Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 review: Refined and better
Samsung earlier in the month unveiled the much-awaited Galaxy Fold4 along with the Flip4 series in India.
Both the Galaxy Fold4 and Flip4 are slated to hit stores on Monday (August 29) with prices starting at Rs 89,999 and Rs 1,54,999, respectively.
I spent a week with the Galaxy Fold4. It has a newly designed sturdy hinge along with a compact form factor, upgraded processor and a big bump in photography hardware. Here are my thoughts on Samsung's latest premium foldable phone.
Design, build quality and display
Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold4 comes with a familiar foldable form factor with two panels held sturdily by a robust hinge. On top, sits the 7.6-inch ultra-thin flexible display spread across the length and breadth of the phone. It folds inwards, the most practical design language for a foldable phone. This way, it protects the expensive screen from damage such as scratches.
But, the company says the screen used in the new Galaxy Z Fold4 is more durable than any previous iterations. It is said to be fold tested more than 200,000 times to check the sturdiness of the bendable display for daily use and also ensure, the screen doesn't tear after prolonged usage.
Samsung has incorporated special protective gear around the edges of the screen and also Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ shield for additional protection to improve the longevity of the phone.
Even the front cover display and the back around the triple-camera module too, it has used Gorilla Glass Victus+. The latter has frosted glass finish, and manages to repel fingerprint smudges to an extent, but not fully.
Our review unit has grey-green and looks good in the sunlight. Samsung also offers the device two other colours-- beige and phantom black.
The phone does look compact when folded and the bulge, we used to have when kept in the pant pocket is greatly reduced compared to the previous iterations. Even though the new device's weight is just 10g less compared to than 2021 model, it feels light to hold when held in the hand.
Also, the phone comes with an IPX8 rating, meaning it can sustain underwater for up to 1.5 metres (approx. 5 feet) for close to 30 minutes. However, the hinge mechanism has one shortcoming and leaves minute crevices open for the dust to creep in. So, stay away from the beach.
The metal used in the Galaxy Z Fold4's frame and the hinge are actually sturdier than ever before. They are said to be made of armour aluminium.
Compared to previous years, I was less anxious while carrying around in my hand this last week.
However, I just still recommend prospective customers to get a screen guard or case for the phone to ensure avoid getting physical damage during accidental falls. It won't be nice to see an expensive phone with dents or scratches or a cracked front cover display.
Buyers can also go for a Samsung Care+ subscription. You get two damage repairs at subsidised service rates or a replacement claim for two years.
As far as the display quality is concerned, it sports a 7.6-inch QXGA+ (2176 x 1812p) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display with a 21.6:18 aspect ratio and a support peak brightness of 1,300 nits and an adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate.
Yes, the big display has a crease in the middle, but you forget it exists within a day or two of usage. The screen is perfect for binge-watching on TV series and movies. Even while reading too, I had a good time. And, you have to use two hands to operate on the unfurled screen and be very responsive to touch inputs.
Also, Samsung has done a fine job with a camouflaged selfie camera at the top of the left panel. It is almost undetectable. Only upon closer observation, you will notice it.
And, I am pretty impressed with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. It works blazing fast and did not face any false rejection during my entire time with the device.
The 6.2-inch cover display is a bit narrow (23.1:9 aspect ratio) compared to conventional smartphones, but it is great for one-handed usage particularly to reply to mails or messages. Unlike the Z Flip4, which has a tiny 1.9-inch display, the Galaxy Z Fold4 has enough space to do any phone activity without any hassle.
It has HD+ (2316 x 904p) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with . It also supports variable display refresh rates ranging between 48Hz-120Hz.
The two speakers on either side of the panel are really good and deliver crisp audio even when the volume to put to the max. And, also while playing Asphalt 9: Legends too, the racing car sound makes an enthralling gaming experience.
Performance
Samsung Galaxy Fold4 houses a 4nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, which can clock a maximum CPU speed of 3.18GHz.
As advertised, the phone performed smoothly without any glaring issues. However, like any other phone with a metal-and-glass case, the Galaxy Z Fold4 gets warmed up while playing Asphalt 9: Legends, but the heat was never overwhelming to be concerned about.
FYI, it comes with a SIM tray for two nano SIMs and there is no space for a microSD storage card. Samsung offers three storage models--256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
All models come with 12GB RAM. And, the device support RAM Plus feature and users can extend the physical memory up to 8GB extra, which takes the RAM up to 20GB, provided there is enough storage space in the phone. This way, the phone works smoothly in terms of faster app loading and performing other activities on the phone.
It comes with a 4,400mAh battery. Under normal usage, the device was able to last a full day. The retail package comes with just the Type-C-to-Type-C and supports up to 25W charging. It can charge up to 50 per cent capacity under 30 minutes.
I used a 20W Type-C at home and the Galaxy Z Fold4 took around one hour and 45 minutes to fully charge from zero to 100 per cent capacity.
Beyond the pure statistics in terms of performance benchmark scores, sheer power, optimised use of battery while playing heavy-duty games, and photography hardware, there is more to experience in the Galaxy Z Fold4.
