Samsung has launched the third mobile under its foldable flagship mobiles. If you are planning to buy it you should go through all the features you get. Here is a review for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, covering everything you need to know about it.
What you will see?
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the cheapest foldable phone yet. The phone is also more water-resistant than its predecessor, with an IPX8 rating. It features Gorilla Glass Victus on the exterior display and Samsung’s new Armor Aluminum shell, making the screen 80 percent more robust. This makes it more durable than the original Galaxy Z Flip.
Pros
- More affordable
- Enhanced durability
- Bigger cover display
- 120Hz refresh rate on inner display
- IPX8 water resistance
- Stunning design
- Customisable colours
Cons
- Short battery life
- Slow charging
- No telephoto lens
- Crease is still noticeable
- Still some durability concerns
Quick Specs
| OS | Android 11 / One UI 3.1 |
| Inner display | 6.7-inch Super AMOLED (2640 x 1080) |
| Outer display | 1.9-inch Super AMOLED (260 x 512) |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz (inner) |
| CPU | Snapdragon 888 |
| GPU | Adreno 660 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB |
| Rear cameras | 12MP (f/1.8) main, 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide |
| Front camera | 10MP (f/2.4) |
| Video Recording | 8K @ 30 fps |
| Battery | 3,300 mAh |
| Charging | 15W wired, 10W wireless |
| Charger included | No |
| Size | 3.4 x 2.8 x 0.63-0.67 inches (closed), 6.5 x 2.8 x 0.27 inches (open) |
| Weight | 6.5 ounces |
Release date and Price
The 8GB/128GB base setup costs $999, but you can also choose the $1,049 256GB variant. With a three-year plan, those who pre-ordered the Galaxy Z Flip 3 received a $150 Samsung.com credit and 12 months of Samsung Care+ for free. Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 3 Bespoke Edition. It is a $1,099 phone that can be customized. You can choose the color for the frame, front, and back, there are 49 possible color combinations. Moreover, you may also sign up for the Bespoke Upgrade Care plan. With this plan, you can change the color combination of your Flip 3 whenever you wish. A year of Samsung Care+ is also included. To get started, simply go to the Bespoke Studio.
There are some setbacks for the phone, no gadget is perfect, but the phone succeeds in delivering exactly what it promises. It gives you a premium-feeling folding phone that looks amazing, feels great to use, and isn’t too expensive. If you want a phone with a better camera or battery you may have to pay more. Whereas Samsung made the proper trade-offs, and the result is the most exciting foldable phone of the year.
Design
With the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung has prioritized durability. The new film makes the screen now 80 percent more durable than the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Gorilla Glass Victus guards the 1.9-inch outside display, while Samsung’s Armor Aluminum technology protects the phone’s structure. This allows greater scratch resistance, particularly on the cover display of the phone. Also, the mobile is water-resistant to IPX8 standards. Even though the phone is water-resistance, there’s no dust protection grade. The cover display is the most noticeable alteration to the design. That’s four times the size of the 1.1-inch outer strip on the Galaxy Z Flip.
Colour Options
You can choose from the color options Cream, Green, Lavender, and Phantom Black for the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The color options Gray, Pink, and White colorways are available exclusively on Samsung’s website. The smooth texture is especially nice, given how slippery the original model was. Another major change is the phone’s dual speakers, which are quite loud and clear. Also, the reflective, shiny finishes of the predecessor have been replaced by muted two-tone designs. When you consider the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s increased durability, it’s a modern engineering marvel.
You can choose from other colors – yellow, black, white, blue, and pink – and apply them independently to the front and back panels, as well as a black or silver frame. You can send back your phone to Samsung after purchase to change the panel colors. Albeit there is a price for this color change. The colors are all vibrant, but the new black bar, which takes up over half of the phone’s front, is the most noticeable change.
