Samsung’s recent generations have taught me one thing: I love the Fan Edition lineup. From traditional smartphones to tablets to wearables, it has won me over time, and offers just the right mix of specifications and price to make sense for those who want a flagship experience at no cost. And when I heard that it can be expanded to include a folding phone for the first time, you should think I was excited.
After all, I have a soft place for everything and everything that lashes, and would like to recommend something that does not cost $ 1000. However, I’m a little disappointed now like Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe Is here. It may prove to be an impressive alternative from Samsung, but I’m not sure it’s a real fan version launch, and here’s the reason.
If I wanted a Galaxy Z Flip 6, I would buy a
When I first saw Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe, my thoughts went to an unexpected place. Honestly, the only thing I could think about was the old clip that went, “At all levels except physically, I am a wolf.“Change the idea of being a wolf to be a Galaxy Z Flip 6 – It’s the same, right? Okay, jokes aside, it seems that the Samsung method used to make his latest fan edition.
Everything about Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe is just last year’s flip-style flagship, just the other way around (in dull black or washed out white) and paired with a downgraded piece set. It has the same 3.4-inch folder-shaped Flex window, the same 4000 MAH battery, and the same double camera layout that we have used and cleared for many years now. And in a way, I assume that it is a perfect example of Samsung deciding not to fix what is not destroyed.
Samsung knows how to create a great flip phone, but how do I recommend a new one when the previous generation is still so easily accessible?
However, I don’t think it makes the Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe stand out, either. I’ve affected it once, but Motorola’s Razr success comes from giving each model a clear price point. Base Razr (2025) Is meaningfully cheaper, with specific cameras, a slightly paired-down cover screen (at least when it comes to materials), and a distinct battery and charging setup-there has been differences that justify the lower price. Then, if you want to upgrade, it’s Razr Plus and Ultra, who both give the experience without making you feel like you upgrade from a previous generation launch.
In Samsung’s case, the problem of doing the Galaxy Z flip 7 fees is so much of the flip 6s DNA, well, you can still find a Galaxy Z Flip 6 without looking too hard. You can get their extra 4GB RAM, that Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Processor, and there are much better color options, all while you are probably saving some money. Sure, you can miss one more year with software updates (Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE -Ships with Android 16 instead of Android 15), but you are still well covered in the 2030s.
Maybe we just forgot what fan editions are about
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
As I said in the beginning, I could be wrong with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe. It may prove to be a great small flip phone, partly thanks to its resemblance to the previous generation flagship. If so, so fantastic – go out and buy one. However, my real problem with the idea is that Samsung’s standard approach for launching fan editions is not just copying and pasting what worked before. Instead, there are usually ways to interfere with new features to create an almost flagship phone, but still make it feel meaningful.
Toe Galaxy S24 FeFor example, a phone that offered enough of an identity to a price point for the underflag that I was willing to recommend it over the Galaxy S24 base. Where the Galaxy S24 was small at just 6.2 inches, the Galaxy S24 Fe was large, giving a 6.7-inch 120Hz screen that matched the sibling at all levels except top brightness. Samsung’s cheaper alternative packed a larger battery as well, and skipped 4,700 mAh over the Galaxy S24’s 4,000 mAh. Sure, the flagship model had a better processor and more flexible cameras, but that’s exactly what you expect from an upgrade of $ 150 (or more).
Samsung’s fan Edition -Lineup is built on value, and I’m just not sure I can find it on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe.
Samsung’s fan edition tablet follows the same formula, and I think it works just as well. I designated Galaxy Tab S10 Fe Like all tablet Android fans need, and I keep standing every time I hit it into my backpack for a walk. Instead of going big, the Galaxy Tab S10 Fe goes small, choosing a 10.9-inch, 90Hz LCD over a 12.4-inch, 120Hz amoled and accorded the other Bakkamerensor-something I never used in the first place. There is also a smaller battery to match the smaller frame and a lower level Exynos 1580 chipset under the hood. Pair it together with a Delta of $ 350, and it’s easy to see where this fan version tablet has room to stand on your own.
The other thing that all the other fan editions have gone for them is the advantage of time. They have never had to compete directly with their flagship colleagues, instead launching a few months later as more of an upgrade of the middle of the year. So when the Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe is launched on the same day as Galaxy Z Flip 7 With just a price difference of $ 200, it’s easy to see why the flagship option gets all the headlines. It has a better chipset, a more exciting flex window, extra RAM and a larger battery, and the price difference will not feel very large when you can keep it in your pocket for as many as seven years.
As much as I want to steer real Galaxy fans towards another fan Edition launch, and as much as I want Samsung to continue hunting value in the underflag segment, I’m just not sure that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe is the phone to get me (or anyone else) there.