When many people think of the best foldable phones, I think the idea that goes through them is a smartphone that can turn into a tablet. It’s the ultimate blend of productivity and portability. While the technology is still young right now, in the future the dream is that you have a device without compromise. This means that you will have a powerful, compact, durable and, above all, affordable foldable smartphone in your hands. Samsung is widely hailed as one of the pioneers of the foldable smartphone space, and rightly so, as it has four iterations of its Galaxy Z Fold and also four iterations of its Galaxy Z Flip line. Millions of customers have experienced foldables in a consumer product, and Samsung takes credit for that.
But Samsung is also often criticized for not innovating, and in recent years that’s probably true. With little competition in the US, the company has had no reason to really push the boundaries of its flagships and foldables. But on the other hand, its iterative updates year after year give it the most mature and polished lineup of any manufacturer offering foldable devices. While there is a case for foldable smartphones like the Galaxy Z Fold, I feel like the same can’t really be said for the Galaxy Z Flip. Samsung delivers its latest Galaxy Z Flip 4 with the slogans:
“More compact. Improved battery. Faster processor. Tougher design. Best low light photos.”
These are five pillars that Samsung relies on when it comes to announcing why you should buy its Galaxy Z Flip 4. It focuses on phone size, battery life, computing power , its more robust design and a camera that can work in all scenarios, but especially in low light. But I would say most of them are the reasons why the Galaxy Z Flip 4, or the The Galaxy Z Flip range, for that matter, shouldn’t even exist. Although the Galaxy Z Flip series has become popular, I think that’s mainly because of its novelty and, more importantly, its affordability.
As a longtime Galaxy Z Flip 3 user, I made the choice to skip the Flip 4 and upgrade to something different, despite Samsung running huge trade-in promotions on its latest ones. foldable models. For me, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 just didn’t match the expectation or experience of a traditional smartphone. I think for all of us there’s a baseline expectation at this point, and the Z Flip just doesn’t meet that standard for me. Some might think the opinions expressed here are blasphemous, but I urge you to have an open mind, and I also urge you to share your experiences with the Z Flip as I would love to hear them.
Short and strong
I still remember the rush I felt when I first unfolded the Z Flip 3. But as quickly as the feeling came, it quickly dissipated as soon as I closed it. Was it supposed to be like this? I imagined my first time with a foldable would be more surreal. Maybe my expectations were too high. Without thinking too much about it, I walked through the setup process, navigated the menus, and spent some time getting to know the phone. From that day on, it would become my main device, replacing my Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Maybe one of the first things I noticed was that I didn’t like how thick it was in my pocket. This is probably something I should have expected from looking at the specs. While the phone had a small footprint, in my pants it didn’t feel more compact. The fact that the phone has become twice as thick made it difficult to fit in a trouser pocket compared to a regular smartphone. Now you can put it in a bag, and that scenario is a bit better, but again you have the same thickness problem. The volume of the phone remains the same, it just changed shape, and I think that’s not for the best.
This part is purely subjective, so you prefer either a tall and thin smartphone or a short and thick smartphone. At this point you really can’t have the best of both worlds, but Samsung hasn’t even really reached the sweet spot, but I think we’ll get there eventually.
Battery life was always something to watch out for
The Galaxy Z Flip was the phone I relied on every day. I had train rides where I listened to a few hours of music and sometimes even jumped on Google Maps for navigation. Sometimes I needed to do translations, and of course there was communication through apps like WhatsApp, Line and Google Voice. Occasionally I was watching videos or engaging in light gaming, pretty much just normal day-to-day use. I’ve never been an experienced smartphone user, and I’ve generally been able to get by with moderate battery drain after a full day of use. But with the Galaxy Z Flip, things were different.
I never managed to kill the battery, but I always had to be attentive, sometimes even activating the power saving mode to make sure it would last an entire day on the go . Sure, the phone was very powerful with its robust processor, but on the other hand, the battery life seemed insufficient. Maybe my experience was a little skewed, especially coming from a device with a 5000mAh battery and falling on a 3300mAh phone. But looking back, many phones released at that time had batteries above 3,300 mAh. I know there is obviously a limitation when it comes to building a foldable, but I think when you spend $1000 on a phone it should have a battery over 3300mAh.
Imagine if Samsung released a traditional Galaxy phone for $1000 that looked amazing and came with a battery that big, you wouldn’t hear the end of it. I think a lot of people give the Z Flip a pass because the phone bends, but in the end it’s the consumer who has to sacrifice. This is a classic case where form trumps function. But the sad thing is that the shape adds nothing to the experience. I know the Flex mode well. But come on, I don’t think anyone really needs their app squished into a small window just so we can have access to clunky controls and features that set back the experience.
Harder shell, but the display was still relatively delicate
The Galaxy Z Flip is touted as having a sturdier design, bolstered by Corning’s Gorilla Glass, offering IPX8 water resistance and an Armor aluminum frame. As for the screen, Samsung’s ultra-thin glass offers improved durability that’s been tested to 200,000 bends. Perhaps the best thing foldable phones have going for them when it comes to durability is the fact that they can fold up to protect the screen. But when you open the phone, it’s a different story.
I don’t know about everyone, but when I used the phone for the first few months, I felt like I had the baby. After a while, I got used to the experience, but no matter how hard I tried to treat it like a normal phone, there was still a part of me that worried. It never felt like it was on par with a normal phone. Maybe I was too protective of the screen? But seeing enough horror stories online made me realize that no matter how protective I was, the display was just another thing to worry about when I really shouldn’t .
Best low light shots
The Z Flip’s image quality wasn’t the best and was always a bit behind Samsung’s flagships. The same applies to the Z Flip 3, and the same can be said about the Z Flip 4. This part is a little trickier to discuss because in the past, Samsung has made a conscious effort to deliver an experience lower quality from its high-end lines as a cost-cutting measure. It’s hard to say if this kind of practice still happens in its latest model, but regardless, the quality of the cameras is good, it just isn’t going to beat other phones in the same price group. I hate to sound like a broken record at this point, but again, for a $1000 phone, we’re looking at sacrifices and compromises, and in one of the worst ways possible.
Foldables have their own trade-offs, so know what you’re getting into
I think we can sort of see a trend and where my mindset is after exploring a few of the mainstays of the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 or the Z Flip range as a whole. When it comes to owning or using a foldable smartphone like this, there are only compromises. Either you’re okay with that somewhere in the middle, or you’re not. But I think where I tend to hang on the most is how much people pay for that experience.
Sure, maybe the trade-offs mentioned above aren’t trade-offs for you, but for me, I just can’t stand it when I’m actively using it every day. But I’m grateful I got to experience it, because without living with a foldable smartphone, you really won’t know.
These are just a few of the personal reasons why I think the Galaxy Z Flip line doesn’t need to exist. If Samsung is just taking a slab phone, a design that’s been pretty much refined to perfection, and then adding a crease to it at the expense of convenience, battery life, durability, and features, that’s when I think we need to take a step back, rethink the product line as a whole and ask ourselves how the Z Flip line can be better.
As a reminder, this is not an article written to try to provoke grudges, it’s just an opinion, and after all, these are just products. But I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Z Flip line, especially if you’ve found the phone actually improves your day-to-day experiences.