Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

amazon Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 reviews

In the past, users were often not interested in folding screen devices from Samsung, partly because of the high cost and partly because of concerns that the durability of the folding design would not be as guaranteed as the traditional phone models. Realizing this problem, Samsung has listened to users and concretized with upgrade points and fixed backlog errors on this year’s device.

Design and grip

Samsung has done a great job in their promotion; the flip-open book design like the Z Fold series and the clamshell design on the Z Flip series has become more popular and known by more people. This year’s design is also where the manufacturer has brought the most obvious differences compared to the first generation.

Suppose Z Flip has many rounded lines and somewhat feminine color schemes (except for black). On Z Flip3, Samsung has made it much more neutral, they also bring seven other color schemes for this phone, and I am confident that at least 4 of the total versions can be used by men and are still full of masculinity.

The front is the main screen with the familiar punch-hole selfie camera. The speakerphone of the Samsung device is located right on the Benzel border of the screen; if you don’t look closely, you may not realize that the speaker is located in the right position. On the right is the volume up and down button and the power button cum fingerprint security, the left edge has only the sim tray, and the top edge is a microphone that supports recording.

The device’s bottom edge is the second microphone, Type-C charging port, and speakerphone. The back will be a camera duo with LED flash and an extra screen. The middle of the body is a hinge similar to the previous generation, the Samsung logo engraved in the middle. The highlight of the back design is the black panel containing the camera cluster of the device and the secondary screen; this color array makes the overall machine look stronger and more attractive; it is made slightly more prominent than the front panel. The rest of the back will make the device’s rear camera look less convex, very reasonable!

It will be difficult to see with the naked eye, but this year’s Z Flip3 has been made by Samsung a bit more compact than the previous generation in both length and thickness; the device is only about 6.9mm thick. However, the body is still quite long; make sure to use it with one hand, you will not be able to touch the notification bar at the top of the screen. I rarely use the device in a straight form (except for video editing, photo editing); most of the time, when surfing content or watching videos, I often fold it, experiencing it “happy” and interesting.

Going a little deeper, with the Z Flip3, Samsung has overcome most user reflections in a previous life. “Sam” uses Armor Aluminum material for the hinges and chassis; although it’s still aluminum, it feels much stronger and more durable. I tried leaning in to break the device from both the back and the front are unsuccessful; the body is very solid.

The same goes for the screen; they announced the use of a new material that improves its durability by more than 80% compared to the previous generation, along with the latest Gorilla Glass Victus. After nearly two weeks of use, the device is still very smooth, and there is not even a scratch on the screen or the body; basically, when not in use, fold the screen so the device will be protected more safely. If you are more careful, you can buy more cases for the back; I guarantee that after a long time, the device will still be as new as when you bought it.

Moreover, this year Z Flip3 has been upgraded to IPX8 standard water resistance, which many users have always wanted on previous folding phones. The IPX8 waterproof standard allows the phone to be waterproof to a depth of 1.5m for up to 30 minutes. The addition of a water-resistant standard will help the device handle the cases of sweat or light rain and feel more secure to use.

If users were always annoyed about the line before because the crease in the middle of the screen was obvious, it is more eye-catching. When using it directly, you will hardly notice this line in light tones (dark tones are the opposite). However, the feeling of “falling off” when crossing this line is still there; if Samsung can fix this point in the next generations, it will be much better.

Overall, I like the feeling of holding and using the device is folded mode. Especially when it is not needed anymore and folds completely, the Z Flip3 becomes an extremely compact device that can be easily put in a pants pocket without needing it, even in the front pocket of a shirt. It is much more useful for women to fold the screen to look in the mirror, light makeup, or take selfies easily. With this year’s design and color schemes, Z Flip3 can play the role of Play as a piece of jewelry so that women can express their personality and fashion taste more clearly.

Monitor and display content

Galaxy Z Flip3 has a 6.7-inch flexible screen on the front with Full HD + resolution and upgraded to use Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels that support HDR10+ format. Although the resolution is only at Full HD +, its sharpness is impeccable, the content displayed is sharp and clear.

