Review: Everything I Love About the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7

When it comes to foldables, no one is doing it like Samsung. The launch of its first foldable, the Galaxy Fold, in early 2019 saw a paradigm shift in the new category of smartphones, changing the way we experience and interact with these gadgets forever. But the innovation didn’t just stop there. In 2020, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Z Flip, a delightfully nostalgic callback to flip phones of the early 2000s, combined with a futuristic edge that quickly became a customer favourite.

Five years later, we’ve arrived at the newest and most powerful iteration of the popular model series: the Galaxy Z Flip7. Compact in size and bold in capability, this stylish and nifty gadget is more sophisticated than ever with features that redefine the flip phone experience. 

Small enough to slip into a pocket, yet powerful enough to deliver the handiest assistance, the Galaxy Z Flip7 melds Galaxy AI with a new FlexWindow, a flagship-level camera, and innovative AI features, all optimised for the foldable form factor. Simply put: it’s not just a smartphone; the Galaxy Z Flip7 is an intelligent pocket-sized companion built for seamless interaction and everyday reliability.

Considering getting one for yourself? Allow me to tell you about five features on the Galaxy Z Flip7 that won me over to the flip side.

That Slim, Ultra-Compact Design

Lifting it right out of the box, I was immediately surprised and impressed with how light and compact it felt in my hand. The Galaxy Z Flip7 is the slimmest model in the Galaxy Z Flip series yet, measuring only 13.7 millimetres thick when folded. This compact and portable design easily fits into a small purse and shallow pocket (ladies, rejoice!) and only weighs in at 188 grams. 

But just because it’s lightweight doesn’t mean it’s not sturdy. In fact, it’s quite the opposite of flimsy. The Armour Aluminium Frame provides a tough exterior that’s made to last, whilst the Armour FlexHinge is thinner than previous generations and features a restructured design for smoother folds and long-lasting durability.

Part of the fun of a flip phone is in the flipping, and the Galaxy Z Flip7’s improved construction and hardware mean I don’t have to worry every time I flip the phone open and closed dramatically like a TV sitcom character.

You might also be wondering what the battery life on something so small could be like (as did I). Interestingly, the Galaxy Z Flip7 actually features the largest battery seen in a Galaxy Z Flip, and I can certainly attest to that. On a full charge, the smartphone lasted me about two days, where I was editing videos on the fly, blasting music, or listening to podcasts without missing a beat. With fast-charging, you can also get 50 per cent battery in just 30 minutes—a feature that saved me many a time.

Of course, I can’t talk about design without mentioning the beautiful shades the Galaxy Z Flip7 comes in. I’m using its hero colour, Blue Shadow, which is a luxurious navy tone. Other colourways include Jet Black, Coral Red and the online exclusive, Mint. With its sleek silhouette and high-quality materials, the Galaxy Z Flip7 looks and feels good, befitting its premium price tag.

Putting The ‘Flex’ in FlexWindow

The next thing that immediately stands out is the significantly larger FlexWindow. The bezel surrounding the dual cameras measures only 1.25 millimetres thick, making the 4.1-inch FlexWindow—which spans the entire surface—the largest ever featured in the Galaxy Z Flip series.

Content spills elegantly from edge-to-edge on the Galaxy Z Flip7’s stunning FlexWindow display, which brings essentials front and centre and makes it easy to type out quick messages, check schedules at a glance, and snap high-quality selfies with a simple swipe of a thumb. 

Paired with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and 2,600 nits of peak brightness, everything looks vivid and feels fluid whether I’m scrolling, streaming or gaming on the FlexWindow—even when outside on a sunny day. 

Due to the larger surface area of the FlexWindow, I’m able to see and do so much more on the cover screen without flipping the phone. Even when folded, I’m still able to type out messages, add to my calendar, and even watch videos. This out-of-your-pocket, ready-to-use foldable experience is convenient and intuitive. 

Flagship Camera Quality

The Galaxy Z Flip7 also brings flagship-level photography with its rear camera system that includes a 50MP Wide15 and a 12MP Ultra-Wide lens. It’s Samsung’s best selfie camera yet as it captures scenic shots and high-quality selfies directly from the cover screen. With the ProVisual Engine, every image and scene comes out crisp and detailed in stunning clarity, without the need for major manual adjustments. 

