Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
The foldable Z Flip now comes in 4G LTE and 5G flavours.
The Galaxy Z Flip introduces the flip phone to the smartphone generation thanks to Samsung’s bold rethink of how foldable screens work: it collapses in half vertically.
This means the Z Flip (and newer Z Flip 5G) has a big traditionallooking 6.7-inch display that packs up into an incredibly compact clamshell form factor. It instantly has a comforting throwback vibe to it, and yet feels cutting-edge, too.
As neat as it is, Z Flip is a first-generation device, one that’s sure to be refined in an inevitable Galaxy Z Flip 2 in 2021. Our biggest hangup is the 1.1-inch Cover Display on the front; it doesn’t offer much info when the phone is closed and sitting on a desk. It has the basics – notifications, the time and battery percentage – but when someone calls and they have a longer name, it has to scroll like a news ticker.
Inside, on the unfolded screen, we dug the Flex UI, which allows for multitasking with two apps and, in some cases, enables the controls of one app to be laid out across the Full HD+ screen. For example, taking a selfie puts the camera preview on the top screen, while all of the controls are on the bottom of the display. And the phone works great half-folded for video calls, acting as an impromptu tripod on a table.
Here’s the rub: the Z Flip’s half-size portability is a selling point, sure, but the primary reason to buy this phone is make an early adopter super flex. It costs more than the Galaxy S20 and the Note 20 series, yet the camera isn’t nearly as good as the Note 20 Ultra. Its specs aren’t as good either – 256GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM.
Expensive and dialed back specs are par for the course for all new, space-deprived foldable phones. But make no mistake, some are better than others: the Z Flip is the hand-down better foldable vs the equally expensive Moto Razr (and the Moto Razr 2020). We’ve found Motorola’s foldable flip phone disappointing, despite offering tons of nostalgia.
The Z Flip gets a lot of things right that Motorola got wrong, including stuffing in a bigger battery and thin glass – not plastic – to protect the 6.7-inch inner display. That’s still not enough reason for everyone to pay so much money for a phone that’s just as pricey as the Note 20 Ultra, which has better cameras and specs. You have to be looking for something new and chic.
The Galaxy Z Flip doesn’t necessarily represent a pivot in Samsung’s foldable phone strategy – it feels like another experiment to see which design sticks with consumers.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is the flip-phone-style foldable smartphone with a 6.7-inch display that collapses in half. Its novelty will turn heads, but so will its extraordinarily high price. It now comes in 4G LTE or 5G, each with durable thin glass that makes it feel more durable than the Moto Razr foldable.
Matt Swider