Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Review, Price, Specs, Camera, Battery
The best foldable phone, Best 5G Phone, Best Phone For Camera and Design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the first foldable phone we'd recommend to people who usually call themselves 'early adopters', yet last year's Z Fold 2 was put off buying for good reason. Those fence-sitters will be impressed by the new Z Fold 3's water resistance in an otherwise familiar-looking foldable design with S Pen support, greater durability, and upholstered cameras. It's still very expensive, and therefore not for the average consumer, but it starts at a slightly lower price than its predecessors, making it ideal for those looking to buy in a form factor but on the edge. are waiting.
Pros
- Amazing Performance
- Dual 120Hz displays
- More durable, water-resistant design
- S Pen support – finally
- Slightly cheaper than Fold 2
Cons
- Battery life could be better
- Cameras could be better
- Still pricey
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Review
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is about to get even better, as something Samsung is announcing today (October 20), and it is expected that new customization options for the Z Fold 3 will be among the announcements. The event begins today at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET/3 p.m. BST (or October 21 at 1 a.m. AEDT), and you can visit our Samsung Unpacked Live blog for all the action as it unfolds.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is designed to convince you that the third time is allure when it comes to buying a foldable phone, and without the Galaxy Note 21, there would have been a lot of pressure on Samsung to make good on that adage. Is.
The good news: We've thoroughly tested the Galaxy Fold 3 for almost two weeks now, and it's become the first foldable phone we can recommend for people who usually consider themselves early adopters, but Which passed on Samsung's first two iterations of the foldable, without hesitation.
We've been evaluating its familiar 2-in-1 design closely, the 7.6-inch flexible display determined to fold and unfold until we can properly test it in our sleep. Can.
Result? This version of Samsung's foldable phone feels sturdier than its two predecessors: It's waterproof this time around, while its mini-tablet-size internal screen withstands our mean stylus strokes with the new S Pen and S Pen Pro.
S Pen support is truly understandable on a screen this size, and it was something people struggled with the first two Folds. The real estate here is more writing and drawing than any Galaxy Note smartphone, yet not so large that it's as inconvenient as a full-size traditional tablet that has to be carried in a bag. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 can be folded halfway and kept in the pocket.
It may well change the way you use your phone from day to day, especially if you spring for the S Pen and it has a carrying case — unfortunately, the stylus is sold separately. And doesn't stick inside the phone. This inconvenience will be troubling to longtime Note fans, even if we found the new stylus larger and easier to use than the Note's toothpick-shaped S Pen.
Beyond that, you'll need to dial back your camera expectations: This is yet another foldable with good cameras, but lack the zoom-in oomph of the Samsung Galaxy S21 and last year's Note 20 Ultra. There's one standout camera perk: an under-the-screen camera neatly obviates the need for punch-holes on the more intuitive internal display, though the 4MP camera quality loss is noticeable.
The big hook for the Galaxy Fold 3 is its slightly cheaper price tag than the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and, perhaps more reassuringly, Samsung is offering excellent trade-in deals in many areas when you go past the official release date. Do pre-order.
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Specification | |
|---|---|
| Price | Check Now (11% OFF) |
| Display (Primary) | 7.60-inch (2208x1768) |
| Processor | octa-core |
| Front Camera | 10MP + 4MP |
| Rear Camera | 12MP + 12MP + 12MP |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB |
| Battery Capacity | 4400mAh |
| Operating system | Android 11 |
| Release Date | 11th August 2021 |
| Brand | Samsung |
| Model | Galaxy Z Fold 3 |
| Form factor | Foldable |
| Weight | 271.00 (g) |
| Battery capacity | 4400 mAh |
| Fast charging | Proprietary |
| Colors | Phantom Black, Phantom Green, Phantom Silver |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Price and Release date
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 release date was August 27, 2021, in the US and UK, while in Australia it was September 10, 2021.
The Z Fold 3 costs cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 2's launch price, but be warned: Foldable phones are still significantly more expensive than traditional top-end smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or iPhone 12 Pro Max.
It starts at $1,799 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 for a model with 256GB of storage, while if you want extra capacity you can get the 512GB Galaxy Fold 3 for $1,899 / £1,699 / AU$2,649. The Z Fold 2 started at $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$2,999 when it was released in 2020.
In the US, Samsung is offering some exciting trade-in deals — up to $800 off if you turn in an older device, whether it's a phone, tablet or wearable, or a combination of all three. And you can add up to four devices to reach that maximum value. Then again, you can get this phone for $999, and that's a pretty compelling price tag.
In the UK you'll be able to get up to £250 trade-in on your phone, and those who pre-ordered got a Fold starter kit that includes a charger, a case for your Z Fold 3, and an S Pen stylus is included.
In Australia, Samsung is offering trade-in discounts of up to AU$500, along with the option of a bonus gift bundle, which varies between the two models. You can score a Galaxy Buds Pro, Galaxy Buds Live, or one of the Powers of Productivity packs that include items like an S Pen, phone case, and charging mat.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 retains the book-like design and functionality of its two predecessors, with a limited but usable 6.2-inch cover display on the outside of the handset, which expands to reveal a larger 7.6-inch display on the inside. opens for.
Two displays, and a hinge mechanism that allows you to fold and unfold this phone, combine for the most head-turning mobile gadget design in 2021. Yes, we've seen it a couple of times before, but most people we've seen the Galaxy Fold 3 look at. Haven't seen anything like this yet.
And that's what you're paying for: the wow factor of being able to pull a phone out of your pocket and reveal it to not only reveal a 7.6-inch tablet-like display but also show that you're symbolically The curve is ahead of technology.
