Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs Galaxy S25: Is it time to get a flip phone?
How does a non-foldable flagship phone stacks against its modern and hip flip counterpart? This is our Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs Galaxy S25 comparison!
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Intro
Foldable phones have been around for more than five years now, and the million-dollar question is still up in the air and more relevant than ever. Is it time to give these devices a chance? The timing is perfect, because we've just got the next big thing in flip phones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7.
Samsung's next foldable flagship polishes and refines the flip idea further and is the best option if you want to dip your toes in this specific water, or should we say form factor.
On the other hand, we have rigid and conventional phones to choose from, and the Galaxy S25 is a perfect example, especially because it's more or less the non-folding alternative of the Galaxy Z Flip 7.
So, let's compare these two and see who wins the battle for the heart of the Samsung fan.
Samsung's next foldable flagship polishes and refines the flip idea further and is the best option if you want to dip your toes in this specific water, or should we say form factor.
So, let's compare these two and see who wins the battle for the heart of the Samsung fan.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs Galaxy S25 differences:
| Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| It's a flexible flip phone, it bends in half | Hard as a rock, doesn't bend (more than once) |
| A tad bigger, but folded it gets more compact | It's more compact than the unfolded Z Flip 7 |
| Overall design is pretty similar, but it has a cover screen | Flat back, front and sides, no additional displays |
| Upgraded 50MP main camera | Main camera is pretty much the same |
| 1-120Hz AMOLED main display, 2600 nits brightness | 120Hz AMOLED display, same peak brightness |
| Bigger display at 6.9 inches, same pixel density | 6.2-inch display, 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution |
| 4.1-inch cover screen with 120Hz refresh rate | There's no second screen on this one |
| Samsung's newest Exynos 2500 silicon | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy here |
| 12GB of RAM | 12GB of RAM here as well |
| Bigger 4,300mAh battery | 4,000 mAh battery |
| The same charging speeds | 25W wired, 15W wireless charging |
| More expensive at $1099 | Cheaper at $799 for the base model |
Table of Contents:
Also read:
Design and Size
To flip or not to flip?
This is the ultimate question when it comes to comparing a conventional, rigid phone with a flexible-screen foldable (or, in this case, flip) device. On the one hand, we have a tad more compact phone in the face of the Galaxy S25, but you can't fold it in half and put it inside a tight pocket or a small purse.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 becomes this tiny square when folded, but it's a bit thicker, and you also have to unfold it every time you need to do something complicated—the cover screen can only do so much.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 becomes this tiny square when folded, but it's a bit thicker, and you also have to unfold it every time you need to do something complicated—the cover screen can only do so much.
So, at the end of the day, it's whether you're okay with folding and unfolding your phone tens of times a day or you prefer a "permanently unfolded" device, albeit a bit larger.
Here are some hard numbers when it comes to size and weight.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| Thickness Unfolded: 6.5 mm Folded: 13.7 mm | Thickness 7.2 mm |
| Dimensions Unfolded: 166.7 x 75.2 | Dimensions 146.9 x 70.5 |
| Weight 188 grams | Weight 162 grams |
In terms of materials, things are pretty similar—we have the same glass and metal sandwich design, but because the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has to bend in half (physics!), the display is just softer. There's a coating to prevent scratches and scuffs, but it's nothing like the Gorilla Glass on top of the Galaxy S25's screen. So, this has to be taken into consideration.
The colors situation is in favor of the Galaxy S25, as there are more hues available, but the Galaxy Z Flip 7 comes in fresh colors as well. Here's a quick comparison table.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| - | Blue Black |
| - | Silver Shadow |
| - | Navy |
| Blue Shadow | Icy Blue |
| Mint (Samsung.com exclusive) | Mint |
| Jet Black | Pink Gold |
| Coral Red | Coral Red |
Display Differences
Two versus one
We're back at the folding debate. Actually, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 sports a pretty big 6.9-inch main screen, which is an advantage over the 6.2-inch conventional screen of the Galaxy S25.
There's, of course, a secondary cover screen, so you don't have to open the phone every time you need to do something quick. This time around it's a 4.1" AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate, so Samsung has upped its game with the Galaxy Z Flip 7.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| Size Main screen: 6.9" Cover screen: 4.1" | Size Main screen: 6.2" |
| Brightness 2600 nits (peak) | Brightness 2600 nits (peak) |
In terms of brightness, the Galaxy Z Flip mimics the peak brightness of the Galaxy S25 coming in at 2600 nits. Speaking of which, the Galaxy S25 managed to output almost 2400 nits at 20% APL (and around 1300 nits at 100% APL). Pretty impressive!
Display Measurements:
Both screens on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 have the 120 Hz refresh rate treatment, but the main one is an LTPO covering 1-120 Hz, while the cover has a fixed 60/120 Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S25, of course, uses the same LTPO tech and is able to go between 1 and 120Hz with everything in between.
Performance and Software
Exynos vs Snapdragon
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the first phone to feature Samsung's new 3nm Exynos 2500 chipset. The Galaxy S25 is part of the latest flagship family and thus comes with the aforementioned industry standard - the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which has been specially tuned "for Galaxy." This means a slight overclock of the performance cores.
