Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Review – A Nicer-Looking Cover Display, And…

Unboxing

In this rather slim box of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 houses the smartphone itself, which is immediately revealed when you open the box. Note that the rest of the accessories are stored in the box tucked inside the box cover (left on the second image), which reveals these items:

– Quick start guide (in English & Mandarin)
– Warranty card
– SIM regional lock guide
– USB-C charging cable
– SIM ejector pin
– Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 main unit

Walkaround

Visually, the Galaxy Z Flip7 underwent some changes: first, the radii of rounded corners have also shrunk slightly compared to its predecessor; besides that, the accented colors around the cameras are now gone, reverting to the conventional metallic ring for the housing. Speaking of which, the cameras received no upgrades, so it’s the same 50MP wide + 12MP ultrawide combination as before.

The general layout of buttons and ports remain unchanged as well, with microphones located on both top and bottom of the device, SIM card slot on the left (one Nano SIM only), power button and volume rocker on the right, and the USB-C port at the bottom, which now supports display outputs and Samsung DeX.

The Galaxy Z Flip7 is also slightly thinner overall, now measuring 13.7mm folded and 6.5mm unfolded; the teardrop-style folding mechanism for the internal OLED display meant the insides of the phone can be fully enclosed.

The Galaxy Z Flip7 is one of the first models to feature Android 16 / OneUI 8 right out of the box, beating even Google’s own Pixel devices to the punch. Still, given that Android 16 is mostly sprinkled with minor feature changes here and there, new features won’t be immediately visible unless you’re a very dedicated Android user. Same applies to Samsung’s OneUI 8 software – the previous version already took care of the major redesign, so changes are minimal this time around.

Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 (SM-F766B)

Full specifications available on press announcement and product specification page.

Form Factor & Build	Clamshell-style foldable Glass outer cover (Gorilla Glass Victus 2) Flexible glass interior Aluminum rear & frame
Chipset	Samsung Exynos 2500 (3nm, Samsung 3GAP)
CPU	10-core (1X+2P+5E+2LP) Prime: Arm Cortex-X925 @ 3.3GHz Performance: Arm Cortex-A725 @ 2.74GHz Efficiency: Arm Cortex-A725 @ 2.36GHz Low Power: Arm Cortex-A520 @ 1.8GHz
GPU	Samsung Xclipse 950
RAM	12GB LPDDR5X [As tested]
Storage	512GB UFS 4.0 256GB UFS 4.0 [As tested] No microSD expansion support
Display	Main Display: 6.9″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 2520×1080 (21:9) 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate 2600 nits max brightness 8-bit (16.7M) color, DCI-P3 color gamut 397 ppi pixel density Cover display: 4.1″ Super AMOLED 1048×948 (~21:19) 60/120Hz refresh rate 2600 nits max brightness 8-bit (16.7M) color
Audio	Stereo speakers No headphone jack (USB-C only)
Cameras	Rear: Dual cameras 50MP (23mm wide, 85° FOV, 1/1.57″, f/1.8, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) 12MP (13mm ultrawide, 123° FOV, 1/3.2″, f/2.2) Front: Single cut-out camera 10MP (23mm wide, 85° FOV 1/3.0″, f/2.2)
Biometric sensors	Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) Bluetooth 5.4 NFC USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), Samsung DeX support
Cellular Networks	Dual-standby Nano-SIM + eSIM 2G: 850/900/1800/1900MHz 3G: B1/B2/B4/B5/B8 4G: B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/ B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66 5G (Sub6): N1/N2/N3/N5/N7/N8/N12/N20/N25 N26/N28/N38/N40/N41/N66/N71/N77/N78
Operating System	Android 16 (OneUI 8) 7 years major Android upgrades 7 years security updates End-of-support date: 31 July 2032
Battery	4,300mAh dual-cell Li-ion 25W USB-C wired charging 15W wireless charging 4.5W reverse wireless charging
Ingress Protection	IP48
Colors	Blue Shadow [As tested] Jet Black Coral Red Mint
Dimensions	Folded: 85.5 x 75.2 x 13.7 mm Unfolded: 166.7 x 75.2 x 6.5 mm
Weight	188g

Performance

System

Let’s start our benchmarking tests with system-wide benchmarks: the Galaxy Z Flip7 is noticeably behind in both AnTuTu v10 and PCMark Work 3.0 tests, although the latter seemingly has a tendency to favor Snapdragon SoCs (which this phone doesn’t have). Admittedly, the decision to go for an Exynos chip may be a controversial one, but hold your thoughts first.

CPU

In terms of CPU performance, the Exynos 2500 performs quite a lot worse than we imagined. The single-core performance is not keeping up even with previous-generation chips from Snapdragon, much less the current one – the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite (though it has to be said Samsung did get a special variant for this) practically obliterated the Galaxy Z Flip7 in this metric.

