Samsung had unveiled its latest generation of foldable smartphones the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 earlier this month. We will be writing a full review of the Z Flip 4 next week, but since this is our first experience with the Galaxy Z Flip 4, we wanted to share some initial thoughts on this Galaxy Z Flip 4 after getting it.
For those of you not familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flips, it’s a great little phone that doesn’t take up a lot of room in your pocket or your bag. It closes in on itself, protecting the inner folding screen, instead relying on a small outer screen to display things like notifications and widgets. When you want to interact with the phone, you open it up and it becomes the full-sized black slab of a phone you’re familiar with. Otherwise, it’s a tiny square that fits easily into just about any pocket.
The fashionable Flip from Samsung is now a fully-matured smartphone, but there aren’t many cosmetic changes this time. “Flex is greater than flat” – that’s how Samsung wants to sell its new chic foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It hasn’t received a massive update cosmetically, but some incremental improvements make it an even more polished product. It was launched alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and shares many of its internal specifications and UI features with its bigger sibling. After spending a night with the Galaxy Z Flip 4, here are our first impressions.
The Design. The Galaxy Z Flip4 is designed to simulate the feeling of using a flip phone from years ago. Instead of folding along the vertical like the Galaxy Z Fold4, the Galaxy Z Flip3 bends along the horizontal. When folded, the Flip4 has a much smaller footprint, and when opened, it has the size of a regular smartphone. Compared to the previous generation Galaxy Z Flip3, the design of the Flip4 has not changed much.
The edges of the Galaxy Flip 4 are slightly flatter, and the weight has slightly increased, which is likely due to the bigger battery. The weight distribution feels good so far, and it has the Armour Aluminium frame, which should offer improved protection. The volume rocker and the fingerprint sensor can be found on the right edge. The USB Type-C port and the speaker grill can be found on the bottom edge. Antenna cut-outs can be found on all edges, and the phone is still IPX8 water-resistant. Lastly, the hinge is slimmer by 1.2mm.
The Display. When unfolded, the inner display is a 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex panel with a resolution of 2640 x 1080. The refresh rate can switch between 1Hz and 120Hz, and it gets brighter too, at about 900 nits. The cover display has not changed either, measuring 1.9-inches across and having a resolution of 512 x 260. Samsung talked a lot about the new software features for the cover display, and we will definitely test it out in the full review.
When unfolded, the inner display is a 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex panel with a resolution of 2640 x 1080. The refresh rate can switch between 1Hz and 120Hz, and it gets brighter too, at about 900 nits. The cover display has not changed either, measuring 1.9-inches across and having a resolution of 512 x 260. Samsung talked a lot about the new software features for the cover display, and we will definitely test it out in the full review.
The Camera hardware has mostly remained the same. The rear camera has a 12 MP Wide sensor (f/1.8) with OIS, and a 12 MP Ultra-Wide (f/2.2) with a 123° field of view. The front camera is the same 10MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. All cameras can shoot up to 4K videos, with the rear cameras able to shoot 4K/60p videos. There are a number of new software features with the Flip4, such as Flex mode, multi-angle camera, and Nightography. We will test out the full capabilities of the camera in our detailed review.
The Battery is about 10% bigger, rated at 3700mAh, it can charge faster at 25W and supports reverse wireless charging. According to Samsung, the phone will be able to charge from 0-50% in about 30 minutes which we will test out in our full review too.
What’s Inside The Box. With the trend, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is equipped with a Quick Start Guide, Warranty Card, Regional Lock Guide, an Ejection Pin, and a Charging Cable.
Overall. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 seems like a well-rounded, powerful and fashionable smartphone. It’s truly one of its kind, and now with even more refined UI, refreshed hardware and better camera chops, we think it will be a great choice for trendy, image-conscious audiences. Sure, there aren’t any major cosmetic changes, but we feel it wasn’t required because it’s already unique. We will soon be testing every single aspect of it in our full review.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes in Blue, Pink Gold, Graphite and Bora Purple colours as standard choices. Samsung also revealed that a Bespoke Edition will be coming soon that will allow customers to customize their Galaxy Flip4’s rear glass panel and frame in more colours.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is currently available for Pre-Order at https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-z-flip4/
