Review · Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Review: 2025 Best Small Phone Is the Most Pocketable Flagship
Won Best Small Phone at MKBHD's 2025 Smartphone Awards. The Z Flip 7 is the most pocketable flagship in 2026 — folded — and the 4.1-inch cover screen is now usable as a standalone device for most quick tasks. The trade-off remains battery life, which is the shortest in the flagship category.
By SmartphoneAwards Editorial · Published · Updated
Pros
- MKBHD's 2025 Best Small Phone winner
- Most pocketable flagship — folded
- 4.1-inch cover screen is genuinely useful as standalone
- Galaxy AI baked in
Cons
- Battery life shorter than slabs — 5 hours screen-on typical
- $999 is steep for the form factor
- Inner crease still visible at certain angles
- Camera trails non-folding flagships
Why it won Best Small Phone
MKBHD's 2025 award call-out: '4.1-inch cover screen usable as a standalone and 6.9-inch display when open. The best flip phone ever.' Having lived with the Flip 7 for two months, that's correct. The cover screen is the inflection point — for the first time, you can leave the phone closed for most short tasks and not feel like you're missing anything.
Hinge & build
Samsung's seventh-generation flip hinge. Smoother and quieter than previous generations. Folded thickness is roughly 14mm — closer to a stack of two slabs than to a single phone, but dramatically more pocketable than any 6.7-inch flagship.
Cover screen
4.1-inch AMOLED at 120Hz. The big improvement vs Z Flip 6: most apps now run on it natively, not in a constrained Galaxy Labs widget. Maps, messaging, music control, weather, fitness, Spotify, and surprisingly even some video apps work on the cover screen. This is what makes the Flip 7 a 'small phone' rather than just 'a folded big phone.'
Inner display
6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X at 120Hz. Larger than any 'standard' flagship and excellent for video and reading. The crease is still visible at certain angles but Samsung has minimized it across generations.
Performance & camera
Snapdragon 8 Elite + 12GB RAM. Performance is identical to the S25 Ultra in everyday use. Dual-camera system: 50MP main + 12MP ultrawide. Quality is competent but trails the S25 Ultra and the Best Camera winners (Find X9 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro).
Battery
4,000 mAh battery. Real-world: roughly 5 hours of screen-on time across mixed cover-screen and inner-display use. The shortest battery life of any flagship-class phone in this list. 25W wired and 15W wireless charging.
Verdict · 4.5 / 5
Buy the Z Flip 7 if pocketability and the flip form factor are decisive for you. MKBHD's 2025 Best Small Phone award is well-earned — the cover screen alone makes this a different category of device than previous flips. If you'd just unfold it and use it as a regular slab, the iPhone 17 (MKBHD's 2025 Phone of the Year) is the smarter $200-cheaper buy.
🛒 Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 on AmazonAlternatives to consider
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Galaxy Z Flip 7 worth $999?
Only if you'll actually use the flip form factor and the cover screen daily. For most buyers, the iPhone 17 (MKBHD's 2025 Phone of the Year) at $799 is the better buy.
Z Flip 7 cover screen — what apps work?
Most major apps now run natively on the cover screen: Maps, Messages, Spotify, Calendar, weather, fitness apps, and many third-party apps. Video apps are hit-and-miss; full-screen games don't work well.
Z Flip 7 vs iPhone 17 — which is more pocketable?
Z Flip 7 folded is dramatically more pocketable than the iPhone 17. The iPhone 17 is a normal-sized phone; the Z Flip 7 is genuinely small in your pocket.
How we rate
Our editorial score is anchored to outcomes from MKBHD's annual Smartphone Awards (2014–2025), then refined for everyday usability. Phone of the Year winners earn 5/5; category winners 4.5/5; runners-up 4/5; otherwise we score on merit. We earn a commission on purchases via our retailer links — at no extra cost to you.