The previous version only stopped at 60Hz scanning frequency; on the Z Flip3, the manufacturer has increased it with the scanning frequency two times, i.e., making 120Hz in line with current usage trends. The experience of scrolling and gliding content on this screen is very smooth, especially when you scroll and fold the device; it will create a waterfall-like effect that is very eye-catching.

In terms of colors, you’re probably no stranger to this; Samsung’s screens often tend to push colors more vividly than usual, and it’s more prone to warm tones. But this is not the problem; its advantages will be promoted when you watch colorful content, for example, Korean music videos, it must be said “great.”

Another very interesting parameter is that Z Flip3 has maximum screen brightness of up to 1200 nits, used indoors or outdoors; the display is very good; you will still be able to see all the content no matter what.

The only minus point can only be its 22: 9 ratio; when viewing content at a ratio of 16: 9 or 4: 3, the screen will have a lot of black space on the sides; zoom in to see the full view. The screen is beautiful, but the actual display content of the video is cut off at the top and bottom edges. But as far as I can see, Samsung can’t do it differently. If the device is shortened even a little, the multitasking experience when folding the screen will not be as good, and the overall device when fully folding the screen is also. It will look more square, and I think it will look a bit “crazy.”

Turning to the back of the device, we will have a secondary screen with a size of 1.9 inches (larger than 1.1 inches of the Z Flip) and a resolution of 260 x 512 pixels; it helps display more content than before. In this part of the screen, you can set the clock display with funny animations, view notifications, or add widgets to control the music player, view weather or schedule information, alarms, etc. Very convenient without having to open the screen completely. In addition, it can also display previews when taking pictures with the rear camera of the device, but with a rather narrow screen ratio, aligning the composition for the photo is not easy; anyway, this is a feature. It’s a pretty cool feature to take advantage of this extra monitor.

Unfortunately, Samsung has not yet given us much tweaking in this screen area; hopefully, soon, they will update the software and add more features to this secondary screen.

Hardware and software performance

“Better wood than paint” this sentence is completely wrong when applied to the Galaxy Z Flip3. Not only has a sleek look and unique design, but Samsung also equips it with the best hardware at the moment with Snapdragon 888 chipset and 8GB of RAM; the phone comes in 2 memory options of 128GB and 256GB. Compared to the first Z Flip using Snapdragon 855+ processor, this year’s configuration can be considered a leap.

This configuration also guarantees smooth operation on Z Flip3 in all tasks I use every day. But if only that is not enough to challenge this Snapdragon 888 chip, I have done some benchmarks to check the real performance of the device.

With Antutu Benchmark, the device reached about 694 thousand points, I tried it many times, but the device still could not reach the threshold of 700,000 points. In general terms, it is only on par with the S21+, S21 Ultra using Exynos 2100 chipset and much inferior to devices using other Snapdragon 888 processors such as OnePlus 9 Pro, OPPO Find X3 Pro, or Xiaomi Mi 11.

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Hardware and software performance

“Better wood than paint” this sentence is completely wrong when applied to the Galaxy Z Flip3. Not only has a sleek look and unique design, but Samsung also equips it with the best hardware at the moment with Snapdragon 888 chipset and 8GB of RAM; the phone comes in 2 memory options of 128GB and 256GB. Compared to the first Z Flip using Snapdragon 855+ processor, this year’s configuration can be considered a leap.

This configuration also guarantees smooth Z Flip3 in all tasks I use every day. But if only that is not enough to challenge this Snapdragon 888 chip, I have done some benchmarks to check the real performance of the device.

With Antutu Benchmark, the device reached about 694 thousand points, I tried it many times, but the device still could not reach the threshold of 700,000 points. In general terms, it is only on par with the S21+, S21 Ultra using Exynos 2100 chipset and much inferior to devices using other Snapdragon 888 processors such as OnePlus 9 Pro, OPPO Find X3 Pro, or Xiaomi Mi 11.

Next, in the Geekbench 5 test, the machine scored 1,053 for the single-core test and 3,378 for the single-core test, respectively. These two numbers continue to be lower than other devices using the same Snapdragon 888 processor; for example, Oppo Find X3 Pro scored 1,121 and 3,741, respectively, for the two tasks above.

