An updated version of Z Flip 5G with more creative designs, Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 is the hottest buzz in the town. After having early access to this phone, I can confirm that Samsung has undoubtedly spent a lot of time on this mobile.
As for the pricing, Galaxy Z Flip 3 is available for pre-order on Samsung’s official site at $1,398. On the other hand, its elder sibling, Z Flip 5G, is priced at $1,592 in the current market.
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So as we can see, there’s a significant price cut in the upcoming Flip family product. While this price drop is perhaps the biggest difference for many of us, there are some noticeable changes in Galaxy Z Flip 3. Now to give you a detailed comparison and describe my hands-on experience in detail, I decided to divide my comparison into the following factors:
- Design
- Display
- Performance
- Camera
- Battery Life
- And, One Hidden Feature
So, without wasting any further time, let’s get started with our comparison and see if Samsung has improved the foldable mobiles or not.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Review Singapore
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Design
Both Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 5G share similar dimensions and general shapes. However, the all-new Flip 3 is more compact as it has 166 x 72.2 x 6.9mm dimensions.
Meanwhile, its predecessor, Z Flip 5G, feels lighter with 167.3 x 73.6 x 7.2mm dimensions.
I couldn’t afford to perform a drop test on both phones but the Z Flip 3 felt more durable. In fact, Samsung also claims the same thing as they’ve already mentioned that Z Flip 3 is 80% tougher than its previous versions.
Moreover, with Gorilla Glass DX+ for outer display, unlike the Z Flip 5G, the Z Flip 3 also has an IPX8 rating. So, you can dunk your device under 1.5-meters of water, and it will still work fine. But I’m not that silly to take such kinds of risks, and I’d rather wait for a random YouTuber to confirm this first for me.
Last but not least, both mobile phones have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Personally, I am not a big fan of such sensor placements, but you might find it more comfortable than me. But, thankfully, Samsung has also provided an In-Display Fingerprint Sensor so that you don’t have to read my ranting on this phone.
Also, as we’re talking about phone lock security, it’s worth mentioning that Galaxy Z Flip 3 has finally received the Face Recognition feature, which was missing from its elder sibling.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Display
Another similarity between these phones is their foldable 6.7-inch AMOLED display. As for the screen resolution, Z Flip 3 has a few more pixels at 1080 x 2640 resolution, whereas Z Flip 5G’s resolution stands at 1080 x 2636. But relax because these few extra pixels will not offer any noticeable difference.
However, one major change that made me excited about the Z Flip 3 is its 120hz screen refresh rate. Now it’s worth remembering that if you’ve never used any screen with a 120 or 144hz refresh rate, then it might sound pretty ordinary to you. But, higher refresh rate fanboys like me can acknowledge it quite easily.
My biggest complaint with the Z Flip 5G variant was its Super AMOLED 1.1-inch secondary display. Thankfully, Samsung listened to the prayers and granted us a 1.9-inch secondary display. So now you’ll be able to use it finally and can read your notifications conveniently.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Performance
Now, this is the part where you might experience some real upgrade from Galaxy Z Flip 5G. One of my favourite things with Z Flip 5G was its 5G-enabled Snapdragon 865 plus. However, Samsung decided to go a little further this time and came with the Snapdragon 888 SoC in Z Flip 3. But what does it mean for you?
To give you a vague idea, Qualcomm claims the Snapdragon 888 as one of the most powerful chipsets. Moreover, it’s specially designed to provide better connectivity over 5G networks. Also, Qualcomm has recently mentioned that 888’s processors can boost your device’s performance by 15% as compared to the 865+ chipset.
And, with the integrated Adreon 660 GPU, you can expect it to perform better by 35%. Hence, you can indeed expect your Z Flip 3 to perform way faster than Z Flip 5G and offer a lightning-fast performance even while multitasking.
Samsung has backed Snapdragon 888 with an 8GB RAM, which is pretty standard in top mobile phones like Z Flip 3. As for the internal storage, you can go for either a 128GB or 256GB variant according to your choice.
However, if you were hoping for a MicroSD card slot once again, then unluckily, you’re in for another disappointment.
In a nutshell, when it comes to performance Galaxy Flip 3 takes the cake. With the new snapdragon processor, it gives better performance when compared to its Galaxy Z Flip 5G. When it comes to using heavy apps on your phone, Galaxy Flip 3 will give you a better experience
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Camera
When I got the chance to try Z Flip 5G in 2020, I was pretty excited about its camera. But, it never matched my set of expectations and left me somewhat disappointed. It used two same modest 12MP sensors as 2019’s Samsung Galaxy S10e. So, the pictures weren’t terrible, but why would I settle for mediocrity if I’m investing more than $1,500 in a single mobile phone?
Interestingly, Z Flip 3 shares the exact camera specifications where both sensors’ setup is at 12MP. However, somehow, the pictures taken by Z Flip 3 looked slightly better and crisp. But why did that happen?
