The audience is divided over foldable phones, and it seems that might stay the same for longer than anticipated. This does not mean it stays the same for everyone. Just a few years ago we could not imagine going through the ordeal of managing to secure wireless headphones. At least not until Apple made us do exactly that, therefore, we should not leave anything out of the realm of possibility. This Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G review will critically assess and determine whether this version of the flip phone by Samsung finally makes it worth buying.
There are more things to consider with a smartphone that brings in a feature such as a foldability. For the record, fold and flip were some common features in older phones, in the pre-smartphone world. But ever since we have moved on to the entire phone screen being the display, with the keyboard only popping up when necessary, things haven’t been the same. Let’s look at all the things we need to consider in this specific phone.
Pros & Cons
Creative design | Uncomfortable design |
High screen display | Shorter battery life |
Water-resistant body | Relatively expensive |
Strong and sturdy body |
There is a reason why design falls on both the pro and con part of this phone, it is to highlight the polarized view of the audience. Depending upon your view of a smartphone that flips open, it can either be completely negative or positive. Some people cannot stand the thought of a flippable smartphone, that has all the same features as a smartphone but it flips open. This is why Samsung’s choice to continue the device in different editions was considered bold, but there are still many that approve of it. Therefore, it is again subjective to opinion.
Design
With a water-resistant, sturdy body, the Z Flip 3 does not miss on the material of the design. Even the critiques of how the design is put together to be foldable in the middle agree on its strong body. This is reminiscent of the older phones that were so cherished by the audience for their unbreakable durability. Samsung is already known for picking up features from older versions that other manufacturers seem to have forgotten about. The particular armor aluminum material used in the body is an intentional move to cement the foldable aspect of the phone.
The reason many seem to get attracted to the creative fold or flip aspect is that almost all the other smartphones have more or less the same design now. It can bore some people who prefer to have gadgets that are fun and engage them in one way or the other. In the same way, it is something that puts off other users who think of the design as a rather nuisance in the functionality of the phone. This is why it is on both sides of the pro and con table above as well.
The width of the phone is not too wide, as it comes with a slender design out flat, but when flipped off, it can get quite thick. This is also a deal-breaker for many, as it can look and feel quite a little boxy thing when folded. Other than that, there are 7 different color options that the phone comes in. The manufacturing materials are evenly top-notch to maintain that sturdy body. The Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on top of the Armor Aluminum body perfectly adds to its durability factor. All of this tells us that design is not where the Flip 3 misses, but rather it is your preference in a phone’s display that determines whether you like this one or not.
Display
Another important factor of a smartphone is its display. The digital experience today is largely visuals, and if you do not have a good channel to support that, it translates badly to your brand. Samsung however, understands this clearly, which is why they have not missed with the display either. It is one of the most consistent features in Samsung products. The creative update of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G is that it has both the main screen inside and an outer screen when you fold it off.
Outside
Known as the cover screen, the outermost screen on the Z Flip 3 is a smaller screen to view time and notifications on your phone. It works as most lock screens do, helping you navigate your phone without unlocking it. In the Flip 3 version, the cover screen saw a significant update with its size. What was previously viewed as a small peanut-sized switch/button that just showed the time and date, got transformed into more than thrice its size.
Now the cover lock screen shows a small greeting animal along with the time and date. Additionally, you can view your notifications as you would in the notification bar by swiping left, 4 at a time. Similarly, you can use the swipe option differently to access volume, brightness, weather, alarms, timer, calendar, and any other widgets you can access through the phone’s notification bar.
Inside
This inside section is the main phone screen, as well as the technical screen display in general. The actual display of the phone is 6.7inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, which is more than mediocre or average. It is extremely smooth in terms of touch and use, which is a function of both display and sensors. The problem that has so far been recorded is due to the crease that appears in the middle of the phone, acting disruptive or distracting for some. But this is obvious when you buy a foldable phone that flips open. Otherwise, the screen gives a smooth experience that makes the entire usage enjoyable and far from tardy.
