Technologies

Which Foldable Will You Flip For? Comparing Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE

One performs better overall, but is the price difference enough to matter? Let’s compare Samsung’s flip phones for 2025.

Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and while the phone is still expensive — it’ll set you back $1,100 to start — it’s matching the price of its predecessor. That’s admirable considering this newest iteration of the Flip phone series features several upgrades, including bigger screens and more powerful hardware.

But the Z Flip 7 isn’t the only clamshell foldable Samsung is debuting this summer. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is slightly smaller and bridges the gap between the two generations of Flip models. This «fan edition» is positioned as more of a midrange phone, but the $900 price tag is a substantial chunk of change — to put it into perspective, that’s still $200 more than the latest iteration of Motorola’s Razr.

The Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE share a lot of similarities, especially when it comes to Samsung’s strong commitment to software support. At the end of the day, though, you’ll have a clear preference for one design over another — and that preference might be worth throwing an extra $200 at.

If you don’t have the time to dive into every facet of these phones, here’s the TL;DR: If money isn’t an object and you’re looking for a Flip model with a cutting edge processor and marginal improvements to the screen size, camera system and battery life, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the clear choice for you. If you’re looking for something close to the Z Flip 7 that has a more conservative feature set for less money — but you’re still willing to spend a bit more money than the average midrange phone — the Galaxy Z Flip FE positively iterates on the Z Flip 6’s processing power, battery and operating system.

Design and display

Candidly, the biggest and most direct differences between the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Z Flip 7 FE are found in the designs of these phones. If you’re shelling out an extra $200 for the Z Flip 7, it’s probably because of its larger cover screen and thinner body.

The Z Flip 7 comes in four different colors. You’ll be able to choose from black, grayish blue and red colors in-store, with an additional cool light green Mint color available if you’re ordering the foldable online direct from Samsung. The Z Flip 7 FE doesn’t feature nearly as many color options — this particular clamshell device comes in classic black or white, that’s it. Those are clean designs, but you lose out on the wider berth of colors available on the Z Flip 7.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 features a 4.1-inch cover screen, which is a pretty substantial increase over its predecessor’s 3.4-inch front-facing display. It does this by using the entire area around the camera lenses, which are cut out of the display, instead of the «folder tab» design of the Z Flip 6 and the Z Flip 7 FE. The Z Flip 7’s cover screen has a 948×1,048p resolution, which should mean it provides you with a sharper image than the Z Flip 7 FE’s 720x748p cover screen.

Additionally, the Z Flip 7 has a 6.9-inch internal display, which is marginally larger than the Z Flip 7 FE’s 6.7-inch flipped-open screen. In terms of resolution, however, the Z Flip 7 FE screen is slightly higher than the Z Flip7, though in practical terms they’re remarkably similar: The Z Flip 7’s internal screen has a 2,520×1,080p resolution and the Z Flip 7 FE has a 2,640×1,080p resolution, while both foldables should support a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

The Z Flip 7 may be thinner than the Z Flip 7 FE, but it doesn’t lose much in the way of heftiness. The Z Flip 7 weighs 188g while the Z Flip 7 FE weighs 187g, so they should feel fairly similar stowed away in your pockets.

The larger cover screen of the Z Flip 7 will make it easier than ever to organize widgets, check notifications and more. But if you plan to use your phone for gaming or watching videos, you’re not losing much screen space with the Z Flip 7 FE’s internal screen — both phones should perform fairly similarly in that regard.

Cameras

It’s fairly likely that budding photographers won’t be giving up anything by choosing the Z Flip 7 FE over the Z Flip 7. Both phones are slated to have a three-camera system, including a 50-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera on the back and a 10-megapixel front-facing internal camera.

If you’re familiar with Samsung’s Z Flip series, you’ll recognize that this looks like the same camera system included within 2024’s Z Flip 6 model. As far as we know, it has simply been brought forward and integrated into the next generation of Z Flip foldables.

With that being said, CNET experts haven’t been able to thoroughly test these phones just yet — while the cameras look the same on paper, it’s hard to say just how your pictures will turn out as you snap shots with the Z Flip 7 and the Z Flip 7 FE.

But both foldables support Samsung’s Galaxy AI photography features. That means you’ll be able to edit and change your pictures on the Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE on the fly with features like Sketch to Image, which lets users bring doodles to life in the background of their photographs.