The Galaxy S25 managed around 3000 and 9000 points in the Geekbench single- and multi-core tests, which is a normal result for a Snapdragon 8 Elite phone. Check out the benchmarks below.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| Chip Samsung Exynos 2500 | Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Process 3nm | Process 3nm |
| RAM 12GB | RAM 12GB |
The benchmarks clearly show that the Exynos 2400 is no match for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. We can't help but wonder why Samsung opted not to give its newest flip phones the Elite treatment that the Z Fold 7 received. But it is what it is.
The hardware situation is actually identical, because the RAM on board is 12GB on both phones, and the storage options are also the similar—the S25 starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB, while the Galaxy Z Flip 7 skips the 128GB variant.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 launches with OneUI 8 out of the box over Android 16. Both the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy S25 will be supported for seven long years and will receive all the AI goodness that's inevitably "to come" in the future. So, it's more or less a tie in this section.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 launches with OneUI 8 out of the box over Android 16. Both the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy S25 will be supported for seven long years and will receive all the AI goodness that's inevitably "to come" in the future. So, it's more or less a tie in this section.
Camera
How badly do you need that telephoto?
Another area where these two phones are very, very similar. They both have 50MP main cameras with similar aperture and sensor size. The ultrawide cameras on both are also almost identical, with just a tiny difference in the FOV (probably the positioning of the lenses).
The biggest difference, of course, is the presence of a dedicated telephoto camera on the Galaxy S25. This will inevitably result in a higher camera score for the S25 when compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 7.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| Main 50 MP f/1.8 23 mm (wide) 1/1.57" | Main 50 MP f/1.8 24 mm (wide) 1/1.56" |
| Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13 mm (ultrawide) 123 FOV | Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13 mm (ultrawide) 120 FOV |
| N/A | Telephoto 10 MP f/2.4 67mm 3x optical zoom |
PhoneArena Camera Score:
Speaking of camera scores, the Galaxy S25 managed an overall score of 147 (out of 158), which is a pretty decent result! The Galaxy Z Flip 7 wasn't able to match that, but, as always, we will snap some comparison samples and see what the real-life differences are.
Battery Life and Charging
A slight advantage for the flip?
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 brings a slightly larger battery compared to its predecessor, with a capacity of 4,300mAh. In contrast, the Galaxy S25 comes equipped with a 4,000 mAh cell, which is a bit on the lower side nowadays.
We have to bear in mind the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has two displays, so it potentially needs more power, but we need to run our battery tests to evaluate how much more exactly (if any). The Galaxy S25 scored 7h 6m overall in our battery test, which ranks it #60 among all phones tested in the past 2 years. Not great, not terrible—just a good average score.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7* | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity 4300 mAh | Battery capacity 4000 mAh |
Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C | Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C |
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
The battery benchmark results are almost identical, but there are some differences in the underlying components of the benchmark. If you like to play mobile games, the Galaxy S25 will last more, so bear this in mind.
Overall, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 performed admirably in this test, much better than its predecessor, and now battery life is not a deciding factor when you have to choose between the Z Flip 7 and the S25.
Charging speeds continue to be pretty slow on most Samsung devices, and the Galaxy S25 is no exception. 25W wired charging and 15W wireless are anything but fast, but it is what it is. Sadly, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 seems to adhere to these speeds, at least when it comes to wired charging, and won't be setting any records either.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison between the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5:
| Galaxy Z Flip 7 | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 166.7 x 75.2 x 6.5 mm 188 g | Size, weight 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm 162 g |
| Screen Main: 6.9" AMOLED 1-120Hz 2600 nits peak Cover: 4.1" 120Hz | Screen Main: 6.2" AMOLED 1-120Hz 2600 nits peak |
| Processor Samsung Exynos 2500 3nm | Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm |
| Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 12/128GB 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 50MP main 12MP ultrawide 10MP front | Cameras: 50MP main 12MP ultrawide 10MP telephoto 10MP front |
| Battery: 4300 mAh | Battery: 4,000 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 25W wired 15W wireless charging | Charging: USB-C 25W wired 15W wireless charging |
Summary
And here we are! These two are very similar in so many areas that the question unsurprisingly boils down to the same "do you need a foldable device" mantra. There are some differences to help you make up your mind, though.
The Galaxy S25 is cheaper, it has one additional telephoto camera, and it's more compact than the unfolded Z Flip 7. But on the other hand, you can't reproduce the experience of having a flip phone that folds in half, and those minor advantages we mention might be irrelevant if you've decided to go for it.
The Exynos 2500 inside the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is not on par with the overclocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite inside that the Galaxy S25 sports. But at the end of the day, you will be happy with either of these two phones. Just ask yourselves the same old question, to fold or not to fold!
The Galaxy S25 is cheaper, it has one additional telephoto camera, and it's more compact than the unfolded Z Flip 7. But on the other hand, you can't reproduce the experience of having a flip phone that folds in half, and those minor advantages we mention might be irrelevant if you've decided to go for it.
The Exynos 2500 inside the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is not on par with the overclocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite inside that the Galaxy S25 sports. But at the end of the day, you will be happy with either of these two phones. Just ask yourselves the same old question, to fold or not to fold!
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