It’s no surprise at this point that Samsung is currently working on the Galaxy Z Flip 7. It is, after all, going to be released in the third-leg of this year, probably in September, if the timeline follows last year. We might be heading for a surprise design change with this device, surfaced in leaks in the form of new renders.
The design change we talk about is mostly related to the cover screen. Last week, we came across a report that said Z Flip 7 will borrow the outer panel from the precursor, but the same source has now issued a correction. That uneven external panel will be thrown out this year.
The source says that the folder-style cover screen has been dropped and now the Flip 7 carries a full-size corner-to-corner display that stretches onto the entire upper half of the rear plate and even envelops the cameras. The leaker called the old cover design a Gumpy Cut, which makes sense due to its deformity around the lenses.
Samsung is looking to take a page out of Motorola’s book and give it a Razor+ style corner-to-corner outer screen. Razor+ takes advantage of that cover display and you can use it as a mini smartphone with almost the same functionality as the bigger screen. This could also affect Samsung phone prices.
Samsung’s philosophy so far has been to limit the use cases for the outer screen so people have to open the device for primary use. That’s why there are only widgets, toggles, and only a few apps allowed on the Flip’s back. Only time will tell if the company allows the cover screen to have full functionality this year.
As you can tell from the renders, the discarded folder-style 3.6” cover has been replaced by a bigger display. The new leak foreshadows that it’s a 4” display. If not full-functionality, you can at least expect bigger widgets, more readable notifications, and better previews on the external display thanks to that size.
It’s rare, but Samsung has bowed down to the wishes of its fans since there was huge backlash over the limited usability of Flip 6’s cover display. Fans have been complaining about this drawback ever since the first Z Flip was released.
We believe Android 15 One UI 7 will hit the Galaxy Z Flip 6 before the Flip 7 is released, and it should preface some of the changes you can expect with their cover screen functionality. Samsung will release the update any day now, so stay tuned for news.