Storage
Smartphones these days barely live up to the expectations without a good amount of storage space. This Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G review is therefore incomplete without discussing its storage. The basic storage for this phone is 128 GB that extends to 256 GB if you are someone who requires more storage. There are countless jobs these days that require you to have a spontaneous camera, such as with social media management or content creation.
Although a large part of those jobs does require very high-end technical equipment as well, your smartphone is still important. The camera, display, and storage are a few things that count for this particular type of need. Even if you are not in any of these particular niche categories of jobs, storage is something very important. The old days of backing up everything on your laptop/PC routinely are over. People require instant solutions to things, and having an inherently large storage capacity is one of those. Although the price rises with the rise in storage capacity.
Battery
Along with the camera that will be mentioned at the end, the dual 3,300-mAh batteries in the Flip 3 is another feature that has not been upgraded. Samsung, unlike its very competitive rival in the race – Apple, is known for its long-lasting battery in the gadgets. Not to imply that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 does not have a long battery life, 11 hours hardly count as short. But again, the expectations were that of an upgrade, since that is the point of a newer version of a product.
Many users have recorded 3-11 hours as the average range of hours the battery on this one lasts. Adding to this is that although the battery recharges quite rapidly, it heats as quickly as it charges. Which at this point is a signature in Samsung phones. Regardless, the battery issue is somewhat of a turn down because many expected Samsung to work on it since there have been a large number of complaints. If this is something you are not that concerned with, you might find your average to be much longer than what others are quoting.
Operating system
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 CPU-powered phone acts as a fast and smooth system to rely on. Many don’t believe phones these days can be slow, but unless you have worked with a slower operating system in a phone, you don’t know how frustrating it can be. However, Z Flip 3, with the combination of a 5nm processor and an 8GB RAM, gives you a rather fast and hindrance-free experience. This already brings us to imagine how much potential future Samsung products have, setting the precedent for their forthcoming products. And 5G is in the name of the phone, therefore it is where it does not compromise.
The main system on the phone is what you would expect from any Samsung phone, easy to navigate and quite user-friendly. In terms of viewing, there have been updates that can be either fun or distracting depending upon your opinion. The fact that you can split your screen in two to watch something in one and handle the controls from the other is something of a creative upgrade. But it also means lesser screen space for your videos/games. Again, perspective and preference change everything here.
To summarize the general audience response, it is rather positive because it means positive change. It is even much better than the previous Flip phone by Samsung, which is the benchmark that many customers hold against. That and what price it is being offered at, are the two main points of comparison for Samsung’s potential customer base.
Camera
Quite literally one of the most important features of smartphones these days is the camera. And this is exactly where Samsung disappoints a little bit. At this price range and this level of update, your audience is liable to expect a very high-quality update in the camera. It is the one feature that excites and unites most of the audience. The wide-screen cameras on the Z Flip 3 5G make it a good enough feature, but good is hardly satisfactory anymore. And this precedent is set by these smartphone/tech giants themselves.
And at this point, critiques, and reviewers would not be wrong to point out this specific feature lagging. Many have noted that all the other creative features and updates on the phone are worth its price and justify buying. But for those who are specifically enthusiastic about photography and videography, it is a setback that counts as a con. The fact that there was no upgrade in the camera was something many customers and tech specialists took issue with. It was something the manufacturers thought was good enough to pass by.
The problem arose when many noticed the different experiences photographing things from a foldable phone. It was a major development already, and the fact that the use of cameras was different now did not lighten the effect of the observation. This does not in any way mean the quality has dropped or that pictures and videos do not turn out that great. But they turn out as they would in any other phone, with a much lesser budget than this one. Therefore, the expectations are justified and the delivery of the same camera quality is disappointing.
To end our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G review, it is hard to say aye or nay in favor or opposition of a product that has so many divided potential customers. In the end, find out whether the cons with the products are things that you can live with, in a smartphone. Usually, that tells you whether a product is for you or not.