JOIN USSamsung Galaxy Z Flip4 review: Iterative, but retains stylish appeal
Samsung earlier this week, released the brand new generation of Galaxy Z Flip4 along with the Galaxy Z Fold4 in India.
Samsung's new flip smartphone comes with upgraded internal hardware in terms of camera, battery capacity, and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Qualcomm's latest and most powerful chipset to date. Does it deliver the good? Let's check it out.
Design, build quality, and display
Samsung has retained the original flip design of the previous iterations but has refined it to make the device more durable and operate efficiently. The new hinge is said to be slimmer but sturdier than ever before seen in the Flip series.
The phone bends smoothly and Samsung has incorporated armour alluminum for the hinges and rails around the upper and lower panels. New design is said to have ensured tighter integration of the hinge and the panels.
Also, the dual-tone rear-side shells are protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus+ shield. It can resist getting scratches easily and also, the frosted glass does a fine job repelling fingerprint smudges. But, can't be said the same for the glossy panel covering the camera module and the cover display, they attract sweat, which leads to dust settling on it. This is me nitpicking here, as it can be cleaned with a single swipe on the pant or shirt you are wearing.
Also, it comes with an IPX8 rating, meaning the device can sustain accidental water splashes and even survive a dip in the swimming pool up to 1.5 metres (around five feet) for close to 30 minutes.
And, the edges around the display feature a protective strip to ensure no dust can creep in and also ensures the screen is guarded against physical damage in an event of an accidental fall. But can't stop dust or particulate matter from creeping in between the hinge. So, please keep the Galaxy Z Flip4 safely in a handbag at the beach.
Inside, Samsung has used the new generation of ultra-thin flexible glass that is more resistant to scratches and most importantly ensure the display last long with constant folding of the screen every day for several years.
It has been tested 200,000 times, that's the equivalent of the user performing 182 folding operations every day for three years. That is definitely a confident booster for people planning to buy a foldable phone.
The dual-tone colourway makes the Galaxy Z Flip4 really makes really appealing. This model is a bora purple variant. As you can see from the image, it has a black outer cover around the front display and the rest is purple. Samsung also offers the phone in three other colours-- graphite, pink gold, and blue with similar two colour scheme. They are good too.
With all the glass and metal components, the phone weighs 187g, but what makes Flip4 special is that when folded, it has an ultra-compact form factor. Once you keep it in your pocket, it takes less than half the space compared to conventional phones. I even had several panic attacks, as I couldn't feel the phone in my pocket during the daily commute on the bus between the office and the house.
As far as the display quality is concerned, it features a 6.7-inch full HD+(2640 x 1080p) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display. It supports peak brightness up to 900 nits and adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). It is really good for reading news, and scrolling on social media platforms.
But, the screen is unconventionally tall with narrow width. It has a display aspect ratio of 22:9, compared to the 16:9 - 20:9 we see in normal phones. Initially, it definitely feels awkward to watch videos on the screen, but over time, you forget about it, just like the crease in the middle of the screen.
On the bright side, Samsung's One UI offers a shortcuts drawer that comes sideways in the top left corner and it houses the most used apps for easy access.
On the front, it has a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED cover display with 260 x 512p resolution. It is sensitive to touch gestures and responds fast. But, it takes time to get used to swiping gestures and after a while, it will be easy to scroll sideways.
I love the always-on-display, as it helps save time. You don't have to tap the screen every time to look for time and also, the colorful themes on offer for the cover display are really great.
Though Samsung offers the option to take selfies from a primary dual-camera via viewfinder on the small screen, I wasn't fully happy. I rather take the photos on the 10MP sensor on the foldable screen.
Unlike the premium Galaxy S22 series, which comes with an in-screen biometric sensor, Samsung has placed the fingerprint sensor on the power button. I like this approach as this is more reliable and responds way better than the optical sensor on the screen. The latter requires your finger to be dry at all times. But, the side-mounted sensor instantly recognizes the thumb impression and unlocks the screen in a jiffy, and has a very low false rejection rate.
Performance
Like the Galaxy Z Fold4, the Flip4 too is powered by 4nm class 3.18GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 octa-core silicon. It does an excellent job of ensuring the phone performs smoothly without any fuss. Also, with Ram Plus (up to 8GB extra) feature, users can bump the 8GB RAM from up to 16GB and this ensures the device is faster in terms of app loading, switching multiple apps, and also operate heavy duty tasks such as operating a camera or playing graphics-rich games such as Asphalt 9: Legends.
With 120Hz refresh rate support, the browsing and gaming experience is buttery smooth on the Galaxy Z Flip4.
The phone runs Android 12-based One UI with special features Flex mode, which allows users to perform hands-free operations such as video calling and in the future, they can even make reels on Instagram without any accessories.
Already, Google apps such as Duo, Meet, YouTube, and others too support Flex mode and split screen features.
It should be noted that Meta has plans to enable apps-- WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger app, and Instagram-- to support hand-free videos. Users will be able to create Stories and Reels without the need for a stand or a tripod.
