Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Hands-on: The first foldable with mainstream appeal
Foldable phones, like any new technology, have had their fair share of detractors, with skeptics mostly bemoaning their high prices and fragility. Samsung’s just-announced Galaxy Z Flip 3 addresses both of those concerns, making for perhaps the first foldable with true mainstream appeal.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Specifications. Tap/click to show.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Specifications
| Specification | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 |
|---|---|
| Build |
|
| Dimensions & Weight |
|
| Displays |
|
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
| RAM & Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
| Rear Camera(s) |
|
| Front Camera(s) | 10MP, f/2.4 |
| Port(s) | USB Type-C |
| Audio | Stereo speakers |
| Connectivity |
|
| Software | Android 11 |
About this hands-on: I spent some time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 in a private briefing session ahead of today’s official launch. Samsung did not have input in this article.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Hardware
Just like its two predecessors, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a clamshell foldable with a 6.7-inch plastic OLED screen that bends and folds horizontally at the midway point. Unfolded, the Z Flip 3’s shape and dimensions approximate a typical slab phone — albeit a bit thinner at 6.8mm — and when closed up, the phone becomes a compact, square-shaped device with dimensions similar to a makeup compactor, or a stack of coasters.
The screens of the Flip 3 have got major upgrades. The inside folding screen now refreshes at 120Hz (vs 60Hz on last year’s Z Flip 5G), and the outside “cover screen” is 4x larger. The cover screens of the last two Z Flips were only good for displaying the most basic of information (time, battery percentage, etc) and not much else. Even text messages with more than five words wouldn’t show properly on the cramped space.
That’s been fixed here with the Z Flip 3 — you now get four lines of space with the option to scroll to see more text. Samsung’s also built widgets specifically for this cover screen, allowing users to control music playback, audio recording, set a timer, and more. Just like last year, you can use the cover screen as a viewfinder for selfies.
Elsewhere, the Z Flip 3 got the expected annual spec bump, running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 and using UFS 3.1 storage, and the stereo speakers have been improved to support Dolby Atmos.
But while a faster SoC and larger, faster screen are nice, the single biggest and most important hardware upgrade is improved structural durability. The Z Flip 3, along with its bigger brother the Z Fold 3, are the first foldable phones to gain official water resistance with a rating of IPX8. Samsung says the material used to construct both the folding screen and hinge are stronger than ever. The latter has been dubbed “Armor Aluminum” by Samsung, and it’s supposedly 10% stronger than typical aluminum.
While a faster SoC and larger, faster screen are nice, the single biggest and most important hardware upgrade is improved structural durability
Since I had such a short time with the device, I wasn’t able to test durability, but the phone did feel very well-constructed, with the hinge in particular feeling sturdy and firm.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Cameras
Okay, I’ve raved about the Z Flip 3 enough — time to knock the phone back down to earth a bit. The cameras here are solid but unspectacular. To be fair, I only tested the Z Flip 3’s cameras for about ten minutes and Samsung would not let me show photo samples here because the devices I tested were not retail-ready devices. But I’ve tested smartphone cameras long enough to know the Z Flip 3’s camera hardware are not on par with the optics in premium slab flagships like Samsung’s own S21 Ultra or Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra.
For one, the Z Flip 3 doesn’t have a zoom lens at all, so any zooming is a digital crop, and the main 12MP camera has a smaller image sensor than the monster sensors used in the Galaxy S21 Ultra or Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
The Z Flip 3 maxes out at 10x digital zoom, and even through the viewfinder, you can see it’s not a sharp 10x photo.
Don’t get me wrong, the average consumer will be absolutely fine with this camera, and photos during the day will have that punchy, contrasty Samsung vibe I like quite a lot. But whether it’s zoom shots, portrait shots or low light shots, the Z Flip 3’s hardware just can’t keep up with what’s seen in slab flagships.
However, “Flex Mode” — in which the hinge stays in a half-folded position, is a gamechanger, as it allows the Z Flip 3 to stand on its own without a tripod. This allows for easy video calls or setting up selfies or group photos.
Also, because of the unique design of the Z Flip 3, you can take selfies using the main camera system (with the smaller cover screen as a viewfinder). Plus, there’s a good explanation why the camera components here aren’t ultra-premium — check out the next section!
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Price
The Z Fold 3 at $999 is the cheapest foldable smartphone ever
So the Z Flip 3’s camera system isn’t a premium slab flagship camera system, but that’s acceptable to me because the Z Flip 3 isn’t priced like a premium slab flagship phone. Starting at just $999 for the 8GB RAM/128GB storage model, the Z Flip 3 is $500 less expensive than last year’s Z Flip 5G. In fact, $999 is the cheapest foldable smartphone — ever. And this is before we even factor in potential Galaxy Z Flip 3 deals that further sweeten the purchase.
Keep in mind the Z Flip 3 is an improvement over the Z Flip 5G in every way, from processor to build material to display integrity and refresh rate. That Samsung managed to shave a third of the price in one generation is, for the lack of a better word, amazing.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Early Impressions
Although I wish Samsung had given the Z Flip 3 a better camera system, I ultimately think this is a wise move for Samsung, because it knew that, with no Galaxy Note phone this year, the Z series is the company’s only flagship release for the rest of the year (that we know of, anyway) and at least one of these phones need to broaden its mainstream appeal. The best way to do that is to lower the price.
Even outside of the value factor, the Z Flip 3 is a highly stylish phone, with a selection of great looking cases, and a unique form factor. I think this phone will be a hit. We’ll be back with a full review in the coming days so be sure to stay tuned for more in-depth testing and impressions.
- The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is Samsung's latest clamshell foldable that offers a bigger outer display, high refresh rate inner display, and top-of-the-line hardware.
The post Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Hands-on: The first foldable with mainstream appeal appeared first on xda-developers.
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