Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Review: A great foldable
Verdict
The Samsung Milky way Z Flip 3 is a big leap for foldable phones. While it's not as futuristic as the Z Fold 3, information technology'south more than usable and more than affordable. The improvements to immovability are welcome, as are the multiple screen upgrades.
Pros
- Folds up into a neat package
- Smooth 120Hz inner display
- Water resistant
- Much cheaper (only still non cheap)
Cons
- The outer display is amend but nevertheless fairly limited
- Mid-range cameras
- Average battery life
Availability
- UK RRP: £949
- U.s. RRP: $999
- Europe RRP: €1049
- Australia RRP: AU$1499
Central Features
- Display Far larger outer screen is much more than useful
- High-terminate specs Snapdragon 888, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage
- Cameras Ii rear 12MP snapper along with a 10MP selfie photographic camera inside
Introduction
With the Milky way Z Flip 3, Samsung has finally made a foldable clamshell phone that tin be taken seriously.
It has taken a couple of attempts, but Samsung's latest line of foldable phones finally have a articulate reason to exist. While the Z Fold 3 might get the 'oohs' and 'aahs' due to its futuristic await, the retro charm of the Z Flip 3 surely gives it the tag as the most unique phone of 2021.
It's besides the most fun I've had reviewing a phone all year. While I don't retrieve it quite takes foldables into the mainstream (that could happen in 2022), information technology's certainly the easiest device like this to recommend to the mainstream audience.
Design and Screen
- The improved outer display is useful now
- Stronger aluminium body
- It's at present IPX8 rated for water resistance
Samsung hasn't made whatever particularly sweeping changes for the tertiary iteration of its modernistic clamshell phone, instead tweaking and tuning lots of smaller $.25. This bevvy of changes makes for a far better phone.
The hefty cost drop is as well important. The sub £1000/$1000 price point is nevertheless, of course, very expensive. However, it'southward not also dissimilar to phones such as the iPhone 12 Pro or Milky way S21 Plus. This takes the Flip 3 out of the luxury market and makes it far more accessible to those who would typically spend big on an iPhone.
Since Samsung's kickoff Fold device was heavily delayed later on durability issues, the strength and long-term viability of these devices had been called into question. I've been using the Z Flip iii solidly equally my chief phone for over a week now, which is plenty to requite a full general overview simply non plenty time to see if information technology can survive over a long 24-month contract.
To try and up the Z Flip three's durability, Samsung has changed a number of things. There'due south a stronger coating over the ultra-thin glass display; Gorilla Glass Victus on the outside and tougher 'Armor' aluminium around the sides. It does feel more rigid than before and while it'southward however frail (you get a pretty hefty warning when you starting time boot it upward), I'd have hope information technology'll concluding.
The stronger covering layer – basically a fancy screen protector you lot won't want to take off – is a big bargain in a number of ways. It'due south not equally smudgy as before and far less prone to picking up dings. Afterwards a week of use, the screen is still perfectly clear.
Arguably the biggest durability comeback is the IPX8 rating. That 'X' portion means it'due south not resistant to dust, but the 'eight' means it's finally water resistant – the first foldable to pack this feature.
I've been completely taken with the look and feel of the Z Flip 3. The clamshell design makes information technology immensely pocketable and oozes nostalgia. Snapping it shut to cease a call remains consistently satisfying, while having such a small closed device has made me utilise the phone less – which is very much a proficient thing.
While the previous Z Flip had a virtually useless outer display, the Z Flip iii has a ane.9-inch display that uses four times the space of before. This display can show the fourth dimension, upcoming calendar appointments, a couple of contempo notifications, alarms and the like. It can likewise act as a quirky little viewfinder for the photographic camera.
It'south not quite every bit practical as the outer brandish on the Moto Razr that lets you basically use any app, but it remains a big improvement.
Flip the phone open and information technology becomes a lot less miniature. The half-dozen.7-inch inner display is one of the tallest around, making it platonic for scrolling through social feeds but less so for navigating with 1 manus.
Bang in the centre of the very smooth 120hz 1080p OLED panel is a crease. This divet in the display is noticeable when yous're scrolling and it does remain one of the biggest drawbacks of foldable tech. I don't mind it every bit much here as I exercise on the large Fold devices though, and it is easy plenty to ignore.
