Galaxy Z Flip 7 is first Flip phone with UWB but there's a catch

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the first phone in the lineup with ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity but it is available in select variants.

In 2021, Samsung launched the Galaxy S21 series. Apart from the base variant in the lineup, the other two phone in it, the Galaxy S21+ and the Galaxy S21 Ultra, were the brand’s first devices with ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity, which can precisely locate other UWB-equipped devices in real-time and is very useful with UWB-equipped smart object trackers. To allow people to take advantage of the feature, it also launched the Galaxy SmartTag+ alongside these devices, which featured UWB, allowing Galaxy S21 users to use a UWB-equipped object tracker with it.

Since then, the South Korean tech giant has been equipping all the flagship smartphones with ultra-wideband. Well, expect the Galaxy Z Flip series devices, which has been preventing people needing the UWB functionality from buying Samsung's smartphones with clamshell foldable displays and pushing them towards other brands' devices. Fortunately, that’s changing with the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Yes, the phone has UWB! Unfortunately, there’s a catch.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 offers UWB only in South Korea

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 features ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity, the first phone in the Flip lineup to offer the feature. However, the Samsung is offering it only in the variant of the smartphone that it sells in South Korea (via Android Authority), which has the model number SM-F766N. The image below is a snap from Samsung's official website for South Korea listing Galaxy Z Flip 7's specifications. As you can see, it mentions UWB.

samsung galaxy z flip 7 ultra-wideband uwb connectivity south korea

With that, Galaxy Z Flip 7 users in the brand’s home country can precisely track other UWB-equipped gadgets, including the Galaxy SmartTag+ and the Galaxy SmartTag 2 with Samsung's SmartThings app. Unfortunately, people in the rest of the world can’t enjoy the feature.

At the moment, there’s no information about why Samsung has not offered UWB in the other variant of the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Either it could be a cost-saving measure or and regulatory certification issue. We hope that the brand offers future Galaxy Z Flip phones with UWB in all the countries.

Abid Iqbal Shaik - Writer

First Samsung device: Galaxy S II

I’m a computer science engineer living in Hyderabad, India, who has a keen interest in automobiles and consumer electronics. My journalism career kicked off in 2017 with MySmartPrice where I wrote news, features, buying guides, and explanatory articles about technology among other things, and reviewed many products, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, PC components, smartwatches, audio devices, wearables, and smart home products. Since then, I have worked for 91Mobiles, Apple, and Onsitego, before finally landing on SamMobile.

Phone Galaxy Z Flip 7 Korea South Korea UWB