5 Android phones you should buy instead of the Galaxy Z Flip 7

As a big fan of flip phone foldables, the new Galaxy Z Flip 7 looks like a phone I’ve been wanting from Samsung for years. Samsung’s Z Flip handsets have always been a safe choice in the flip phone market, but the Flip 7 looks like a truly exciting one. Between the vastly improved cover screen, larger main display, and slimmer design, it’s an impressive piece of kit.

But for everything Samsung seems to have gotten right with the Z Flip 7, I do have some concerns. The switch to an Exynos chip instead of a Qualcomm one is a puzzling change, and the total lack of camera, charging, and other upgrades is disappointing, too — especially since the Flip 7 is still quite expensive at $1,100.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 deserves a spot on your shopping list, but before you rush out and pre-order it, here are five other Android phones you may be better off buying instead.

The biggest downside of getting the Flip 6 is that it has Samsung’s smaller 3.4-inch cover screen (compared to 4.1 inches on the Flip 7), and it has a much less impressive 60Hz refresh rate. However, for triaging notifications, checking the weather, or replying to text messages, it still gets the job done.

Beyond that, the Flip 6 holds its own against the Flip 7 quite well. The Flip 6’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, while over a year old now, is still an excellent performer. The phone’s 4,000mAh battery isn’t that much smaller than the 4,300mAh battery in the Flip 7, and the inner display specs are largely unchanged between both models.

While the Galaxy Z Flip 6 launched at the same $1,100 retail price that the Flip 7 has, it’s not uncommon to now find the Flip 6 significantly discounted (during Prime Day, the 512GB storage model was on sale for $800). Deals like that make the Galaxy Z Flip 6 an excellent low-cost alternative to the Flip 7, even better than Samsung’s new “affordable” Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.

If you like the idea of a cheaper flip phone and are OK looking beyond Samsung’s walls, the Motorola Razr (2025) would be my next recommendation. While it’s not as technically impressive as the Z Flip 7, it still delivers a robust flip phone experience at a fantastic price.

Funny enough, the Razr actually has a better cover screen than the Flip 6, featuring a 3.6-inch panel with better brightness and a smoother 90Hz refresh rate. The Razr’s 6.9-inch inner display is the same size as the Flip 7’s, and it has a similar camera setup, too (a 50MP primary camera and 13MP ultrawide sensor). I also prefer Motorola’s Hello UX software compared to Samsung’s One UI, especially since Motorola makes it much easier to run Android apps on the cover screen.

There are some downsides to the Razr (2025) compared to the Z Flip 7. Motorola’s phone uses slower UFS 2.2 storage instead of UFS 4.0, the MediaTek Dimensity 7400X chipset isn’t quite as powerful, and the Razr (2025) is only promised three years of major OS updates compared to seven years on the Flip 7.

The Motorola Razr (2025) isn’t the most technically impressive flip phone around, but it’s still a darn good one, especially when you consider its $700 starting price. For $400 less than the Z Flip 7, the Razr (2025) is my personal favorite choice for a flip phone that won’t break the bank.

The Flip 6 and Razr (2025) are both great, cheaper Flip 7 alternatives, but let’s say you want to go in the opposite direction. If the Galaxy Z Flip 7 doesn’t quite do it for you, and you’re OK spending more money to get the best flip phone possible, there’s no better option than the Motorola Razr Ultra.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is an undeniable strong showing for Samsung, but in almost every way, the Razr Ultra has it beat. Design-wise, Motorola’s phone comes in some of the most unique colors/finishes available on a phone this year, including Alcantara and wood grain. The Razr Ultra’s cover screen is about the same size as the Flip 7, though it’s brighter, sharper, and has an even faster 165Hz refresh rate. Those upgrades are also true of the Razr Ultra’s 7-inch inner display.

Both the Razr and the Flip have a 50MP primary camera, but the Razr Ultra again has the upper hand with a much more capable 50MP ultrawide camera (compared to the Flip 7’s 12MP sensor). Motorola’s phone also has a larger 4,700mAh battery, 68W wired charging, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.

All of this comes at a cost, though. The Razr Ultra retails for $1,300, making it the most expensive phone on this list and $200 pricier than the Galaxy Z Flip 7. The Motorola Razr Ultra won’t be for everyone, but if you want a flip phone that can do it all — and you have adequate room in your budget — it’s well worth every penny.

Those are my top flip phone alternatives to the Galaxy Z Flip 7, though it’s also worth considering what your money can get you in a non-folding slab phone. If you know you want a Samsung phone but aren’t dead set on getting a foldable, the Galaxy S25 Plus is a pretty compelling option.

With a 6.7-inch display, the Galaxy S25 Plus is about the same size as the Z Flip 7 when it’s open, just a touch thicker and heavier. You obviously don’t have the benefit of a foldable phone, but the upside is that other aspects of the S25 Plus are better than the Flip. Instead of an IP48 rating on the Flip 7, the S25 Plus has a more durable IP68 one. It also has a sharper display, a faster Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a 10MP telephoto camera, a larger 4,500mAh battery, and faster charging.

Is the Galaxy S25 Plus as exciting or interesting a phone as the Galaxy Z Flip 7? Not at all. But if you’re OK with a more generic form factor in favor of significantly better specs across the board, the S25 Plus is a fantastic choice. It also runs the same One UI software as the Flip 7 and has the same seven-year update guarantee, all for a slightly lower price tag of $1,000.

My fifth and final recommendation is another slab phone, and it’s the non-folding phone on this list I’d personally go with. The OnePlus 13 doesn’t run Samsung’s One UI software and is limited to just four years of major OS updates. If you’re OK with both of those things, it’s a better phone than the Galaxy S25 Plus in virtually every way.

How so? The OnePlus 13 has a far better camera setup, including 50MP primary, ultrawide, and telephoto cameras. Its 6,000mAh battery is the largest out of all the phones mentioned here, just like its 80W wired charge speeds are the fastest. It has a nicer design, too, especially with the leather back on the Midnight Ocean color.

Combine all of that with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a fantastic 6.8-inch display, and a lovely Oxygen OS software experience, and the OnePlus 13 is about as complete a package as you can get for a flagship Android phone in 2025. And priced at $900, it’s a great deal, too. Does it fold? No. But it’s damn-near perfect at everything else it does and is absolutely worth your consideration before settling on the Galaxy Z Flip 7.