One of Samsung’s new foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Flip 3, is the company’s most recent attempt to popularize foldable smartphones.
When opened, the little gadget transforms into a full-sized smartphone with cutting-edge screen technology, a powerful CPU that makes apps run smoothly, a trustworthy set of camera lenses, and a sleek, contemporary appearance.
The price of $999 puts it on par with other high-end devices, making Samsung’s phone among the only foldable to do so. Is there a gadget that takes foldable from the realm of novelty to that of practical use?
Z Flip 3 General information
(image courtesy of Samsung)
If you’ve been thinking about acquiring a foldable but wanted to wait for a more robust and speedy alternative that could compete with the likes of the iPhone and Galaxy smartphones, then the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is for you.
The two main drawbacks of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 are the lack of a telephoto lens and its subpar battery performance compared to other high-end handsets. Based on our tests, however, Samsung has addressed the most pressing concerns with past foldable, resulting in a device with quality construction and vivid display on par with other $999 devices.
Comparatively, the third-generation Z Flip is superior to its predecessor and the Motorola Razr in terms of durability, thanks to its sturdy construction and worry-free display. The Z Flip 3 is essentially a regular smartphone that happens to fold, unlike prior foldable, which didn’t feel stable in hand and made loud creaking sounds during normal usage. However, the iPhone 12 Pro and the Galaxy S21, which have a telephoto lens, are perhaps better options for people looking for the best camera arrangement.
If you already own an iPhone, the Z Flip 3 isn’t going to sway you for any reason other than its folding design. And the S21 Ultra or the Note 20 Ultra are the best options if you seek the pinnacle of Android phones.
Z Flip 3 Bespoke edition
You may be aware of Bespoke since it is a series of home appliances from Samsung that allows you to create your unique look by combining different hues. Imagine a navy blue refrigerator and, next to it, a freezer door that is either bright pink or white. Samsung had never before offered a phone with such a customized design before the release of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 Bespoke Edition.
(image courtesy of Samsung)
There are 49 possible variations of colors. The phone’s chassis comes in either black or silver, while the front and back panels may be in many colors, from blue to yellow to white to pink. You can’t go wrong with any of the color schemes. Although you may feel overwhelmed by all the options, we’re confident you can’t go wrong with them. The pink, yellow, and blue tones are gentle and tend toward the colder end of the color spectrum. Frames in black or silver are neutral enough to complement virtually any color scheme.
They’re a step up from the Z Flip 3’s standard, less exciting hues. The original Z Flip came in Mystic Bronze or glossy purple. Still, this year Samsung went with a more subdued color palette. Suppose you’re looking for a more colorful construction. In that case, the Bespoke variant is the way to go, since you may choose your colors instead of picking from a small selection. The Bespoke version allows you to mix and match panels, so you may get one in pink and one in navy or any other combination that strikes your fancy.
The software will reflect the colors you select. Your Z Flip 3’s Cover Screen and the primary display will be covered in a skin that complements the device’s aesthetic.
Is there a need to pick your own colors? No, and you won’t be able to appreciate the vibrant panels even if they existed if you use a phone case. The choice of a clear case or no case at all may be a fun way to express yourself. In addition, this is similar to Motorola’s Moto X, but no other smartphone manufacturer has yet to provide color customization as Samsung has. Register your handset on Samsung’s website, and you can purchase your device’s new front and back panels for just $79.
The catch is that the base price of a Galaxy Z Flip 3 Bespoke Edition is $1,099. You’re paying an extra $100 compared to buying a regular Z Flip 3. The phone is fantastic if you’re in the market for a foldable device, and it’s competitively priced with other high-end models. The retail price is $999, although several trade-in promotions are available from Samsung. However, these personalized foldables will take a little longer to ship and deliver.
Z Flip 3 sturdiness and layout
The Z Flip’s third version is distinguished by a more polished appearance and a more durable Armor Aluminum structure. With that new design, Samsung has moved away from the bright colors featured on earlier devices and toward more subdued tones. Our cream Z Flip 3 is significantly more subdued than the Mirror Purple Z Flip.
