In the flip phone market, Samsung lives in the shadow of Motorola. Even with Motorola Razr Ultra 2026‘s will be a flip phone for price increases Galaxy Z Flip 8 to beat Before you decide to buy the Razr Ultra 2026, Galaxy Z Flip 8, or older model, you might want to know what it’s like. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 it stops after one year.
I spent a full year with the Galaxy Z Flip 7, testing Samsung’s foldable features against their predecessors. Galaxy Z Flip 6 and as a whole Motorola Razr 2026 lineup. Honestly, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a bit underrated. It’s easy to make fun of a flip phone for its poor flip-screen software, but beyond that, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has polished hardware and excellent hardware support.
Still going strong in 2026, and after extended use, here’s what I love (and don’t love) about the Galaxy Z Flip 7.
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Samsung’s flip design is still better than Motorola’s
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7’s IP48 certification isn’t going to win any awards, but overall, it’s the best-built foldable device you can buy in North America. It is sturdy, has a strong hinge and an almost crease-free screen. My favorite aspect of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is its form factor. The flip phone weighs only 188 grams and measures only 13.7 mm when folded, which significantly reduces the weight of the phone. Razr Ultra 2026.
I can guarantee you’ll notice the slimmer, lighter build of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 as you experience it for months. no Galaxy Z Fold 7 — the curls simply have less internal area to work with, resulting in thicker builds, but it’s still impressive. More importantly, I love the rectangular shape of the Galaxy Z Flip 7. It feels polished and premium, whereas I find the Razr Ultra 2026’s curved design to look thicker than it is.
Motorola gets credit for the fancy PANTONE colors available on the Razr line, but I’ll take the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cues anyway.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s overlay software is still disappointing
One shortcoming that is an unmitigated disqualification of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the phone’s cover screen software. It’s more limited than the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026 — you have to use add-ons like MultiStar to get basic apps running on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover screen. The real problem is the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s Flex Window software The Galaxy Z Flip 6 pales in comparison.
Previously, you could add widgets on the cover screen and use full-screen widgets. Now you have to open the phone to add a widget, and the largest widgets (except launchers) are 2×2. So you can see less information on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover screen than on the Galaxy Z Flip cover screen. I was hoping for updates to improve the cover screen functionality, but it works A UI 8.5, it’s the same story.
If running full-screen apps and enjoying information-rich widgets on the flip screen is important to you, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is unfortunately not a realistic choice. You’ll have to go with the Motorola flip.
The aspect ratio of the foldable screen is almost perfect
After using the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, it’s clear that the wider screens are no less. The 6.9-inch foldable display on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is 68.6 millimeters wide. It feels like one Galaxy S25 Edge or Galaxy S26 Plusand ultimately the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a joy to use. Foldable devices have typically disrupted the traditional smartphone experience with narrow screens and odd aspect ratios, but the Galaxy Z Flip 7 does not.
While the flip screen software leaves a lot to be desired, the Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel inside is excellent. The aspect ratio and size are two big reasons for this, but the 120Hz refresh rate and 2600 nits of peak brightness are others. It’s more like a flip phone that you can fold in half than a flip phone with a clamshell screen designed to keep you from opening. A year with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 taught me that flips from Samsung and Motorola can serve different audiences.
Camera sensors are poor even for foldables
The slow pace of Samsung’s smartphone updates is well-documented, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s camera system is further proof. There’s a 50MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera, which isn’t great compared to Motorola’s dual 50MP sensors on the Razr Ultra 2026.
Yes, Motorola’s phone is a year newer and more expensive, but it’s the brand’s latest generation Razr Ultra 2025 it also had dual 50MP rear cameras – and it’s cheaper than the Galaxy Z Flip 7 today. I didn’t find the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s camera system to be terrible, but there are flip phones with better offerings.
A UI is great and has long app support
It’s easy to forget that, outside of the limitations of the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cover display, foldable devices are packed with great software. One UI 8 was great out of the box and One UI 8.5 is even better. Soon, the flip phone will push One UI 9. For many people, One UI will feel smoother, cleaner and more versatile than Motorola’s My UX.
The main thing to remember is the phone’s software support. With a seven-year warranty, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will receive updates for years to come. The Razr Ultra 2026 is supported for less than half the time with only three guaranteed Android OS updates. Especially considering the high price of Motorola foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 (and newer Galaxy Z Flip 8) feels like a better deal thanks to software support.
Battery life and charging could use some work
As silicon-carbon batteries become more common in phones sold in the US, the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s battery seems worse. It’s only a 4,300mAh battery with slow 25W wired charging, and no Qi2 magnets. Compared to the 5,000mAh Razr Ultra 2026, it’s not even competitive. Although the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a larger battery than the Galaxy Z Flip 6, I found battery life to be about the same between generations.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 may be old news With the arrival of the Galaxy Z Flip 8but this does not mean that its number has decreased. It’s still a great phone that can rival Motorola’s best in several areas. In others, it is also very outdated. If you already have a Galaxy Z Flip 7, you don’t need to trade it in just yet.
It’s still going strong
Even with the Galaxy Z Flip 8 available for pre-order, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is an attractive option. I’ve been using it for a year now and the design, performance and build quality are all solid. Reasons to switch include poor overlay screen software, average battery life, and outdated camera hardware.
