Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 (2021): Everything you need to know
The Pitch
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is essentially doing what last year’s Z Fold 2 did for the Z Flip. If the original device was about breaking new ground when it came to mobile form-factors, the Z Flip 3 is about refining it.
At a glance, Samsung have systematically addressed every criticism that could be levied at the original Galaxy Z Flip.
The new Z Flip 3 is IPX8 rated against splash damage. It’s got a more robust design. It’s got a better processor. The external display has been made larger and more useful.
The one area that hasn’t really touched is the camera, but even that shortcoming is sweetened by the fact that the Z Flip 3 is the most affordable foldable to hit the market yet.
The Specs
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
Inner Display: 6.7-inch AMOLED 2X screen @ 120Hz
Outer Display: 1.9-inch Super AMOLED screen
Resolution: 1080 x 2640 pixels
RAM: 8 GB
ROM: 128 GB / 256 GB
Expandable Storage: No
Headphone Jack: No
Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, side-mounted
Operating System: Android 11 at launch
Battery Size: 3300mAh
Rear Camera: 12-megapixel (f/1.8) wide lens + 12-megapixel (f/2.2) ultrawide lens
Front-Facing Camera: 10-megapixel (f/2.4)
The Reviews
Given how recently the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was announced, it’s not a huge surprise that there aren’t that many reviews of the device online yet.
Still, the early reception for Samsung’s latest clamshell foldable has been pretty positive so far.
Right up front, SamMobiles’ Adnan Farooqui was impressed by the high-level of performance offered by the Z Flip 3’s Snapdragon processor.
In the brief time that we spent with the device, we noticed that it’s more than capable of handling what most of us would do on our smartphones. We obviously need to put the device through lengthy tests to form an assessment about its battery life and performance under certain conditions, but at first glance, it seems to be quite promising.
While he’s yet to publish a full and final review of the device, Finder’s Alex Kidman noted that Samsung have been smart about making the Z Flip both better and cheaper.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a more durable phone, it’s still powerful and the price has dropped sharply relative to the previous generation. That, more than anything else makes the Galaxy Z Flip 3 a real contender, because it drops into the price bracket of other premium phones rather than sitting above it.
