Motorola Razr Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: Is One of These Flip Phones More Sensible Than the Other? – PCMag

Today’s phones often strike a fine balance between performance and style, which means sometimes you have to compromise. That’s not the case with the new Motorola Razr Ultra, which blends good performance and high design with software that gets the job done. Though we haven’t reviewed it, the Razr Ultra looks like a tough competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, which has been around since last year. If you’re in the market for a flip phone, you have a tough choice to make. Here, we take everything we know about both phones, including our in-depth review of the Z Flip 7, and assess the data so you can pick the right one.

Full Specs

Price: From $1,100 to $1,500

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 lets you snag a solid flip phone for less, starting with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $1,099.99. If you want to bump the storage to 512GB, you’ll need to shell out $200 more, bringing the total to $1,299.99.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 in clamshell mode (Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Razr Ultra offers only one configuration with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $1,499.99.

When it comes down to it, the Z Flip 7 is cheaper and more configurable, so it wins this round.

Winner: Galaxy Z Flip 7

Design: Bound by the Form

Clamshell foldables have the best of both worlds: a compact cover screen when closed and a larger display when opened. With that in mind, this device style doesn’t leave too much room for extravagant design choices. There’s simply not enough room.

Motorola Razr family (Credit: Florence Ion)

When opened, the Razr Ultra measures 6.75 by 2.91 by 0.28 inches open (HWD), 3.47 by 2.91 by 0.62 inches closed, and weighs 7.0 ounces, making it larger and heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 (6.56 by 2.96 by 0.26 inches unfolded, 3.37 by 2.96 by 0.54 inches folded, 6.6 ounces). Although some are quick to assume that thinner and slimmer is better, that’s not always the case.

Samsung’s clamshell leans into a more clean, minimalist design with a traditional matte glass and aluminum chassis. You can get it in Blue Shadow, Coral Red, and Jet Black. Motorola takes a more expressive approach, offering Pantone Cocoa (a wood finish) and Pantone Orient Blue (an Alcantara finish). Side note: Alcantara is pleasantly tactile and addictive to the touch, instantly bringing me back to the Surface Laptop 3’s Alcantara palm rest, which has stuck with me for years.

The Razr Ultra and Z Flip 7 both have an IP48 rating, which means they can keep out solid particles larger than 1mm and survive freshwater submersion to a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. Both foldables can handle a splash or a quick dip, but are vulnerable to finer dust particles.

Winner: Tie

Displays: Winning Nit Over Nit

The Razr Ultra sports a larger 7.0-inch AMOLED main display with a 2,992-by-1,224 pixel resolution, a zippier 165Hz refresh rate, and a higher peak brightness of up to 5,000 nits.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 display (Credit: Eric Zeman)

Compare those specs to the Z Flip 7, which has a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 2,520-by-1,080 pixel resolution, a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and 2,600 nits of brightness. By the numbers, the Razr Ultra should deliver a sharper, smoother, and brighter experience. 

Now let’s talk about the cover screens. The Ultra features a 4.0-inch AMOLED panel with a 1,272-by-1,080 pixel resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and 3,000 nits of peak brightness.

Motorola Razr+ (Credit: Florence Ion)

The Z Flip 7 has a 4.1-inch AMOLED cover screen with a 1,048-by-948 pixel resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and 2,600 nits of peak brightness.

Across the cover and main displays, Motorola leads in brightness for better visibility, refresh rate for more fluid interactions, and resolution for crisper visuals.

Winner: Razr Ultra

Cameras: It’ll Come Down to the Processing

The Z Flip 7 features a standard set of shooters. It has a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, and a 10MP f/2.2 selfie camera.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 in three colorways (Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Razr Ultra also has a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, but upgrades to a 50MP f/2.0 ultrawide camera and a 50MP f/2.0 selfie camera.

The Razr Ultra offers video capture at up to 8K at 30 frames per second, but the Z Flip 7 tops out at 4K at 60 frames per second.

Motorola Razr Ultra (Credit: Florence Ion)

When we tested the Z Flip 7’s cameras, we were content with its color accuracy, exposure, white balance, and detail. We need to give the Razr Ultra’s shooters a spin to know for sure, but on paper, the Motorola foldable appears to eclipse the Samsung rival. With close hardware, it’ll depend on how the processors and algorithms perform.

