Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review: Freaky, my foot! | News 4 Social
Even if the number do not suggest it: The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is the third generation of Samsung’s vertical foldable. News 4 Social had the opportunity to get our hands on the smartphone for a short few hours a few days before the official launch. Here are our first impressions in the hands-on.
NEXTPITTV
Good
Powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC
Incredibly small and handy
Improved durability and IPX8 rating
Unique design
Bad
Predictably mediocre battery life and slow charging
No telephoto camera
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 release date and price
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is one of those very rare devices that received five out of five stars in our News 4 Social reviews. That does not mean that the foldable is better than the competition in all aspects. There are, of course, faster smartphones or better camera phones. But the Z Flip 3 is the first device of a new genre that simply totally convinced us. A device without any competition, at least so far based on what we know, its successor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 will remain that way for the time being.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 goes on sale on August 26. You can choose between 128, 256, and 512 GB configurations and have to fork out $999, $1,059.99, and $1,199, respectively. There is also a Bespoke Edition with only 256 GB of storage space, for which you will have to pay $1,199 albeit with many design options to choose from.
As usual with just about all Samsung launches these days, there is also a pre-order promotion for early birds. Those who pre-order the smartphone from today until August 26 will receive up to $200 Samsung credit. You can find the pre-order link in the following widget.
Design and Display
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is incredibly compact.
When folded, the smartphone measures 17.1 millimeters thicker than a normal non-foldable device, but it fits in the palm of your hand perfectly. When opened, the smartphone with its 6.7-inch display is as big as a regular smartphone from the year 2022, but then again, it is comparatively thin at 6.9 millimeters.
Compared to its predecessor, the Z Flip 4 has improved the display-to-case ratio somewhat. The smartphone gains 0.8 millimeters at the top and bottom, and 0.3 millimeters on both the right and left sides. The hinge has also become a bit more compact. To be honest: I would probably hardly have noticed it if someone had handed me a Z Flip 4 and claimed that it was a Z Flip 3 just three weeks ago.
However, the difference should become visible after a while: Gorilla Glass Victus+ is now used on the smartphone’s exterior, which is 12 percent more robust than the normal Victus according to Samsung. The Ultra-Thin-Glass (UTG) inside is even supposed to be 18 percent more resistant than the old model.
Like the predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4’s inner display measures 6.7-inches across diagonally and has a 1080 x 2640 pixel resolution. We are looking at an aspect ratio of 22:9. Even though we couldn’t review it under various conditions during our short hands-on period: The 120 Hz fast Dynamic AMOLED panel looks very fancy, which is typical for Samsung.
As in the predecessor, however, there is a rather obvious crease in the Z Flip 4. Apart from that, there are also no innovations in the outer display. As in the Z Flip 3, the outer screen once again comes in a 1.9-inch size and has a resolution of 512 x 260 pixels.
Hardware and software
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 might be very compact, but it still offers a lot of hardware.
The latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC with 8 GB of RAM is located underneath the hood. We did not ascertain any performance problems during our short hands-on, but of course, the smartphone was not pushed to its limits for long stretches of time.
You can probably expect some degree of thermal throttling kicking in when it comes to demanding games, but that will not be a surprise in view of the compact form factor.
When it comes to the battery, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 has made a leap forward. The power capacity now stands at 3,700 mAh. According to Samsung, the more compact hinge was an important reason why there is now more room for battery in the chassis. Quick Charging is now possible in the latest Flip at a maximum of 25 watts.
That is not bad for a Galaxy smartphone, but Xiaomi, Realme, and other companies can but give a grin due to far superior charging speeds. While the Z Flip 4 gets from 0 to 50 percent in 30 minutes according to the manufacturer, other smartphones have already charged from 0 to 100 – twice!
At launch, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 runs on Android 12, and the manufacturer promises updates up to Android 16 at the very least. Samsung still relies on its One UI version 4 skin, which has been expanded by additional features for the Z series and has learned a few new tricks in the fourth generation foldable.
The outer display, for example, now allows you to reply to messages without having to flip it open. For instance, pre-configured replies or via voice. Samsung also offers a few new themes to style your Flip to match your Galaxy Watch 5. The camera app of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 now has a new portrait mode in which you can place the phone half-opened on the table and directly record portrait videos for TikTok.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 camera
Speaking of cameras: Samsung has once again taken a step forward with the Galaxy Z Flip 4, although only in terms of quality and not quantity.
We begin with the most unspectacular camera: The selfie camera above the inner screen is still located in a central notch and still has a resolution of 10 megapixels.
However, it is better to use the primary cameras for photos and selfies anyway, of which there are again two. The primary camera has a resolution of 12 megapixels, just like its predecessor. However, the sensor has grown considerably larger with the pixel size increasing from 1.4 to 1.8 microns compared to the Z Flip 3. Even though Samsung itself has not officially confirmed it, we suspect it is the 12-megapixel sensor from the Galaxy Z Fold 3 here, namely the Isocell 2LD.
The ultra-wide angle camera in the Galaxy Z Flip 4, on the other hand, offers the same specifications as in the predecessor: Like the primary camera, the 12 megapixel sensor has a pixel size of 1.12 microns. Unfortunately, there is no telephoto camera in the Galaxy Z Flip 4, either.
Move over, iPhone: When it comes to style, no one can beat the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Not Xiaomi, not Sony, and not even Apple. The compact Samsung foldable is the coolest smartphone on the planet. And sure: The foldable is not cheap, but not even exorbitantly expensive considering what it offers. After all, there is great technology underneath the chic chassis.
Last year, Samsung sold 180,000 foldables in Germany alone, slightly more than half of which were flip devices. The South Koreans are aiming for half a million units this year, and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 would finally make it from a freaky early-adopter device into a mainstream handset.
Are you already convinced that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will be your next smartphone? Then you can get it from now and until August 26th with the pre-order promotion together with up to $200 Samsung credit. You can find the link to the pre-order promotion in the following widget.
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