Battery, processor and storage specs

Slight differences in the batteries on the Z Flip 7 and the Z Flip 7 FE will directly translate to how much uptime you get with your phone between charging periods.

The Z Flip 7 is powered by a 4,300 mAh battery, which is a 300mAh upgrade from the battery in the Z Flip 6. We expect that owners will be able to put this model through its paces with some more strenuous use and still get a full day of battery life out of it, but we’ll know for sure when we can fully test the phone.

On the other hand, the Z Flip 7 FE features a 4,000-mAh battery, which appears to be the same size you’d be getting with last year’s Z Flip 6 model. Make no mistake about it: You should still be able to eke out a day’s worth of activity before needing to charge this phone. But CNET expert Patrick Holland wasn’t thrilled with the battery when testing the Z Flip 6, concluding that it was only marginally better than the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s battery life, so we would expect similar performance from the Z Flip 7 FE.

The only functional difference between the Z Flip 7 and the Z Flip 7 FE in this regard is that 300mAh capacity difference, but most people likely won’t actually feel it in their day-to-day lives.

If you’re constantly filming, video chatting and scrolling through social media at high brightness (or if you’re an avid mobile gamer), the Z Flip 7 may let you stay glued to your screen for a bit longer than the Z Flip 7 FE.

The other difference between these two foldables lies in their processor specs. The Z Flip 7 is powered by Samsung’s own high-end Exynos 2500 chip, while the Z Flip 7 FE has the Exynos 2400. We’re assuming the Z Flip 7 will provide slightly better processing power, but more testing will be required to suss out the differences. A similar chip, the Exynos 2400e, in the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE resulted in slightly lower performance than the Samsung Galaxy S24 (running 2023’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip) in our versus testing.

Crucially, both phones should have enough memory to support AI tools — the Z Flip 7 FE is straddling the line with 8GB of RAM — which is an important benchmark for any new phone right now. The Z Flip 7 comes with 12GB of RAM, so it has stronger support for the integrated AI tools.

If storing photos and downloading apps and games is something you do often, the Z Flip 7 has the edge over the Z Flip 7 FE. The Z Flip 7 starts at 256GB of storage with pricier models featuring a fairly large 512GB, whereas the Z Flip 7 FE starts with 128GB of storage and caps out at 256GB of space. The Z Flip 7 model with the least storage capacity matches the Z Flip 7 FE model with the most storage capacity.

Software support and AI

When it comes to software support for these two models, you aren’t missing out on too much by picking one over the other. Both phones run Android 16, which is an upgrade over the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s Android 14 operating system — a result of Google releasing the newest version of Android months earlier than it typically does.

Samsung has committed to shipping updates for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE for seven years after their launch date. That means you can expect the latest in software and security capabilities for both phones until at least 2032.

If you’re the type of person that will trade your phone in every few years, this probably won’t be what sways you toward picking up one of the latest Flip phones. But if you’re like me, and you keep using a phone until it’s on its last legs, this promise means you’ll be in good hands if you choose to upgrade to either the Flip 7 or the Flip 7 FE.

If AI features are your make-or-break variable for a new phone purchase in 2025, you won’t find that much of a difference between the Flip 7 and the Flip 7 FE in that regard, either. Both phones support the full suite of Galaxy AI tools as well as Google’s Gemini assistant — the Flip 7 FE’s 8GB of RAM should ensure that it can operate these tools, while we expect that the Flip 7’s 12GB of RAM could let you run a couple more taxing apps in tandem with the AI.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE

