This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
We're good five years into the foldable revolution, and even though adoption has been kind of slow, flip phones are becoming increasingly common.
This can partly be attributed to their lower price compared to book style foldables, but also to the familiar form factor. We used to have regular flip phones, and the design has proven to be successful in the past.
And even though there are many flip models, Samsung is still the leading player. But while the Korean company is gearing up to release its next flip model, the Galaxy Z Flip 7, there are certain things it needs to stay competitive.
This year, Motorola released the Razr Ultra (2025), an almost perfect flip phone and a real threat to Samsung's hegemony. Here are the five things Samsung needs to get right with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 to beat Motorola and stay on top.
The Motorola Razr Ultra has an amazing a really useful cover screen | Image by PhoneArena
The biggest problem I've always had with foldable phones of any kind was the actual folding and unfolding itself. It's cumbersome, and if you have to do it for every little thing you do on your phone, owning a foldable quickly becomes a nuisance.
This is where cover screens come in. And while on the book-type foldables the cover screens mimic conventional, non-folding phones, both in size and in functionality, this isn't the case when we talk about flip phones.
Closing a flip phone shut physically constrains the available space for a cover screen. There are, however, ways around this, and Motorola struck gold with its Razr series quite a few generations ago.
The Razr Ultra (2025) is the evolution of the concept of a fully functional cover screen, and it offers an easy way to add all your apps and games to that screen. This minimizes the times you need to open the device and makes life with this flip phone much easier.
In contrast, Samsung still requires an additional download of GoodLock and the MultiStar module to add widgets, and to make matters worse, the display doesn't stretch to the edges of the phone, losing precious space.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 needs to offer a bigger cover screen and think of a different , more intuitive way to use apps and features on that screen. Oh, and have we mentioned that the cover screen of the Motorola Razr Ultra can do 165 Hz refresh rate on BOTH displays? Get to work, Samsung!
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2. Better battery life/faster charging
210W might be overkill, but Samsung needs to move up from the slow 25W wired charging on its flip foldables | Image by PhoneArena
When a smartphone runs out of power, it becomes an expensive paperweight. Battery life has been one of the most important metrics for consumers and topped many polls asking about what phone features matter.
The previous Galaxy Z Flip model scored an overall 6h 45min in our battery test, placing it #69 for phones tested in the past 2 years. In contrast, the Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) managed 7h 17m and spot number 52 in the same test.
If we take a look at the browsing score alone, the Razr outlasted the Z Flip by a whopping 8 hours, or 50%, in that test. Hadn't it been for the strange video score, the Razr would've been much higher overall, but even with that abnormality, the phone fares much better than the latest Z Flip.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 needs to put that smallish 4,000 mAh battery in the past and offer a substantial increase to be able to compete.
When we take a look at the fast charging situation, things are even worse. The Galaxy Z Flip series is stuck with 25W wired charging speeds that we won't even dare to label "fast." This translates into charging time, as a full charge of the Flip 6 takes 1h 31 minutes.
The Razr Ultra (2025) charges from zero to full in less than half that time—it takes 43 minutes to fill the battery with the included 68W charging brick.
So, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will definitely benefit from a bump up in charging speeds as well.
3. Better camera system/first periscope telephoto on a flip phone
A periscope zoom lens on a flip phone? Why not, Samsung? | Image by PhoneArena
Samsung upgraded the main camera on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and this was a successful move, considering the camera score this phone managed in our lab test. The said score of 137 is even higher than what the Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) was able to achieve, but there's another argument to be had.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 could just carry over the same camera system from its predecessor, and this would be the safe bet here. It will be more or less on par with the aforementioned Razr, but a bold move can make the next Z Flip a trendsetter.
A periscope telephoto camera would make the Galaxy Z Flip 7 the perfect camera phone, rivaling conventional camera phones and book-style foldables.
Speaking of which, companies already put periscope cameras in those foldables (e.g., Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Honor Magic V4), so it's a matter of time to start seeing those on flip phones. Yes, there are physical constraints, but we're sure those will be overcome, and Samsung has the unique opportunity to pave the way in that regard.
4. Different options for the color/back material
Let's knock on wood Samsung decides to go for something fresh this time around | Image by PhoneArena
We're kind of stuck in this glass and metal world we've built for ourselves when it comes to smartphones. And some might say it's our own fault for sticking with it, but there's life beyond glass, figuratively speaking.
Motorola has been experimenting with different smartphone materials for quite some time now, and we had the Kevlar ThinkPhone, the wooden Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, and the leather-back Razr and Razr Plus series.
Let's knock on wood that this trend continues (pun intended), as we personally love different materials on any phone. It transforms the device and adds character without the need for a case.
The Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) offers polymer back and eco-leather options with some cool colors to choose from.
Wouldn't it be great if the Galaxy Z Flip 7 came with something different than the same boring glass back the series has been using since the beginning?
5. Competitive price
Behold the Motorola Razr (2023), starting price $599 | Image by PhoneArena
Ah, here we are with the money subject again. We get it, things are expensive, and in the current economic situation, smartphones probably won't get cheaper anytime soon.
But we also remember the time Motorola launched the Razr (2023) at $599. It was the cheapest flip phone by far and proved that this can be done with a couple of compromises.
We're not saying the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has to be $599 to sell; that's not realistic and downright delusional, but if Samsung manages to return to the $999 price tag for the Z Flip series and not make it more expensive at like $1,100 instead, this will drive sales and help adoption.
Conclusion
So, there you have it. The five important things Galaxy Z Flip 7 needs to get right in order to become the best flip phone of 2025. What do you think about it? Which one is the most important to you? Vote in the poll and share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Which Galaxy Z Flip 7 feature would you like to see the most?
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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