The reason behind Z Flip 3’s better camera performance is its computational photography which allows you to capture images through digital computation instead of normal optical processes. So, the credit undoubtedly goes to Samsung again for this cheeky little update.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Battery Life
One of the most important aspects of any mobile phone is its battery life. Now, both foldable phones share the same 3,300mAh battery, which isn’t ideal for modern smartphones. Moreover, Z Flip 5G had a 60hz screen and Snapdragon 865+ chipset onboard, making 3,300mAh an understandable choice.
However, Z Flip 3 shares a 120hz refresh rate along with a powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset. As a result, I’m a bit concerned about the Z Flip 3’s battery performance. In fact, earlier, the same 3,300mAh battery didn’t feel sufficient even on the Z Flip 5G.
Apart from this, Samsung has ultimately decided to support fast charging in Z Flip 3. While Z Flip 5G had only 15W (wired) and 9W (wireless) to offer, Z Flip 3 can take things as far as 25W (wired) and 11W (wireless). However, comparing both phones’ charging speeds with the Galaxy S21 range is undoubtedly not competitive enough.
One Hidden Feature
A fascinating feature that comes with Galaxy Z Flip 3 is its Flex Mode Camera. This feature made things easier, especially for a person like me who doesn’t know how to click an excellent-looking selfie. All I had to do was adjust the angles, lean back in a comfortable position, and that’s it.
Another reason why I loved this all-new Flex Mode is that it can work as a tripod too. Yes, that’s true! So if you love shooting some timelapse videos, then just set the phone on a flat surface, select the ‘Hyperlapse’ mode, and you’re good to go.
Now at this point, I was ready to give my money and let me keep this device forever. But then I found out that you can also use Flex Mode to have a hands-free video call. And all you’d need is just a flat surface and Google Duo application in your Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Takeaway
After using it for almost 5-6 hours, I’ve already fallen in love with it. While foldable phones don’t have a solid reputation, this particular one ticked all the right boxes for me. Despite having some limitations, Galaxy Z Flip 3 is still a major upgrade over Galaxy Z Flip 5G.
While using its predecessor in 2020, I never felt comfortable enough with the device’s complicated hinge. However, this time it was the other way around as the overall design felt more durable. As for the camera performance, Z Flip 3 indeed outperformed Z Flip 5G because of its Flex Mode feature.
On the other hand, due to particular time limits, I couldn’t test out its battery life in the perfect manner. However, Qualcomm has claimed that the Snapdragon 888 isn’t only the most powerful but also a power-saving chipset. Hence, I’d expect the 3,300mAh battery to be sufficient on this smartphone.
Lastly, I’d recommend you to wait for a few more days and only make a decision after reading the full detailed review. For now, we all feel like a kid in a candy store who just wants to throw the money. So the right choice, for now, is to wait until there’s a full review for the device. Until then, stay tuned and keep exploring!
Read: Samsung Galaxy Z FOLD 3 Experience
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Vs Motorola Razr
Let’s see how Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 pans out when compared to another popular flip phone that was released last year – Motorola Razr. When comparing the prices, Flip 3 is available for SGD $1398 while the Motorola Razr is priced at SGD. $2306. Let’s compare the two on other important parameters:
Design
- The motorola Razr 5G has an external display of 2.7 in while the Samsung Flip 3 has a slightly smaller external display of 1.9in. While you can view notifications on Flip 3’s external screen, Moto’s razr not only lets you view notifications but also use apps like google maps and spotify.
- When it comes to the internal display, Flip 3 is slightly bigger than the Moto razr with 6.7 in and 6.2 in, respectively. Both these flip phones fold out into a standard smartphone.
- The Flip 3’s fingerprint sensor is placed on the side whereas the Moto razr’s fingerprint sensor is camouflaged with the brand’s logo on the back of the phone.
Specs and Camera:
- Both Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Moto Razr run on Qualcomm chipsets powered by Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 756G, respectively. Samsung’s Flip 3 performs slightly better than the Moto Razr. It can handle heavier games better than Moto Razr.
- Both flip phones offer the same RAM and storage – 8GB of RAM with 256GB GB of storage. However, Galaxy Flip 3 also offers a version with 128GB of storage.
- When it comes to the camera, the rear camera of the Flip 3 is slightly better than the Moto razr. The Moto Razr front camera (20mp sensor) is better than that of Flip 3’s front camera (10mp sensor). Moto razr’s front camera also has features like night vision and auto smile capture. So if you find yourself taking more selfies than pictures of pretty flowers or sunsets then Moto Razr is a better choice. Whereas if you prefer being behind the camera rather than in front of it then Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a better option for you.
Battery
- With 3300mAH battery size, Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 is slightly better than Moto Razr’s 2800mAH battery size. The efficiency of battery consumption is better on Flip 3 which is a given since it also has a better processor. Both Flip 3 and Razr feature a USB-C port for charging.
VERDICT
In my opinion, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the better option. It does have a slightly bigger and better internal display when compared to Razr and a better rear camera as well. Also the battery life of Flip 3 is better than Razr too. And to top it off, Flip 3 is priced lower than the Motorola Razr so technically it’s a better smartphone for a lower price!
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