Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G review: high-tech folding smartphone just got cheaper

Folding phones for the masses - this is the slogan Samsung pursues when developing the Flip3 and Fold3 smartphones. Although the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G has fallen in price, it still cannot be called cheap, considering the cost of 80 thousand rubles. However, today it is the most affordable of all smartphones with a folding screen.

Notable upgrades include IPX8 water resistance, a high refresh rate, and a useful external screen. Of course, the processor has also become more powerful - Flip3 runs on Snapdragon 888.

However, so far not everything is as good as we would like - the main camera could be better, the ultra-wide-angle camera does not have autofocus, and there is no telephoto lens at all. The battery capacity is only 3300 mAh, and the speed is limited to 15 W. Internal memory from 128 GB, while the previous model had from 256 GB. However, you have to pay for the lower price.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

Became stronger

On the back is the fashionable and most durable tempered glass Gorilla Glass Victus to date. However, you still need to handle the device carefully.

The most vulnerable point is the folding display. It is protected by a film from the factory, which should never be removed. It is soft and scratches easily; in a year the surface will be covered with “meat” damage. It’s not clear what to do with this, but this is the price to pay for cool design and unique technologies.

Design and appearance

Of course, the main feature of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is its design. There are as many as seven colors to choose from: cream, black, green, lavender, grey, white and pink.

The side frames and hinge are made from Armor Aluminum, which Samsung says is the strongest aluminum ever used in a smartphone. Galaxy Z Flip3, along with Fold3, became the first folding smartphone with IPX8 water resistance. But the letter X means there will be no dust protection, because the company has not yet found an engineering solution. Contamination of the hinge by dust and particles of materials is still one of the main problems of folding phones.

The external panels are covered with Corning's strongest glass to date - Gorilla Glass Victus. The new 1.9-inch external display is located at the top, on the back cover, next to the two cameras. The main screen is covered with a special protective film; Samsung claims that it is 80% stronger than the previous model. The hinge must withstand 200 thousand bends.

When open, you can still feel the curve in the middle with your finger, which is more noticeable than on the Fold - simply because we scroll pages vertically much more often than horizontally. True, over time you can get used to it. In addition, the unfolded smartphone is higher than the Galaxy S21+, so it is very difficult to reach the top half of the screen.

Yes, the Galaxy Z Flip3 folds in half, but it is by no means a compact device. It’s even better to open it with two hands, not to mention using it unfolded. The smartphone can maintain almost any angle of inclination, so it was impossible to realize the same easy opening as in the Moto Razr.

Additionally, the fingerprint scanner is located in the power button, and you won't be able to use it while opening the Flip3. The process of unlocking any other smartphone is simple - you take it out of your pocket and at the same time remove the lock. The home screen is almost immediately in front of your eyes. With the Galaxy Z Flip3, everything is more complicated; this process occurs in two stages: first you need to open the phone, and then click on the fingerprint scanner. Of course, you can choose face unlock, but it is not as reliable.

Review

After two weeks of use

Of all the foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 can easily be called the most convenient. This is achieved largely by its proximity to traditional flagships, which, in my opinion, only plays into the hands of the smartphone. You shouldn't look for a deep idea in the Galaxy Z Flip 3 - it's just a Galaxy S21 that can fold. Considering that the price tag here is more than justified (top-end hardware, a bright screen and decent cameras), direct competition arises in the company’s model range.

Should I buy just a powerful smartphone or the same one, but with an interesting feature in the form of a folding display? In my opinion, the choice is obvious. However, what separates me from calling the Galaxy Z Flip 3 ideal is its autonomy. 9 hours of video playback over Wi-Fi at medium brightness is too little for me. Perhaps, if you use your smartphone moderately, the Z Flip will last until the evening, but this does not happen to me.

pros

• Hinge honed to perfection.
• Reference display.
• High-quality ultra-wide angle module.
• Convenient selfies with an external screen.
• Unusual design with flat chambers.
• The most powerful iron.

Minuses

• The camera sometimes malfunctions when shooting indoors.
• Autonomy is disappointing.

Smartphone screens

One of the main drawbacks of past Flips was the lack of a high refresh rate. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G solves this problem - the display supports a frequency of 120 Hz.

The main AMOLED screen has a diagonal of 6.7 inches and a resolution of 2640 × 1080 pixels (425 ppi), and an aspect ratio of 22:9. The brightness has become huge - up to 1200 nits in Adaptive mode. With manual settings you can get 500 nits, which is also much better than the previous Flip.

