The foldable phones seems like the start of something special for the smartphones of the future. No one will blame you for getting tired of yearly iterations of conventional glass-rectangle phones from the likes of Samsung, Apple, Google, and OnePlus. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is priced much lower than the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but it is still an expensive phone in flagship territory.
The big design change consists of a new two-tone look and a larger external display or screen protector. The main 6.7-inch display is the Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with same resolution as previous model, only now it has a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. Some of the OneUI software tweaks we saw on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 have been the modified for the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is definitely more user-friendly than the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in your hands. Games look and work great on this phone. If you give the sensors enough light, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 can capture good details and colors. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 makes a bold style statement and looks sophisticated enough for everyday use. If you’re not too worried about cameras or battery life, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 can be a fun little small screen phones to add to your digital life.
Design
The dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 are very similar to those of the first model, and the weight is exactly the same (183 g). However, the aesthetics and material finishes have changed. The aluminum outer frame now has a matte finish, which looks very nice but makes the case very slippery. The big design change is a new two-tone look and a larger outer display or screen protector. It is now 1.9 inches in size (up from 1.1 inches) and higher resolution. It is also much more responsive, but its functionality is still limited, as we will see in a moment.
Samsung has darkened the entire area around the screen protector, including the camera module, to give the illusion of a much larger display frame. The other half of the top bar and the entire bottom bar are different colors, depending on your choice. Although the design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is reminiscent of the iconic flip phones of the past, it is not possible to “open” it: two hands are required. If you are stubborn enough, you can learn to open it with one hand, but it is difficult and you might damage the folding display with your fingernail.
Display
When you turn the phone around, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display. 2640 x 1080 resolution combined with a 120Hz refresh rate delivers a truly wonderful viewing experience. Scrolling with the Flip 3 was as smooth as silk, showing true Samsung display prowess. When closed, the 1.9-inch touchscreen lets you control music, check the weather, and even take selfies. Just double-click the power button to launch the camera and you’re done. It’s a huge improvement over the Flip’s tiny external display, making the Flip 3 more comfortable to use when closed.
Software and Updates
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 originally shipped with Android 11 and OneUI 3.1 on board. The Samsung skin is not the lightest skin in the world, but it packs more features than you might wish for. we’ve often used the Edge panel to navigate to apps, and Samsung’s foldable display optimizations help round out that experience. The camera apps, for example, pushes the image preview above the fold, adding extra space for settings and controls in the bottom half. Clever touches like these make OneUI feel like it was built to fold rather than just layered on top.
As promised, Samsung appears to have minimized in-app ads for the latest version of OneUI. However, the software remains imperfect. For a $1,000 device, there is still a surprising amount of malware out there, and you will probably have to spend some time removing them. Not only do you get the full suite of Google apps, but Samsung alternatives and even a few apps for window. However, you’ll need to have a few Samsung apps to get the most out of your smart home and connected device.
Flex Mode
In Flex mode, you can make certain apps appear differently by folding your phone halfway into an L-shape, which is especially handy when you place it on a flat surface. It could be watching media content or making a video call in the upper half of the screen at your desk or on the train table on a hands-free trip – all without worrying about the usual problem of constantly dropping your phone.
Or maybe just watch on Disney plus in bed with your phone on your chest. Some applications do not support this functionality, while others do. Netflix puts content at the top and sometimes gives me a pause button in the bottom half, whereas Disney Plus doesn’t have bottom screen features at all.
Hardware and Performance
The performance of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 was quite solid during the review period. The first thing to do when starting to use the phone is to increase the size of the grid on the home screen and in the app drawer so that the icons don’t appear comically large, and also to reduce the height of the cheap keyboards, which usually take up a lot of space. just over half of the entire bottom of the display by default. OneUI runs mostly smoothly, but I noticed a hint of lag when I tried to open many floating windows on two applications that were already running in split screen mode.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is definitely more comfortable to hold than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. When closed, it can be easily slipped into a pocket without creating unsightly bulges. Call quality is also good. Answering a call through the screen protector automatically turns on the speaker, but when you open the phone, it does not automatically switch to the speaker.
Cameras
On the front of the camera, they are unchanged from the original Flip. On the back, you get a 12MP (f/1.8) wide-angle camera and a 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera. 10MP selfie camera with f/2.4 aperture. And there’s still no telephoto lens on the Galaxy Z Flip 3, unlike other $999 phones like the iPhone 12 Pro, which we decided to use for the following photo comparisons. The Flip 3 has a lot of work to do if it’s going to compete with one of the best camera phones you can buy.
And let’s not forget that the Galaxy S21 has a telephoto lens, and that Samsung is doing impressive magic with those lenses. The Galaxy Z Flip 3’s camera improvements come down to software, offering improvements to portrait mode and indoor photography. But now that the Galaxy S22 is new to the block, Samsung has announced that it will bring some of that phone’s camera features to the Galaxy Z Flip 3, like telephoto night portraits.
Battery Life
If there’s one thing the Flip 3 loses out on, it’s battery life. The Flip 3 is a compact device, so it’s no surprise that it packs a small 3,300mAh battery. After using this device for two weeks, we can say that it does not work more than 12 hours without recharging.
While this may not be an issue in the current WFH scenario, once offices start reopening you will likely need to carry a power bank with you. Samsung could have made things easier with fast charging technology. So that you can quickly top up your device during downtime. However, the brand has settled for 15W charging, which is slower than Mumbai traffic during peak hours.
Price and Availability
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is available worldwide now, with two prices depending on the storage you want: 128GB- £949/$999/€1,049, 256GB- £999/$1,049/€1,099. As mentioned above, you also have the option to pay an extra £50 / $50 / €60 for one of the Bespoke Edition options, which are only available on the 256GB storage variant and are only available in the US, UK, Canada at the time of writing. South Korea, France, Germany and Australia. We won’t pretend £949/$999 is cheap for a phone, but compared to the Z Flip 5G’s £1399/$1449 starting price, it’s an absolute steal.
At this price, you’ll probably compare the Flip 3 to other leading flagships like Samsung’s own Galaxy S21, the new iPhone 13 series, or Chinese rivals like the Xiaomi Mi 11 or OPPO Find X3 Pro. To be frank, any of these phones will surpass the Flip in photography prowess, battery life, and durability.
Final Words
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 features a futuristic look without sacrificing elegance. It’s unique enough to make people feel surprised, but it never looks out of place. Of course, it is held back by poor battery life. Also, most people won’t find it practical. However, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 – with its unique clamshell design – is like a Jaguar E-Type in the smartphone world. It has its share of quirks and may not be for everyone, but is undeniably stunning. We hope you share this list with family and friends.
