Published on August 17, 2021
Foldable phones used to be too expensive for most people to afford them, but that’s no longer the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. And we know what you’re thinking, “a grand isn’t cheap,” but the Galaxy Z Flip 3 brings foldable technology to many more people with it’s much more attainable price compared to other foldables out there. But the question is, Will that lower price win people over to the foldable phone side? Let’s find out.
For $999.99 or $166.67 for 6 months with no interest.
You will also get a $150 credit that you can spend towards accessories for your new foldable.
More durable
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is more durable than its predecessor, thanks to IPX8 water resistance, an inner display that’s 80% more durable, Gorilla Glass Victus on the outer display, and Samsung’s new “Armor Aluminum body”. It’s clear that Samsung is working to make foldable phones more durable and cheaper, though we would still advise you to not drop it.
Some improvements on the display side
The inner display is the same 6.7-inch FHD+ panel as the previous model, though its refresh rate has been bumped from 60Hz to 120Hz. The folding mechanism of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 isn’t too obvious behind the display, unlike on the original Flip and the Fold models, which is a nice change, though it’s still not totally hidden by any means. And the outer display which was 1.1 inches on the original Flip gets a size increase to 1.9 inches which is always welcome, though it doesn’t have support for a 120Hz refresh rate. This makes it easier to see the redesigned layout for this display, which is useful due to new settings that let you change the apps on the cover display to mimic your Galaxy Watch 4.
Cameras and battery life are not the best
On the back of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 are 12MP wide and 12MP ultra-wide cameras, although the sensors have bigger pixels than those in the original Flip, so pictures are a bit brighter and more colorful than the previous generation. The 10MP front camera is also essentially unchanged from the previous Flip, though we don’t know about the sensor size so no comments here. There’s Flex Mode, which allows you to fold the phone at a right-angle and use one side as a stand to keep the other camera side steady, along with the standard modes you’ll find on the Galaxy S21 series. Zooming is all-digital and goes up to 10x. As you can see, the camera’s specs are good, though not impressive. For example, the $800 Galaxy S21 5G has better zoom capabilities than the galaxy Z Flip 3, so if you’re into taking a lot of pictures you’re better off with the Galaxy S21 Plus or the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The 3300Mah battery doesn’t seem that big compared to today’s standards, with smartphones today shipping with 4000Mah or larger batteries. The charging speeds are also not impressive, with just 15w wired charging and 10w wireless charging. On the flip side, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 does come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 mobile platform and comes with 8GB of ram, so at least you’ll get flagship performance. In short, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a great foldable phone if you don’t mind the battery life and don’t need an impressive camera setup. Great job Samsung for creating a sub-$1,000 foldable phone!
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be released on August 27, although you can pre-order it now to receive a $150 credit towards accessories.