To test the gaming ability of the device, I tried it with two games: PUBG and Genshin Impact. In the PUBG game, the device can reach a stable 40 FPS at high UltraHD graphics; the temperature remains at 45-46 degrees Celsius.

Similarly, in the game branded “hardware killer” Genshin Impact, I installed the graphics at high settings and selected a frame of 60fps, but the measured machine only reached about 24-26 FPS and could not get even higher. The temperature during playtime is about 43-45 degrees. I tried setting down to medium and even low graphics settings, but the machine still could not reach 60 FPS as selected in the settings.

Samsung did something with the Snapdragon 888 chip on the Z Flip3. Maybe they reduced its performance to balance the battery life and maintain a stable heat level, or the manufacturer did not optimize. Software and hardware optimization is good enough that the machine can’t bring out the full potential of the dragon chip.

Whatever the reason, this result is quite disappointing, with a top configuration, but Z Flip3 does not do what its friends can do. Not even taking advantage of its 120Hz screen technology in gaming tasks.

In terms of software, the machine makes me quite satisfied. Galaxy Z Flip runs on Android 11 and One UI 3.1 interfaces. Unfortunately, it does not come with the latest Android 12 pre-installed when shipped, but Samsung announced they would send updates to users at the end. This year, we won’t have to wait too long to use the new Android 12.

The 22:9 aspect ratio screen and folding design on the Z Fip3 make it great for multitasking. I often use the split window feature to entertain and work more efficiently. For example, while watching Youtube, surfing Facebook, searching for information on Google, and noting important information in the Notes application. One UI allows pre-made pairs of these frequently used applications through the Edge Panel tool for faster access, extremely convenient!

Many people will enjoy switching from traditional devices to folding phones like Z Flip3, or Z Fold3 is the flexible mode. It allows launching a separate panel for half the screen when you fold the phone; However, it only supports a few applications such as a camera or Youtube, but the experience it brings is quite interesting and new. Especially useful with the camera app, you can place the phone on any flat surface and easily use the palm of your hand to take selfies.

In addition, understanding that the too-long screen ratio makes it difficult for customers to access the notification bar when using one hand, Samsung has added a small feature to the settings. Still, for me, it is very useful. It’s a swipe on the power button (fingerprint sensor) to access the notification bar; you need to swipe from the top to drop notifications or quick options and vice versa.

Overall, One UI on Z Flip3 works very smoothly; I have rarely encountered any problems causing the device to freeze or lag. Except for the fact that the device heats up quite quickly when filming and photography, the most heat is emitted in the area where the rear camera cluster is located. On the device’s board, this is also the area where Samsung placed the Snapdragon 888 processor chip, the most advanced processor from Qualcomm this year, which has encountered many reflections on its poor temperature control capabilities be the main cause of this problem. In addition, the body of the Z Flip3 is quite small and does not have much space for heat dissipation.

However, the confusing point is that the game console is not too hot, but it does overheat when shooting movies and taking photos for a short time (about 15-20 minutes). Once again, I have to reiterate that Samsung should rethink the optimal balance between software and hardware on their devices.

Camera

If I were to encapsulate the description of the camera quality on the Z Fold3 in the most concise way, I would use two words “just enough.” If the S21 Ultra is one of the best camera phones, the camera is not a strong point on the Z Flip3 and the Z Fold3.

This phone has a pair of 12MP lenses on the back, including a standard camera with an f/1.8 aperture that supports autofocus and OIS stabilization. The other lens has an f/2.2 aperture and focal length. Super wide-angle lens, the camera also offers 4K 60fps video recording. In general, the photos brought from this pair of cameras are quite good; the machine’s algorithm tends to push the sharpness and image structure up to keep the details of the image better.

However, the ability to zoom back is its weak point; the image quality drops significantly from 2x magnification, from 4x to 10x; it’s just for fun, but I don’t dare to post pictures confidently. This photo is on social networks or in personal archives. Again and again, if Samsung makes the camera on the Z Flip3 too well, it will unintentionally make their S21 series difficult to sell.

In return, Samsung equips the Z Flip3 with a few really useful photo and video shooting modes, such as night mode, portrait video, and director’s perspective, and a few interesting AR effects. Night mode produces good color and metering images, but the sharpness is reduced relative to daylight conditions.