Size
The phone measures 3.4 x 2.8 x 0.63-0.67 inches when closed, making it easy to fit into your pocket. Whereas, when opened, it measures 6.5 x 2.8 x 0.27 inches and still fits comfortably in the hand. It is also easy to carry about, weighing only 6.5 ounces. The new phone is somewhat thinner and taller than the old one. Not only the two exterior cameras but also the larger cover display is present on the phone. Although, if you are not using the phone, the design manages to hide it. The black background makes it appear like a seamless part of the body, rather than a screen protruding. Moreover, the one-of-a-kind hinge and the flexible display will always draw your attention.
When it comes to unfolding it, don’t expect to accomplish much with just one hand. The task is possible with one hand, but it is still sensitive, so it is better to do it with both hands. The hinge seems to be quite durable. In Tent Mode, you may lay it down without anxiety, or open it at 90° and 110° without it moving a centimeter. You did a fantastic job. The 6.7-inch panel with a 22: 9 aspect ratio, gives it an extended appearance. It has a superb balance in the hand due to its lightness and slightly stocky form.
Displays
The primary display on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display. When the 2640 x 1080 resolution is paired with the 120Hz refresh rate a genuinely stunning viewing experience is created. Moreover, the silky smooth scrolling demonstrates genuine display power. You can use the 1.9-inch touchscreen cover display to play music, monitor the weather, take selfies when closed and use it as a viewfinder. To take a selfie with that camera, you will have to double-click the power button to start the camera, and you’re ready to go.
Cover Display
The redesigned cover display is highly handy and adaptable, allowing you to interact with many important phone tasks without having to open the device. However, the seam running down the center of the internal display is a carryover from the original model. You can swipe the on the cover display in the other direction to bring up different widgets. You can see the notifications, which you can read even on the little screen, and swiping down from the top brings up brightness and volume options. You may also add some fun animation choices to the basic clock and build up a simple always-on display. In essence, there’s enough here to make the cover screen functional without making it too large to obstruct the design.
When you open the phone, tap on a notification or widget on the cover screen, and the app will be ready. You may also set up call settings so that answering and ending calls are handled differently when you open and close the phone. It will even recognize if the display is partially open. The Samsung Gallery app will relocate photographs to the top half of the screen for you to scroll through if you hold the phone up on a table, and a few compatible apps can do the same with video.
Main Display
With Flip 3, there are two displays to consider. The 6.7-inch foldable screen is a Full HD+ AMOLED panel, much as before, and features a 120Hz refresh rate. Thus giving you smoother and more fluid animations. The central crease is not as noticeable when viewed straight on, but it is evident when viewed at an angle or against a light background. You’ll notice it whenever you scroll over that centerline.
Cameras
They’re identical to the original model in terms of the camera. A 12MP (f/1.8) wide-angle camera and a 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide camera are mounted on the back. The selfie camera has a 10MP lens with an angle of f/2.4. Although, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 lacks a telephoto lens. The cameras in the Flip 3 are still behind other mobiles from Samsung like the Galaxy S21. The camera upgrades on the phone are software-based, with improvements to portrait mode and indoor shooting.
Even though the pictures clicked are good enough for your social media, in a bad light, performance will suffer due to the lack of a telephoto lens. The colors are vibrant and vivid, and 12 megapixels is more than enough for clear detail. Although with the help of optical image stabilization, it performs well in low light, though it is noisy and less detailed. It has the most trouble with HDR, which causes blown-out skies by over-exposing bright backdrops.
The situation is similar with wide-angle and selfie lenses, but the issues are worsened due to the smaller f/2.2 and f/2.4 apertures and lack of OIS. Low-light images are fuzzier, less-detailed results and have an increased tendency to blow out bright lights. However, the foldable form allows the camera to be propped up at whatever angle you want. This makes it great for video calls or timed selfies. You may also send a cropped preview of the viewfinder to the cover display, so if you’re taking a portrait of someone, they’ll see how they look before you take the picture.
Night Mode
Night mode performs a good job of capturing dimly light scenes and enhancing them. It does so with digital processing and produces images that are considerably brighter than they are in reality. It also does a better job of handling artificial lighting in a scene and produces a cleaner output.
