The Galaxy Z Fold 3 (in black) and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 are Samsung's latest takes on foldable phones.
Sarah Tew/CNETWhen Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 3 alongside the new Galaxy Z Fold 3, I was most eager to try out the new Flip. The original 2020 Z Flip is my go-to Android phone between reviews. And as much as I enjoy the first edition of Samsung's clamshell folding phone, there are a number of things that annoy me. Samsung says it improved and addressed many of the shortcomings the original Flip had -- and if that's the case, I'm very happy. As I enter my third day testing the phone, the initial "this is shiny and new" luster is starting to subside. Yet, I'm still really into it. I am working toward a final in-depth review, but for now, here's my ongoing diary of life with the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
By dropping the price to $1,000, offering the new Flip in seven colors and selling brightly colored cases that make it look like a toy, Samsung has set up the Galaxy Z Flip 3 to be the first foldable phone many people will consider buying. I can almost hear Samsung in its best Frank Costanza Festivus voice declaring, "A foldable for the rest of us." Granted, that doesn't quite rhyme as well as it did on Seinfeld.
In order for it to be widely adopted, though, Samsung needs to deliver on those Z Flip 3 improvements. People need to see that they can use it and depend on it just like their current phone -- meaning the Z Flip 3 can't make people compromise on their daily phone routines.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 feels more uniform, like a regular phone
Samsung made a number of improvements to the body, hinge and screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The body and hinge are made of a harder and more durable material Samsung calls Armor Aluminum, so it's less likely to be damaged or scratched. It's reinforced with other metals, similar to using rebar to strengthen concrete for construction. I can really feel the extra strength that Armor Aluminum adds to the phone. It makes the entire device feel like a single piece -- whereas with the original Flip, or even the Motorola Razr folding phone, I was aware of the separate parts that made up the device. That feeling is absent with the Z Flip 3: It feels like a regular phone that just happens to fold in half.
The Z Flip 3 is roughly the same size and weight as the Z Flip 5G, but it feels different when I hold it. It feels wonderful in my hand. I am confident that I can treat it just like any other phone I test and review. On the whole, the small changes Samsung implemented make the Z Flip 3 feel much less like an experiment or prototype.
The Z Flip 3 has an eye-catching design and comes in 7 colors
See all photosThe screen still has a soft crease across the middle, and I largely don't care about it: It's not distracting and it doesn't prevent me from using the phone in any way. I notice it when I interact with the middle of the screen, but not because it feels weak or like a flaw. I have friends and colleagues who suggest that until there isn't a crease, no one will ever buy it. My personal iPhone 12 Mini has a large black notch that eats into the display; I am far more bothered by that than the Z Flip 3's crease .
The Z Flip 3's screen has a new protective film, which also feels smoother than the previous Flip series phones. It's still not like using a phone with a glass screen, but it feels similar to a phone that has a glass screen with a plastic screen protector on it.
The display has a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, which is lovely so far.
Watch this: Galaxy Z Flip 3: Samsung's smallest foldable phone now...
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The Z Flip 3 has a much larger cover display
Perhaps the most unusual feature on the original Flip was its tiny, pill-shaped cover screen. There was a nice minimalistic quality about it, and it was fine if all you wanted to see was the time or the battery life percentage. But it was absolutely worthless otherwise. For one, it could only display the first part of messages. So if a friend messaged you, the cover display would show, "Help! You need to come over right away..." which is much different than "Help! You need to come over right away, there's pizza in the break room."
On the left is the original Galaxy Flip. And on the right is the new Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Sarah Tew/CNETLuckily, the Z Flip 3 has a cover screen that's four times bigger than the original and can display up to four lines of text at a time. You can scroll through notifications. Samsung even added cover screen widgets for the weather, alarms, a timer, music controls, your daily step count and your schedule.
It's such an improvement. The Z Flip 3's cover screen is closer to the Quick View display on the Motorola Razr, but it's still limited. For example, I can view entire notifications but I still need to open the Z Flip 3 to interact or reply. On the Razr, I can take care of that without opening the phone.
When you double-tap the cover screen, animated animals greet you. It's an unexpected and silly delight. Technically, they're on the phone to match similar animals that are on the new Galaxy Watch 4. The animals do nothing but jump up and down. This makes me happy.
I'm only a few days into trying out the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and my full impressions will be coming in a future review.
"Review" - Google News
August 16, 2021 at 04:30PM
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Galaxy Z Flip 3 ongoing review: Let's talk about that cover screen - CNET
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