Pricing: The Fold Is About Twice the Price
It’s not even close, not really. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung’s biggest and most powerful device, and it has always carried a shockingly high price tag to match. It starts at $1,999.99 for the 256GB model, which is $100 more than last year’s Z Fold 6. Meanwhile, the Z Flip 7 is about half as much at $1,099.99, which is the same price as last year’s Flip 6.
Left to right: Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The Fold 7 comes with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage, each of which is paired with 12GB of RAM. It’s surprising that Samsung didn’t boost the 1TB model’s RAM to 16GB. The Flip 7 ships in 256GB or 512GB models, also with 12GB of RAM. Samsung has yet to provide a full breakdown on the pricing for each model, but you can expect jumps of at least $100 to $120 for each successive bump in storage.
You get a better processor with the Fold, which packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. Meanwhile, the Flip drops to a Samsung-made Exynos 2500 processor. The former is the top chip available to mobile phones today; we don’t know too much about the latter.
More capable processor or not, with a $900 price difference between them, it’s clear which one is more affordable.
Winner: Galaxy Z Flip 7
Size and Design: One Folds Like a Book, One Flips Like a Clamshell
The full-size Z Fold 7 unfolds like a book to measure 6.24 by 5.64 by 0.17 inches (HWD) open. It’s taller and wider, but 48% thinner than the older model. It’s sort of like what you’d get if you took last year’s phone and pressed it flatter with an iron. It measures 6.24 by 2.87 by 0.35 inches when closed. It’s less heavy than the older model, but still fairly weighty at 7.58 ounces.
Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The Z Flip 7 is more pocketable and flips open vertically like a clamshell phone of old. It measures 6.56 by 2.96 by 0.26 inches when open and 3.37 by 2.96 by 0.54 inches closed. It weighs 6.63 ounces. Like the Fold, it gains height and width in favor of less depth, though it’s hardly thinner compared with the 0.59-inch thickness of the Flip 6.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Both phones are made from Armor Aluminum and have Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to prevent breaks. Samsung redesigned the hinges, which are smoother than ever, and carried over the IP48 dust and waterproof rating from the outgoing models. They can handle larger dust particles (up to 1mm) and full immersion in about 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
Samsung reduced the color options year over year, and the selection is rather slim. The Z Fold 7 is available in Blue Shadow, Jet-Black, or Silver Shadow, while the Z Flip 7 is available in Blue Shadow, Coral-Red, or Jet-Black. You can get either in Mint (green) as an exclusive from Samsung’s website.
The Fold 7 is as large as any flagship smartphone, and the Flip 7 is half as much when closed.
Winner: Galaxy Z Flip 7
Screens: A Bigger Screen Equals More Multitasking
Samsung increased the size of all the screens this year. The Z Fold 7 now has a 6.5-inch outer display with a resolution of 2,520 by 1,080 pixels, a pixel density of 422ppi, a 21:9 aspect ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s the same shape as most other phone screens now, which makes it easier to use. The inner screen jumps from 7.6 inches to 8.0 inches and has 2,184 by 1,968 pixels for a density of 368ppi. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate. This is an incredible amount of screen real estate to have in your pocket.
Galaxy Z Fold 7 inner display (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The Flip 7 has a 4.1-inch outer screen with 948 by 1,048 pixels at 342ppi and 120Hz. It’s capable of running more apps and widgets than before, but it’s not quite as powerful as the full outer screen of the Fold 7. The inner screen measures 6.9 inches with 2,520 by 1,080 pixels in a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Flip’s main screen is the same size as the Fold 7’s outer screen.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 inner screen (Credit: Eric Zeman)
All four displays are incredibly bright, have hard-to-see creases, and provide more real estate than ever, but the Fold is much better for multitasking.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 7
Cameras: The Fold Has More to Flip Out About
The Z Fold 7 takes a big leap forward this year, upgrading from a 50MP main sensor to the same 200MP sensor found in the Galaxy S25 Ultra and S25 Edge. Samsung says it offers all the same features. The sensor can handle 2x optical zoom, macro shots, and 200MP, 50MP, or 12MP photos. Otherwise, it appears to carry over the 12MP ultra-wide sensor (now with autofocus) and the 10MP telephoto camera (with 3x optical zoom) lens on the Fold 6. The 10MP selfie camera on the cover is unchanged, too, but the user-facing camera that’s part of the display has been improved from 4MP to 10MP. Samsung also dropped the under-display technology for a regular old punch hole. Last, it improved the field of view to 100 degrees, allowing it to capture super-wide group photos.
