Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs Galaxy Z Flip 5: Is it time to upgrade?
Intro
The next big thing in flip phones is just around the corner! We're nearing the official announcement of the Galaxy Z Flip 7, the next flagship flip phone Samsung is going to offer to all fans of the design around the world.
With the Motorola Razr Ultra already making rounds and getting a lot of attention, Samsung needs to bring some upgrades to the table in order to compete. And most importantly, convince its longtime fans to stay inside the ecosystem.
Speaking of which, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be two years old soon, and people might already be on the lookout for a replacement. So, should they upgrade to the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 or look elsewhere? Let's find out!
Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs Galaxy Z Flip 5 differences:
| Galaxy Z Flip 7* | Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Same overall design, slightly bigger footprint | A tad more compact device, potentially lighter |
| Same camera housing redesigned cover screen | Cover screen doesn't wrap around the cameras |
| Upgraded 50MP main camera | One 12MP main camera and one 12MP ultrawide |
| 1-120Hz AMOLED main display, 2600 nits brightness | 120Hz AMOLED display, 1750 nits peak brightness |
| Slightly bigger display at 6.85 inches, lower pixel density | 6.7-inch display, 1080 x 2640 pixels resolution |
| Bigger 4-inch cover screen with 120Hz refresh rate | 3.4-inch cover screen, 60Hz refresh rate |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite platform | Two generations older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset |
| 12GB of RAM | 8GB of RAM |
| Bigger 4,174 potentially better battery life | 3,700 mAh battery |
| The same charging speeds | 25W wired, 15W wireless charging |
Table of Contents:
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Design and Size
Slightly bigger dimensions?
According to the most recent leaks and rumors, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 follows in the same footsteps as its predecessors, including the Galaxy Z Flip 5. The rumored dimensions suggest that the new model will be a tad wider, probably to accommodate the larger main screen. We're talking 3 millimeters, so nothing drastic.
The weight of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is still a mystery but we expect a slight increase here as well, mainly due to the bigger footprint and the larger battery, but more on this later. For what it's worth, the new phone will probably be thinner when folded, as Samsung reduced the gap between the two sides of the phone in a folded state from the Z Flip 5 to the Z Flip 6. No reason for this to change in the opposite direction, it's more likely for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 to be even thinner when folded.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7* | Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Thickness Unfolded: 6.9 mm Folded: N/A | Thickness Unfolded: 6.9 mm Folded: 15.1 mm |
| Dimensions Unfolded: 166.6 x 75.2 | Dimensions Unfolded: 165.1 x 71.9 Folded: 85.1 x 71.9 |
| Weight N/A | Weight 187 grams |
In terms of materials, we don't expect any radical changes—it's the same glass and metal sandwich design all over again. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is expected to feature a new Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic, while the Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with Victus 2. Both phones rely on aluminum frames.
The color situation is still a bit vague, but we do have some rumors about the potential hues of the Galaxy Z Flip 7. There's a new Coral Red color option that's expected on the new device, but other than that, most of the shades mimic previous generations. That said, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is available in some really hip colors, such as Yellow and Lavender.
The color situation is still a bit vague, but we do have some rumors about the potential hues of the Galaxy Z Flip 7. There's a new Coral Red color option that's expected on the new device, but other than that, most of the shades mimic previous generations. That said, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is available in some really hip colors, such as Yellow and Lavender.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7* | Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| White/Cream | Cream |
| Gray/Silver | Graphite |
| Blue | Blue |
| - | Yellow |
| Green | Mint |
| Black | Lavender |
| Coral Red | Gray |
*rumored
Display Differences
Bigger screens all around
We expect Samsung to bring some changes to both displays of the Galaxy Z Flip 7, compared to last generation, and, of course, compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 5. The main flexible screen is expected to grow in size to 6.85 inches, and the cover screen is believe to stretch edge-to-edge coming in at 4 inches.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7* | Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Size Main screen: 6.85" Cover screen: 4" | Size Main screen: 6.7" Cover screen: 3.4" |
| Brightness 2600 nits (peak) | Brightness 1750 nits (peak) |
In terms of brightness, the latest leaks and rumors point toward the same 2600 nits of peak brightness as the previous model, which in turn still means an upgrade from the advertised 1750 nits on the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
In our display test, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 managed only 857 nits of brightness at 100% APL, which, by 2025 standards, is average. We can't wait to test the Galaxy Z Flip 7, but if we extrapolate from the previous generation, we should expect something in the ballpark of 1200 nits at 100% APL.
We expect both screens on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 to be able to go up to 120 Hz, but the main one is believed to be an LTPO covering 1-120 Hz, while the cover will have a fixed 120 Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy Z Flip 5, on the other hand, can do only 60 Hz on its cover screen but features the same LTPO tech on the main display. Stay tuned for lab tests soon.
We expect both screens on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 to be able to go up to 120 Hz, but the main one is believed to be an LTPO covering 1-120 Hz, while the cover will have a fixed 120 Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy Z Flip 5, on the other hand, can do only 60 Hz on its cover screen but features the same LTPO tech on the main display. Stay tuned for lab tests soon.
