Review: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G

The 2000’s are officially back in tech, at least in terms of design and style. The flip phone hit its peak in the early 2000’s, but it has now come full circle decades later with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. This isn’t your flip phone from years ago however, as it has adapted to modern features and needs that are now standard with current gen smartphones.

Design and build

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G indeed folds out to a fully sized smartphone at 6.7-inches, complete with a FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (22:9) Infinity Flex Display. This is made of Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass which is thin yet flexible glass material that allows the Z Flip to fold and unfold easily. With a screen resolution of 2640 x 1080, 425ppi, and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, it certainly has top-of-the-line graphical specs and the smooth responsiveness you’d expect of a flagship phone. 

When folded, the phone decreases to a pocket-sized form factor of just 4.2 inches. You may also be wondering how to easily see notifications when the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is compacted. Impressively, Samsung has heard all complains and suggestions from this flip’s predecessor. They have included a “Cover Screen” to compliment the primary one. This outward mini display features 1.9-inch Super AMOLED technology, with a 260 x 512 resolution and 302ppi. This screen can be customized fully with little widgets and numerous display colors, options and styles. Easily read text messages, play/pause music and even take photos without ‘flipping’ your phone open. 

It still took a lot of getting used to with how its width is smaller and its length is longer compared to most phones and also with how small it can be when folded. I can easily slide it in my jeans but also worried how it can slide off without me noticing it (because it’s the light and small). When flipped open to its 6.7-inch screen, I sometimes have a difficult time reaching for its volume rocker which is higher than usual. A trick for me was to simply keep the phone semi-folded to easily reach for both the power button and volume rocker. It was also pretty amusing although sometimes can be a bother when scrolling through social media and I feel the sunken part on the middle of the phone where it folds. But then again — it just takes some getting used to. 

Camera

In terms of the Galaxy Z Flip3’s cameras, it has a front camera with 10MP and a F2.4 aperture for capturing the perfect selfie even in dim lighting. You can even snap selfies with the dual Rear Camera and the Cover Screen will give you a preview. All you have to do is tap the volume button on the side to trigger the shutter. Flex mode lets you adjust the phone like a laptop, using the bottom half of the screen for photo customization (such as Portrait or Video mode, or even Single Take moments or Night Hyperlapse shots) and the top half as a photo preview. 

The Galaxy Z Flip3’s rear cameras include two 12MP lenses, one Ultra-Wide and one Wide-Angle that can only zoom up to 10 times. Features include Dual Preview on the Cover Screen, which allows your friends to adjust their pose so your shots come out perfectly on the first try. Auto Framing meanwhile keeps the camera shot centered on a video even if you are on the move and people come into and out of the shot. 

Features

Multitasking also extends to other apps and features besides the camera, as the phone screen can be split into two again for other instances such as texting your friend on the bottom half while leaving your YouTube playlist playing on the top half. It also supports surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology. 

With new tech design comes new worries about durability, but those fears can be put to bed due to an IPX8 waterproof rating and durable Corning Gorilla glass utilized throughout the phone including the camera. This is the same protection afforded to the mainline Samsung Galaxy S21 5G phones. With a strong aluminum frame structure to boot, users need not worry about unfolding the phone too much as the hinge is well fortified. However, do take not that this is not dust-resistant and dust can still get into the hinge so it’s important to be careful and hygienic with this device. 

For its safety features, the phone can be unlocked through a pin, password, face recognition and thankfully, a fingerprint sensor (something Apple phones never had) which is really useful in this masked life. 

Under the hood: Powerful but average battery life

The device is powered by an impressive Snapdragon 888 5nm 64-bit Octa-Core processor with an 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. It’s also 5G capable. Its day-to-day performance is excellent. It also competes well with its Android rivals when it comes to gaming. The only downside is its battery capacity of 3,300mAh which barely lasts me a day with streaming movies, social media and internet browsing, and being on video calls. 

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G definitely had a series of improvements from its predecessor. It’s now water-resistant, has improved durability, includes a cover screen and a lower price worth PHP 52,990 to make it much more interesting. When closed, you’ll have a tiny phone that can fit anywhere which behaves just like every other Android phone — until it’s folded to 90° that can give you two different screens you can use simultaneously. This kind of device with its price range still needs to be handled with extra care compared to non-folding phones. You also have to sacrifice telephoto/portrait mode along with along with a longer battery life for this interest compact-sized smartphone.