Samsung Galaxy Served Three Ways: Part I

In 2019 Samsung flipped the smartphone market on its head when it launched the first Galaxy Fold; a whole new form-factor complete with its groundbreaking, unheard of, folding screen technology.

In that instant, an entirely new technology category was born; foldables. The following year Samsung added the Flip to this innovative new range while others still rushed to catch up.

Now, in 2022 it feels like Samsung has been making these things for ages. While there are a few other foldables for sale in other parts of the globe, Samsung's polished, tested and evolved offerings are still the only options widely available here in New Zealand. And just to prove Samsung is also a leader when it comes to the development of smartwatches and true-wireless earbuds, it launched new versions of these when the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4 were launched recently as well.

Lucky for me, I got to have a play.

That's to say, I'm currently using the Z Flip4, Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Buds2 Pro - hopefully the new fold is also in the post.

For now, I'm well immersed in the latest Samsung ecosystem and today I'll focus on the Flip.

Last year's iteration of this oh-so-pocketable foldable really surprised me. Before trying it I'd thought it was a bit of a gimmick - a sort of Samsung fan-service to a retro idea of an old-school clamshell phone. A folding phone for the sake of it, as opposed to the much larger Fold, which basically transforms from a phone into a tablet.

I soon discovered the Flip to be much more useful than that. Not only was it compact enough to fit into absolutely any pocket I needed it to, it turned out to offer a host of features that were genuinely productive - in many cases making the Z Flip3 a far more capable phone than many other more conventional flagships.

For example, the small exterior screen made checking and dismissing notifications a much more streamlined activity - no need to open up the phone and get bogged down in your emails just because that daily-deal from the pet shop you subscribe to has just come through.

The fact you could also use that cover screen to preview photos taken with the primary camera was also a bit of mind-blowing genius. Shooting selfies with the rear-facing camera? What a golden age we were entering.

But for all its innovation and bold design choices, the Flip3 wasn't perfect. Camera performance was more akin to that of a mid-range phone than a that of a high-priced flagship and battery-performance was kind of underwhelming too.

So it's no surprise Samsung has taken steps to remedy both those issues with this year's Galaxy Z Flip4.

To look at, it would be quite a challenge to spot the difference between the 2021 and 2022 models - they're extremely similar in size and shape although to my mind the new Flip has slightly sharper, more modern-feeling edges. It comes in Graphite, Pink Gold, Blue and this year's signature colour, Bora Purple. Samsung refers to these new shades as "the new neutrals" and I'd agree, they're colourful without being offensively garish.

Part of the point of owning a handset as unique as the Flip4 is the show-off factor; I won't deny it's fun when people remark on your crazy phone when you pull it out to take a photo or pay at the checkout. What Samsung has really nailed with this device is enough style to balance out the quirkiness.

There's an element of practicality here too; the Flip4's frame and hinge is protected by Armor Aluminum, the glass is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ and it's rated IPX8 for water resistance, which is kind of amazing for a folding phone. However, unlike Samsung's more conventionally shaped flagships, there's no dust-resistance rating. This is somewhat ironic as I've found every time I open the Flip4 the screen is usually covered in dust... or fluff... or... whatever it is that floats around in pockets. I think it's something to do with the slight gap that's left between the two halves of the screen, even when fully closed. It seems to be a dust magnet.

That internal display is 6.7-inches when unfolded (rated for at least 200,000 folds, by the way) and like the screens on most Samsung handsets, it's sublime. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X FHD+ display features a 120Hz refresh rate; combine that with the unstoppable power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor and the performance is gorgeously fluid, fast and reliable.

The only issue I encountered was the gyros being slow to kick in to rotate the screen from landscape to portrait, or vice versa. This didn't happen every time I used the phone but often enough to make me wonder if in fact my particular review device had been dropped or something before it got to me.

Other than that, I've talked at length about my admiration for Samsung's One UI operating system, built on top of Android 12. I still consider it to be the best interface out there; fast, intuitive and with all the options, settings and sub-settings you could wish for.

And that couldn't be more true once you open the camera app. This is where you'll notice a major upgrade from last year's effort. While the physical sensors themselves have only been slightly tweaked, the difference in photo quality is night and day - literally.

Samsung likes to refer to its night-shooting ability as "Nightography." This is a photo I quickly snapped leaving a party the other night. It was so dark I couldn't really see what I was shooting - that's why I took the photo. Someone said, "Is that a shipwreck?" which was weird, because we were in a car park. However, as the photo clearly shows, it was indeed a shipwreck.

As I've already mentioned with the Flip3, you still have the ability to line up selfies with the primary camera using the cover screen preview - and this now benefits from Samsung's auto-framing function, an absolute godsend when you're vlogging. It goes without saying there are new, customisable clock faces for the 1.9-inch cover display, there's new widget functionality from the smaller screen and you can access, preview and swipe away all your notifications without opening your phone.

Admittedly, I've found I haven't used the cover screen much as I'm also reviewing the Galaxy Watch5, which means I deal with a lot of that stuff on my wrist instead.

Still, just as with the Flip3, the Z Flip4 has proven to be much more useable than you might initially suspect. As it always has been able to, FlexCam mode means a tripod free method of shooting photos, selfies and videos. By leaving the Flip4 half open on a flat surface you can shoot pics and vids from a distance - perhaps using your paired Watch5 as a remote? (But I'm getting a review ahead of myself)

What really caught my eye this time round is the way Flip users themselves have evolved how the device can be operated. In FlexCam (half-open) mode, if you turn the phone sideways you can hold it like a handycam (Google it, Zoomers). This turns one half of the folding display into your viewfinder and positions the controls on the other half, right next to your thumb, making shooting and sharing video more fun than ever.

And to keep the fun coming, the Flip4 now has a bigger, faster-charging battery. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip is more power efficient too, so that should shut up last year's battery critics once and for all. My only niggle here is because the phone folds in half, I'm not always sure exactly where the wireless-charging receiver is positioned when I'm using my usual wireless-charging accessories - particularly my car cradle. I've found I have to clamp the Flip on in a slightly precarious position to establish a stable wireless connection.

If that's my only criticism, this must be a pretty solid device. No question about it. And that's before you get into the growing range of crazy cases available, featuring rings and straps to help you keep hold of your new favourite tech toy.

Yet, as I've rediscovered, this is so much more than a mere toy. The Z Flip4 has matured into a genuine flagship powerhouse - at a far more reasonable price than many other high-end options.

    

Click here for more information on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4.