Thanks to Samsung’s folding-screen technology, the flip phone is making a comeback in the mainstream. It may leave you wondering why you would buy a regular phone at the same price now since it is cheaper, smoother, water-resistant, and more durable than last year’s model. Foldable smartphones have a lot of promise, but the cost has always been a deterrent. In this generation, Samsung has significantly reduced pricing for the first time. If you’re on the fence about which Samsung foldable to buy, read this article and learn more about the Flip Series offered by Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G
Design and Hardware
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is similar to the Galaxy Z Flip in that it folds vertically to transform from a standard-sized phone to something that can fit into even the smallest of pockets, but it has a few design enhancements. First and foremost, the phone is water-resistant, with an IPX8 rating, which is a remarkable achievement given that Samsung has only recently begun selling foldable phones. For added durability, Samsung has used Armor Aluminum to reinforce the frame and hinge, while Gorilla Glass Victus protects the rest.
The satisfying folding action is what distinguishes the Galaxy Z Flip lineup, and you’ll find yourself opening and closing the phone for no apparent reason for the first few days. The Z Flip 3 has a two-tone design, with the metal frame and hinge being a little different color than the glass in each of the seven colors available. Because the cover display is completely black and provides another piece of contrast to the phone’s appearance, you might call it a three-tone design. Samsung has done an outstanding job of ensuring that this device will turn heads wherever it goes.
BUY NOW
Graphics and Display
The screens of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 have been upgraded slightly, but not much. That’s wonderful, but before we’re swept away by clamshell foldable, we need parity between glass and plastic screens – and no folding seam. While you’ll still feel the seam when tracing your finger over the middle of the 6.7-inch Full HD Plus (2640 x 1080) display, it’s not as noticeable as it was on prior clamshell folding screens. The screen is bright enough for outdoor viewing and offers graphics that are similar to other premium Full HD displays, though it isn’t nearly as sharp as phones with OLED screens.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3’s cover and foldable screens both have helpful enhancements. The cover screen is significantly larger than previously (1.9-inch vs. 1.1-inch), making it more usable. There are now larger previews for taking selfies with the rear cameras, more space for up to four lines of notifications, and more usable widgets. Music player, Alarm, Voice Recorder, Timer, Samsung Health, Weather, and Calendar are the seven options available. Sadly, you can’t add widgets that aren’t already preloaded, and Samsung is expected to release a software update that will allow you to do so. However, you can choose from a variety of beautiful clock styles in the phone settings, and if you purchase the Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 4 Classic, you can even sync the cover display with the watch face. With the proper clock or backdrop, the cover display is truly gorgeous even when the display is turned off.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 has enough cameras for recreational photography; it lacks telephoto capabilities but excels in all other areas. Images on the phone are well detailed and bright, thanks to Samsung’s excellent camera software. The dual rear cameras – a 12MP f/1.8 Dual Pixel primary camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera – don’t appear to have been altered from the Z Flip. They do, however, shoot photographs that are comparable to those taken with previous Samsung flagships, with excellent color balance in the daytime. When folded closed, the Z Flip 3 can take selfies with the superior rear main and ultra-wide cameras, which are reviewed on the outer display – simply double-tap the lock button to activate the camera mode. The touch interface is straightforward: swipe up to toggle between the main and ultra-wide lenses, and swipe left and right to toggle between photo and video modes.
Specs and Battery Life
The Samsung Z Flip 3 boasts flagship specifications and performs as well as any phone outside of the most expensive high-end models. Under the hood, the Snapdragon 888 is the same chip found in the Galaxy S21 and other recent Android flagships, offering raw performance comparable to those smartphones. The chip is paired with 8GB of RAM, which, while not top-tier, is more than enough to run an Android phone today, along with 128GB or 256GB of storage. Material You is one of the main innovations in Android 12, and the Z Flip 3 has its version of it, allowing owners of a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 4 Classic to sync their watch face with their outside display, giving the latter similar colors, fonts, and even little pictures.
The Z Flip 3’s battery life is about average for a high-end phone with a 3,300 mAh battery and features like a 120Hz screen. On a single charge, you can expect to get approximately 11-12 hours of battery life and 3-4 hours of screen usage on average. When you leave the house, you should always have a power bank with you. I’d recommend charging your phone whenever you have a chance, as battery life isn’t always reliable, especially if you’re stranded outside without a Wi-Fi connection and have to rely on mobile data all day.