The glass back of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is shielded from damage caused by drops and scratches by a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The Z Flip survived many falls to the grass, carpet, and wooden floors. The most noteworthy improvement is that it is now waterproof; more precisely, it has IPX8 water resistance, which means it can survive being submerged in up to one meter of liquid for up to 30 minutes. Although promising, we should point you that this lacks dust protection, which is likely more critical with the hinge. The Z Flip 3 is water-resistant; we tested it by submerging it many times in a bucket and using it in the rain.
If you unfold the Z Flip 3, you’ll find that it’s just as solid and doesn’t flex or bend any more than a standard-sized smartphone like the iPhone 12 or the Galaxy S21. Even though it’s made out of more rigid materials and has a much more robust layout, it still only weighs 183 grams.
Samsung is still using hidden hinges. Once the phone is closed, the metal band around the top will reveal the Samsung logo. When you open the Z Flip 3, the two main sections fold over the hinge. The smooth exterior doesn’t assist much with opening the Z Flip 3 with one hand, and it’s already a little more difficult to open than previous models. You may still feel the display wrinkle while using the device, but we’ll discuss it later.
Z Flip 3 display and the cover screen
The screen size on the first Z Flip’s cover was a joke, coming in at only 1.1 inches. It was somewhat helpful in that it served as a stock ticker and displayed your alerts and the time in a flash, but otherwise, it was not very helpful.
Samsung made a few minor upgrades to the Z Flip 3 that are noticeable. You may now customize the screen size to your Galaxy Watch 4 or cycle among various animal faces. You can access your notifications with a left-to-right swipe; you can browse through them and open them to read, but to respond, you’ll need to open the Z Flip.
(image courtesy of Samsung)
You may navigate amongst the available widgets by swiping from right to left. Some of them are modifiable; however, they are limited to Samsung-specific experiences, and the platform is not currently available to other developers. You can check the weather, set a timer, check your calendar, and check fast health data (this works with services like Spotify).
It’s convenient to glance at your notifications without unlocking your phone. Still, it’s a bit annoying that you can’t answer straight away on that screen. However, the knowledge is provided in manageable chunks and can be helpful in some situations.
There is still the screen’s goofy but valuable role as a viewfinder for selfies. You can swipe up and down to toggle from wide and ultrawide, or right and left for video. Even though the 1.9-inch viewfinder makes everything look smaller, it’s pretty cool. For the best results, utilize the cover screen while taking photos or videos with the phone folded up so that the subject of the shot may check their positioning on the little display.
(image courtesy of Samsung)
When you unfold the Z Flip 3, you’ll see the main 6.7-inch Infinity Flex Display, full of vivid colors and detailed content. The most recent episode of “What If…?” on Disney+ is an excellent example of entertainment with a broad color palette and exciting action sequences.
The Z Flip 3 5G’s display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, making it the new gold standard (except for Apple, which uses just 60 Hz). This number indicates how frequently the screen can update itself per second; when enabled, the display is silky smooth. It’s easier to get into the flow of things when browsing the web, watching videos, or playing games.
(image courtesy of Samsung)
In the middle of the screen, precisely where the hinge is, is a wrinkle that can be felt when scrolling. It’s not the most significant thing in the world, but you should be aware of this before purchasing a foldable device.
Daily use proves that the Z Flip 3’s 6.7-inch screen is excellent in practice. Regarding quality and performance, it’s in line with other flagships selling for the same price, $999. However, the screen is not entirely constructed of glass; instead, it is covered with a layer of Ultra Thin Glass developed by Samsung. The topmost layer is made of plastic and has the same texture as a screen protector placed on top of a standard glass screen. However, during our testing, we managed to avoid damaging the screen.
Z Flip 3 OS and battery
The focus of the Z Flip 3 is on the return of the clamshell design, which, when opened, reveals a cutting-edge smartphone. With Android 11 and Samsung’s own user interface, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 performs like any other modern smartphone. It’s powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset and 8GB of RAM seen in the Galaxy S21. For this reason, it deserves to be called a flagship.
Even when doing demanding tasks, we never experienced lag or stuttering on the primary display. Regarding speed, the Z Flip 3 is on par with other top smartphones and is expected to maintain that performance in the future. Value is further enhanced by Samsung’s offer of 3 years of Android upgrades for this device.