There are two color profiles: Vivid and Natural. By default, the first one is active and covers a fairly wide color range, although the shades are a little blue. You can shift them to warmer ones using the temperature slider. When selecting the Natural profile, colors will be much more accurate - the average dE2000 is 1.4. The main display also supports HDR10+.

As for the 120Hz refresh rate, there are two modes: Standard and Adaptive. The second one works by default and is not easy to switch between 60 or 120 Hz. It can take on other values, depending on what is displayed on the screen. Most apps will run at 120Hz as long as you touch the display, after which the frequency drops to 60Hz. For games there is a Game Booster function that allows you to choose between 48, 60 and 120 Hz.

The external display of the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G has become almost twice as large – increased from 1.1 to 1.9 inches. This is a Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 512x260 and a pixel density of 302 ppi. The problem with the second screen is that the brightness doesn't adjust according to the ambient light, which can make it too bright at night.

A couple of nuances

But there may be questions about screen protection. This is not glass - it cannot be pressed or mechanically impacted in any way. If something small but hard gets on the screen when you close it, it can leave an impressive fingerprint or even damage the screen. Although if you watch the JerryRigEverything video, killing the screen is not so easy. The reliability of the smartphone does not raise any questions and you can use it like any other smartphone. But still, there are a lot of nuances here.

For example, a protective film is glued to the screen from the factory. The first time you turn it on, the system will ask you not to remove this film, although it looks like shipping film. We even contacted Samsung and they told us that it could be removed. And yes, you can take it off, but most people won't, and I didn't either, and there are a couple of problems with it. Firstly, for some reason it has a cutout for the front camera and it doesn’t look very nice. And secondly, this film is electrified and very well collects dust and tiny fluffs of materials around itself, especially if you carry a smartphone in your pocket. It looks very strange.

The second interesting nuance: when you take a smartphone out of your pocket or bag, it’s not very tactilely clear which side is which, and I regularly opened it the other way around. And after a month I still didn’t get used to it or didn’t learn how to open it correctly right away.

Galaxy Z Flip3 cameras

The quality of shooting is not an advantage of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G - its strengths lie elsewhere.

It has the same cameras as the Flip and Flip 5G, and for a smartphone at this price, they're underwhelming. The main lens is a Sony IMX563 with a resolution of 12 MP, which differs little from the sensor of the 2016 Galaxy S7. An ultra-wide-angle lens of 12 MP helps, while the internal and front ones have a resolution of 10 MP.

The key feature of the application is that the viewfinder can be located on any half of the screen. This is convenient if you want to shoot from an unusual angle and see the frame. The external display can serve as a viewfinder, so selfies can be taken from the main lens. However, it is in landscape orientation, so you will only see the middle of the stage.

The shooting quality of the 12-megapixel main camera is about the same as that of competitors with this sensor. Complex textures like grass look unnatural due to excessive interference from processing algorithms, although the detail is high. The Z Flip3 5G does not have a telephoto lens, so even the 2x digital zoom loses quality.

The ultra-wide-angle lens here is too weak for a smartphone costing 80 thousand rubles. Objects are blurred at the edges of the frame, and the dynamic range is not very wide. The only plus is that the color temperature of the ultra-wide-angle lens is close to the main one.

Selfies can be taken from both the main camera and the front one. When shooting with the main focus, the quality will improve, as will the separation of the subject from the background. The front camera performs a little worse, but it is capable of providing good images. Colors are a little washed out, but focusing is at a comfortable distance and blur looks natural.

The maximum video quality with the Galaxy Z Flip3 is 4K/60 fps, and there is support for HDR10. Electronic stabilization is available on all three lenses and Super Steady mode.

Cameras are not flagship, but good

At the back, and in selfie mode and at the front, there are two cameras: a 12-megapixel main one and a wide one with the same resolution. The quality is great - the smartphone outshines most of its competitors. However, it still loses when compared with its brothers (Samsung S21 Ultra or Z Fold3).

Main camera

Shirik

However, the photos and videos come out very decent. Both day and night, you can safely shoot on automatic – you don’t need to go into the settings for the night mode and the rest. The smartphone does everything itself, and does it well.