Samsung's Android-based One UI software offers Flex mode, S Pen stylus support and multi-screen feature making the device more productive compared to other premium phones in the market.
With flex mode, you can bend the Galaxy Fold4 bend to half and just keep it on the table for hands-free video conference. You can activate by going to Settings >> Advanced features >> Labs >> Flex mode panel and selecting the apps you like to use on flex mode.
Besides the shortcuts in the top right corner, the device also features a taskbar, which remains at the bottom and is always accessible, wherever you navigate deep into the phone's settings and opened multiple windows and apps. This is really good value addition in terms of user experience.
Samsung Galaxy Fold4 supports multiple 5G FDD Sub6 bands-- N1(2100), N2(1900), N3(1800), N5(850), N7(2600), N8(900), N12(700), N20(800), N25(1900), N28(700), and N66(AWS-3). And, TDD Sub6 bands-- N38(2600), N40(2300), N41(2500), N77(3700), and N78(3500).
All three Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea have announced to bring 5G service to India in the coming weeks.
Photography
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 house five cameras--- primary triple sensors on the back along with a 4MP in-display sensor inside and a 10MP camera on the cover-screen.
The triple-camera module houses a 12MP Ultra Wide Camera (f/2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 123-degree) + 50MP Wide-angle Camera (Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.8, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 85-degree) + 10MP Telephoto Camera (PDAF, F2.4, OIS, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 36-degree) with 3X optical zoom and support 30X Space Zoom.
The new phone takes pretty good photos in the sunlight. Like any premium, Samsung phone, the native camera app, goes an extra mile to make the colours of the subjects such as flowers come off vibrant. They really make them look beautiful. And, I am happy, that the app doesn't go overboard in terms of overprocessing the image and doesn't lose out on minute details such as veins on the petals and leaves.
And, in the normal mode, the background is slightly blurred and makes the subject in the foreground look sharp.
With Portrait mode too, the photos don't look overprocessed and stay true to their character with the bokeh effect and they don't look artificial at all.
The Galaxy Z Fold4 too comes with Object Eraser. It does a fine job and leaves very negligible traces of the items or persons who photobomb in the picture. It comes close second to Google's magic eraser feature.
With the ultra wide-angle mode, the camera manages to accommodate more area into the frame.
And, with 3X optical zoom, there is less loss of quality. However, with digitally enhanced 10X, 20X and 30X space zoom, the photos begin to turn grainy.
In night mode and low-light conditions, the camera does a decent job capturing the details and controlling the noise.
Though Samsung has done an excellent job with camouflaging the in-display 4MP (f/1.8) camera inside, the quality of the selfies is decent at best. But, hands-free flex mode, which no other Android phone offers, will make you forgive any shortcomings.
The 10MP sensor (f/2.2, pixel size: 1.22μm, FOV: 85-degree) on the cover screen is really good. The image quality is on par with any of the premium phones on the market. It offers options to adjust the blur effect strength. Other features include -- studio, high-key-key mono, low-key mono, backdrop, colour point, big circle, spin and zoom- each bringing uniqueness to the selfies.
And, it also offers superficial options to adjust jawline, skin tone, smoothness, eye size, remove blemishes and red-eye fix features to enhance the selfies and make them photogenic.
Final thoughts- Best phone money can buy
Though the overall design change is minor, there is a lot more value addition in terms of the compact and sturdy hinge, making it more durable than any iteration before. Also, it can easily slip into the pocket and most importantly, you won't feel heavy or bulky when carrying around in the pocket or in hand.
Thanks to customised Android One UI OS offering such as the flex mode, taskbar, S Pen stylus support, and multi-screen feature, the Galaxy Fold4 offers a unique user experience that no Android phone or even iOS for that matter can boast of.
Truth be told, earlier I used to be in two minds when recommending a foldable phone, as they were aspersions over the longevity of fancy phones. But, I have to say, over the last four years, Samsung has made good strides in making foldable phones truly mainstream in the industry. Except in the first year (though, the media has to take some blame for not reading the review guide properly), there are hardly any serious complaints about Samsung's foldable phones not being able to last long.
Now, the Galaxy Fold4 stands at the pinnacle of smartphone innovation and others have a lot to catch up on. Though in the last half a decade, other brands have launched similar foldable phones, most of them are either still in the conceptual stage and some are non-practical for day-to-day use. Just go online and how many commercial units are are there for sale compared to Samsung's phones.
However, I still recommend getting a good case for the Galaxy Fold4 for protection against physical damage. If you have a bit more to spend, go for Samsung Care+ for insurance against display breakage (It also offers device pick-up and drop service as well). And, with four years of Android support, the device will certainly serve you long.
The Galaxy Z Fold4 costs Rs 1,54,999 for 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model and Rs 1,64,999 for 12GB RAM + 512GB variant. Consumers can also buy the 12GB+1TB variant exclusively on Samsung Live and Samsung Exclusive Stores for Rs 1,84,999.
Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks