Why buy a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G?
The best folding phone
Flagship specs
Durable and waterproof
Not convinced? Try one of these alternatives to a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G:
Motorola RAZR 5G - Motorola’s alternative, but is it as good?
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G - the bigger folding option
iPhone 13 mini - it doesn’t fold, but it’s a small, powerful alternative
Introduction
While some folding phones are about getting a tablet-sized device into your pocket, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is all about maximum style and convenience. Opened up, it’s a high-end smartphone with a lush 6.7” OLED screen. Mischief managed? Flip it shut into a compact 4.2” slab that’s easy to tuck away. You can even keep up with notifications via a second, 1.9” cover screen.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G takes all the best features of the original Z Flip and improves on them. Its cover screen is bigger, the hinge is more robust, and the Z Flip3 5G is even waterproofed. Overall it’s surely the sleekest and most durable folding phone you can buy.
Design
Flip phones are a marvel of product design, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G is probably the best example. While normal phones package a screen, battery, processor, aerial and all their other gubbins into a compact space, the Z Flip3 5G also has to make room for a robust hinge. Its display needs to bend, and the whole thing has to work faultlessly for thousands of open/close cycles.
While there were question marks about earlier folding smartphones, Samsung has nailed it here. The Z Flip3 5G feels robust, and looks every bit the high-end smartphone while fully opened. When closed, it’s a classy communicator that fits snugly in the palm. But while it is compact when folded, it’s worth noting that it’s a little heavier (183g), and twice as thick (17mm) as a standard phone.
Camera
The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G’s design does require a couple of compromises, one of which is that this phone gets only a dual-camera setup, rather than the triple or quad array you might expect at this price. It’s a decent system, offering 12 megapixel (MP) wide and ultra-wide lenses, but there’s no telephoto or macro option.
One impressive feature is that you can still use the two main cameras when the phone is folded, with the 1.9” cover screen helping you preview and review images. When the phone’s open, a 10MP camera takes care of selfie and video calling duties.
Video
As with still photography, the Z Flip3 5G’s video performance is good, rather than exceptional. Both rear cameras support 4K recording at up to 60 frames per second (fps), and both have optical image stabilisation to keep things steady. There’s support for unusually high framerates - 240fps at 1,080p, and an astonishing 960fps at 720p, great for exploring extreme slow-motion. Though less well specified, the front camera can still manage 4K video at 30fps.
Display
This phone’s main display is exactly what you’d expect from a near-flagship phone. It’s large, measuring 6.7” across the diagonal, and has a 1,080x2,640 resolution for a density of 426 pixels per inch (ppi) - just a little lower than the 470-500ppi you might expect on the very best phones. This is a bright screen, its claimed maximum of 1,200 nits being a match for the iPhone 13 range, while its 120Hz maximum refresh rate keeps motion incredibly fluid.
And yet, unlike other screens, this one folds neatly in half along an axis in the middle. When the phone is closed, there’s a second 1.9” display that shows notifications and other limited content. This is surprisingly versatile, serving up notifications, working as a viewfinder, and even letting you answer calls without needing the main display.
Processor
If you’re worried Samsung couldn’t fit a decent processor into the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G’s folding body, we’ve got good news. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip, which is more than up to the demands of most apps and games. Granted, the Z Flip3 5G isn’t a great gaming phone, but it’ll more than cope with everyday use and moderately taxing 3D games.
Battery
We mentioned that this phone’s folding body forced a couple of compromises, and the battery is one. There simply isn’t room for the 4,000mAh or better battery you’d expect in a phone this size, so the Z Flip3 5G makes do with ‘just’ 3,300mAh. For most people, that’s still plenty big enough to last for a full day of mixed use, particularly given that the 1.9” cover screen uses much less power than the main one. However, this phone might not have the juice to keep you gaming or watching movies on a long commute.
For most people that won’t be an issue, particularly given that this phone supports wireless charging, and fast wired charging. The latter only goes up to 15W, however - some high end phones can charge at three times that rate or faster.
Colours and options
This phone comes in a choice of cream, black, green or lavender. It’s also available with either 128GB or 256GB of storage - like most modern phones, this can’t be upgraded. Both versions offer 8GB of RAM, which is more than enough to keep Android running smoothly. Those are the only options, but you can buy the usual selection of accessories, including cases designed specifically for this phone’s unusual folding format.