“Wow! Is that a flipping phone?!” is one of the many exclamations I have heard whenever I’ve used my Galaxy Z Flip3 in public — “Is that an Apple?” was also one of them. It’s quite a marvel, almost too good to be true, and it really is a commendable attempt from Samsung at democratizing the foldable form factor. I had to try one for myself, and it was only when I did that I realized it might not be as practical as it seems.
The batt… %$#&#&% — excuse me, that’s me cursing because the battery died on me — …ery life is abysmal. I’ve used several phones (the original Fold too) over the last three years, and I don’t remember the last time I’ve had to sweat over one dying on me mid-day.
The phone drops from 15% to 2% before you can blink your eye.
I don’t game or do pretty much anything to put the processor through its paces on an average day. It’s mostly Twitter, instant messaging, checking emails, listening to music on Spotify, and snapping a bunch of pictures. But the Flip3 gets a kick in forcing me to find a socket more than twice a day. The Snapdragon 888 is known to run a bit warm and this probably also takes a toll on the battery life. The Google Pixel 4a, the phone I used right before I switched to the Flip3, got me through the day almost invariably.
The Flip3 does support fast charging, but it’s nowhere as quick as what I’m used to seeing with OnePlus and Xiaomi. The phone’s back is also too slippery for my wireless charger — I once woke up with a dead phone that slid off probably two minutes after I slept.
But it’s not just the battery, you know. The cameras are nothing to write home about either. The wide and ultrawide sensor can take good shots, but they’re only playing catch-up with what the Pixel and iPhone have to offer. The Pixel 4a (a $350 phone, by the way) doesn’t struggle with capturing more detail in night shots and surely doesn’t oversaturate images the way this Flippy boi does. If cameras really mean that much to you, definitely pick up the S21 Ultra over this one. Or, you know, wait for the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
The only thing that gets close to redeeming the camera experience is Flex Mode. It’s such a relief not to carry a tripod around or find something to rest your phone against for a hands-free shot.
There are some other things I appreciate too: an IPX7 certification, stereo speakers, and a 120Hz display. The cover display is also larger, but I argue that it’s not as beneficial as it might seem. The fact that it doesn’t let me respond to notifications or use an app like Google Maps is a let-down. I understand that cramming an entire keyboard would probably be a bit too tight, but auto-generated responses or voice replies surely seem doable. And if you want me to nitpick, the display suffers from jelly scrolling too. At this point, I honestly would’ve been okay with a smaller screen if that meant better battery life.
The Galaxy Z Flip3 is a remarkable upgrade over the Flip 5G in almost every sense and with the juicy price tag of $999, Samsung has made it more affordable than ever to get a flippin’ cool phone. But there’s a clear choice to make. You can either give in and enjoy the experience of a foldable phone with the aforementioned shortcomings or spend that dough on an S21 Ultra or the iPhone 13 Pro and get a more refined, reliable experience. Turns out, I’m in the latter camp and I’m not ready to use the Galaxy Z Flip3 as my daily driver. No matter how good a phone is, it’s not worth it if it gives me battery anxiety.*eyes Pixel 6 billboards*.
But for what it’s worth, I still stand by what Ryne said in his review of the phone: The Z Flip3 is liminal, and in five years, we’ll look back on it as marking the beginning of the true folding phone era. It will.
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