Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: all that is known

Summer is fast approaching, which means the release of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is just around the corner. While the Galaxy Z Flip 6 — is a great convertible, last year it felt like Samsung was a bit rushed. The new model at the time had only modest improvements over the Z Flip 5.

We’re hoping that Samsung will update the Galaxy Z Flip 7 much better this year. Let’s break down what we should expect from the company’s flagship clamshell this year.

Let’s take a look at what to expect from the company’s flagship clamshell this year.

Design

Don’t expect any radical changes this year. Samsung typically takes a more iterative approach to the design of its clamshells, refining the design each year with small styling and usability improvements rather than making more sweeping changes.

Some rumors suggest that Samsung may ditch the softer, rounded edges of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and previous models this year, adopting a more “boxy” aesthetic. This may be necessary to accommodate new displays and a larger battery without sacrificing thinness. However, most of the leaked renders indicate that if such changes do take place, they are likely to be minor. The button layout will remain the same.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 may get a bit taller and wider — some leaks suggest dimensions of 166.6 x 75.2 x 6.9 mm compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which measures 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm, but other renders barely distinguish it from the current model. Unconfirmed rumors point to the possibility of a titanium build. But that information is already unlikely, as the company plans to use that material for the top-of-the-line Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the only Galaxy S25 Ultra to feature a titanium build.

Last year, Samsung made significant improvements to the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s hinge, introducing a new “dual-rail hinge” design that provides better shock distribution and increased smoothness when opening/closing. Samsung claims that the Z Flip 6 hinge is rated for 200,000 open/close cycles. The company has repeatedly said it’s committed to maximizing the reliability and durability of its hinges, and some sources speculate that some of those improvements could come in this year’s model.

Samsung has said it’s committed to maximizing the reliability and durability of its hinges.

The question of how much of an impact this will have on everyday use remains open, but Galaxy Z Flip 7 owners will be able to continue to enjoy a reliable and durable hinge mechanism, even if the phone lasts a few years. Unfortunately, there’s no word on whether the improved hinge can also improve dust resistance. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 has an IP48 rating, which offers excellent water protection, but falls short on dust resistance compared to premium non-folding phones, which are typically rated IP68. The lower dust resistance score is mainly due to the hinge and flexible internal display, and Samsung can do a lot here. Beach sand won’t be a problem — IP48 is enough to protect against particles larger than 1mm — but fine dust could be a problem.

There’s no word yet on what colors we can expect to see the Galaxy Z Flip 7 in. Samsung usually offers some pretty interesting shades for the Z Flip series, and we expect that to continue to be the case.

Samsung usually offers some pretty interesting shades for the Z Flip series, and we expect that to be the case.

Displays

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 should get some very nice display improvements this year, both externally and internally.

Insider Ross Yang believes the main foldable display will grow from the 6.7-inch size that’s been the norm for the past few years to an even larger 6.8- or 6.85-inch screen. While the width and height may increase to make room for this larger screen, Samsung is also expected to reduce the bezel.

At this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), Samsung’s display division showed off impressive frameless screen technology that rivals what we saw in the Oppo Find N5. This led some to hope that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 would finally be able to compete with OnePlus, Oppo, and Honor. Unfortunately, we shouldn’t count on that. At best, we won’t see this kind of technology until next year.

In the meantime, the outer screen could get even bigger and more functional. Most rumors agree that the display will be 4-inch, which is significantly larger than the 3.4-inch display on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Again, some of this increase will come at the expense of thinner bezels. There’s plenty of evidence in favor of the new display, including Yang’s comments, leaked CAD renders, and images of early Z Flip 7 body designs.

Some sources suggest that Samsung’s goal — is to finally make the outer screen fully functional. In previous Galaxy Z Flip models, the cover screen was limited to notifications, quick settings and widgets. Even when last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 increased the display from 1.9 inches to 3.4 inches, Samsung did little to improve the user experience — it just got bigger.

Some sources suggest that Samsung’s goal is to finally make the cover screen fully functional.

Camera

While the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is expected to take a big leap forward in screen technology, it doesn’t look like the company will do the same with the camera system.

Some of these cameras may get new sensors to improve light sensitivity and color reproduction, but most of the camera improvements are likely to be related to a more powerful image signal processor (ISP) inside this year’s model, and improvements in computational photography AI — with a more advanced neural processing unit (NPU).

Samsung may also introduce more AI photo editing and optimization features by expanding the Galaxy AI Suite, as it did with the Galaxy S25 lineup earlier this year. However, most of these features have also appeared in older Galaxy S and Z series phones, so they may not be unique to the Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Technical specifications

Analysts and leaks have long debated whether this year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite or its own flagship Exynos 2500 chip. Early speculation pointed to the Exynos, but Samsung is having some production issues with releasing large quantities of the chip.

An early speculation has pointed to the Exynos, but Samsung is experiencing some manufacturing issues with releasing large quantities of the chip.