BUY NOW
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G
Design and Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 keeps the same book-like appearance and functionality as its two predecessors, with a small but usable 6.2-inch Cover Display on the exterior that opens up to expose a huge 7.6-inch display on the inside. The two screens, as well as a hinge mechanism that allows the phone to be folded and unfolded, make this the most eye-catching mobile device design in 2021. Yes, we’ve seen it before, but the majority of the individuals we showed the Galaxy Fold 3 have never seen anything like it before. And that’s what you’re paying for: the thrill of pulling a phone from your pocket and unfolding it to reveal a 7.6-inch tablet-like display while simultaneously demonstrating that you’re technologically ahead of the curve.
The IPX8 certification on the smartphone is new, and it implies that it is water-resistant. It is, however, still not dust-proof, which is problematic owing to the hinge. The smartphone is simple to open, and the angle may be changed practically without limits. The Fold3 closes entirely only in the last few millimeters. When closed, the Samsung folding phone has a solid feel to it and is protected on the outside with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. On the interior of the foldable display, a protective film has been placed once again, and it should not be removed. When the smartphone is set up, the relevant instructions are presented. Nonetheless, the Fold3’s flexible panel gives the sense of being considerably more stable, which can be ascribed in part to the fact that it now works with the S Pen.
BUY NOW
Graphics and Display
Samsung’s foldable smartphone’s tablet-like 7.6-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate remains its main selling feature. The Cover Display, which was expanded to 6.2 inches in 2020 in response to overwhelming feedback on the Z Fold 1, has the same dimensions here – it’s cramped, especially when tapping away on the thin keys of the narrow Cover Display keyboard, but at least the screen refresh rate has been bumped up to 120Hz, matching what we had on the inner display previously.
The inside screen’s resolution remains the same as previously, at 2208 x 1768 pixels, but owing to the new Eco display technology, the new display is reported to be 29 percent brighter than before. The primary display on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is spectacular, thanks in part to a new under-display camera. Instead of having to look at a notch or punch hole, the UDC on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is almost invisible, especially when viewing content like photographs and movies in full-screen mode. When the display is dark, such as on the home screen, the little hole may be seen, although it is not very visible.
Camera
The cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 are excellent, but not exceptional; you’ll either be pleased with the beautifully detailed images and video or frustrated that this Note 21 Ultra-replacement doesn’t go much farther than last year’s Z Fold 2. It all depends on how much camera-phone research you undertake. The camera specifications are the same as last year: a 12MP f/1.8 primary camera, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, and a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. The telephoto and ultra-wide cameras on this new gadget will have optical image stabilization, but nothing else has changed.
The Z Fold 3 features a normal 2x optical zoom, which feels limited given how much Samsung has bragged about its Space Zoom cameras in the S21 Ultra, Note 20 Ultra, and S20 Ultra over the last 18 months. Sure, the 100x Space Zoom seemed excessive, but photographs taken at 30x and 10x were passable, and the Z Fold 3, despite its high price, falls short.
Specs and Battery Life
Because it has some very hefty technology under the hood, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 proved mainly fast during our hands-on time. The Snapdragon 888 processor is in charge, with 12GB of RAM to back it up. There’s also 256GB of internal storage as standard, with 512GB available as an upgrade. Whether I was running three applications at once or racing around the track in Asphalt 9, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 delivered fast performance in regular use. However, there were a few problems, such as when switching from the cover to the main display.
One of the most significant developments in mobile software in a long time is now possible thanks to this new feature. It’s a game-changer for Android phones since tablets have traditionally trailed behind the iPad and iPadOS when switching between applications without having to return to the home screen or pull out a dock. With a 512GB onboard memory, there’s no microSD card slot to add extra capacity. Samsung has previously provided phones with 1TB storage, but that’s not an option here. Since cloud storage has become so common, manufacturers have no motivation to go higher than this, at least until 4K and 8K video recordings become common.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a 4,400 mAh dual battery, which is somewhat less than the 4,500 mAh battery seen in the Z Fold 2. In addition, the results of our web surfing battery test, which entails surfing the web via 5G with a screen brightness of 150 nits, were disappointing. In 60Hz display mode, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 lasted only 7 hours and 52 seconds, and much less in adaptive mode (up to 120Hz) at 6:35. On the same screen modes, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 lasted 10:10 and 9:05 minutes longer, respectively.
BUY NOW
Endnote: The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a clamshell phone, which is the industry term for a folding phone. When you’re not using it, it looks like a typical smartphone, but when you do, it folds down like a clam to make it about half the height it was before. A phone with a full-screen display that folds into your pocket, a camera that stands on its own, and two batteries that last all day. Meet the phone that will have a profound impact on how society functions in the future.
