- Cheryl Tan
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G & Z Flip3 5G First Look: An Under Display Camera on the New Z Fold3 5G!
We managed to get our hands on the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Z Flip3 5G folding phones, so here's what we think about them after a quick test.
The phones are now more durable, with a special material called Armour Aluminium used in the metal frame and hinge making the phone 10% stronger than previous models. The hinge is also rated for up to 200,000 folds, so if you open and close your phone around 100 times a day, the phone's folding mechanism should work for around five years. Pretty good. On the front and back, you get Gorilla Glass Victus.
The refresh rate on both screens is now 120Hz, and you still get the same 6.2-inch Cover Screen on the outside as well as the 7.6-inch main display. Both displays are now Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays, but the Cover Screen is HD+ while the main screen is a QXGA+ Infinity Flex Display.
If you're missing the S Pen that usually comes with the Note series, no worries. The Z Fold3 now has S Pen support, and two new S Pen models have been announced: The S Pen Pro that has Bluetooth capabilities and will work with other Galaxy devices, or the smaller and lighter S Pen Fold edition that will work solely with the Z Fold3.
It's definitely a big help if you handwrite a lot of notes, or require the pen to drag and drop content from different apps.
There are cameras on all sides of this phone, but the most impressive one is the one on the main screen, which is an under-display camera. It's almost hidden, which will help with immersion when you're watching content on the main display.
There are also three cameras on the rear, all 12MP, and a nice feature that has been retained from the Z Fold2 is that a preview of what the rear cameras see can be displayed on the Cover Screen so the subject has an idea of how the photo is framed. The subject can even wave their hand at the camera to take a photo themself.
The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor and comes with 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. There's a 4,400mAh battery inside as well, along with IPX8 water resistance.
Now, let's move on to the Z Flip3 5G. This is a really sleek phone and it comes in four colours: Lavender, Green, Cream and Phantom Black.
The Cover Screen on the front is four times larger than the one on the Z Flip, which means you get to read more notifications or even set a wallpaper for it. The main screen inside is a 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and has a 120Hz refresh rate.
When taking photos, you can also have a preview of the photo on the Cover Screen, and with the Z Flip3 able to fold halfway, you can even fold the phone in such a manner that you can put the phone down on a table and still take a selfie with the inside camera.
Durability-wise, it's also using the same Armour Aluminium as the Z Fold3, and the hinge is also rated for 200,000 folds.
Preorders open today and the Z Fold3 5G starts at S$2,349 while the Z Flip3 retails from S$1,398.
Content by Timothy Go