	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE
Cover display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	4.1-inch AMOLED, 948×1,048p, 120Hz refresh rate	3.4-inch AMOLED; 720 x 748 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate
Internal display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	6.9-inch AMOLED, 2,520×1,080p, 1-120Hz refresh rate	6.7-inch AMOLED; 2,640 x 1,080 pixels; 1-120Hz refresh rate
Pixel density	Cover: 342ppi; Internal: 397ppi	Cover: 306 ppi; Internal: 425 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	Open: 2.96 x 6.56 x 0.26 inches; Closed: 2.96 x 3.37 x 0.26 inches	Open: 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 in Closed: 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 in
Dimensions (millimeters)	Open: 75.2 x 166.7 x 6.5mm; Closed: 75.2 x 85.5 x 13.7mm	Open: 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm Closed: 85.1 x 71.9 x 14.9mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	188g (6.63 oz.)	187g (6.6 oz)
Mobile software	Android 16	Android 16
Cameras	50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)
Internal screen camera	10-megapixel	10-megapixel
Video capture	4K at 60fps	TBD
Processor	Samsung Exynos 2500	Samsung Exynos 2400
RAM/storage	12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB	8GB + 128GB, 256GB
Expandable storage	None	None
Battery	4,300 mAh	4,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Yes	Side
Connector	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None
Special features	One UI 8, IP48 water resistance, 25W wired charging, Qi wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Galaxy AI	IP48 rating, 25W wired charging, wireless charging + powershare, 2x optical zoom (up to 10x digital)
US price starts at	$1,100	$900
UK price starts at	£1,049	£849
Australia price starts at	AU$1,799	AU$1,499

Each September, Apple’s product release playbook dials up the unveiling of the company’s newest line of iPhones, along with a variety of complementary gadgets. On Tuesday, the company took the wraps off the iPhone 17 in all its variations, most notably the new skinny iPhone Air, along with new Apple Watches — Series 11 and Ultra 3 — and an upgrade to its 2-year-old AirPods Pro 2 earbuds.

Along with the hardware, Apple is rolling out the new versions of the devices’ respective operating systems, iOS 26 and WatchOS 26, both of which have been in public beta all summer. (The final version of iOS 26 will be available on Monday, Sept. 15.) The new Liquid Glass interface design may even seem routine to you by now.

Many of the new devices’ capabilities come from new features in their operating systems, and throughout Apple stressed health and fitness as one of the primary drivers. It deemphasized how many of the features’ analysis capabilities — notably most of the new heart-rate sensing and Live Translation in the AirPods Pro 3 — really rely on the iPhone for their heavy lifting.

Given Apple’s struggles with its AI efforts, especially given how much it stressed Apple Intelligence at previous events, the company came as close to downplaying it as it could: There was only the occasional mention of features being driven by AI and the increased neural power in the new A19 Pro processor. And despite no discussion of smart home tech, there was a brief hint in the iPhone Air announcement.

For more in-the-moment commentary, check out ourApple Event live blog.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

iPhone 17 boasts a better screen

The update to Apple’s most mainstream model comes in pastel colors. Notably, the base iPhone 17 now has a ProMotion (120Hz VRR) display, which was formerly only on the Pro models. The screen is larger (6.3 inches) and brighter (up to 3,000 nits) with an improved scratch- and glare-resistant coating. ProMotion has been a much-wanted upgrade; I think there’s probably some dancing going on right now. Inside, it incorporates the A19 chip with a five-core GPU and adds fast charging.

The new front camera has an 18-megapixel square sensor for more flexibility in framing, alongside a larger field of view to enable Center Stage and stabilization. It still has two cameras, though the main camera is bumped to 48 megapixels via Dual Fusion or 24 megapixels as standard.

It starts at $799 in the US — the 16E remains in the line at $599 — and all the iPhones are available for preorder now. It’s £799 in the UK and AU$1,399 in Australia.

The iPhone Air is thin but powerful

Thin seems to be in for phones this year — at least for manufacturers, since buyers don’t seem to be quite as interested and iPhone buyers even less so. Did anyone ask for a super thin iPhone? But in the continuing absence of a foldable iPhone model, what’s a company to do? Behold the iPhone Air, at 5.6mm thick.

It has a polished titanium frame and Ceramic Shield on both sides, which makes some people just want to touch it. According to the company, it’s almost entirely battery on the inside, with Apple claiming all-day battery life.

It’s got high-end specs, too: a 6.5-inch ProMotion XDR display and the A19 Pro processor found in the Pro models. The processor incorporates neural accelerators into each GPU core (six of them), bigger caches and more, giving it quite a bit of computing power.

A new N1 chip and C2 modem improve connectivity (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6) and power conservation. The device has 48-megapixel Fusion and 12-megapixel wide-angle cameras, the Center Stage front camera, and a way to combine front and back cameras live.

It requires all-new accessories, including a MagSafe pack (80 hours) and a thin, translucent case. It starts at $999 (£999, AU$1,799).