Users can bend the screen anywhere between 75-degree and 115-degree. It remains stable between those angles and this makes Galaxy Z Flip4 and even the Galaxy Z Fold4 unique among premium phones.
The Galaxy Z Flip4 houses a 3,700mAh battery, 400mAh (10 per cent) more than the previous iteration. For normal usage, it is enough for the device to last a whole day.
But, it may not be enough for people, who are into extreme gaming or binge-watching multimedia content. And, it will drain faster if you are solely dependent on the cellular internet. If you use Wi-Fi, it may slow the process.
There is one better solution; users can download episodes or a movie the previous night via Wi-Fi at home and consume them offline while commuting or in free time, this way you can conserve a lot of battery life. The rest of the time, you can use cellular internet to read news or doom scroll on social media platforms. This way, the Galaxy Z Flip4 can easily last a full day and reach home without any anxiety about the phone's battery dying out before reaching home.
It supports a 25W adapter, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 (15W) and reverse wireless (4.5w) power share. It can attain 50 per cent battery capacity with just 30 minutes of charging.
The device comes with 128GB and 256GB storage. Samsung has reduced the number of third-party apps pre-loaded on the phone and, there is enough space left for the user to install many more apps and also take hundreds of photos and videos on the Galaxy Z Flip4.
The inclusion of Microsoft's Word suite of apps are really good value addition and offers access to PTT presentations and documents online anytime and any place.
Photography
The Galaxy Z Flip4 comes with bigger sensors than the predecessor. It features dual-camera-- main 12MP Ultra Wide camera (f/2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 123-degree) + 12MP Wide-angle camera (Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/1.8, Pixel size: 1.8μm,sensor size: 1/1.76-inch, FOV: 83-degree) with LED flash on the back.
The latest premium flip phone takes really good photos in the sunlight. Of course, Samsung's native camera does its magic of making objects, particularly flowers and even the sky appear vibrant and dramatic. This is not a complaint, as most people I asked around said they liked them better. And, I too loved the photo samples.
In most of the blind photo test polls on Twitter or any social media platforms, you'll find that people love objects to be colour rich and bright. Here, Samsung does a good job with the Galaxy Flip4.
But, the lack of a telephoto lens does take a shine off the device. Probably, we may see it in the next generation.
However, the 2X zoom manages to get good photos with less loss of quality and less grainy.
The ultrawide angle photos are good and the phone manages to capture a wide area. With an unusual 22:9 display aspect ratio, the ultra-wide photos on the Galaxy Z Flip4's display do appear grander than on other conventional models.
The portrait mode is good too. It manages to create nice clear differentiation between the foreground and the background. It also features an object eraser and does a fine job removing unwanted objects out of the photo with little very trace to notice.
I am very impressed with the Galaxy Z Flip4's night mode feature. It was able to take in the right amount of light from the street lamps in the surrounding street and light up the trees with near-accurate colours. They come close to how we see and perceive objects after we get acclimatised to the dark night. Also, when there is faster wind in the space, the trees and leaves tend to move and when captured in the movement, the picture comes off like paint-based artwork. It is visually appealing.
The phone supports up to 4K videos at 30/60fps (frames per second), 1080p (full HD) at 60/240fps and 720p (HD) at 960fps for slow-motion mode. The video quality is decent, but stability-wise, not that great compared to the other premium phones in its class.
Inside, the phone sports a 10MP selfie camera (f/2.4, Pixel size: 1.22μm, FOV: 80-degree). It is the same as we see in the cover display of the Galaxy Z Fold4.
It captures fine selfies outdoors and with flex mode, it offers wonderful hands-free video chatting. And, portrait mode, filters and editing tools further enhance the photography experience on the phone.
Final thoughts (4/5)
Like the Galaxy Z Fold4, the new Galaxy Z Flip4 is an incremental upgrade over its predecessor. The latest flip phone fares better in terms of camera and performance.
The flex mode features made especially for foldable phones make Galaxy Z Flip4 unique among the rival brands. The hands-free video chatting is a really good value addition to the users to attend virtual office meetings.
Also, the Galaxy Z Flip4 has the best foldable phone design language. When folded, the phone is half the size of the conventional phone, making it really easy to carry around in hand.
As mentioned earlier, when in the pocket, the ultra-compact Samsung phone hardly takes up any space. And, the inward folding mechanism protects the expensive flexible display at all times. Also, the tiny cover screen has less chance of getting physical damage during accidental falls.
However, I still recommend prospective Galaxy Z Flip4 buyers get protective cases for avoidable scratches. Premium phones with dents and scratches tend to take the shine off your style quotient.
Also, if you have more money to spend, go for Samsung Care+ for insurance against display breakage. It also offers device pick-up and drops service as well. And, with four years of Android support, the device will certainly serve you long.
The ultra-compact form factor and price makes Flip4 a compelling buy for people looking for unique flagship phones, compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, which by the way costs Rs 1,54,999 for the base model.
The Galaxy Z Flip4 is available in two variants-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB-- for Rs 89, 999 and Rs 94,999, respectively. The latter will also be available in Bespoke Edition which offers glass colours and frame options on Samsung Live and Samsung Exclusive Stores for Rs 97,999.
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