Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3

Samsung’s working hard to sell us all on the future of phones with their latest phone designs, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3. A mix between a smartphone and a flip phone design, the Z Flip 3 has a lot going for it. So what do reviewers think?

Design

Maybe the most pleasing thing about the Galaxy Z Flip 3, aside from the folding, of course, is the wide range of colors available. In a world where it’s usually a choice between black or grey, the Z Flip 3 is available in green, lavender, cream and phantom black, grey, white and pink.

It goes without saying that the ability to flip a smartphone open and closed is pretty cool — and for some of us that brings a certain level of nostalgia as well. With Gorilla Glass Victus as well as an aluminum frame for extra durability, it seems that Samsung has really thought this one out.

Display

The inside display is a 6.7-inch AMOLED display while the outside holds a smaller 1.9-inch display for controlling media playback, checking the time, or use it as a viewfinder for selfies.

However, reviewers mentioned the crease in the middle of the screen is still noticeable — especially in direct sunlight as well as apps that run on light mode. But there has been zero mention of screen cracking, peeling, or distortion.

Performance

Reviewers were pleased with the performance. The new chipset allowed high-performance gaming apps to play without dropping frames or stuttering. The phone also includes plenty of RAM, so hopping between multiple apps to keep up with friends or manage work communications is fluid and snappy.

Software & Storage

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 ships with Android 11. Samsung guarantees three years of platform updates and four years of security updates.

One of the more notable features is Flex mode, which allows you to split an app between the two sides of the screen. However, the app you’re using needs to support the feature.

You have the option of 128GB or 256GB of storage and there isn’t a memory card slot for easy expansion.

Cameras

The limited camera options and quality disappointed reviewers as it matched the previous Flip from Samsung exactly. In essence, the 12MP regular lens and 10MP front-facing selfie camera with no telephoto lens mean that the new phone ships with a dated camera forcing you to choose between photo quality or innovative design.

Battery Life

Just like the camera set up, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 borrows its 3,300 mAh battery from the Z Flip 2. This also means it’s borrowed the reviewer’s disappointment of a slow charging phone with so-so battery life.

Audio

The Galaxy Flip Z 3 features stereo speakers, instead of the typical single speaker that is blocked by your hand. However, it does not have a headphone jack so if you don’t like the sound you’ll need to grab some Bluetooth headphones instead.

Specs at a Glance

• Aluminum and plastic chassis
• 6.7-inch Super AMOLED inner display
• Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G processor
• 8GB of RAM
• Android 11
• 128GB/256GB of storage, no expansion slot
• 12MP main lens, 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP selfie camera
• 3,300mAh battery
• Exterior 1.9-inch notification display

Bottom Line

Samsung has definitely improved upon the last Z Flip phone, but it has also kept some aspects that aren’t so great. As a whole, most reviewers were reasonably pleased without many complaints other than the outdated battery

Tom’s Guide says, “The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is all about style and having fun, and its [price] is very tempting for those who have been sitting out the foldable phone revolution. You have to make some trade-offs versus other flagship phones in terms of the cameras and battery size, but it could be worth it for you.”

The Verge comments, “The Z Flip 3 is Samsung applying its relentless iteration to that idea and making it something that is a normal phone, right down to the price it charges for it. Samsung has systematically checked off the boxes that made earlier Flip models purely curiosities: performance, features, price, and durability.”