Performance and Software
Snapdragon Elite club
No surprises here; the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is rumored to have the newest Qualcomm chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Due to the Samsung Z Flip series' release schedule, the models will miss out on the next flagship Qualcomm processor.
The increase in performance from the Gen 2 on the Z Flip 5 to the Elite on the new model, though, will be more than enough to justify an upgrade.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 managed around 2000 and 5000 points in Geekbench 6 single- and multicore tests, respectively, and for reference, the Snapdragon 8 Elite-equipped Motorola Razr Ultra did 3000 and 8600 in the same tests. So, there's a huge leap to be made, but stay tuned for hard numbers and real benchmarks soon.
The increase in performance from the Gen 2 on the Z Flip 5 to the Elite on the new model, though, will be more than enough to justify an upgrade.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 managed around 2000 and 5000 points in Geekbench 6 single- and multicore tests, respectively, and for reference, the Snapdragon 8 Elite-equipped Motorola Razr Ultra did 3000 and 8600 in the same tests. So, there's a huge leap to be made, but stay tuned for hard numbers and real benchmarks soon.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7* | Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite | Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| Process 3nm | Process 4nm |
| RAM 12GB | RAM 8GB |
The RAM situation is in favor of the Galaxy Z Flip 7, the phone will mimic the RAM of the previous model coming in at 12GB, which is still more than what the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has to offer, which is just 8GB of RAM.
Speaking of updates, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will get only four years of major OS updates, while the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is expected to be supported for seven years.
Camera
Main wide camera upgrades
Well, while we don't expect any hardware upgrades to the camera of the Galaxy Z Flip 7, compared to the last generation, Samsung already upgraded the main camera on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, so in practice, we've got a better main camera on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, if we compare it to the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7* | Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Main 50 MP f/1.8 23 mm (wide) 1/1.57" | Main 12 MP f/1.8 24 mm (wide) 1/1.76" |
| Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13 mm (ultrawide) 123 FOV | Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13 mm (ultrawide) 123 FOV |
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 managed a camera score of 136 overall (the current best is 158) in our test, which is not very far from its direct successor (137 for the Galaxy Z Flip 6), so we can't wait to see how the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will fare in our lab tests.
As always, we have to keep in mind that hardware alone isn't the deciding factor when we talk about smartphone photography, and different post-processing algorithms are in play. So, we'll have to snap some side-by-side photos to see how the Galaxy Z Flip 7 fares against its older sibling in the camera department.
As always, we have to keep in mind that hardware alone isn't the deciding factor when we talk about smartphone photography, and different post-processing algorithms are in play. So, we'll have to snap some side-by-side photos to see how the Galaxy Z Flip 7 fares against its older sibling in the camera department.
Battery Life and Charging
A substantial increase?
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes equipped with a 3700 mAh battery, which even at launch was a bit on the lower side. The phone managed only 5h 11m composite battery score in our test, which currently ranks it #117 in this department.
Now, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is expected to bring a substantial upgrade (at least compared to the Z Flip 5). The speculated battery capacity is 4174 mAh, almost 500 mAh more than the Z Flip 5. This will inevitably lead to better battery life figures but we'll have to test it to see the exact numbers.
| Galaxy Z Flip 7* | Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity 4174 mAh | Battery capacity 5000 mAh |
Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C | Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C |
*rumored
Samsung seems so reluctant to upgrade the charging speeds of its phones. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 supports only 25W wired, and it seems that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will come with the same support, even after two long years between these generations. The wireless charging support is also carried over for another consecutive year; it's 15W.
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 Z Flip 5 |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 166.6 x 75.2 x 6.9 mm TBA | Size, weight 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm 187 g |
| Screen Main: 6.85" AMOLED 1-120Hz 2600 nits peak Cover: 4" 120Hz | Screen Main: 6.7" AMOLED 1-120Hz 1750 nits peak Cover: 3.4" 60Hz |
| Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm | Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4nm |
| Versions: 12/128GB 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 8/128GB 8/256GB 8/512GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 50MP main 12MP ultrawide 10MP front | Cameras: 12MP main 12MP ultrawide 10MP front |
| Battery: 4174 mAh | Battery: 3,700 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 25W wired 15W wireless charging | Charging: USB-C 25W wired 15W wireless charging |
*rumored
Summary
Even though the upgrades on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 aren't huge compared to the previous generation, they shape up to be just enough to convince people coming from older Z Flip devices to upgrade.
Next to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the new model is expected to offer a better main camera, bigger inner and cover screens, a larger battery and potentially better battery life, the best Qualcomm silicon to date, and the latest software with seven long years of support.
We will update this comparison with all the tests, benchmarks, camera samples, and display scores once we lay our hands on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, so stay tuned for the final verdict.
Next to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the new model is expected to offer a better main camera, bigger inner and cover screens, a larger battery and potentially better battery life, the best Qualcomm silicon to date, and the latest software with seven long years of support.
We will update this comparison with all the tests, benchmarks, camera samples, and display scores once we lay our hands on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, so stay tuned for the final verdict.
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