Winner: Too Early to Tell

Performance: Snapdragon > Exynos

The Razr Ultra runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite 8 processor paired with 16GB of RAM. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 uses a Samsung Exynos 2500 paired with 12GB of RAM. 

Motorola Razr Ultra (Credit: Florence Ion)

We’ve already tested the Z Flip 7, and it notched single- and multi-core scores of 2,267 and 7,594, respectively, on Geekbench 6, our test for measuring raw CPU power.

We haven’t had a chance to test the Razr Ultra yet, but the Snapdragon Elite 8 is featured across the entire Galaxy S25 series. In our testing, those phones averaged 3,093 in single-core performance and 9,850 in multi-core performance. If the Razr puts up similar numbers, it should easily best the Z Flip 7.

Winner: Razr Ultra

Battery: Motorola Has More Potential

The Z Flip 7 has a 4,300mAh battery and supports 25W wired charging, while the Motorola Razr Ultra packs a 5,000mAh battery and recharges faster at 30W.

Motorola Razr Ultra (Credit: Florence Ion)

In our battery life test, which consists of streaming a 1080p video over Wi-Fi with the screen brightness maxed out, the Z Flip 7 lasted 17 hours and 30 minutes. We haven’t tested the Motorola Razr Ultra yet, but its higher capacity battery gives it a chance to outlast the Galaxy phone.

Of course, battery life depends on several factors beyond capacity, including processor efficiency, display resolution and refresh rate, and overall software optimization. Only time—and our final lab results—will declare a winner.

Winner: Too Early to Tell

Connections: A Matter of Millimeters

Both foldables offer a strong set of connectivity features, including sub-6GHz 5G and Bluetooth 5.4. The Z Flip 7 goes a step further with mmWave 5G support, letting you get the fastest 5G speeds where available. The Ultra, on the other hand, is limited to sub-6Hz 5G bands, though it includes the important C bands. You’ll find Wi-Fi 7 support on both phones.

The Z Flip 7 and Razr Ultra each have dual SIM functionality: a nano-SIM slot is on board, as is eSIM support. Samsung’s clamshell has the edge here thanks to its support for cutting-edge cellular speeds.

Winner: Galaxy Z Flip 7

AI Features: Each Excels at Different Tasks

Samsung and Motorola both use advanced AI to enhance the foldable experience. One standout feature in the Galaxy AI suite is Circle to Search, which lets you long-press the home button and circle any object to instantly prompt a Google Search.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in tent mode (Credit: Eric Zeman)

There’s also the Now Brief, which rolls out personalized daily updates. Some of my personal favorite Galaxy AI tools include Interpreter, which provides real-time translation during face-to-face conversations, and Object Eraser, which lets you remove unwanted subjects from a photo. 

Moto AI focuses on smart assistance, with tools like Catch Me Up that deliver a customized summary of your notifications. Remember This lets you save screenshots or notes using natural language, so you can recall specific details later. Moto AI also leans into creativity, allowing you to transform rough drawings into refined art via Sketch to Image.

Which foldable has the best AI suite? It depends on your needs. If you prefer robust productivity tools and advanced photo editing, Galaxy AI may be more your speed. However, if Moto AI’s streamlined notification management and personal memory recall catch your eye, the Razr Ultra is the better choice.

Winner: Tie

The Right Flip for You

Since we haven’t fully assessed the Razr’s performance, we can’t offer definitive buying advice just yet. Even so, we have a few pointers for you if you’re queueing up to preorder a Razr.

• If you use your phone outside a lot, the Razr Fold has a brighter screen, which should make it easier to use in the sun.

• If ecosystem is important, Samsung’s galaxy of connected devices (TVs, PCs, fridges) is broader than Motorola’s and may better suit your inter-device connectivity needs.

• Those who prioritize battery life may want to consider the Razr. Motorola has long surpassed its rivals in delivering great battery life, and the Razr’s larger battery has the potential to outlast the Z Flip.

• If you like smaller phones, the Z Flip 7 is the most compact.

We expect to have a full review of the Motorola Razr Ultra ahead of its May 21 release date. Until then, check out our hands on for our first impressions.