Multi-core performance, meanwhile, is decent. That’s mostly owing to the Exynos 2500 SoC packing 10 cores instead of 8 found in most smartphone chipsets. Specifically, this SoC opted for 1X+2P+5E+2LP core configuration, with the extra 2 efficiency cores contributing to the overall multi-core performance to keep up with the likes of Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 and 8 Gen 3 despite the significant single-core deficit.

GPU

However, that’s it as far as the bad news for Exynos goes. The Xclipse 950 GPU onboard is surprisingly powerful, beating the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 entrants in this chart; it even got pretty close to the flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra’s scores. (Note: The Z Flip7 ranked higher in this chart due to higher Wild Life Unlimited score which we use to sort high-to-low, but the S25 Ultra leads in other metrics by margins significant enough to consider it best in this chart, ahead of vivo X200 Pro.)

Stability-wise, the limitation of having half the surface area to dissipate heat (as a result of the foldable form factor) means performance degrades quicker over time, in this case the Galaxy Z Flip7 only registered 42.3% stability rating. If you can find ways to actively cool it, the Exynos chip will offer plenty of GPU performance on tap.

Battery

Here’s another pleasant surprise: despite its paltry 4,300mAh battery by modern standards, the Galaxy Z Flip7 managed to outlast all but one smartphone in this chart. Samsung claims the trick lies on mobile Digital Natural Image engine (mDNIe) to save power on displays, which is often a major factor in a device’s battery life.

Another potential factor in this excellent power efficiency, we believe, has to do with the Exynos 2500’s CPU core configuration. Having up to seven processing cores (5E+2LP) geared towards power efficiency means the performance and prime cores can stay idle for longer unless an app really demands maximum performance possible – and we do observe significant drain if the phone is put under heavy workload for extended periods of time.

User Experience

Software

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 runs on OneUI 8, which is Samsung’s version of Android 16; this version doesn’t have a lot of visual changes since that was already done in OneUI 7 / Android 15. As usual, you can choose between gesture-based control of the classic three-button controls, and this brand is actually one of the very few that still prioritize the three-button style in some capacity.

While the screen now displays a full square of pixels, functionally it isn’t too different than that of the Galaxy Z Flip6. That’s due to the camera’s placement – which stayed the same – meaning UI elements couldn’t be put on the lower right corner of the screen. Hence, when you open apps like Google Maps (currently an experimental feature, which we’ll talk about in a bit), you’ll see a big chunk of the screen unutilized as a result.

The Galaxy Z Flip7 also gained support for Samsung DeX, which is the company’s take on desktop environment similar to Chromebooks. There is a limitation: the resolution is limited to 1920×1080 (FHD), and QHD resolutions are not supported. You can enable DeX on a display using a DisplayPort-capable USB-C cable or wireless through supported displays, and from that point on your phone is acting as a virtual touchpad. On that note, I do wish Samsung can figure out precision controls (like Windows laptops) so it’s easier to position the mouse for resizing windows, for example.

Other features of the Galaxy Z Flip7 include Flex Mode controls, Galaxy AI, and additional features on trial via Labs under Advanced Features section of Settings app. Regarding Galaxy AI, bonus points to Samsung for allowing privacy-minded users to force onboard processing instead of relying on cloud, even if that meant sacrificing responsiveness to a certain degree.

The Labs section is where experimental features come and go, and at the time of testing Samsung has a few features designed for cover screens. That includes using navigation buttons on the cover screen, and even force apps to run on that small screen (for whatever reason you wish). As with the nature of experimental features, some things may not work as intended, but I recommend you giving these features a try to see if it suits you.

Finally, the secret sauce of all Samsung phones is the mighty Good Lock application. In case you aren’t aware, Good Lock is a suite of tools developed by some of the Samsung’s very own developers, and in it comes some truly powerful tools. My personal favorite is One Hand Operation+, which allows you to map practically infinite functions through a single swipe in various directions; Home Up is another useful tool if you want to modify the default look of task switching. However, due to Android 16 being too new, Home Up is currently not yet updated to support this device at the time of this writing.

Camera

Note: All images in this section are captured at 4000×3000 resolution, scaled down to half resolution (2000×1500) for this article.

Like the Galaxy Z Flip6, Samsung tries to compensate the relative lack of camera’s hardware capabilities in software, or more specifically, AI. You wouldn’t see this term mentioned in the app itself, as Samsung calls it “Intelligent Optimization”, of which there are three levels to choose from: Maximum, Medium, and Minimum (Maximum is default).

If you don’t like the idea of AI post-processing, simply switch to Medium and it’ll stay out of the way; this is where you still get some level of post-processing standard in most smartphones (i.e. noise reduction and color optimization). Still, if you go for the Maximum option, the software does a solid job of sharpening things like texts and even some natural features, with limited artifacts.

