Review
FLIPPING HECK
I’ve been secretly trying Samsung’s NEW ‘iPhone killer’ flip phone – but there’s a feature that bugs me
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WOULD you believe that Samsung is now in its fourth generation of foldable smartphones?
The king of Android is years ahead of main rival Apple, who still hasn’t done anything like it for the iPhone.
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- Galaxy Z Flip 4 from £999 -
So it’s no surprise Samsung wants to build momentum, making small but steady improvements to the .
Anyone who tried the might struggle to tell it apart from the new Flip 4 on first sight, but there are definitely some worthy improvements packed into this clam-like innovation.
We’ve been testing the latest handset for the past two weeks to see whether this is a Flip hit or a Flip flop.
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Design
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is practically indistinguishable from its predecessor and that’s no bad thing, as the design is simply gorgeous - if it’s not broken why fix it as they say.
The hinge has been built ever so smaller so it closes nice and tight - though there’s still a bit of a gap in there.
But it fits wonderfully in your pocket unlike most phones out there.
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The tiny Cover Screen you can use when folded remains with some minor improvements, like new widgets, including the ability to control smart home devices quickly.
Samsung has introduced some new colours too: Bora Purple, Pink Gold and Blue.
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Display
Managing to make such a beautiful display foldable still manages to impress me every time.
The 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen effortlessly beams beautiful, rich colours.
Samsung has even hidden the front facing selfie camera under the display o you get the fullest display experience - you can hardly see it face on but can make it out from other side angles .
Despite all this, the folding still has one big issue, and that’s the crease it creates along the middle of the screen.
I don’t know if Samsung or anyone will ever be able to eliminate this but it remains pretty noticeable.
It’s not majorly distracting but you can definitely feel it too as you tap, swipe and slide your way around.
And the size also makes it tricky to use with one hand.
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Battery
One area Samsung has definitely listened to feedback on is the , and it’s good news.
The capacity has been boosted ever so slightly, from 3,300mAh previously to 3,700mAh this time.
This helps the Z Flip comfortably manage a day’s good use before needing to be charged again.
Another welcome improvement is charging speed, provided you’re juicing up with a USB-C cable.
You can now go from nothing to 50 percent charged within about 30 minutes.
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Performance and storage
Samsung is the leader in all things Android and its clear to see why.
Using Android 12, the user interface runs super smooth, thanks in huge part to a chip upgrade.
The Flip 4 features Qualcomm's top Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, which alongside 8GB of RAM, makes switching between apps super fluid.
You can split some apps in half with a feature called Flex Panel, so that the top half of the screen becomes the app while the bottom bit has options, such as a cursor.
It’s a nice touch that may not come in that useful to most people but it performs flawlessly despite the added machine power needed.
The Flip 4 doesn’t have any external storage options, so instead Samsung has added a new 512GB storage variant.
Cameras
Another big step forward is on cameras, with a dual-lens rear camera which takes crisp snaps.
Both on the back are 12-megapixels, featuring ultra-wide and stabilisation so your pics are less likely to get blurry from shakes.
Best of all, if you want a high quality selfie, you can turn the outside cover screen into a camera viewer - and thanks to the folding ability you can even set the phone to 90 degrees and sit it comfortably on the side to take the photo free from selfie arms and awkward chin angles.
Speaking of the fold, it also means you can film video like a retro camcorder, which you might find is easier to hold than the traditional way on smartphones.
There are loads of specific photography and video features to choose from so you get the best possible images for your needs.
And should you want to use the front facing selfie camera, that also packs a punch at 10-megapixels.
Verdict
Samsung has rightly decided that evolution is better than revolution where the Galaxy Z Flip is concerned.
The changes from Flip 3 to Flip 4 are not drastic, but they are worthwhile and show the tech giant is listening to feedback so it can nail the foldable market.
Starting at £999 for the 128GB version, all the way up to £1,199 for 512GB, it doesn’t come cheap.
But in return you get one of the most premium Android experiences around at the moment, all with a slick show-off worthy design - flipping that screen open just has a real attention-grabbing power about it.
- Galaxy Z Flip 4 from £999 -
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Beyond the looks, it performs beautifully throughout.
So if you’ve been tempted by a foldable for a while now, this is the one to get.
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