I ignored the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s top feature and discovered its true appeal

After returning to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, I’ve almost entirely ignored the main upgrade over previous versions, and by doing so, the phone has made much more sense.

I’ve stopped worrying about using the flip phone’s cover screen, and just enjoyed the Z Flip 7’s compact nature instead.

Bigger cover screen

Not really any better

I’ve been using the Galaxy Z Flip 7 for the last five days. I returned to it after completing my Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review and needed an interim smartphone while I waited for a new review phone to arrive.

I really liked the Z Flip 7 when I reviewed it, and I welcomed the chance to return to it.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 has the biggest cover screen on any Samsung Z Flip phone yet, but as I noted in my review, and my colleague Stephen Radochia also pointed out, it may be bigger, but it’s not any more useful than before.

There’s no question the larger diameter makes the front of the Z Flip 7 look really modern, though, and I wouldn’t want Samsung to have stuck with a smaller size, but in reality, the cover screen is all about the visuals, not its feature set.

You have to jump through hoops to get a selection of third-party apps running on it, and the available widgets are uninspiring.

From the way you can’t interact with notifications to the requirement to open the phone to adjust almost all its settings, the Z Flip 7’s cover screen never encourages you to use it more.

Still, its size, resolution, and brightness encourage you to look at it, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

A fancy lock screen

Wallpaper and a clock only

When I set the Z Flip 7 up again, I added a few widgets to the cover screen, set up app access, customized the always-on display, and changed the wallpaper.

I had every intention of using it, but found from that moment on, I simply didn’t feel the need. It was always more convenient (and sometimes, essential) to just open the phone.

Instead, I experimented with the wallpaper options. Choose a picture, and there are several ways of customizing it, ranging from using different frames and individual background colors to different clock designs.

Use a photo of a person, and the software gives it a portrait-style look when using some of the frames. It even does a good job of selecting a color for the background, which complements the colors in the photo.

With the always-on screen properly set up, the cover screen shows a sensibly sized clock and the date, which is visible from a distance.

I’d still love a selection of icons to alert me about waiting notifications, instead of the almost invisible orange dot, but perhaps that’s something Samsung will add in a future version of One UI.

Has it made the flip pointless?

Back to basics

If I’m not using the cover screen for anything more than looking at the time and messing around with wallpapers, has it made the feature redundant?

While I’m certainly not using it as Samsung intended, I’ve moved past worrying about it and instead fully embraced how folding the phone up makes the Z Flip 7 so convenient to carry around.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL is not a small phone, and it took up plenty of space in my bag or my pocket. The folded up Galaxy Z Flip 7 just disappears.

I don’t mind that it’s thicker than the Pixel 10 Pro XL, as it’s half the length, which means it doesn’t feel as cumbersome in your pocket,and hides in side pockets in your bag far more simply.

It’s why I like compact folding phones, and consider this to be a greater and more impactful reason to buy than the larger cover screen.

The other basic aspects of the cover screen and the Z Flip 7 are similarly excellent.

The fingerprint sensor inside the power key is accurate and fast to respond, plus I find it easy to locate despite being recessed.

The camera controls are excellent, and the fully functioning camera app on the cover screen is one of the few cover screen features worth using.

It’s still quite niche, though, as it’s only really useful for selfies.

Returning to the Z Flip 7

Anything different a month into release?

Over the first few days with the Z Flip 7 following its announcement, I noted how angry the phone is when you close it.

There’s no finesse to the Z Flip 7’s hinge, which snaps shut like a venus fly trap, desperate to make a meal out of your fingertips.

Even after using the phone for a couple of weeks during my review and again for another five days now, the action hasn’t softened.

It’s not a reason to avoid the Z Flip 7, and sometimes the loud snap when you close the phone is quite therapeutic, but it’s not the sound of a precision piece of equipment.

This is a shame, as the rest of the phone really showcases Samsung’s precision engineering.

The hinge is sound and crunch-free, the performance from the Qualcomm chip is stellar, and the addition of DeX makes the Z Flip 7 more versatile than its predecessors.

I still recommend the phone, and have really enjoyed using it again, but I can’t bring myself to say the cover screen is a reason to buy.

It’s impossible to use it to its fullest potential due to the way it’s locked down by Samsung, but this has forced me to ignore it outside of telling me the time and date, and showing some cool wallpaper.

It means I’ve been able to concentrate on its wonderfully compact dimensions and design, which is what really makes the Z Flip 7 such a worthwhile buy.