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max deliver a love letter to videographers

The flagship iPhone Pro models tend to differ only by screen size (now 6.3 and 6.9 inches), and their unique features are made possible by their higher-powered processors, more flexible camera arrays and other component differences over the lower-end models.

Like the Air, the iPhone 17 Pro uses an A19 Pro processor with updated cooling and thermal management — a vapor chamber — and has a Ceramic Shield back and front. Apple promises 39 hours of video playback.

The cameras are usually the highlight of the Pro, and that remains true: It has an 18-megapixel front Center Stage camera and a triple-camera Fusion Telephoto system, with three 48-megapixel cameras, including a 4x-8x telephoto for a maximum of 200mm equivalent. The phones can capture ProRes Raw and Genlock (to synchronize cameras for video), which should tickle the fancy of pro videographers.

The Pros now come in orange, which isn’t everyone’s favorite, and there’s a new 2TB storage option. They start at $1,099 (£1,099, AU$1,999).

Apple Watch Series 11, Watch SE and Watch Ultra 3 get redesigns

The Apple Watch Series 10 is our Editors’ Choice for smartwatches. The next-generation Watch Series 11 shrinks the thickness, with a more scratch-resistant front glass. It adds 5G support and better power management for up to 12 hours of battery life. A new Flow watch face takes advantage of Liquid Glass visuals. It adds blood pressure tracking (based on blood flow) to find indications of high blood pressure and sleep score from WatchOS 26. Prices start at $399 (£369, AU$679).

There are new bands in new colors, too.

It’s been three years since the last iteration of the Watch SE. Now, we get the Watch SE 3, with the new S10 chip with 5G wireless. It still delivers 18-hour battery life and an always-on display. There’s wrist temperature sensing for ovulation tracking, it gets sleep apnea tracking, sleep score and more. Prices start at $249 (£219, AU$399), and preorders start now.

Apple’s top-of-the-line smartwatch, the Ultra 3, is updated over the Watch Ultra 2 with a wide-angle OLED (smaller bezels mean more display area). Apple has given it emergency-related satellite connectivity, which required a new antenna and receiver. It also comes with increased battery life. Prices start at $799 (£749, AU$1,399).

AirPods Pro 3 upgrade includes live translation

The AirPods Pro 2 version released in 2023 offered only incremental hardware upgrades over the 2022 models (hence the lack of a name change). The AirPods Pro 3 are smaller, with an updated design that introduces foam-ish eartips for better noise isolation and upgraded active noise cancellation, live translation with adaptive ANC for better focus on the speaker, five sizes of ear tips and IP57 water resistance. Fitness enhancements include heart-rate and calorie tracking, among other updates, which come from iOS. Battery life increases to eight hours with ANC and 10 hours with transparency.

The live translation can be somewhat awkward, though, or as CNET’s Macy Meyer puts it, it’s fluent in convenience, not culture. The price hasn’t changed; they still start at $249 (£219, AU$429).

Notable new accessories for the iPhones

The iPhone Air debuts with new accessories. If you want to keep it thin and still have some level of protection, Apple is offering a $39 polycarbonate bumper that wraps around the edges. Aside from drop protection, I know I’d need it simply to keep the slight phone from slipping out of my hands. There is also a traditional $49 clear MagSafe Case along with an opaque Beats-branded polycarbonate case for $45. If for some reason you want to turn your ultrathin phone into a thicker one with longer battery life, you can pick up the $99 MagSafe battery.

The redesign of the camera section of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max means it needs a new case design, and in addition to all the newly designed versions of the usual cases Apple introduced a $59 MagSafe case made of a new TechWoven material — colored yarns of recycled polyester woven into a textured material and coated with polyurethane, or PTU. Presumably, it will fare better than the FineWoven cases Apple released with the iPhone 15.

You can also get a novel (for Apple) $59 Beats Kickstand Case, which looks like the standard polycarb case. The kickstand, though, isn’t a kickstand; it’s a handstrap with a small bit on the end that you can use for standing the case on its side. The kickstand case also comes in a version for the iPhone 17.

For many of the iPhone cases Apple launched yesterday, the company introduced magnetic attachment points. That makes them compatible with its new $59 Cross-Body Strap. On one hand, I’m not sure I want to trust my $1,200 phone to some magnets or my propensity to walk into walls and doorways. On the other, it’s probably safer than my back pocket.

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