Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Hands-On Review: The Mind-Blowing Moment When an iPhone 15 Pro Max-Sized Phone Fits in Your Pocket Like a GBA SP or Flip Phone!

• Facebook
• X(旧:Twitter)
• はてブ
• LINE
• Pocket

#Samsung #GadgetReview #Flip7 #GalaxyZFlip7 #ProductReview #GameChanger #YesPlease

This article includes affiliate advertising (PR) as Samsung PR Office kindly loaned me the product. There’s no prior content approval or monetary compensation involved. However, because I want to stay true to both the gadget and my readers, this review won’t pull any punches. I’ll write exactly what I think, so my apologies in advance if that ruffles any fanboy feathers.

Hey there, I’m Shoya Kisaragi (@showya_kiss).

So here’s the deal—Samsung hit me up saying “Hey, we’ve got the Galaxy Buds 3 FE dropping, wanna check it out? Oh, and you’ve been eyeing the Galaxy Z Flip7, Z Fold7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra, right? Take ’em all.” Seriously generous offer, right? So I’m doing a deep dive review series on all four devices, starting today.

Put together a quick 1-minute summary vid for you speedrunners. Short on time? Just watch this and you’re good to go.

This is gonna be a multi-part thing, and heads up—after today’s Galaxy Z Flip7 review, I’ll be covering:

• Galaxy Z Fold7 review
• Galaxy Buds 3 FE review
• Galaxy Watch Ultra review

Plus, once I’ve experienced all of these, I’ll have gone hands-on with:

• Apple’s ecosystem
• Google’s ecosystem
• Samsung’s ecosystem

So I’m planning a separate article comparing these manufacturer ecosystems. The convenience and usability of ecosystems is something you can’t really grasp without experiencing them firsthand. And honestly? Not many non-commercial tech writers have tested all these ecosystems at this depth, and I doubt anyone else can geek out about them with my level of enthusiasm. So yeah, stay tuned for that.

TL;DR for the Speedrunners

For those of you who want the quick version, here’s the Galaxy Z Flip7’s pros, cons, and who should buy it upfront.
If you’re in a hurry, just scan this section and bounce—no hard feelings.

Galaxy Z Flip7 Pros

• Massive Screen Real Estate: For reference, it’s literally the exact same screen size as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. That’s plenty of display space. If you need more, you’re looking at tablet territory.
• Solid Performance: The custom SoC performs on par with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which means it’ll handle basically every mobile game out there with zero lag.
• Vertical Fold Factor: Unlike the Z Fold7, the Flip7 lets you fold a regular-sized smartphone vertically. I’ll get into this later, but the portability boost is insane. Once you’ve used this, going back to a non-folding phone feels primitive. Plus, since the display folds inward, unless you somehow manage to pinch something in there, your screen stays pristine during transport.
• Samsung Ecosystem Synergy: If you’re going all-in on Samsung gear, the ecosystem integration is powerful. This is a level of synergy only Apple, Google, and Samsung have managed to pull off.

Galaxy Z Flip7 Cons

• Price Tag Is Steep: A “vertically-folding flagship smartphone” for roughly ¥170,000 ($1,150 USD). By Android standards, for a 256GB flagship, you’re basically paying an extra ¥40,000-50,000 ($270-340 USD) for the “foldable” feature. No sugarcoating it—that’s expensive.
• Some Games Won’t Run: Despite being a flagship device, there are games you straight-up can’t play, probably due to foldable phone restrictions. Case in point: “Wizardry Variants Daphne.” Google Play explicitly says “incompatible.” Sideloading APKs is sketchy, and tweaking the scaling in developer options didn’t help either, so it’s definitely blacklisted on the Play Store for this device.
• Horizontal Gaming Can Be Awkward: When playing landscape-mode games, if you get really into it and grip too hard, the screen can gently start folding closed. I mean, you can just reopen it, but still.
• Folding Means Pinch Risk: This is the curse of all foldable devices—if you catch something in the fold when closing it, you could damage the screen. Gotta be careful.