This is the same issue that reportedly led Samsung to drop plans to use Exynos in global Galaxy S25 models and settle on the Snapdragon 8 Elite. While there is still evidence that the Exynos 2500 could be used in the rumored Galaxy Z Flip FE, it’s becoming increasingly likely that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will follow the S25 lineup and be powered exclusively by Qualcomm chips, at least for the first series. North American models will likely use the Snapdragon 8 Elite anyway, as Samsung hasn’t used Exynos chips in any of its flagships sold in the U.S. since 2015 and in Canada since 2016.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will likely use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chips in any of its flagships sold in the U.S. since 2015 and in Canada since 2016.

Memory and storage specifications are likely to remain unchanged this year. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 was available in 256GB and 512GB memory versions, both with 12GB of RAM, and all rumors point to the same for the Z Flip 7, so don’t get your hopes up for a 1TB model.

Battery and charging

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 may have a larger battery: some reports suggest a 4,300 mAh battery — that’s 7.5% more than the Galaxy Z Flip 6 with a 4,000 mAh battery. However, the real increase in battery life is likely to come from other improvements, both technical and practical.

The real increase in battery life is likely to come from other improvements.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip has already proven to be a battery saver, and some rumors suggest that the new displays will use the more energy-efficient Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE) technology, or what Samsung Display calls Eco²OLED. This technology first appeared in the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and has been refined in subsequent Z Fold models. There are also rumors that it could appear in the Galaxy S26 Ultra next year.

And there are rumors that it could be coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra next year.

Potential improvements to the usability of the cover screen also offer a more practical way to improve battery life. Since a four-inch panel uses less power than a 6.85-inch screen, the more activities you can do with the phone closed, the longer the battery will last. Most Galaxy Z Flip users open their phone several times a day, even to read an email or text message. Judging by the new rumors, you’ll have to do that much less often with the Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Leaks from early prototype testing show that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 can last nearly an hour longer on a single charge, despite having the same battery as its predecessor. That’s encouraging.

Unfortunately, there’s some bad news on the charging front. According to information from China’s 3C certification database, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is expected to retain the same paltry 25W wired charging speed as its predecessors. That’s disappointing, but not surprising: Samsung tends to take a conservative approach to charging speeds. The specific reasons for this aren’t entirely clear, but it helps reduce excessive heat in the cramped folding design and ensures that the battery and the device itself last longer overall.

Samsung’s charging speeds are a bit more conservative, but it’s a good thing.

Firmware and Features

Surprisingly, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 could be one of Samsung’s first phones with One UI 8. That’s thanks to Google releasing Android 16 earlier than usual this year, with the next major release expected in June.

This means Android 16 will be released in time for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 launch. It’s unlikely Samsung wants to slow down, so the company is reportedly trying to get One UI 8 ready in time for release to take advantage of all the latest Android improvements.

And it’s a good idea to make sure that the One UI 8 is ready in time to take advantage of all the latest Android improvements.

In addition to updated health tracking, audio sharing, and enhanced anti-theft features, Android 16 introduces a desktop mode for the first time, allowing users to project a Chrome OS-like interface onto a larger screen. This has led to speculation that Samsung may include DeX support in the Z Flip 7 to provide its own desktop experience, rather than simply relying on what Android 16 offers.

Some have even speculated that DeX could work with Flex Mode, allowing it to be used as a dedicated webcam for large-screen video calls. However, these rumors remain speculative, and it’s possible that Samsung will decide to drop DeX in favor of a more standard Android desktop mode.

Besides the Android 16 features that One UI 8 will get, it’s safe to say that we can also expect some new Galaxy AI features. There’s no word yet on what those features might be, and much of what Samsung has offered so far has leaned more towards gimmicky. Most of the really useful features, like Circle to Search, Magic Editor and Gemini Live, are offered by Google, not Samsung.

Release date and pricing

There’s no definite information yet on when Samsung plans to release the Galaxy Z Flip 7, but there’s a chance it could be in July. Samsung’s summer Galaxy Unpacked events were usually held in August, but in 2023, the company changed things up by moving the Galaxy Z Flip 5 launch to July 26. That continued in 2024, when Samsung went even earlier, holding an event on July 10 in Paris to unveil the Galaxy Z Flip 6.

And this was more of an exception. The July 10 event was likely planned to get ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, not to show that Samsung plans to keep moving its events to earlier dates. If anything, the new Android 16 release dates and Samsung’s need to get One UI 8 ready will likely push the events to late July or perhaps even August.

A new Android 16 release date and Samsung’s need to get One UI 8 ready will likely push the events to late July or perhaps even August.

As for price, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 went up in price last year, raising its starting price to $1,099 (it can now be bought starting at 100,000 rubles). Samsung will likely hold the price down for this year’s models, which are expected to be available in the same 256GB and 512GB capacities, priced at $1,099 and $1,219, respectively.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 will be available in the same 256GB and 512GB capacities, priced at $1,099 and $1,219, respectively.