24 hours with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

Date:
Sun, 15 Aug 2021 09:00:25 +0000

Description:
We've had the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 for a day here's what you'll notice first of Samsung's cheaper, still powerful foldable.

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After a day using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 , Im in love. Its the best clamshell foldable weve seen yet, and its affordable enough compared to other foldables to actually recommend to consumers.

Not everyone can afford the Z Flip 3s $999 / 949 / AU$1,499 price tag, and
its easy to imagine that if consumers are going to pay so much, they might want more functionality from a different (non-folding) phone for the same price, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 30x Space Zoom telephoto capability, or the iPhone 12 Pro s processing power and iOS interface, or the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra s stylus functionality.

Heck, if you go to our current hands-on of the Z Flip 3 written by my colleagues in the UK, youll hear the exact same thing: youre better served paying the same price for more in a traditional flat phone. Even TechRadar is of divided mind. (Image credit: Future)

But thats a good premise to couch my impressions of the phone: it will
impress some, but still wont be enough for others. And that comes down to the form factor. What will you pay for the ability to fold your phone in half?

I personally think its worth the trade-off, so long as youre not leaning on the phone for dynamic photos, and dont need your phones battery to last you longer than a day. But I also think that I, like many others, am excited for foldables to simply change how we use our phones every day. I cringe at my screen-time report knowing that its just me staring intently into a glass rectangle for hours per day the Z Flip 3 at least shakes up how Im holding, pocketing, using, and previewing via the exterior screen on my phone.

With updated specs (Snapdragon 888, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage to start) and a 1.9-inch external display, the Z Flip 3 is a better version of the original Samsung Galaxy Z Flip (which had a tiny 1.1-inch outer screen that could show a single line of text). Heres what its like to use. (Image credit: Future) Whats it like to roll out with a flip?

I was one of the first media to see the original Motorola Razr at an event in November 2019 just before it launched, and I still appreciate its design flourishes, like the satisfying snap when folding it close. And the 2.6-inch exterior screen is still the best among clamshell foldables (a category of just the Razr and Z Flip phones at present, to be fair), especially with the exterior screen app functionality that was expanded in the Motorola Razr 2020 .

Thats still true. The Z Flip 3s 1.9-inch outer screen is four times larger than its predecessors, but aside from adding more room for notifications, the app functionality is pretty limited to audio controls, weather, and a few other first-party controls I cant, for example, reply to a Twitter DM or Slack message. On the other hand, the screen is large enough to preview your selfies, which is great.

One of the first things anyone should do with a Z Flip 3 is something you can only do with a Samsung foldable: unfold the phone 90 and mess around with different apps, which split into top-and-bottom sections thanks to Flex Mode. Deployed this way, the Z Flip 3 looks like a makeup compact, but its a great way to take relaxed selfies with friends (no awkward angles required) and listen to media. (Image credit: Future)

Yes, watching media this way on the top half of the 6.7-inch Full HD Plus AMOLED display doesnt fit how videos are formatted these days (for wide, not square, screens), so the picture is going to be small with big black bars on top and bottom. If you want to watch something, youre going to have a bad time. But if you want to listen say, to your favorite YouTuber or Twitch stream and dont need constant video, its great to just prop the Z Flip 3 up and listen while you fold laundry or play games.

Sure, you can unfold the phone to watch video in a widescreen format, but you either have to prop it up on something like a normal candybar (flat) phone or hold it and in the latter case, your hand might cover the bottom-firing speaker. Theres a slightly janky workaround: just bend the phone a bit until it stays upright on its side. Even though that leaves the picture a bit bent in turn, its at least an option. (Image credit: Future) The pocketable half-size flagship phone

Being able to fold the Z Flip 3 up and slip it into a pant or bag pocket is great, full stop. While Id hope the glass back and outer screen doesnt get scratched up when I throw the phone in with my keys, wallet, and other
things, at least I dont have to worry about the inner display getting
damaged.

This makes the Z Flip 3 a great phone to take on a workout. Whether thats running with the phone (yes, I carry my phone in hand when jogging, and I
have no defense) or toting it around the gym, I dont have to worry as much about it as I do a flat phone, which I have to place face-up or face-down
with its display exposed. (Image credit: Future)

While I havent physically tested the Z Flip 3s ruggedness (Samsung claims its hinge is 10% more durable than its predecessor), it is nice to know the phone has the same IPX8 water resistance as the Z Fold 3 , allowing it to be submerged in hip-deep (1.5 meter) water for half an hour without coming to harm though Ill be sure to avoid dropping it in salt water or pool water, as recommended. The phone also isnt dust-resistant (hence IPX8 instead of IP68 rating in other phones), as the hinge is still a vector of entry for physical particles to potentially muck up the foldable.

In other words, my first 24 hours with the Z Flip 3 has been filled with, well, pretty mundane activities: watching media, carrying the phone around, and figuring out how to fit it into my lifestyle. Ive only taken a few
photos, more to try out Flex Mode than measure the Flip 3s photo capabilities against the other heavy hitters at its price point. I also havent tested the battery, which already feels as limited as the battery in its predecessors
it took just under 1.5 hours to charge 80% of the Z Flip 3s 3,300mAh battery, and that was using a 60W charger .

In any case, theres a lot left to discover about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, and were eager to give it a full review but after 24 hours, were excited to see what it can teach us about using phones differently. Stay on top of tech news with the TechRadar newsletter



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/24-hours-with-the-samsung-galaxy-z-flip-3/


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