The selfie camera on the front of the device also has a resolution of 10MP and supports 4K 60fps video recording; it supports two photography modes, standard angle and super-wide-angle wide. The image quality produced is also at a not-so-excellent level.

Although the image quality is not too impressive, the photography experience on the Z Flip3 makes me feel excited. As mentioned above, with the folding design of the device now, I don’t need to use a tripod to take selfies or record Tiktok videos. Just place the device on any flat surface, and the Z Flip3 will take care of the rest, thanks to the front camera’s auto-focus feature to keep you centered at all times.

In particular, Z Flip3 offers the ability to preview images on the secondary screen on the back of the device; you can even use the device’s rear camera to “take a selfie” for higher image quality. It’s a bit sad that the latter screen has a rather narrow aspect ratio and does not support magnification adjustment. So it isn’t easy to align the image layout; if used for a long time, I think it may become more familiar.

Battery life

Samsung equips the Galaxy Z Flip3 with a battery with a capacity of 3,300mAh and supports fast charging with a maximum capacity of 15W; looking at this number, it is difficult to hope for ideal battery life for a device with many devices powerful features and configurations like this. This year, Samsung no longer includes a charger in the box, so you may have to spend more money to buy this accessory.

I tested the device’s battery consumption when using the following series of tasks for 1 hour with the screen brightness at 50% and the Wifi connection. The Z Flip3 results in 11% battery drain when reading newspapers with a web browser, 14% when watching Youtube videos (50% volume, FullHD 1080p resolution), similar to the PUBG game is 24% (smooth graphics level– extreme), and Genshin Impact is 29% (high graphics – 60fps).

Battery life continues to be a weak point of the folding phone from Samsung. To explain this, I think that Samsung wanted to equip a larger battery for Z Flip3, but they could not do so. The folding hinge design makes Samsung split the device’s battery (2370mAh for the lower part and 930mAh for the upper part) and gain space for many other components.

If used regularly, you will have to charge it at least two times to get enough for a day. Fortunately, the charging time is not too long; it only takes about 87 minutes to fully charge the battery with a charger with a capacity of 15W, especially in the first 33 minutes the battery has charged 45%. So my advice to those of you who are planning to own this phone is to buy an extra backup battery with a minimum capacity of 10,000mAh to increase the device’s usage time in case of goes outside, and it is not convenient to use a charger.

Besides, you can also adjust the brightness to 30-40%, set the screen refresh rate to 60Hz, and screen timeout of 15s to help save battery life a bit. With a price of over $900, the battery of Galaxy Z Flip3 and its fast charging speed is quite small compared to the common ground of other phones. Of course, to get such a beautiful design, users will also have to accept some trade-offs.

Market competition

With this year’s Galaxy Z series, it’s easy to see that Samsung has changed its approach to customers. The manufacturer reduced the selling price quite deeply compared to the previous generation while the device still possesses many valuable upgrades. Galaxy Z Flip3 has a fake price of only about $1100 for a 128GB memory option with specifications that are not inferior to any flagship in the price range. Many devices in this segment can offer better cameras and battery life than the Z Flip3, but they don’t have a foldable display and pocket-friendly clamshell design.

Samsung wants to bring folding phones to more customers and make them more popular. The Galaxy Z Flip3 offers a design with new technology and a more enjoyable user experience than phones with a traditional design that is too boring and does not have many breakthroughs.

Users who like unique technology experiences, “unique” folding and unfolding designs, love beauty, elegance, and personal style of use will be potential customers of Z Flip3.

Ending

Samsung has made the Z Flip3 an attractive option for most users. A premium folding phone comes at a price that couldn’t be more affordable. Although there are a few shortcomings in terms of camera, temperature, and battery life, for me, the Galaxy Z Flip3 still offers a complete and very enjoyable experience to use.

If you ask me if this machine is worth buying, the answer is: Yes! If only Samsung did more for the camera on the Z Flip3, it would be great! A phone with a luxurious and unique design and a “top” camera, I don’t think there are many reasons for users to refuse this phone.