I may not be the biggest fan of taking selfies, but the Galaxy Z Flip7 makes me want to be with how easy it is to capture them. No longer do I have to awkwardly prop up my phone against something to get a good angle or stretch my arms out to get everyone into frame. Now, all I do is flip the FlexWindow to the desired angle and let the Auto Zoom feature do the work for me. Or, use the Zoom Slider function that allows me to zoom in or out with a simple swipe on one hand.

The rings that surround the dual camera also change colour depending on the shooting mode: white for standard, yellow for photo, and red for video—a nice touch so everyone can see the current mode at a glance, because we’ve all accidentally pressed the wrong button while posing for the camera once! 

A Pocket-Sized AI Powerhouse

AI is the buzzword in the tech world right now. Some appreciate it while others are wary of it. At Samsung, they embrace it. Powered by the newest One UI 810 and Android 16 right out of the box, the Galaxy Z Flip7 delivers true multimodal AI experiences optimised for the Flip’s iconic design, with many tasks now able to be handled right from the FlexWindow. It’s like having your own personal assistant right on the cover of your screen!

Collaborating with Google, the smartphone’s AI agent, Google Gemini, opens up a whole new world of possibilities. One feature I’ve been frequently using is Gemini Live, where I’m able to get real-time help by simply pointing my camera or speaking into the microphone. For instance, I’ve initiated camera view and asked Gemini to help me pick between two blouses depending on the weather and choose from a pile of books when I struggled to decide which one to start with.

Another AI feature I’ve been enjoying is the translation tool. While most smartphones still require external apps to help with this, Gemini can translate entire pages and live-translate calls or conversations into the language of your choice for free—something I’ll definitely be using more of during my overseas travels! 

The best part is that Gemini can receive real-time information, meaning it’s an AI program that doesn’t rely on using the right set of keywords and prompts to get the desired answer. Rather, I just chat to it like I would a friend, and it’s able to flawlessly interpret my requests and questions and reply with context. Gemini can also be accessed right from the FlexWindow, so getting information is quick and seamless. 

Taking it a step further, Now Bar, located at the bottom of the FlexWindow, is a great tool that shows me real-time app activity, podcast progress, and other alerts. Meanwhile, Now Brief delivers personalised daily updates such as music and video recommendations, calendar events, and reminders, further enhancing everyday convenience. 

The AI capabilities also extend to the Galaxy Z Flip7’s photo-taking. With any image, I can simply press the Gemini icon and either draw or sketch to generate an object into the picture, circle to erase people and objects, or select parts of an image to be moved around. I love using this to remove unwanted shadows or declutter a busy background. As an example, the above image is one I took of the KL city skyline on a grey day, and I thought it could use a sun to brighten it up, so I did a quick sketch, let Gemini do its thing, and voila! Did you think it was real at first?

Unfolding More Possibilities 

I’ve been talking a lot about how much the Galaxy Z Flip7 can do closed, but when it’s unfolded, there is even more that the smartphone has to offer. The Galaxy Z Flip7 sports a strikingly larger screen and expansive feel compared to its predecessor. The 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2Z main display delivers vibrant image quality with a 120Hz refresh rate, offering a more immersive and whip-fast user experience. 

Further, I also enjoy using the main display screen when it’s not fully open. Folding it in half allows me to enable split screen functions, where the top half and bottom half work separately without the need for me to constantly switch back and forth between apps. For added convenience and comfort, I can also enable the touchpad option on the bottom half. This enables functions such as scrolling, screenshot, screen-recording, and more if you don’t have anywhere to prop your phone up.

The Galaxy Z Flip7 is also the first in the Galaxy Z series to support Samsung DeX. By unfolding the device and connecting it to an external display, mouse or keyboard, users can instantly turn it into a portable workstation. 

As with any foldable device, you might be wondering about the hinge and how it looks when the phone is fully open. I’m pleasantly surprised that the seam is nearly invisible to the naked eye and does not disrupt the viewing experience at all. While you can feel a slight protrusion with your finger, the screen looks smooth, and the visuals are not affected by it. The above image is how the Flip looks fully open under sunlight—the seam is practically nonexistent! 

Compact in form yet powerful with AI, the Galaxy Z Flip7 redefines the foldable mobile experience, offering seamless, ready-in-your-pocket AI usability and expanded functionality when unfolded. I’m only on the tip of the iceberg on what the Galaxy Z Flip7 can do, and I can’t wait to dive further into its capabilities in the coming months. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 starts from RM4,999. To pre-order, visit the official website here.

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