That said, sometimes AI does seem to backfire in situations with lots of dynamic range. Take this signboard – the Medium preset accurately captures the light emitted from the sign with some glow surrounding the letter ‘T’, whereas Maximum overcorrected the emitted light making it look rather flat (it also couldn’t figure out what to do with the glow either).

Here’s the zoom comparison with three preset levels – ultrawide, wide, and zoomed, the latter of which is simply a sensor crop-in of the main 50MP camera. Again, the camera does seem to struggle with dynamic range, with the lighting below the lion statue overblown; there are also visible sensor noise in the dark night sky as well.

The noise problem is especially worse if you use Pro mode, which Intelligent Optimization doesn’t account for. The sensor noise in the darker parts of the image is severe enough that I’d recommend against using Pro mode unless you have good lighting conditions to begin with; that said, you can still stick to Night mode for situations like these. Here are the rest of the photos taken using the Galaxy Z Flip7’s various cameras:

As a side note, the cover display can be used as a camera viewfinder when using the camera app from the main screen, or when the camera is activated directly from the cover screen.

Gaming

While testing the Z Flip7 for its gaming capabilities, there’s one thing that really infuriates me. Samsung has apparently decided that the Gaming Hub app is now reduced to what is essentially an advertising vehicle to the highest bidder, while leaving the games that you own (which is the entire point for apps like these I’d imagine) to a small hidden panel down at the bottom.

All the settings that users want to look for – say, resolution settings, audio, and performance profile – are all hidden away in a menu that barely anybody would’ve noticed; while the majority of the app’s screen is just endless stream of “recommended for you” stuff that I’m sure people definitely appreciates (sarcasm). I mean, there’s nothing to say except it’s just a flat out terrible design when you compare to how the previous version looked like, courtesy of my very own 3-years-old Galaxy A52s.

Still, if you go past this app and head straight into any game, the in-game panel makes a lot more sense and gives you quick controls for some key functions in-game, as well as opening up specific apps if you want to quickly check messages, for example. It’s not quite as comprehensive as ones offered by dedicated gaming smartphones, but it should serve the vast majority of players just fine.

The Good

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 is not necessarily a major upgrade if you’re coming from recent models, but there are some noteworthy changes. First of all, the new cover display extends edge-to-edge which gives the phone a more pleasant look, and the switch to Exynos chipset is not entirely a bad decision, depending on what you’re looking for. Specifically, the new chipset offers great GPU performance (we’re talking near flagship levels), while its battery life is surprisingly long given its lesser-than-competition capacity.

In terms of media consumption, it’s not only the long battery life that gives this smartphone an edge; the speakers sound pretty solid with a good EQ tune as well (and they get decently loud), and not many phones offer EQ tuning natively these days. The adaptive refresh rate is another contributing factor to the Z Flip7’s excellent battery life, making this foldable a solid option if you like watching content on the go.

For more advanced users, there are two standout features this phone offers: Samsung DeX (for the first time in this series), and Good Lock. Regarding former, the smartphone can now connect to displays – wired or wirelessly – and instantly have a desktop environment ready to go; as for Good Lock, there are loads of features that can really customize the phone to the way you want it, and I highly recommend users to give them a try.

The Bad

While the Xclipse GPU within the Exynos 2500 performs admirably, there is a major tradeoff for this chipset: CPU performance. The single-core performance of this chip lags significantly behind current competition, though in practice, this should matter less as smartphone performance has scaled past the point of UI slowdowns. For multi-core workloads though, the extra pair of efficiency cores allowed the chipset to keep up despite the single-core deficit, so heavy workloads like video editing is less likely to be affected than the benchmarks would initially suggest.

As for the cameras, there is obviously hardware limitation at play here, especially given the lack of a true telephoto lens. Samsung has opted to utilize AI to help with image upscaling to compensate for the blurry zoomed images, but this is at best a workaround; we also found out the sensors struggles a lot under certain low-light conditions, with large amounts of sensor noise present. This can, on paper, be solved through the same AI optimization, but such feature doesn’t work on Pro mode, so your options are quite limited in that sense.

I also have to call out the user-unfriendly design of the Gaming Hub app, which puts game recommendation first and foremost while leaving essential gaming functions in obscure spots of the app. This makes it incredibly difficult to use for first-time users, and certainly will annoy long-time users, especially if they used the previous version of the app. Finally, the 25W fast charging is lagging behind competition by a huge margin at this point – I’d like to see at least 45W support in the next iteration.

Verdict

Samsung will soon officially open the sales of Galaxy Z Flip7 and they’ll be available at RM4,999 (12+256GB, this unit) or RM5,599 (12+512GB) – if you’re looking to upgrade from a Galaxy Z Flip6, I suggest take a closer look at specs and see the upgrade is worth the money (since some things like cameras remained identical); for owners of older models or different smartphones entirely, this is a viable option to go for if you don’t mind some of its trade-offs.

Special thanks to Samsung Malaysia for providing the Galaxy Z Flip7 smartphone for this review.