Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: what has changed?

Date:
Thu, 12 Aug 2021 13:07:58 +0000

Description:
How is the tougher, faster Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 shaping up compared to its predecessor?

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Samsung has unfurled its third-generation luxury foldable, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 . But is it likely to be a worthwhile upgrade over the Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 2 ?

We were big fans of last years Fold 2, going so far as to say that it was the only foldable phone you should consider buying at the time of its release.
But it still had a few creases that needed ironing out - and that isnt intended as a joke about the phones folding display.

Weve only just started to get familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, so a full comparison will have to wait until our review is published. But heres
how the two Folds compare in a straight spec-off. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 release date is Friday, August 27 in the US and UK, while for our Australian buddies its September 10. Prices start at $1,799 / 1,599 / AU$2,499 for the 256GB model, while $1,899 / 1,699 / AU$2,649 gets you 512GB of storage.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 hit shops on September 18, 2020, when it was priced at $1,999 / 1,799 / AU$2,999 for 256GB of storage.

As youll note, this makes the Galaxy Z Fold 3 a fair bit cheaper at launch, though its still quite expensive. Its also worth noting that the Galaxy Z
Fold 2 can now be found at a knock-down price far south of its list price,
and its successors for that matter. Design

Samsung really hasnt changed much with the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. But then, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 was pretty unique, so well let it slide for now.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is slightly smaller than its predecessor. Unfolded, its half-a-millimeter thinner at 6.4mm, and a whole millimetre shorter at
158.2mm.

Its also 11g lighter, though at 271g the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is still heavier than any mainstream non-foldable phone on the market today.

Far more consequential than this marginal slimming down is the addition of an IPX8 rating. This means that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will survive water immersion in a way the Fold 2 simply wouldnt. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a lot more durable than its predecessor (Image credit: TechRadar)

It can theoretically be dunked up to 1.5 meters deep for up to 30 minutes, while the Galaxy Z Fold 2 has no water resistance rating. There still isnt
any form of dust resistance here, though, owing to those moving parts

That said, the hinge system has been tightened up and improved for the
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. The materials are tougher and the tolerances are higher.

While both main displays are coated in soft plastic, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 uses tougher materials, which enables the inclusion of S Pen compatibility - one
of the big omissions from the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

The external cover displays, incidentally, are coated in Gorilla Glass Victus in both devices. Talking of displays Display

Samsung hasnt fiddled too much with the dual display of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, though there is one notable distinction that well get to in a moment.

In terms of the headline component, this is the exact same 7.6-inch 1768 x 2208 Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display as before, complete with the same 120Hz refresh rate. Its as big and vibrant as before, and similarly lacking
in pixel definition to the tune of 373 pixels per inch.

What has been improved is the secondary external cover display, which gets used much like a normal phone when the device is folded up. Its a 6.2-inch AMOLED, much like the negligibly larger 6.23-inch Galaxy Z Fold 2, and the
two phones pack near-identical resolutions too, at 832 x 2268 on the Z Fold
3, and 816 x 2260 on the Z Fold 2. The Z Fold 2's main screen is near identical to the Z Fold 3's (Image credit: AakashJhaveri)

But the Galaxy Z Fold 3's cover display gains a 120Hz refresh rate, bringing it in line with every other normal flagship Android phone on the market.

As weve mentioned, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 also gains S Pen support for the first time in the range. There is a caveat here, in that only a special Fold-specific S Pen is usable, lest you scratch that soft display material.

Youll have to buy this separately, and its a shame that Samsung couldnt find
a way to house it within the Galaxy Z Fold 3s body - especially given the
news that the Galaxy Note series is no more. Still, were glad this feature is finally present, as Samsungs stylus always seemed like a natural partner to the Fold. Camera

One of the downers with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 was that its cameras were merely good. When youre paying the best part of $2,000 / 2,000 for a phone, youd be forgiven for expecting the best of the best, and that simply wasnt
the case.

The bad news is that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 camera system looks virtually identical. Once again, just like the Fold 2, youre getting a humble-looking triple12MP setup on the rear.

So just to spell things out, thats a 12MP f/1.8 main camera, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, and a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto camera capable of a humble 2x optical zoom.

If the Fold 2 is anything to go by, itll take perfectly respectable shots.
But the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra it almost certainly aint.

A far more interesting advancement has been made to the selfie camera on the main display. Gone is the Galaxy Z Fold 2s forehead-mounted front camera, which served to enlarge those bezels. In its place is a novel in-display solution. The Galaxy Z Fold 3's in-screen camera isn't invisible (Image credit: TechRadar)

Its not entirely invisible, and youll notice a strange circular pixelated effect on the right-hand side of the inner screen when the screen is active. It's also a very humble 4MP f/1.8 camera unit (down from 10MP on the Galaxy Z Fold 2).

But dont forget that you can use the main camera for selfies using that cover display as a viewfinder, so a traditional selfie camera isnt so important.
And if you do want a conventional selfie snapper then you have that too on
the cover screen, which on both phones has a 10MP one. Specs and performance

Were looking at a straight generational bump for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. It packs a Snapdragon 888 chipset, which is the direct successor to the Snapdragon 865 used by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.

Both phones back their processors up with 12GB of RAM, which is plenty for
any task.

In both instances you also get a healthy 256GB of internal storage as standard. And while there are 512GB options for both, that larger model
wasn't widely available for the Z Fold 2, but were expecting this capacity to be made available in US and UK markets with the Fold 3.

Theres still no microSD card support, unfortunately. The inclusion of this would make a lot of sense in future if the Galaxy Z Fold series is meant to subsume the pro-leaning Galaxy Note. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a lesser
chipset, but its specs are otherwise similar (Image credit: AakashJhaveri) Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3s battery has shrunk a smidgen since the Galaxy Z Fold 2, from 4,500mAh to 4,400mAh.

Of course, the newer device also packs a more efficient processor, so were hopeful of similar stamina. Actually, scratch that - were hopeful of better.

In testing the Galaxy Z Fold 2, we only ever managed to get through a full
day when using the standard 60Hz refresh rate. Cranking the refresh rate up
to 120Hz dropped us into the red rather too quickly for our liking.

Bearing in mind that even the cover display of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is running at 120Hz now, youll appreciate why were a little concerned about its battery life prospects. Heres hoping Samsung has been working hard on optimization.

The charging provision is identical to before, which equates to 25W wired and 11W wireless. Neither spec is remotely competitive with the very best on the market. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a marginally smaller battery (Image credit: TechRadar) Takeaway

Its too early to say conclusively, but early signs suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a worthwhile - if iterative - upgrade on the Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 2.

Its design, while ostensibly similar, has been tightened and toughened. Performance has taken a generational step forward, and the external display has received the full 120Hz upgrade that wed expect of a modern flagship phone.

Meanwhile, its great to see S Pen finally taking its rightful place in the Fold family, albeit not quite as centrally as we would have liked. Were glad to see that exorbitant price being reeled in a little, too.

We have a few lingering concerns about battery life and the lack of
meaningful camera improvements, but early signs suggest that overall progress has been made with the Galaxy Z Fold concept. Samsung has also unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-3-vs-samsung-galaxy-z-fol d-2/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)