Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: What’s the difference?
Having fixed it’s biggest flaws, the latest version of Samsung’s flagship foldable pushes into new territory.
Here’s what you need to know to decide between the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Design
As opposed to the more radical redesign found in the Z Flip 3, Samsung are more interested in building on the bones of the Z Fold 2.
Even if it’s been bumped up to a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, most people will be hard-pressed to find differences between the 6.2-inch external display and the 7.6-inch internal display found on this year’s Z Fold versus last years.
Like the Z Flip 3, Samsung have looked to raise the bar when it comes to foldable durability here. To that end, the Z Fold 3 is IPX8 rated against water damage, made from a special Armor Aluminum alloy and coated in Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Z Fold 3 also features Dolby Stereo speakers where the Z Fold 3 didn’t.
Features
There are two big additions to the formula here that stop the Galaxy Z Fold 3 from just being a slightly better-built Z Fold 2.
The first of these is support for Samsung’s S-Pen stylus accessory. This is a first for the foldable category, but it works more or less the same as it did (or does) with the company’s Galaxy Note devices.
Unlike the Note, the S-Pen for the Z Fold 3 isn’t housed within the device itself. This detail may make a depreciated Galaxy Note 20 a better fit for those looking for that classic phablet experience.
The other big feature here is the Z Fold 3’s under-display camera.
While technically impressive, this inclusion doesn’t radically change the limits of what you can or can’t do with the Z Fold 3. It just means that you no longer have to live with the ever-so-minor inconvenience of a notch on the foldable’s internal display.
Specs
While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 does feature a more current processor inside it, most of the spec sheet here hasn’t changed.
Both the Z Fold 2 and Z Fold 3 feature 12 GB of RAM and start at 256 GB of on-board storage, though the more recent model does come in a 512 GB size.
The triple-lens main camera on the Z Fold 3 is more-or-less identical to the hardware found on the Z Fold 2. It isn’t exactly a step-down, but you won’t find any of the cutting edge Space Zoom tech found in the Galaxy S21 Ultra here either.
That being said, the Z Fold 3 does support video capture in up to 8K where the Z Fold 2 stops at 4K.
The under-display selfie camera on the Z Fold 3’s inner display might be easier to miss, but it’s also only 4-megapixels. Even if megapixels don’t tell the whole story, this detail suggests that the 10-megapixel notch camera in the Z Fold 2 is probably going to deliver better results.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 features a slightly smaller battery (4400mAh vs 4500mAh) but is also around 10 grams lighter.
Colours
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is available in three colours: Phantom Green, Black and Silver.
This is a step-up on what’s available to Z Fold 2 buyers, who only have two options to choose from.