Galaxy Z Fold 7 in silver, blue, and black (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Samsung didn’t give the Flip 7 as much to brag about. From a hardware perspective, it ports over the entire stack from the Flip 6, which includes a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP selfie camera. Dedicated selfie software adds some appeal.
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Both phones gain access to the latest ProVisual Engine processing software, which Samsung says enables features like always-on 10-bit HDR+ color capture, noise suppression, and clear night videography. However, the Fold 7 has Qualcomm’s best ISP on board, and we know little about the Exynos ISP.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Samsung says Fold 7 buyers will be as happy with their phone as shutterbugs are with the photo-first Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 7
Battery and Charging: The Smaller Phone Has More Battery
Samsung sticks with the same 4,400mAh battery it has used for the last three versions of the Z Fold. Meanwhile, the Z Flip 7’s battery grows slightly from 4,000mAh to 4,300mAh. Both phones continue to support 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. They also support reverse wireless charging, but at a pokey 5W.
Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
As with last year’s phones, Samsung says both the Fold and the Flip’s batteries will reach a 50% charge after plugging them in for just 30 minutes. You’ll have to provide the charger, though, as neither ships with one in the box.
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Samsung claims the Z Fold 7’s battery can provide up to 26 hours of video playback, and the Z Flip 7 can run for 31 hours doing the same. That’s for a 720p video stored locally.
In testing, last year’s Fold 6 ran for 11 hours and 30 minutes and the Flip 6 ran for 16 hours and 20 minutes. The former is less than most modern slab-style phones, while the latter is in line with today’s flagships. If the Fold and Flip 7 make any improvements at all here, you should be in good shape.
Winner: Tie
Software: Galaxy AI and Gemini Galore
Both phones gain new AI powers that are accessible from their outer and inner displays, whether they are opened or closed. The Flip takes a bigger step forward, though it all depends on whether you actually use the software.
According to Samsung, the Fold 7 and Flip 7 are the first phones to ship with Android 16 and include One UI 8 on top. Each will receive seven years of OS and security upgrades.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s Flex Window (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Samsung went out of its way to explain that the Flip 7 can now access Gemini Live right from the outer screen. A simple press of the side button allows you to start conversations with Google’s chatbot and ask follow-up questions without ever opening the phone. The Flip outer screen also gets the Now Bar and Now Brief, which are AI tools ported over from the Galaxy S25 line that provide real-time information about various things like the weather, news, and your daily schedule.
The Fold 7’s best AI-assisted features are centered on the camera and photo apps. Photo Assist moves, erases, or enlarges objects. Portrait Studio lets you clean up your people pics. Audio Eraser can automatically delete the unwanted background noise in your recordings. Side-by-side editing is possible on the Fold’s giant screen, which lets you see the original and edited photo at the same time.
Winner: Tie
Which Galaxy Foldable Is Right for You?
The use cases for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7 are quite different, as are their prices, sizes, and capabilities. In the end, that should make it relatively easy for you to decide between them. Consider the following:
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If you want a smaller, less costly phone with plenty of AI, the Z Flip 7 is the right model for you.
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If you’re willing to pay a premium and want a phone for multitasking, productivity, and photography, pick the Z Fold 7.
Of course, I still need to test the phones before offering official buying advice. They’re available for preorder now and hit store shelves on July 15, so check back soon for my full reviews.
