Samsung could buck the foldable trend and make its next Z Flip phone bigger instead

In the current foldable phone world, the race is on to offer as little phone as possible for your money. Manufacturers are stripping away as much of the material as possible in a bid to make the slimmest, sleekest handset on the market.

The recently unveiled Oppo Find N5, for example, sits a mere 8.9mm thick when folded, and a staggering 4.2mm thick when unfolded. That's especially impressive when you consider that the previous record-holder – the Honor Magic V3 – was already as slim as most slab Android phones.

Now, a new report from Android Headlines suggests that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 handset will buck that trend slightly. That suggests that the handset will be larger than the current Z Flip 6 model, while retaining the same thickness.

The report states an overall size of 166.6 x 75.2 x 6.9mm, which will accommodate and additional 0.2-inches on the cover display and 0.1-inches on the internal display size. That should a welcome change, offering more screen real estate.

Still, it's unlikely to be a game changer. The current Motorola Razr 50 Ultra – which has been on the market for the best part of a year now – still has a larger cover display. The report suggests there won't be any major adjustments to the camera setup, either – something many users have been hoping for. The dual sensor setup is said to still consist of a 50MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide, though they could be upgraded sensors.

The good news, though, is that the price is expected to remain the same. That will be a welcome point for prospective customers, who shouldn't need to pay through the nose for what seems like an incremental upgrade.

There's no word on exactly when to expect the handsets, though historic release schedules suggest it will probably come towards the end of the summer.