Galaxy Z Flip 3 review: Samsung’s cheaper, better hi-tech flip phone

The flip call continues its march back towards the mainstream thanks to Samsung ’ s folding-screen engineering. nowadays cheaper, smoother, water system immune and more durable than survive class ’ randomness model, it may leave you questioning why you would buy a standard telephone at the same price. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 replaces the original Z Flip ( there was no version two ) and costs £949 ( $ 999/A $ 1,499 ) – £350 cheaper than its predecessor and on a par with the top smartphones, including Samsung ’ s £949 Galaxy S21+. The Flip 3 is one of Samsung ’ s third-generation folding-screen devices alongside the £1,599 Galaxy Z Fold 3 tablet-phone hybrid. The Fold 3 is about putting a tablet in your pocket, while the Flip 3 is basically a smartphone that folds in half like a makeup compress.

The 1.9in cover screen door is useful for displaying the clock, notifications and widgets for things such as music control, the weather or timers. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The raw Flip 3 is an development of Samsung ’ s former foldable device. It is slightly slender, shorter and narrower, the hinge has been refined, the design on the outside is less flashy and it feels a bite more uncompromising. Compared with the original Flip, the folding 6.7in OLED screen is doubly as fast, with a 120Hz refresh rate, bringing it into line with clear regular smartphones and making scroll and other interactions visibly fluent. Its ultra-thin glass cover is 80 % more resilient besides, though however well softer than criterion glaze, and much smoother to the equal, allowing your fingers to glide over the coat arsenic easily as a even earphone. There ’ randomness however a furrow you can feel where the screen folds, but it is only visible when the screen is off and at certain angles, making it easy to overlook . The Z Flip 3 is wholly flat when unfold and operates merely like a regular smartphone. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian possibly the biggest physical upgrade is the earphone ’ sulfur water resistance – a foremost for folding-screen phones – rated to IPX8 standards of 1.5-metre depths for 30 minutes, matching the best regular devices. It is important to note that the device is not dust-resistant to the lapp extent, as Samsung has waterproofed each one-half of the call and then put anti-corrosion treatment on the hinge in between. Dust could hush get in to the hinge, but as the former model proved, concerns of it causing issues are largely grandiloquent if you ’ re a short bit careful with the device .

Specifications

• Main screen: 6.7in FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED Infinity Flex Display ( 425ppi )
• Cover screen: 1.9in AMOLED ( 302ppi )
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
• RAM: 8GB of force
• Storage: 128 or 256GB
• Operating system: One UI 3.1 based on Android 11
• Camera: dual rear television camera : 12MP wide angle, 12MP ultra-wide slant, 10MP selfie camera
• Connectivity: 5G, nano sim + esim, wifi6, NFC, Bluetooth 5 and GPS
• Water resistance: IPX8 ( 1.5 metre depths for 30 minutes )
• Folded dimensions: 86.4 adam 72.2 ten 17.1-15.9mm
• Unfolded dimensions: 166.0 adam 72.2 x 6.9mm
• Weight: 183g

Top performance, average battery life

It takes 94 minutes to in full charge the Z Flip 3 via USB-C with a compatible 15W fast charger. Note a power adapter is not included in the box. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The Z Flip 3 ships with Qualcomm ’ sulfur latest peak central processing unit, the Snapdragon 888, which is the same chip as fitted to the Galaxy S21 series in the US and by rivals such as OnePlus and Xiaomi. daily performance is excellent. The telephone feels fast, apps load and perform immediately, and gaming performance was on a par with top Android rivals. Unlocking the telephone using the fingerprint scanner in the side works well faster than the previous exemplar. Battery life is decidedly average for a smartphone, however. It lasts more than 25 hours, or a hearty day with the sieve on for about three hours, ending with under 25 % left in the battery indeed you ’ ll have to charge it each sidereal day. That ’ s like to last year ’ south model, but behind the 36 hours of the S21+ .

Sustainability

The Flip 3 ships with a special screen defender installed that, unlike those on early smartphones, should not be removed and merely replaced by a technician.

Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian Samsung does not provide an expect life for the battery in the Z Flip 3. Those in alike devices typically maintain at least 80 % of their original capacity for at least 500 full charge cycles. The phone is broadly repairable. Screen repairs monetary value no more than £279 for the inner display or £79 for the cover display, while the battery is replaceable by authorize service centres. Samsung offers trade-in and recycling schemes for old devices but the smartphone does not include any recycle materials. The ship’s company publishes annual sustainability reports but not affect assessments for individual products. The Z Flip 3 does not ship with a charger or earphones .

One UI 3.1

The sieve is very long, meaning most widescreen television ends up with large black bars at the sides unless zoomed to fit. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The Z Flip 3 runs the same Samsung-customised translation of Android 11 called OneUI 3.1 as the rest of the company ’ s phones, including the S21 serial. It is a polish and well-performing translation of Android that looks mod and is well organised. A few additions have been made for the fold sieve. “ Flex mood ”, for example, splits the riddle when you fold it into an L-shape for supported apps. It can move the video recording to the top and playback controls to the bottom for YouTube, or for the camera put the finder at the top and the shutter button at the buttocks. The Z Flip 3 will receive at least four years of software updates from publish, including monthly security patches, making it one of the longest-lasting Android devices available, but about a year or then behind Apple ’ s five-year-plus support for its iPhones .

Camera

The television camera can be used bland, partially folded in ‘ flex mode ’ or closed with the outdoor coverscreen active as a finder. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The dual 12-megapixel television camera on the back features a standard “ wide ” television camera with ocular visualize stabilization and an ultrawide angle television camera, alike to final class ’ randomness model. Both cameras are notably improved and are basically the lapp as the two fitted to the S21+. They shoot in truth good images and solid video in most lighting conditions. humble light performance is improved over last year and while the ultra-wide camera loses a little contingent and edge in lower light levels it is still one of the best. There is no telephotograph television camera, limiting you to digital rapid climb, which works fine at 2x and stretches to 10x. Shut the earphone and you can use the independent cameras to shoot selfies with the cover sieve as a finder, which can be a small unmanageable to line up at weapon ’ randomness length but works well for ad-lib snaps. You can besides turn on the cover sieve when shooting a normal photograph so that your subject can see themselves as you photograph them. The selfie television camera at the top of the independent shield is well excessively, capturing a solid amount of detail in a assortment of light conditions. Overall the camera on the Flip 3 keep up with all but the very best regular smartphones, with the only downside for the price being no telephotograph television camera .

Observations

The might clitoris doubles as a firm and accurate fingerprint scanner for unlocking the call. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

• It has decent stereo speakers in the top and bottom of the phone, but the top one is perceptibly louder .
• The legato, flat back glass means the call slides easily off odd surfaces such as a sofa cushion .
• The screen collects fingerprints faster than regular phones, credibly because it does not get rub clean when put into a pocket .
• Call quality was excellent and 5G performance matched like Android rivals .

Price

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 costs £949 ( $ 999 / A $ 1,499 ) with 128GB of storage or £999 with 256GB. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs £1,599, the Galaxy S21 Ultra costs £1,149, the Galaxy S21+ costs £949, the OnePlus 9 Pro costs £829 and the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max costs £1,099 .

Verdict

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 benefits from a serial of humble but meaningful improvements to Samsung ’ s first folding-screen flip call that make it about quick for the mainstream. Open it, and it behaves merely like a regular, large-screen premium Android smartphone, but one you can close with a comforting snap and carry in much smaller pockets or bags. Improved lastingness, water resistance and a lower price make it a feasible and much more interest alternate to regular smartphones costing about £900. You still have to be more careful with the softer folding screen than you would a hardened-glass one. And compared with Samsung ’ s other £900-ish call you ’ re deal a telephotograph camera and longer battery life for the compress size. If you ’ re bored of big slab phones and want something more agitate and cutting edge the Z Flip 3 is big .

Pros: a bang-up large screen door that folds in half, estimable cover blind, screen protected when closed, IPX8 water insubordinate, good cameras, exciting and different, One UI 3 ( Android 11 ) with four years of updates.

Read more: Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch (2019) Review

Cons: screen softer and less scratch tolerant than a regular telephone, no scatter resistance, no telephotograph camera, merely a day ’ south battery life sentence, expensive .

There ’ s a little break between the two halves of the screen when the telephone is shut. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

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