Video
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 can record video at up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. The video is clean and smooth and looks fantastic. The video quality of the Flip 3 is comparable to that of the other mobiles in the market. The colors in the Flip 3-shot footage were accurate and colorful, with outstanding daylight correction. The stabilization was excellent, but the mic quality and background noise isolation need some improvement. The phone’s video capturing capabilities will not disappoint.
Audio
You get two speakers with the Z Flip 3. Even at high volumes, the sound is clear and well-balanced. The highs do gain ground when the power is increased, but the music is otherwise well-played. You can also benefit from Dolby Atmos support, which improves sound spatialization even when played through speakers. Moreover, it gives you a richer depiction even with low-quality MP3s.
Performance
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a powerhouse with a Snapdragon 888 processor and 8GB RAM. While going through apps in Flex mode, it does not stutter once. Moreover, intense games run smoothly like any other mobile with Snapdragon 888, without any frame drops. Even the games that require a higher refresh rate run smoothly on this phone. Moreover, the Flip 3 averaged 27.3 frames per second in the graphics testing.
Battery and Charging
The Galaxy Z Flip 3’s battery capacity is 3,300 mAh, which is the same as the original Flip’s. The battery life for the phone is not particularly impressive. It is even less than that of other Samsung phones, such as the standard Galaxy S21. When tested, the phone only lasted 5 hours and 43 minutes in adaptive mode. Whereas, in 60Hz mode, it lasted for 6 hours. There isn’t much space on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 for a huge battery. It does, however, have a larger outer panel and an inner one with a 120Hz refresh rate, both of which take more power than previously.
Another flaw is the maximum wired charging power of 15W. However, this means that this phone isn’t for everyone, and it won’t appeal to power users. Also, keep in mind that Samsung doesn’t include a charger with the phone, so you’ll have to use an existing USB-C charger or purchase one.
Software
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 ships with Android 11 and One UI 3.1 pre-installed, with Android 12 on the way. The Flip 3 will receive three years of platform upgrades and four years of security patches, which should cover not only the future Android 12 but also versions 13 and 14. There are a lot of functionality and enough design chops from Samsung to make One UI stand out. The software changes in the Galaxy Z Flip 3 seem useful, not One UI itself, which is the star of the show. Flex mode is one of the most important of them, as it dramatically improves the app’s user experience where it is available. OneUI is a little cluttered, and it can feel more rigid and inflexible than competitors at times. But it’s also speedy, appealing, and simple to use probably more significant features.
Flex Mode
In Flex mode, you can split UI components between the two monitors. In Flex Mode, in the Camera app, the viewfinder is on the top display and the shutter controls are on the button. You can also video call while seated at a table with your phone folded at an angle, which should help you avoid arm fatigue during extended video calls. Although, the Flex mode was supported by only a few apps. YouTube was an exception in this regard, as it allowed you to view a video on the top screen while scrolling through comments on the bottom. The combination of the 22: 9 screen format and the screen size allows you to take better benefit of the multi-window mode, allows you to launch two applications concurrently, than on other phones.
Network and Connectivity
The quality of audio calls is somewhat lacking for a smartphone at this budget. Wind noises and other environmental noises bother the sound processing algorithms. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 supports 5G bands. The Z Flip 3 is Wifi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 compatible in terms of connectivity. What it’s like to have your gaze fixed on the future.
Conclusion
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is even less expensive than Samsung’s latest 5G phone. So, if you want to try the experience of a foldable phone, the price of $999 is highly appealing. Although the phone lacks a telephone lens and battery life is quite short, it is designed to give a different experience from the usual glass and metal slabs. For the majority of people, these setbacks won’t be much of a problem. This mobile is the perfect blend of aesthetics and functionality. It is a true upgrade over a standard phone and no longer has the prototype gloss of the first generation. Although, if you are not into a foldable flip phone, this may not be for you. But if you are, there’s no reason to wait any longer.
If you have any questions, you can ask us in the comments section below.
