In the flip phone market, Samsung lives in Motorola’s shadow. Even with the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026‘s price hikes, it will be the flip phone for the Galaxy Z Flip 8 to beat. Before you decide whether to buy the Razr Ultra 2026, the Galaxy Z Flip 8, or an older model, you might want to know how the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is holding up one year later.
I’ve spent exactly a year with the Galaxy Z Flip 7, testing Samsung’s foldable against the older Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the entire Motorola Razr 2026 lineup. Truth be told, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is slightly underrated. It’s easy to ridicule the flip phone for its poor cover screen software, but beyond that, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 features polished hardware and great hardware support.
It’s still going strong in 2026, and these are the things I love (and don’t love) about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 after long-term use.
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Samsung’s flip design is still better than Motorola’s
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7’s IP48 certification won’t win any awards, but overall, this is the best-built foldable you can buy in North America. It’s sturdy, with a strong hinge and a nearly crease-less display. My favorite part about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is its form factor. The flip phone weighs only 188 grams and measures just 13.7mm when folded, seriously undercutting the Razr Ultra 2026.
I can guarantee you’ll notice the thinner, lightweight build of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 as you live with it for months. It’s no Galaxy Z Fold 7 — flips simply have less internal space to work with, resulting in thicker builds — but it’s still impressive. More importantly, I’m fond of the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s rectangular shape. It feels polished and premium, whereas I find the Razr Ultra 2026’s curvy design to make it look thicker than it actually is.
Motorola gets credit for the stylish PANTONE colorways available throughout the Razr line, but I’ll take the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s footprint anyway.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cover screen software is still disappointing
The one Galaxy Z Flip 7 drawback that is borderline disqualifying is the phone’s cover screen software. It’s more limited than the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026 — you need to use extra apps 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 pales in comparison to the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
You used to be able to add widgets and use full-screen widgets on the cover screen. Now, you have to open the phone to add widgets, and the largest widgets (with the exception of launchers) are 2×2. As such, you can see fewer bits of information on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover screen than on the Galaxy Z Flip cover screen. I’ve hoped for updates to improve cover screen functionality, but running One UI 8.5, it’s the same story.
If running full-screen apps on the cover screen and enjoying data-dense widgets are important to you, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 unfortunately isn’t a real option. You’ll have to go with a Motorola flip.
The folding display’s aspect ratio is nearly perfect
After using the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, it’s clear that the wider screens can’t be understated. The 6.9-inch folding display on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 measures 68.6 millimeters wide. This makes it feel just like a Galaxy S25 Edge or Galaxy S26 Plus, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a joy to use as a result. Foldables typically compromised the traditional smartphone experience with narrow screens and odd aspect ratios, but the Galaxy Z Flip 7 doesn’t.
Although the cover screen software leaves a lot to be desired, the Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel inside is outstanding. The aspect ratio and size are two big reasons why, but the 120Hz refresh rates and 2,600 nits of peak brightness are others. This is more like a slab phone you can fold in half, rather than a flip phone with a cover screen designed to keep you from opening it. A year with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 taught me that Samsung and Motorola’s flips might serve different audiences.
The camera sensors are lackluster, even for a foldable
Samsung’s slow pace of smartphone upgrades is well documented, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s camera system is further evidence. There’s a 50MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide 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 the brand’s last-gen Razr Ultra 2025 also had dual 50MP rear cameras — and it costs less 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 certainly flip phones with better offerings.
One UI is superb and there’s long software support
It’s easy to forget that, outside of the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cover screen limitations, the foldable ships with great software. One UI 8 was excellent out of the box, and One UI 8.5 is better. Soon, the flip phone will get the boost to One UI 9. For a lot of people, One UI will feel smoother, cleaner, and more versatile compared to Motorola’s My UX.
The big thing to remember is the phone’s software support. With a seven-year guarantee, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will get updates for years to come. The Razr Ultra 2026 is supported for less than half as long, with only three guaranteed Android OS upgrades. Especially considering the high cost of Motorola foldables, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 (and the new Galaxy Z Flip 8) feel like the better deal due to software support.
Battery life and charging could use some work
As silicon-carbon batteries become more common on phones sold in the U.S., the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s battery looks 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 a competition. Even though the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a larger battery than the Galaxy Z Flip 6, I found that battery life was about the same between generations.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 might be old news with the Galaxy Z Flip 8 arriving, but that doesn’t mean it’s down for the count. This is still a great phone that can rival Motorola’s best in a few areas. It’s also woefully outdated in others. If you already have a Galaxy Z Flip 7, though, there’s no need to replace it yet.
Still going strong
Even with the Galaxy Z Flip 8 up for pre-order, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a compelling option. I’ve used it for a year, and the design, performance, and build quality are all solid. Reasons to skip include poor cover screen software, middling battery life, and old camera hardware.