Who Should Buy the Galaxy Z Flip7

• Anyone Who Wants Flagship Power in Shallow Pockets: Flagship specs, big screen, and it folds in half height-wise so it fits in shallow pockets no problem.
• People Tired of Phones Sticking Out of Pockets: Large-screen phones are great to look at, but even in roomy jeans they poke out awkwardly. If that annoys you, the “it finally stays inside” factor is a massive win.
• Anyone Missing That Flip Phone Vibe: You can relive that satisfying *snap* action of pulling it from your pocket and flipping it open. And no, I’m not kidding—this matters more than you think.

Alright, that covers the pros, cons, and target audience. If you’re already sold at this point, feel free to grab one through the link below. The affiliate revenue helps cover server costs, domain fees, return shipping for loaned products, etc.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 256GB |Blue Shadow|Galaxy AI Support|Unlocked Smartphone|FeliCa Compatible|6.9 inch|Lightweight 188g|IP48 Water/Dust Resistant|Full HD+|Battery 4,300mAh|Android|SM-F766QDBASJP

¥164,800

Buy on Amazon

Let’s Unbox This Bad Boy

Time for the classic unboxing ritual. If you’re not into this, just jump to the next section via the table of contents.

First, the Shipping Box

Since Samsung PR Office sent this over, the packaging was meticulous. Normally, including shipping boxes in gadget reviews doesn’t add much value, but for products shipped directly from non-Amazon sources, I believe “packaging reflects the manufacturer’s ethos.” (Apple and PFU packages make you fall in love before you even open them, right?) So I photograph the shipping box too.
As you can see, it’s thoroughly wrapped with clear intent: “We will deliver this product to you undamaged, guaranteed.” Classic Samsung attention to detail.

Check Out the Galaxy Z Flip7 Retail Box

The retail box is slick. Flagships usually go for glossy, colorful boxes, but this one’s simple and modern with a real “we know what we’re doing” vibe.
Just like how gaming PCs don’t need to light up like Christmas trees (put that power toward the CPU, GPU, and fans, people), flagship product boxes don’t need to be tacky and shiny.

Detailed Contents Review Is Restricted, So Here’s the Device

I wanted to show you all the box contents, but the loan agreement stated “sample unit contents may differ, so skip the itemized unboxing.” So here’s the device straight away.
Yeah, my fingers and the iPhone 15 Pro Max I’m using to shoot this are totally in frame, but whatever. I could Photoshop them out, but that feels like moving away from reality. I’ll remove accidental smudges, but obvious stuff like fingers and phones stay—that’s my policy.
The bezels are surprisingly thin, and the display area really is comparable to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Though internally, they seem to have intentionally reduced resolution because text renders larger.

Here’s the Back of the Galaxy Z Flip7—The Real Star of the Show

Back view. Since it’s usually closed when not in use, this might be the side you see most.
Understated. Absolutely gorgeous. Sliding this into your pocket closed is a genuine thrill.

Galaxy Z Flip7 Partially Folded

Yep, fully closed it’s just a square slab, so I stopped mid-fold for the photo. This is how it opens and closes.
Smooth action, and the hinge feels super solid—looks like it’ll last.

That wraps up the unboxing.

Now Let’s Talk About What Makes the Galaxy Z Flip7 Special

First, I need to apologize. Without Samsung’s generous loan offer, I would’ve completely ignored the Galaxy Z Flip7.
Honestly, I thought: “I get why the Galaxy Z Fold7 (folding tablet) makes sense, but what’s the point of vertically folding a smartphone?” Turns out, I was dead wrong. My bad.
So let’s start with: “What’s the point of vertically folding a smartphone?”

What’s the Point of Vertically Folding a Smartphone?

My daily drivers are the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy Z Fold6. The Fold6 is relatively compact, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max is, well, Pro Max-sized—absolutely massive.
I’m a pretty big dude, and my jeans have roomy pockets, so the iPhone 15 Pro Max *technically* fits in my front pocket… but not quite. It sticks out.
Why is this a problem? When I squat with the phone in my pocket, the protruding phone digs into my pelvis, right where my leg connects. It’s not injurious, but it’s painful sometimes and generally unpleasant.
But hey, I bought a huge phone—that’s the trade-off, right? I accepted it.

Here’s a throwback for some of you: the Galaxy Z Flip7 is basically the “SP” model of the Game Boy Advance. The original GBA was impossible to pocket, but the SP? Fit right in.