Samsung has improved the hinge, and the material used is more durable than those employed in all previous foldable phones we've tested. Samsung is claiming that the Z Fold 3 is 80% stronger than its predecessor; And of course, there's a noticeable difference when you open the device, especially if you're upgrading from Gen 1.
It's sturdier than the Fold 2, and the company's ultra-thin glass feels less flimsy this time around — important whether you're playing games or swiping through Instagram and TikTok videos.
The design of the Z Fold 3 is remarkable, even if it doesn't always seem practical. You have to get out of the fact that you're paying a premium to carry the thickest flagship smartphone in decades when today's thin and light phones are pretty cheap. It's lighter than the Z Fold 2 at 271g compared to 282g, but it's still a heavy handset.
New to the Z Fold 3 is water resistance, and we tested it without breaking our super-expensive review unit. We even cracked it open underwater - and when we swung, the phone's durability wasn't there. However, its IPX8 rating means you won't be able to take this phone to the beach, as it isn't dust resistant. It looks like grains of sand will be the Achilles heel of foldable phones for some time to come.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Display
Samsung's tablet-like 7.6-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate remains the major selling point of its foldable smartphone.
With a wide 24.5:9 aspect ratio, the Fold 3 has become our favorite way to read eBooks and surf the web on the phone. Columns on websites appear next to each other rather than stacked vertically, and we even did the work of the spreadsheet without losing sight of it as we usually do on a traditional smartphone.
You still have to learn to ignore the noticeable middle crease which is a part of this internal AMOLED display. But we found it handy, as we were quickly charmed by the big screen, and what it offers us in everyday use cases.
We've got a lot of pleasure from playing games without our thumbs covering the entire display when it comes to the on-screen controls. We even showed a YouTube video to a group of friends without handing our device over and without giving them a go - the Z Fold 3's screen is just that big.
The cover display, expanded to 6.2 inches when the Z Fold 2 was launched in 2020 due to overwhelming response to the Z Fold 1, shows the same dimensions here - it's cramped, especially when you're trying to tap on the thin keys. Huh. Narrow cover display keyboard, but at least the screen refresh ratio has been bumped up to 120Hz, which was previously on our internal display.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 S Pen
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is compatible with the S Pen — and it's a difference-maker for a phone that's unofficially been billed as a Note 21 Ultra replacement.
Samsung is selling a new S Pen specially designed for this foldable phone. There are two of them: the S Pen Fold Edition, and the bigger S Pen Pro, with Bluetooth for the Air Action and USB-C charging.
While the S Pen included in the Note series was shaped like a toothpick and housed within the body of the phone, these new S Pen accessories are separate purchases and larger, so they don't fold up. But we found that similar in size to Samsung's tablet as the S Pen, to be more artist- and note-taking friendly.
If you're worried about puncturing the Z Fold 3's delicate screen, don't worry. Its stylus tip will retract if too much pressure is applied, and so far we haven't had any problems when dragging and scribbling notes during our testing.
The only thing we are missing is the S Pen support on the cover display. Samsung has included its screen-off memo on the larger internal display, and the idea seems like a natural fit for the cover display.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Camera
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 cameras are good, but not phenomenal; You'll either be satisfied with finely detailed photos and videos or be disappointed that this Note 21 ultra-replacement doesn't take it much further than last year's Z Fold 2. It depends on how much camera-phone comparison shopping you do.
The camera specs show what we got from a year ago: a 12MP f/1.8 main camera, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, and a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto camera capable of 2x optical zoom. You will get optical image stabilization in the telephoto and ultra-wide cameras of this new device, but nothing else has changed.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Specs, software, and performance
The Galaxy Fold 3 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, no matter what part of the world you're located in (no Samsung-made Exynos processors here, where previous Samsung flagships have a mix of own-brand and Qualcomm chips), and it's fast enough to handle true app multitasking that such a device should be able to pull off.
This is important because Samsung has taken app pairing (where you can use two apps at the same time) and its slide-out dock to the next level, which lets you make apps permanent and streamline the interface. You can (up to three app windows open at once) in any way you like.
This is a great development for anyone who has ever wished for their phone software to act as the software on their laptop. Being able to switch between apps without having to retreat to the home screen or slide out the dock feels like a game-changer for Android phones every time Android tablets have always been left behind by iPads and iPadOS.
We'd almost like to declare it the best Android 11 tablet you can buy (though it will also be the most expensive by some distance).
There are two configurations of the Z Fold 3: 256GB with 12GB of RAM, which will be enough for most people, and 512GB with 12GB of RAM. If you're doing comparison phone shopping, and take into account that Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at 128GB, the price difference narrows down a bit.
While Samsung has offered phones with 1TB of storage in the past, that's not an option here, and there's no microSD card slot to get you more than 512GB of storage. Frankly, with cloud storage becoming ubiquitous, there's little desire on the part of manufacturers to go above it, at least until 4K and 8K video recording become popular.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Battery life
The Galaxy Z Fold 3's battery is 4,400mAh - Samsung may have packed so much technology into the flexible body that it felt the need to cut 100mAh from last year's capacity, which was 4,500mAh.
Power users - the intended market for this phone - will feel the loss. While we can get most of the day using both screens, if we also enable 5G and use the camera liberally we'll find ourselves reaching for a fast charger or Qi wireless charger before the end of most nights.
Here's what's complicated about it: There's no charger in the box with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, so you'll want to keep your existing charger or buy one separately. It's a move we've seen with the iPhone 12 series from Apple as well, and it's designed to cut down on electronic waste, and it probably doesn't hurt that all these slim smartphone boxes take on shipping costs. Will save too.
$1,551.11 at Amazon
$1,599.99 at Amazon
$1,599.99 at Amazon