Galaxy Flip 7: maxed-out cover screen and thinner design! (hands-on)
This is Samsung giving the people what they want.
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Samsung’s flip phone just got bigger, smarter, and way cooler, and I’m happy that I already got to spend some time with it. From my initial testing of the Samsung Galaxy Flip 7, one thing immediately becomes clear: it certainly doesn’t rewrite the flip rulebook, but, to be honest, it doesn’t need to. Instead, it comes with a series of smart, tactical upgrades that easily transform it into a much finer everyday phone.
I’m not sure how many people would use it for this particular purpose, but there will certainly be many use cases discovered for this setup.
Aside from that, it’s worth mentioning that this is actually the thinnest Galaxy Flip phone yet. Thanks to a 30% slimmer hinge, a redesigned camera module and other improvements, the Galaxy Flip 7 now has a profile of 6.5mm when open. Both the increased width of the phone, as well as the reduced thickness are very welcome enhancements in my book.
You also get Samsung’s new Auto Zoom feature, which will make hands-free vlogging or capturing yourself in motion easier, as it’s supposed to help position you in the frame properly.
After the Flip 6 got a battery capacity upgrade to 4000 mAh, it’s great to know that Samsung has again managed to fit an even larger unit inside the Galaxy Flip 7. The new flip packs a 4300mAh battery, the largest ever in a Flip device. Samsung says that’s good for up to 31 hours of video playback – but we’ll see how that holds up in the PhoneArena Battery Test over the next week or so and come back with the results in our review.
And I’m happy to say that no, there isn’t. Galaxy Flip 7 prices again start from $1100 for 256 GB / 12 GB RAM, and go up to $1220 for 512 GB of storage and 12 GB RAM. Phew!
What’s your take on the Galaxy Flip 7?
Maxed-out cover screen, finally!
The biggest and most obvious change to the Galaxy Flip 7’s design is the expanded cover screen. It’s now 4.1”, up from 3.4", with dramatically thinner, 1.25mm bezels. This change from a screen that almost covers the whole front, to a screen that absolutely maxes out the available real estate, makes for a huge difference in the way the Flip 7 is perceived. To me, it automatically makes for a way more modern and cutting-edge appearance, instantly casting the Flip 6’s look as outdated and… less cool.
But the cover display is not just larger – it’s better: it now supports 120Hz refresh rate and hits a whopping 2600 nits of peak brightness, essentially mimicking the main display’s properties. This makes it way more pleasant to operate and view outdoors.
On top of that, Samsung is giving the Flip 7’s cover display expanded functionality. The newly introduced Now Bar, for example, will now be available straight from the cover screen. Likewise, Gemini Live can also be summoned directly with the lid closed. You can even go a step further and use the main camera + Gemini Live at the same time. An example use case here would be to have the phone “look” at your outfit and help generate style suggestions.
A wider main screen is another welcome improvement
The internal display of the Samsung Galaxy Flip 7 has also grown slightly — from 6.7 to 6.9 inches — while adopting a more traditional 21:9 aspect ratio, which makes it feel more like a normal phone. The panel is still a sharp Dynamic AMOLED 2X, with 120Hz refresh and the same 2600-nit peak brightness as the cover. All in all, a lovely display.
New camera tools and a larger battery
The reworked 50MP main camera of the Galaxy Flip 7 brings sharper detail and improved low-light capture thanks to the improved ProVisual Engine.
It’s paired with a 12MP ultra-wide and another 10MP selfie cam inside. I say another, because if you have the Flip, you have absolutely no excuse not to use the main camera to take your selfies.
After the Flip 6 got a battery capacity upgrade to 4000 mAh, it’s great to know that Samsung has again managed to fit an even larger unit inside the Galaxy Flip 7. The new flip packs a 4300mAh battery, the largest ever in a Flip device. Samsung says that’s good for up to 31 hours of video playback – but we’ll see how that holds up in the PhoneArena Battery Test over the next week or so and come back with the results in our review.
Overall impressions
On the surface, the Galaxy Flip 7 looks like a mild refresh – but the sum of its upgrades is greater than the spec sheet suggests. The bigger, brighter cover screen and even more useful inner display make this feel far more like a modern smartphone – and a much more practical foldable.
It’s not radical. It’s tactical. And it works.
Now, the question on everyone’s mind would be: is there a price increase?
Now that we have that out of the way, you should also keep in mind that the Flip 7 is on pre-order starting July 9, and will be shipping on July 25. If I were in the market for the Galaxy Flip 7, I’d also look out for any deals Samsung is going to run, as those are often pretty great and not to be missed.
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