Galaxy Z Flip 7 fixes the biggest gripe with using Gemini on flip foldables
TL;DR
- The Galaxy Z Flip 7 now runs Google Gemini’s Android app natively on the cover screen.
- This is a step up from Flip 6, which could only support text-based chat with some workarounds.
- Gemini Live also works directly from the cover screen.
The progressive increase in the Galaxy Flip’s cover screen size has also expanded its utility over time. The cover screen on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 measures 4.1 inches, occupying a larger space than the previous model’s 3.4-inch layout. This means more apps can now run here natively, and one that Samsung has officially confirmed will be added to the roster is Google’s Gemini.
Until the previous generation, i.e., the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Gemini wasn’t officially supported on the cover screen. Despite workarounds, we couldn’t fully utilize Gemini on the outer screen, as the app wouldn’t respond to wake words, such as “OK Google,” and even prompt us to unfold the Flip so it could react to specific, verbose queries. That restriction is going away with the Flip 7.
Samsung’s previous approach to running apps on the cover screen can be described as “cautious” at best. Although the smaller screens on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Flip 4 barely allowed full apps to run on the outer screen, numerous available solutions, including specific launchers, bypassed these restrictions. Samsung relaxed these limitations when it moved to a bigger screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. However, you still needed some patience to enable support for apps using official Good Lock modules, which continued with the Flip 6.
Now that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 ditches the folder-shaped cover screen and goes for a more natural, squarish shape, we can expect more apps to utilize the space entirely. In addition to the Gemini interface, the Flip 7 also supports Gemini Live on the cover display, while screen and camera-sharing capabilities are available in Flex mode. That means the assistant can be put to work while the phone is kept half-folded on any flat surface with its camera facing upwards.
Alongside Samsung’s announcement, Google has said it is extending Gemini Live to cover screens on more flip-style foldables. Essentially, it implies easier access to Gemini Live on phones, such as the Motorola Razr 2025, in addition to the Flip 7. Although Google doesn’t specify, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, with its smaller screen, as well as Flip 6 and Flip 5 phones, can also be expected to receive similar functionality.
Besides the bigger screen, Samsung is also reforming the Galaxy Z Flip 7 in a significant way: by stepping away from Qualcomm’s chips. The Flip 7 is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 2500 chip across all markets globally, unlike the Fold 7, which still features a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
Will Samsung’s decision to use an Exynos chip on the Flip influence your decision to buy one? Let us know in the comments below!
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
Largest ever Flex Window • 6.9-inch dynamic AMOLED 2X folding screen • 7 years of updates
Melds Galaxy AI with the new edge-to-edge FlexWindow
With a 6.9-inch main display and a 4.1-inch FlexWindow outer display, the Samsung Galaxy Flip 7 focuses on putting AI smarts in your pocket. Measuring just 13.74mm thick when folded, it’s the slimmest Z Flip phone yet. Packed with a 50MP camera and a suite of AI tools, Samsung calls the Z Flip 7 a “pocket-sized selfie studio.”