The screen itself is ameliorate this fourth dimension effectually, too, peculiarly in terms of brightness levels. I recorded a effulgence of just below the quoted 900 nits, which is platonic for outdoor viewing.
Performance
- Speedy performance thanks to the Snapdragon 888
- No microSD, then choose either 128 or 256GB wisely
- Just one RAM pick – 8GB
The Z Flip 3 is an interesting phone equally it doesn't really sell itself on existence the fastest, most powerful or having the best photographic camera. The uniqueness of the design and the fantastic manner information technology has been implemented allows for a focus away from simply stating speed improvements.
Just, of grade, this is nonetheless a virtually £1000/$1000 phone, and sure expectations must be met. In that location's a Snapdragon 888 at the heart of the Z Flip 3, bachelor in whatever region you buy it in, as well equally 8GB RAM. It benchmarks also as any other high-end Android phone and is a capable gaming device, fifty-fifty if the attribute ratio isn't ideal for such tasks.
The previous default storage of 256GB has been sliced in half – likely to save extra costs – and yous'll have to pay extra to crash-land up the initial 128GB. There'south no SD card either, which is becoming the norm on loftier-end Android phones.
The residual of the phone performs well. It'southward i of the all-time phones effectually for phone call experience, equally the shape of the foldable curves around your face up when you're on the phone. At that place's support for Wi-Fi 6 and 5G, too.
Having a flexible display lets Samsung be a picayune bit more creative with the software. In apps such as YouTube and Google's video chat app Duo, you can curve the brandish halfway to prop it up, producing a congenital-in stand. It's a nice touch, made amend by the sturdy hinge. While only a few apps support this natively, Samsung has added a role to force whatever app to separate.
The rest of the software is very much the same One UI from Samsung's other phones. In that location are lots of Samsung's ain services included like Samsung Pay and Bixby, and then if you'd prefer Google'southward alternatives there'south a flake of piece of work to exist done.
Camera
- A pretty expert camera just information technology's not the focus
- 2 12MP cameras sit on the cover
- And there's another inside
If at that place's 1 area yous're not quite getting the £thou/$1000 phone feel it's with the camera. The iii cameras here are all good and can take very usable shots, but they're more comparable to mid-range devices like the Pixel five or a Samsung flagship from a couple of years ago than the all-time camera phones.
On the embrace you've got the two main cameras. Both are 12-megapixel sensors, with the wide packing an f/one.8 lens with OIS and the ultra wide an f/2.2 lens. Thanks to the embrace display you tin can use these two cameras for selfies too, so the 10MP inside sensor volition likely exist more advisable for video calls.
The main camera copes well when you're shooting in bright situations, with overnice colours and that trademark Samsung's processing upping the saturation to give a rich feel. Side by side to the Pixel 5, the snaps aren't as natural nor equally packed with dynamic range, and they tin't match the S21 range or the iPhone 12 for detail.
Switch over to the ultra wide and you tin can fit more in, with a little less of the oomph of colour you become from the chief sensor. Ultrawide cameras take come a long fashion in 2021, with the OnePlus 9 Pro and Oppo Notice X3 Pro both focusing as much here as they do with the main sensor so the Z Flip 3 does feel left behind in this respect.
In trickier situations the Z Flip 3 tin can perform, only again it'southward far from the best camera phone effectually. When shooting at dark, I found vivid light sources oft blew out the whole picture and the dark fashion did lilliputian more than brighten the shot.
The lack of a dedicated zoom camera is a shame, meaning you'll need to use a digital crop to go closer to a field of study and this, of course, loses detail. If you really want the photographic camera to be the best it can be, you'll probably prefer the S21 line where the S21 Ultra has some of the best zoom skills around.
Video capture is fine with the chief camera capable of 4K up to 60fps and slow-mo 720p at 960fps. There's also support for HDR10+ shooting to add some more dynamic range to your footage.
I call up it's articulate the focus here was non on the cameras – and that'southward fine. This is a phone that puts form over function and it works. The pictures it captures are adequate for social media, and in daylight situations don't look much different from the competition. Information technology'south those trickier situations similar a darkened bar where yous can really tell the divergence.