Even yet, this Android iteration from Samsung is very similar to others. You may utilize the Edge bar, access several preinstalled apps, and see the traditional clock widget on the home screen. You may quickly access frequently used apps and settings by swiping or touching the thin gray bar that floats on the right-hand side. The latter option permits you to utilize several windows simultaneously, enabling you to have a media player, like YouTube, open in the bottom window while a browser occupies the top window. It’s a nifty feature that makes multitasking on the Z Flip 3 possible.
The Z Flip 3’s second prominent feature, Flex Mode, allows you to tilt the phone at an angle of 90 degrees and have it stay still. You may utilize the feature in any app that supports Samsung Labs by leaving the controls on the lower, flat half of the screen. At the same time, the media is displayed on the upper front half. YouTube is a perfect example of an app that benefits from this layout since you can utilize playback on top while seeing information or comments below. In Messages, the discussion pane is at the top, while the keyboard is at the bottom. It’s fantastic, but we hope to see more apps use this in their core functionality soon.
(image courtesy of Samsung)
The longevity of the battery, on the other end, may have you looking for a charger in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, the Z Flip 3’s 3,300mAh battery—composed of two cells—drained quite rapidly, preventing us from using it for a whole day. If you need a quick charge, plug it in, but if you want to use wireless charging, put it down on a pad. The battery life may be able to be extended slightly on days with less activity. You can fast charge your Galaxy Z Flip 3 using a brick, but you’ll need to buy your own.
(image courtesy of Samsung)
As its full name implies, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G is capable of 5G data transfers. The Z Flip 3 will handle Sub-6 and mmWave networks, a welcome development for Samsung customers. In the States, these two ranges represent the gold standards. Despite its scarcity, mmWave offers blisteringly rapid transfer rates. With a Verizon SIM and a clear line of sight to an NYC mmWave cell site, we could get speeds near 1,000 MBps on the Z Flip 3. That destroys 4G LTE, which typically tops out at around 100–200 MBps.
Sub-6 5G is more likely to be available where you are, although this will only increase capacity and not provide impressive speeds. You can tap into either band right now if they are located anywhere near you. Other than that, it’s a way to ensure that your Z Flip 3 purchase won’t become obsolete very soon.
Z Flip 3 Cameras
Let’s start by addressing the most obvious problem: The quality of these cameras is on par with that of the Pixel 5, iPhone 12, or Galaxy S21. Following are the lenses that are included:
The wide-angle lens of this 12-megapixel camera is excellent for group photographs and landscapes both. There was no noticeable distortion of color for us. Additionally, this lens has optical image stabilization, which means your photos will be less chaotic.
The ultrawide angle of a 12-megapixel camera provides a fun and novel approach to framing your subject matter, whether it’s a whole cityscape or just a single room. During our tests, it fared reasonably well.
(image courtesy of Samsung)
Overall, the Z Flip 3 was able to produce high-quality photographs. Photos of our dogs showed a lot of detail in their hair without seeming overprocessed. There was a large amount of detail and the sceneries didn’t appear distorted. In this test, Portrait Mode functioned admirably, with the Z Flip 3 successfully identifying hairlines and gauging depth.
Our only wish at this price point would have been for an actual optical zoom lens, which would have allowed us to compensate for the absence of a telephoto lens. Last but not least, the 10-megapixel selfie camera on the inside is excellent. Remember that it is not an ultrawide lens, making it more challenging to fit many people into a single frame. Nonetheless, it provides superior detail to the Z Fold 3’s under-display 4-megapixel camera.
Final thoughts
The Z Flip 3’s many strengths include its expanded use thanks to a bigger and more effective cover screen, its resistance to water, its silky interior display, and its sleeker overall appearance. Has it become widely accepted? For those looking for a foldable smartphone, the answer is yes.
However, there is now no pressing need to replace your current smartphone with a foldable one. Although Flex Mode is excellent, not all apps have built-in support. If you’re sick of smartphones being too big to fit in your pocket or a hassle to carry, the Z Flip 3’s smaller size will be more appealing.
You’re sacrificing a third camera lens as well as all-day battery life. The success of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 lies in the fact that it has all the features one would expect from a modern smartphone. Access to a broader range of colors, dual displays, and a topic of discussion might put you ahead of the game.
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