The launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 is now behind us, and shortly after, the fact, the company passed us one sample. Specifically, one in Mint, the online exclusive colour variant. While it’s too soon for a review, here are a few impressions after a quick glance.
It took awhile, but Samsung has finally given its clamshell foldable a screen that covers the whole top lid with the Galaxy Z Flip7. And for better or worse, it’s the biggest upgrade on the phone compared to the last generation, literally and figuratively speaking. While the stylised folder-shaped window was aesthetically pleasing, it’s hard to argue against just sheer available screen space.
Unfortunately, it’s not something that you can take advantage of immediately. This is because Good Lock, the official add-on by the South Korean tech giant for foldables, doesn’t come pre-installed with the device. On one hand, It’s understandable if it was made optional on the Fold series – which you can use without ever unfolding it. The same certainly cannot be said about the Flip series, despite the larger cover display on the Flip7. Why is it not something that’s pre-installed here remains a mystery, but at the very least you can now get it from the Google Play Store.
Before we unfold the device, let’s draw our attention to the power button and finger print sensor combo. While it and the volume rocker have been placed in the same location as they have always been in, the sensor itself is noticeably a lot narrower. This is despite the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 being only marginally – 0.4mm – thinner than its predecessor. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say this is so that it can share the component with the much thinner Fold7 to save on costs. It definitely feels different in hand, but it remains to be seen if it’s something that I’d get used to in the long run.
Unfolding the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 is where we see some curious, but ultimately insignificant, contradictions. The main display here measures 6.9 inches, so 0.2 inches over that of the Flip6. But on the flip side, pun not intended, it has a slightly lower resolution, at 2,520, x 1,080 as opposed to the the 2,640 x 1,080 of the Flip6. Despite the lost pixels, it now gets a uniform 21:9 aspect ratio. And with Sony abandoning said aspect ratio for its flagship Xperia 1 VI, it’s nice to see another phone sporting it.
Beyond these, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 is actually very familiar to what came before. It feels very familiar in hand, folded or otherwise, and it sports the same camera setup. At a glance, if you didn’t check the spec sheet and saw that it had an Exynos 2500 rather than a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, you wouldn’t be able to see a difference in performance either.
Of course, there are other things that require more scrutiny. One that immediately comes to mind is Samsung’s claim that this generation of foldables fold flatter than before, thanks to the new hinge tech. That, alongside performance and battery life, will have to wait until a full review is done.
Photography by Adrian Low.