Battery life
- No charger is included in the box
- Supports wired (10w) and Qi wireless charging
- Good, but not great, endurance
This is a relatively pocket-size phone so it probably comes as footling shock that information technology doesn't have a huge battery. The 3300mAh cell is smaller than much of the competition and translates to proficient, but not great, endurance.
On a typical day I was making it to bedtime with but a couple of percentage points left, and on a few especially busy days I was reaching for a quick peak-up in the evening to feel confident information technology would brand information technology through.
What I did notice was that subsequently using the telephone for a while I was opening information technology upwards less and using the cover brandish more. This outer display works a lot like a smartwatch, and when used properly information technology can lead to you opening the phone less and saving more than juice. If you're not the heaviest of users – maybe around 3-four hours of screen-on fourth dimension per 24-hour interval – you'll become through without many problems.
An hr of Netflix streaming took the battery downwardly xiii%, while the same amount of fourth dimension spent gaming took off another fifteen%. These are slightly higher than other Samsung phones from this year, simply then this has a smaller battery.
When it comes to charging you'll need to provide your own plug, equally the box includes simply a USB-C to USB-C cable. The maximum output is 15w, which does brand this a slow phone to accuse. A total 0-100% charge took only shy of 110 minutes, with l% taking around 40.
If yous prefer wireless charging, the Z Flip 3 can accuse at 10w. A total charge here took double the time information technology took when plugged in.
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Should you buy it?
You crave something different: At that place's no doubting the Z Flip 3 is unique and it feels similar something genuinely new. Or at to the lowest degree a new version of something old.
Specs are what you desire: The Z Flip 3 is more than fast plenty, but it tin't compete with the all-time for camera quality, battery life or charging speeds. If these things are key, your money is ameliorate spent elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is such a fun telephone and it'south the get-go foldable that I would be happy to recommend. It's not quite the device to brand foldables mainstream, only things are heading in the right management.
The improvements to durability, the far better cover brandish and the brighter, faster internal screen make this a hefty upgrade over the previous model and a nifty alternative to Samsung's other phones.
If you value blueprint and want something a fiddling different to the typical candy bar phone, and then this fits the bill. If things like camera performance and bombardment longevity are primal you might still do better with the iPhone 12 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus. You tin can even get the S21 Ultra for roughly the same cost as the Z Flip three.
How nosotros exam
We test every mobile telephone nosotros review thoroughly. We utilise industry standard tests to compare features properly and nosotros use the phone equally our main device over the review flow. We'll always tell you what we find and nosotros never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more well-nigh how we test in our ethics policy.
Used every bit our primary phone for the review menstruum
Reviewed using respected industry benchmarks and real world testing
E'er has a SIM menu installed
FAQs
Does the Galaxy Z Flip iii support 5G?
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 fleck, which supports 5G.
Does the Milky way Z Flip three back up the S Pen?
Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 4 the Z Flip 3 does not feature S Pen back up.
Does the Milky way Z Flip 3 have a variable refresh rate screen?
The Galaxy Z Flip iii'due south internal screen features a variable 120Hz refresh rate.
How we test
Specs
All the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 specs
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UK RRP
USA RRP
Eu RRP
AUD RRP
Manufacturer
Screen Size
Storage Chapters
Rear Camera
Front end Camera
Video Recording
Battery
Wirless charging
Fast Charging
Size (Dimensions)
Weight
ASIN
Release Date
Resolution
HDR
Refresh Rate
Ports
Chipset
RAM
Colours
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Trusted Reviews Test Information
The data we generated during our review
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Geekbench v unmarried core
Geekbench 5 multi core
Max brightness
i hour video playback (Netflix, HDR)
xxx minute gaming (intensive)
30 minute gaming (light)
1 hour music straming (online)
1 60 minutes music streaming (offline)
Fourth dimension from 0-100% charge
Fourth dimension from 0-50% charge
3D Mark – Wild Life
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Jargon buster
IP rating
An abbreviation for 'Ingress Protection Code', which lets you know to what extent a device might be waterproof or dustproof.
5G
Offering faster download and upload speeds when compared to 4G. Great for game streaming and HDR video playback. Non supported everywhere nevertheless and speeds vary wildly.
Refresh Rate
The number of times the screen refreshes itself per second.
Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/galaxy-z-flip-3
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