands-free shots or quick reels.

Now, while the camera hardware hasn’t changed, Samsung’s new ProVisual Engine makes a noticeable difference. Paired with the Exynos 2500, it boosts image quality behind the scenes—improving colours, contrast, and detail. It also enables always-on 10-bit HDR+, which really pops in both photos and videos.

The main 50MP camera held up really well. Most shots came out crisp and vibrant, with that signature Samsung saturation. Unless you’re zooming in to nitpick pixels, it’s hard to tell it apart from pricier Galaxy flagships. The ultrawide was also better than I expected and much improved over the Flip6, especially in daylight.

Video recording maxes out at 4K 60fps with HDR10+, and the results looked sharp and cinematic. You can turn HDR off to save space, but I left it on. Those colours just looked too good to skip.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: Battery

Samsung has bumped the Flip 7’s battery to 4,300mAh, and it holds up surprisingly well in day-to-day use. Whether I was scrolling Instagram, chatting on WhatsApp, binging Netflix, or navigating with Google Maps, the phone comfortably lasted a full day.

But the moment I started gaming, things changed. The Exynos 2500 tends to drain power aggressively during graphically heavy sessions. Even 30 to 45 minutes of gaming was enough to knock the battery down significantly, forcing me to reach for the charger before the day ended.

Unfortunately, charging hasn’t improved. It’s still stuck at 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless. In testing, it took around 90 minutes to go from zero to full, which feels sluggish for a flagship.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: Verdict

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is easily Samsung’s most refined flip phone to date. It doesn’t reinvent anything, but the upgrades feel purposeful. The design is sleeker, the build feels rock solid, and the brighter screens are a noticeable improvement, especially outdoors.

Camera performance has also improved. Most of my shots came out crisp and vibrant. The AI tools, especially Google Gemini, are genuinely useful and add real value. The Exynos chip, although solid hasn’t delivered the leap I expected. The phone heats up quickly under pressure, and battery life still struggles during graphically intense tasks.

All in all, Samsung has managed to make the Z Flip 7 an even more tempting option than modern flip phones have been.