Main module - auto

Main camera - night mode

Shirik - auto Shirik - night mode

Samsung traditionally does portrait photography well: with both the main and front cameras - 10 megapixels, by the way. The colors are bright and saturated, the white balance is lively, real, and not, as happens in “Apple” devices - flat faces and “carrots” together with a natural skin color.

Auto

Wide Angle Portrait

There are no problems with the video either. You can record in top quality 4K 60 FPS, or you can switch to recording HDR10+ video.

In this case, the quality will be at the FHD level and 30 frames per second. Every day is not Sunday.

Software

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 runs on Android 11 OS with One UI 3.1.1 shell. The updates affected the external screen, which has increased in size and is equipped with an always-on mode with a dial, date and charge level.

Swiping across the second screen gives access to different functions: up - launches Samsung Pay, down - brightness and silent mode settings, right - shows notifications. Swiping left will open one of seven widgets: weather, music player, calendar, alarm clock, Samsung Health, voice recorder and timer.

When you open the smartphone at an angle between 75 and 115 degrees, the Flex mode is activated - the application interface will be divided into two halves. All controls will be located at the bottom, and at the top there is a passive area with which you do not need to interact. For example, on YouTube, the top half will be the video, and the bottom half will have all the information and comments.

Flex mode support is not the widest yet - it works on YouTube and several Samsung applications. Then everything will depend on the developers of third-party applications and the popularity of the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. In its normal position, the Z Flip3 is no different from other Samsung smartphones.

In One UI 3.1 (and 3.1.1), the notification panel takes up the entire screen, even if you only receive one message. This is not as convenient as when the panel only occupied part of the display. Notification History has appeared, which is also implemented in One UI 3.1.1. Other functions of the new OS are also available: Bubbles for messengers, pop-ups and others.

Battery

As I wrote at the beginning, this smartphone has many nuances, but really the only weak point is the battery. With very active use of the smartphone, it lasts up to 4-5 pm. In mixed mode with an average load, it gives about 4 hours of screen operation and this is not very long. Probably, for an ordinary user, someone who doesn’t constantly look at their phone, Flip 3 will be enough for a day. Active comrades like me will have to recharge in the evening. There is support for fast charging up to 15 W, yes, not the fastest. There is wireless charging up to 10 W, which is also not a record, and reverse wireless charging has also appeared.

Component Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G uses Snapdragon 888 as a processor, and this time there are no models with the weaker Exynos chipset.

There is 8 GB of RAM, and 128 or 256 GB of internal UFS 3.1 storage. In the GeekBench 5 performance test, the smartphone scores 979/3441 points. For the SD888, the result in single-core mode is not too high - the same S21 Ultra here produces 1109 points.

In graphics tests, the Z Flip3 5G's results are also surprisingly low. GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p) gives the model only 142 fps, which is less than many flagship models. It feels like the processor's potential is not fully realized here.

The throttling of the Galaxy Z Flip3 is not the highest - in performance tests, the processor retains up to 80% of the maximum results during the first 20 minutes, and about 60% within an hour. There is a decrease in operating speed, but not nearly as strong as with the Galaxy Z Fold3.

Wow!

Delight, requests to twirl in your hands and a lot of questions like “So, how do you like it?” This is how it works for those around you, and this is how it works for you too.

Wow! Cot! It flaps cool, there’s a gorgeous screen inside, and another one outside, with which you can take selfies with the main camera. And in general, with such a form factor you can create all sorts of outrages that are inaccessible to other devices. Overall, a delight.

Then comes the realization that as an everyday smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is not the most convenient device. The halves are difficult to open, especially with one hand. The smartphone is slippery, and therefore it tries to slip out of your hands every time. A button that snaps the halves apart from each other would be nice. Looking forward to the next generation.

More troubles. Dust accumulates near the side, the cameras are far from the best on the market, and the battery life is not great. There is also a Micro SD memory card and only one physical SIM card. True, you can install a second one - electronic (eSIM). It seems like everything is there, but it’s somehow… uncomfortable.

Sound quality

The sound quality of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G has noticeably improved thanks to the addition of stereo speakers.

Here the main converter is at the bottom, and the conversational converter is at the top. The choice of right and left channel depends on how you rotate the phone. In portrait mode, the top speaker acts as the left speaker. The volume is high and the sound is reminiscent of the S21 or S21+, the treble is more pronounced when there is less bass. If you need better sound, take the Asus Zenfone 8.

