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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is about the fine improvements, a bigger cover display and the AI experience in a compact form.
Samsung’s new Flip 7 is our focus after giving the Fold 7 a solid shout
Samsung showed it has moved on from the iterative foldables with a polished and sleeker Galaxy Z Fold 7 this year. And now it is time to switch focus to the Z Flip 7 version which also gets an FE variant in the market.
The Flip 7 usually opts for the best in the market but this year Samsung has decided to go with an Exynos chipset for the device and other minute design tweaks to give it a more comfortable grip and better use case in other senses. You get a bigger cover screen, the battery size gone up but some of the well-rounded parts of the device have been retained.
The Minute Design Growth
Samsung has taken a few generations but the Galaxy Flip 7 finally gets a bigger cover screen which means you see the end of the notched camera layout. Just like the Z Fold 7 version, the Z Flip 7 model feels a lot more polished compared to the previous iteration that gives it better hand feel, grip is more solid and the actual improvements are noticeable when you start using it for a longer duration.
The Flip model has got an extremely marginal bump in its weight (188 grams from 187 grams on the Flip 6) but the major difference comes with the folded and unfolded state of the device which is now 13.7mm (14.9mm earlier) and 6.5mm (6.9mm) with the Z Flip 7, respectively. Rest of the device and its engineering carry the same features and durability.
The Cover Upgrade
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 makes an immediate impression when you view the outer screen which has grown from 3.4-inch Super AMOLED 60Hz display to a matured 4.1-inch Super AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate. The difference in quality is easily evident, especially with the additional screen estate area available to view more apps and additional compatibility.
The main inner display has also been bumped up from 6.7-inch Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED to a 6.9-inch screen of the same foldable type and same resolution specs. Both the displays bring more functionality to the Flip 7, especially with the cover screen which makes it easy to read messages, access apps and more.
Having said that, the third-party support is fairly limited right now and we would like to see more apps taking advantage of the bigger unit.
The display on both sides are sharp, fluid and the typical traits of an AMOLED panel from the brand that we have come to like over the years.
Back To Exynos
Samsung went with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for the Flip 6 and we expected the upgraded 8 Elite to be available with the new version like the Fold 7. But the brand has opted for the Exynos 2500 SoC with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The new hardware is not bad per se, but when you price a product over Rs 1 lakh, people would generally expect the best package available in the market.
That said, the Exynos powering the Flip 7 was surprisingly responsive, no major heating issues observed during our tests, and it can handle most of the tasks with ease. Yes, the benchmark scores do tell a different story but the actual optimisation gives a device that is powered to the right level.
Talking about the software, One UI 8 is available out of the box, a big feat for Samsung since Google is yet to launch its new Pixel 10 series to the market. The new version has less UI changes but continues to show its worth with the overall experience and the general fluidity of the OS. Samsung offers 7 years of upgrades and security updates, which will stand true for the first time since its policy change.
Cameras
Samsung has brought the same Flip 6 camera setup to its successor. You get the 50MP primary sensor with OIS along with a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens. The main camera handles the bulk of the work and delivers on its usual promise.
We did not see any difference in the quality of the photos that were sharp, detailed and giving you the expected natural tones in most cases. The portraits were clear but you do miss the telephoto nature of the shooters. The ultra-wide lens offers detailed images up to a point but not the best we’ve seen in the segment lately.
Bigger But Lasts Longer?
Like the screens on the Flip 7, Samsung has packed a bigger battery on the new model. You get a 4,300mAh unit compared to the 4,000mAh on the Flip 6 last year. However, the brand has stayed from using silicon carbon battery tech which means you only get 25W wired charging support and even the charger is missing in the box.
The new unit does better with the battery life but not by a lot. The 300mAh bump in the capacity was unlikely to make a huge difference and that’s what we saw with the Flip 7 during our tests. You will need to charge the device at least one before you end the day.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 brings incremental upgrades that are noticeable and they make a difference. The cover screen has gotten bigger finally, the battery size has gone up from last year and you get Android 16 out of the box along with 7 years of updates. However, the charging speeds are still slow, the cameras are good but the same as last year.
S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and helping fr…Read More
S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and helping fr… Read More
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