Hands on: I opened the case file on the new Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, and it was all black and white

The day was a real cooker as I approached the Brooklyn Navy Yard, site of the Samsung Unpacked event that would feature the new Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and the latest addition to the foldable family, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.

I’d heard whispers about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE; rumblings from the street, you might say. We knew it would be a cheaper version of the Galaxy Z Flip 7, but how was Samsung going to pull it off? What corners would be cut? What features would get left out in the cold?

I couldn’t concentrate on cold; it was too hot outside. I waited through the Galaxy Z Fold 7 announcement. Did the suit on stage really misspeak and say it would cost $199.99? I guess some prices are too high even for Samsung’s own people to swallow.

I sat through the Galaxy Z Flip 7 announcement, thinking I’d made a huge mistake. I put my partners on the trail of the Flip 7 and the even more expensive Fold 7. I figured my time slumming it with Motorola’s base model Razr would make me the right gumshoe to sniff out the details on the cheap new Flip FE.

Then I saw the bezel on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover display and I felt the green monster — jealousy — breathing down my neck.

Fine, I thought, you can’t have every phone. Sometimes you have to let the good ones go if it means saving a buck or two. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 has looks, sure, but those come at a high price: $1,099.99. That’s too rich for my blood.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review: price and specs

• Starts at $899 / £849 / AU$1,499 for 8GB RAM / 128GB storage
• Cheaper than Galaxy Z Flip 6, but still very pricey

Finally, the moment of truth arrived. The Samsung rep faked a retreat then stepped back to the front of the stage with that old chestnut: and one more thing… it was the Galaxy 7 Flip FE. My quarry. I finally had my eyes on the prize. But what exactly was I seeing?

Samsung laid it out in black and white – literally. That was the first thing I noticed about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. It came in black or white. Shiny, glossy, like 88 ivories ready to be played. No other colors.

I grabbed my notebook. This couldn’t be right, could it? For a Galaxy FE? I flipped back a few months to the Galaxy Tab S10 FE, Samsung’s iPad Air competitor. Didn’t that tablet come in blue? The blood drained from my head. The room started to go dark.

I flipped back even further to the Galaxy S24 FE. Mint! I have it in mint, and I know there was a blue. Was this a dream? Some sawbones once told me that dreams are often in black and white, but I don’t pay much attention to doctors.

Why would the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE be available only in black and white? I may have a long memory for Samsung’s favorite hues, but Samsung only has its eye on one dame… the Apple iPhone 16e.

Samsung used to show up at the bargain table wearing bright colors like it was Easter Sunday. Then Apple reminded the world that every day can be a funeral, and the iPhone 16e launched in black and white – the first monochromatic iPhone I can recall since the iPhone 3GS.

If I had to guess, I’d say that’s why Samsung changed its FE look. I would also guess that the overpriced iPhone 16e is the reason Samsung priced the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE like a premium flagship, not a bargain phone. The Flip 7 FE will start at $899.99. I gasped when Samsung flashed the number.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: design

• Same dimensions and weight as Galaxy Z Flip 6
• Only comes in black and white

I headed to the hands-on tables and sidled up next to Lance, who was parked in front of the gorgeous, mint green Galaxy Z Fold 7. The room was filled with tables and shmoes like me, looking for a scoop.

All I saw were bright colors, but my target had none of that. I was looking for the colorless suspect in the center of it all: the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.

The massive warehouse was decked out in more color than I could comprehend. There was bright graffiti covering one corner. OLED TVs showed off Samsung’s commitment to ecology in bright green and poison-dart frog orange.

After a tour of the gigantic space, I found my FE back near where I started. There were three on a table: two black and one white. These were the only Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE phones in the room.

Clearly, Samsung didn't expect a big crowd for its so-called bargain.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: display

• You'll be jealous when you see the Flip 7's cover display
• Inner screen is large but not as big as a Moto Razr or Flip 7

Frankly, I don't blame them. It's hard to work up a sweat over a cheap phone that costs $900, even on a hot day like today. With a good sale happening, I can get two Motorola Razr phones for the same price – one for work and another for the weekend.

After a few minutes with the Flip 7 FE I’m onto Samsung’s jig. The FE is the exact same size and weight as the Galaxy Z Flip 6. It’s got the same screens, inside and out, down to the pixel.

To be fair, the Flip 7 FE can get brighter, but that’s according to Samsung. I’ll let my folks in Future Labs run tests at the clubhouse before I declare this phone the winner.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE almost seems designed to disappoint. No colors. No big cover screen. No Snapdragon inside – this phone runs on the Exynos 2400 that flummoxed Galaxy S24 buyers who weren't in the US. It even has less RAM than the Galaxy Z Flip 7: eight gigabytes instead of 12.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: cameras

• 50MP main camera, 12MP ultra wide
• Same camera specs as Galaxy Z Flip 7 (and Flip 6)

I check out the cameras – not bad? At least it keeps the same shooters as the normal Flip7. There’s a 50MP wide cam that’s a solid option for selfies, and I can see my kisser in the cover screen with the Flip 7 FE closed.

At least the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE doesn't seem to be a downgrade in that department. I'll need to take it for a spin to be sure, but the cameras look identical to what the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is packing.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: final word

Why not just keep the Galaxy Z Flip 6 around at a discount? Samsung feeds me a line and I chew on it, but I don't swallow. It said the Z Flip 6 couldn't run DeX, but the Exynos in the Z Flip 7 will make it happen. A likely story, since the Flip 6 and the Galaxy S24 had the same chips.

But what about the Flip 7 FE? It's unclear what it can and can't do.

I can't imagine anyone picking the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE over a Galaxy Z Flip 7, except by accident. I'll need to spend some quality time with this phone before I can write its full review story, but my gut tells me if last year's phone gets a discount, steer folks toward an older, more colorful Flip 6 before sending them after this black-and-white 'bargain.'