Bottom line

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G can be bought for 89,990 rubles - a very reasonable price for such a powerful, technologically advanced smartphone with perhaps the best screen in the world. Among folding devices, of course. And the smartphone has no competitors. The only alternative for plus or minus the same money is the Motorola RAZR 5G. True, it is weaker, it has a worse camera, it is more expensive (well over 100 thousand) and simply is not sold in Russia. We don't need that.

Yes, in my review of the Samsung Z Flip3 I criticized the device a lot. The autonomy is not amazing, charging is not fast, dust gets clogged, the reliability of the screen is questionable. It would seem that the smartphone is full of shortcomings, despite the second generation with a bunch of corrected roughness. But even so, the smartphone is very cool and unusual. It attracts attention and delights those around it - it’s a real breath of fresh air among brick-and-mortar flagships, a bright flash in a crowd of identical endless iPhones.

Samsung

Battery autonomy

One of the weakest aspects of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is the 3,300 mAh battery, which now has to cope with the high refresh rate of the display.

Folding screen smartphones have serious size limitations, so their battery life is disappointing. Galaxy Z Flip3 has enough energy for 10 hours of everyday tasks or 11 hours of watching videos. This is worse than the Galaxy S21 and iPhone 12 mini.

The Flip3 doesn't come with a charger, and speeds are limited to just 15W. Although the battery capacity is small, only 30% of the energy is restored in half an hour, when a full charge takes an hour and a half. There is support for 10W wireless and reverse 4.5W charging, although with such a small battery capacity, the latter is unlikely to be useful.

Folding display is the main feature

There are a bunch of scenarios that Samsung has come up with on how to make full use of the folding screen. Some useful, others not so much. Judge for yourself.

Open the device at 90 degrees (give or take) and film yourself on TikTok, broadcast on Instagram, or chat with colleagues on Google Meets. And no stand or tripod is needed. Bliss!

In the gallery, the bottom part turns into a trackpad. Why is it unclear, because the screen is already touch-sensitive, you can zoom and scroll through pictures with simple finger gestures.

But split screen (in Android in general) is a big boon. I opened “Editorial” on YouTube at the top, and the browser at the bottom. At the same time, you become saturated with anti-propaganda and read something on the Internet. Beauty!

There is a crease in the middle. Visually it doesn’t interfere in any way, but you feel it tactilely all the time. As for me, it’s a matter of habit, no big deal.

Alternatives to Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

In 2022, Samsung has seriously worked on folding and folding display technologies, so their new smartphones have become much more functional and cheaper.

Galaxy Z Flip3 costs from 80 thousand rubles and is still more of a high-tech gadget rather than a profitable smartphone for everyday use. If you just want a foldable phone, you can take a look at the Motorola Razr 5G. Anyone who used the classic Razr V3 15 years ago will love it. On the other hand, in terms of hardware, this model runs on a Snapdragon 765 processor and costs more – 100 thousand rubles.

Samsung recently released a folding smartphone – Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, however, you will have to pay twice as much for it. However, this is a completely different device in its capabilities, and there is no point in comparing it with Flip3.

If a foldable screen is not particularly important to you, you should choose a flagship smartphone with a regular display and much better specifications. For example, Samsung Galaxy S21 – the camera quality is much higher, there is even a telephoto lens, and the price is noticeably cheaper.

You'll have to pay even less for the Asus Zenfone 8, which also has better cameras, battery life and charging speeds in a compact size. Among other compact smartphones, I’d like to mention the Apple iPhone 12 mini, but a lot here depends on how you feel about iOS.

Stop! Where did the second Flip go?

Korean naming is merciless as always. “Samsung Galaxy Zed Flip Three Five G” - how to remember all this, and in the correct order? Personally, I only finally learned the name towards the end of this review.

One more moment. The big, fancy Samsung Z Fold came in three generations with corresponding model numbers. The Flip series took a different path. A year ago there was the first device, and the current “flip” is the second generation, but in order to comb the line, they immediately called it the third. It's clear? I don't.

PS And then, what kind of fashion has gone into crooked spelling of different names. For one brand, everything should be in lower case, even if the company name is at the beginning of the sentence (realme). And Samsung, for example, hates spaces - “Flip3”. The feeling is that at some point the top manager of the corporation made a mistake in the corporate chat, everyone was afraid to correct him and decided that this was the right thing to do.