Going even further back—some of us remember when “mobile phones” evolved into “flip phones” and “slider phones,” shifting from breast pockets to pants pockets. That was a paradigm shift.
Now that’s happening again with smartphones.
Mobile phones becoming flip phones moved them from breast pockets (or neck straps) to casually tossing them in your pants pocket. Similarly, large-screen smartphones that fold can now comfortably fit in your pants.
This is especially huge for women. Many outfits lack pockets entirely, and those that have them often have shallow ones. So smartphones default to living in bags. When you get a notification, you have to dig it out of your bag, unlock it, and then respond—way more hassle.
But if it folds? Boom, pocket storage becomes viable. You can instantly catch and reply to messages from important people. That’s a game-changer.

Real talk—I didn’t get this “benefit” until I borrowed and actually used one.
The catch is, you can’t appreciate this value just by holding one in a store. You need to *use* it and *pocket* it. But no carrier offers short-term phone loans.
If they did—like ¥2,000/month with insurance—people would *get* it. Seriously, Samsung should totally do a rental program.

Specs Are No Joke Either

The foldable design alone is impressive, but the specs don’t compromise. Sure, as mentioned earlier, “Wizardry Variants Daphne” won’t run, but everything else I tested worked perfectly:

• Genshin Impact: Buttery smooth
• Wuthering Waves: Buttery smooth
• Zenless Zone Zero: Buttery smooth
• Kantai Collection: Sideloaded APK, obviously smooth

The fact that it handles those three heavy-duty 3D action RPGs means specs are solid.
Given the price, you’d expect this level of performance, but once the tech matures and we get “mid-spec foldables at reasonable prices,” that’s gonna be a gold mine. Plenty of people would buy that.

Samsung Ecosystem Integration Is Clutch

Spoiler alert: Being a Samsung device means it integrates seamlessly with the Watch and Buds to build a full ecosystem. I’ll deep-dive this in another article, but here’s a preview:

• Play music on Galaxy Z Flip7 via PowerAmp (through Galaxy Buds 3 FE)
• Control PowerAmp (skip tracks, etc.) from Galaxy Watch Ultra without pulling the Flip out of your pocket
• PowerAmp isn’t even a native app—it’s a paid Android app, and this still works!
• Set up one-button voice memos on Galaxy Watch Ultra and record ideas mid-walk before they evaporate

All of this works *seamlessly*, which proves Samsung’s ecosystem is legit. Highly impressive.

Final Verdict on the Galaxy Z Flip7

Alright, that’s my take on the Galaxy Z Flip7.
This got pretty long, so here’s a quick recap:

• Performance is killer
• Foldability makes it way more pocket-friendly than you’d expect, and it’s insanely convenient
• If you’re going all-in on the Samsung ecosystem, this is absolutely worth considering

That’s my honest opinion.
Normally at this level, I’d be like “Bought it immediately!” But I don’t need a third phone right now, my iPhone 15 Pro Max covers the 6.7-inch screen size, and if I were to upgrade, it’d be to the Fold7. Plus, I’m completely tapped out budget-wise—can’t swing ¥150,000+ purchases. So I’m passing *for now*. But that’s purely due to my financial situation. If I had the budget? Instant buy.
There’s a possibility I might get a decent windfall in about six months (not ¥1,000,000, but still significant), and if that happens… yeah, I might cave. Because I want this.

So that’s my brutally honest take. I know I started by questioning its very existence, and Samsung might be pissed, but explaining the journey from “doubt to conviction” required that framing. If I get yelled at, I’ll apologize.

Anyway, since I personally recommend this product, here’s the purchase link again:

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 256GB |Blue Shadow|Galaxy AI Support|Unlocked Smartphone|FeliCa Compatible|6.9 inch|Lightweight 188g|IP48 Water/Dust Resistant|Full HD+|Battery 4,300mAh|Android|SM-F766QDBASJP

¥164,800

Buy on Amazon

Thanks for reading my blog today!

Comments are always welcome too! Feel free to drop one—I’ll reply as soon as I see it!

• Facebook
• X(旧:Twitter)
• はてブ
• LINE
• Pocket