Samsung on 10 August launched its fourth generation of foldable phones the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. This review looks at the compact Galaxy Z Flip4 smartphone.
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In the box
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 comes with a Type-C to Type-C data cable, SIM card ejector, and documentation. There is no adapter meaning you have to spend a few extra bucks in case you don’t have any adapter at home.
Design
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 looks similar to its predecessor and holds a more flat design compared to the Flip3 adding more ease to operate the phone. The Galaxy Z Flip4 has a narrower hinge than its predecessor thanks to a design change made by Samsung, which makes the device’s closed package comparatively smaller. The control configuration is the same as that of the Galaxy Z Fold4. The main speaker, the USB-C connector, lies at the bottom. The capacitive fingerprint scanner and volume rockers are on the right side whereas the SIM tray is placed on the left side. Despite being less in diameter the fingerprint sensor works very accurately and fast.
The body of the phone is all glass which is Gorilla Glass Victus+. It comes with an IPX8 rating meaning it is waterproof and can withhold for 30 minutes in 1.5 meters of freshwater. The new Flip4 comes with a Bespoke edition, meaning you can customize the upper and the lower body of the phone with 75 colours.
The phone feels very comfortable in the hand and is very easy to carry around and operate. The matte finish of the phone adds more to the elegance, and it does not attract smudges. The phone comes with a quick settings panel which can be used when the phone is folded, and you can use your preferred widget to be displayed. The second small display comes with an improvement like you can capture images in full resolution with either camera and can also view the full frame by double tapping on the small screen.
The rear panel holds two camera sensors and an LED flash. On the front side lies the selfie sensor in a punch hole. The hinge size has been improved as well and you have to observe real close if you want to find the difference in the hinge size of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and Flip3.
Display
The phone comes with two displays where the main display is 6.7 inches FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X with an aspect ratio of 20:9 making the screen tall. It has a resolution of 1080 x 2640 pixels and a 425 PPI density. The main display supports HDR10+, 1200 nits peak brightness, and has a refresh rate of 120Hz.
The second display is the cover screen which you see when the phone is folded. It is 1.9 inches Super AMOLED Display with a screen resolution of 260x 512 pixels and 302 PPI density.
The second display on the Galaxy Z Flip4 is a 1.9 inches Super Amoled, while the primary display is a 6.7 inches FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan
The bezels are very thin offering a more screen-to-body ratio. The colours reproduced on the screen are excellent as they are very bright, crisp, vivid, and punchy. The viewing experience is very immersive as the HDR10+ support provides sharp colour details and all the contents displayed are crystal clear with proper colour saturation.
UI
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 comes with One UI 4.1.1 which is based on Android 12L and is specifically designed for foldable phones. The UI has been customized to offer a smooth experience. The phone also has flex mode allowing you to use it as a touchpad, you can also use it to increase volume, adjust the brightness level, etc. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 comes with a new feature that was not present in Flip 3 and that is if you click on the power button twice it will activate the rear camera the external screen acts as a viewfinder and one can switch between shooting modes and cameras as well. Double tapping on the screen also activates the viewfinder and the full-size photo mode. There are other various smart features available that you can use to enhance your user experience. Similar to the Fold4 the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 also comes with 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates.
Processor
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm) processor. Being a top-notch processor, it is expected to handle any task thrown at it with ease which it eventually did. We did not come across any lag while multitasking. The screen space is comparatively less than Fold4 but it did not bother us while playing games as we comfortably played all the games. The gaming experience is good and all the games ran in their highest settings. Since it is a foldable phone, the battery used is fitted in a small space but we did not encounter any heating issues thanks to the powerful processor. The phone comes with 8GB of RAM with 128GB/ 256GB/ 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 comes with dual rear camera sensors. The first sensor is a 12MP ultra-wide lens with an aperture of f/2.2 and has a 123-degree point of view. The second sensor is also a 12MP wide-angle lens with an aperture of f/1.8 and an 83-degree point of view. The selfie sensor is a 10MP lens with an aperture of f/2.4.
The quality of images captured using the rear sensors was brilliant, capturing the subject or the environment in their original context by taking into account every single detail. The dynamic range and the contrast level are on point in every single image which we clicked. The ultra-wide lens also does justice as it captures very fine details without much distortion. As mentioned earlier the presence of an external display enables you to capture selfies using the rear sensors which we liked a lot. The selfie sensor is also right on point capturing very sharp selfies with a good contrast level and colour accuracy.
Images captured in low light were very good as well. The images captured at night hold the capability to surprise you with fine details as it manages to capture every single of it. The color saturation and the contrast are not compromised in the images captured which are very appreciable. The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 can shoot videos in 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 60fps, and 30fps. The selfie sensor can also shoot videos in 4K quality at 30fps. The videos captured were very stable and the videos were very detailed with accurate colours.
In an overall scenario, the camera capability has been improved significantly compared to the previously launched Flip3.
Battery
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 ships with a 3,700mAh battery power. The phone supports 25W fast charging but it only comes with a cable without any adapter. To get the fast charge output you need to have an adapter capable of delivering it. It also supports 15W wireless charging 2.0, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The phone requires almost an hour to get fully charged which we feel is something that Samsung needs to look into, especially considering the competition out in the market where people can get phones that can charge fully within 25-30 minutes.
Conclusion
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 ticks all the boxes of upgrades with a new powerful processor, evolved camera setup, and powerful battery life. The compact form factor and the quirkiness added with flip makes it a unique proposition in the market.
