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.
The Z Flip 7 features a larger cover screen than any of its predecessors. Patrick Holland/CNET
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 948x1,048p resolution, which should mean it provides you with a sharper image than the Z Flip 7 FE's 720x748p cover screen.
The Z Flip 7 is a more colorful phone than its "fan edition" counterpart. Screenshot by James Martin/CNET
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