After months of anticipation, Samsung has finally refreshed it’s line of ultra-luxury foldables during it’s high-profile Galaxy Unpacked Event. The new generation’s Galaxy Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G emerge as the pinnacle of the foldable smartphone market, which serve as a testament to the company’s leadership in this segment.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
Starting off with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, we’re looking at the same inward-folding design with some noteworthy facelift which sets the device apart from it’s predecessor, both on the inside (unfolded) and outside (folded) of the phone.
Besides all the aesthetic changes, Samsung also tried to allay some of the key concerns associated with foldable phones by reinforcing the durability and robustness of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G across several fronts.
One of the key changes is made to the external frame of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G which now adopts a new Armour Aluminium frame that’s touted to be the company’s strongest aluminium frame till date.
Furthermore, Samsung also made the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G the first foldable in the market to offer IPX8 rating for water resistance, which in my option, is a much needed feature for a premium flagship, and is especially so for a device of it’s price.
Most importantly, both the external and inner display of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is also equipped with the latest Gorilla Glass Victus to protect the screen against accidental drops or scratches. Despite all the upgrades, the Galaxy Fold3 5G is actually lighter than last year’s Galaxy Z Fold2 5G at just 271 grams.
When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G has a 6.2” Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside that offers a HD+ screen resolution and a buttery-smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. If you recall, the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G only has a 60Hz refresh rate for it’s cover screen, so that’s a really nice upgrade in this aspect. Other than that, there’s also a 10 megapixels (f/2.2 aperture) camera for selfies as well.
Unfolding the phone will lead us to a 7.6” Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with an even sharper QXGA+ screen resolution and the same 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The screen refresh rate is adaptive in the sense that the phone will automatically adapts it’s refresh rate according to the onscreen content to improve battery life.
Unlike last year’s Galaxy Z Fold2 5G that comes with a hole-punch cutout compartment for it’s selfie camera, the inner screen now opts for a revolutionary under-display camera that consists of a 4 megapixels sensor. This allows the phone to feature an unblemished full-screen display for a more immersive and entertaining viewing experience.
To improve productivity and efficiency, the Galaxy Fold3 5G also carries support for S Pen, just like the Galaxy S21 Ultra (Review). However, the device is compatible only with the new S Pen Pro or S Pen Fold Edition that’s compatible only with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G.
Coming to the imaging front, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G flaunts a triple-cam system comprising of a 12 megapixels (f/1.8 aperture) main camera with OIS, 12 megapixels (f/2.2 aperture) ultra-wide lens with 123 degree FOV, as well as a 12 megapixels (f/2.4 aperture) telephoto lens which offers 2x optical zoom and up to 10x digital zoom.
At the helm, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 888 mobile platform which is assisted by 12GB RAM and up to 512GB onboard storage in the memory department. Keeping it’s lights on will be a respectable 4,400mAh dual-cell battery sitting at the heart of the phone.
In Singapore, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G will be retailing at S$2,398 and S$2,548 respectively for it’s 256GB and 512GB storage variants.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
Next up, we also have the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G clamshell which comes with a neat dual-tone design on the outside which now has a slightly larger cover screen that measures 1.9” diagonally. Speaking of this, the cover screen is actually a Super AMOLED display which offers a 260 x 512 pixels screen resolution.
Flipping the phone open will reveal a 6.7” Dynamic AMOLED 2X display that boasts a sharp 2,640 x 1,080 pixels screen resolution, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, as well as a centralized 10 megapixels selfie camera.
Just like it’s Galaxy Z Fold3 5G counterpart, the Galaxy Z Flip3 is also reinforced by the same Armor Aluminium for it’s frame as well as Gorilla Glass Victus for the inner display. The highly-coveted IPX8 rating is also present on the Galaxy Z Flip3 as well.
For photography, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G relies on a dual-cam setup comprising of a 12 megapixels (f/1.8 aperture) main camera with OIS alongside a 12 megapixels (f/2.2 aperture) ultra-wide lens with 123 degrees FOV.
Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G shares the same Snapdragon 888 chipset as the Z Fold3 5G, and features 8GB RAM and up to 256GB onboard storage in the memory department. For day-to-day usage, the clamshell draws power from a 3,300mAh dual-cell battery.
For those who’re interested, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is offered in seven different colorways including Cream, Green, Lavender, Phantom Black, as well as the online exclusive’s Grey, Pink and White.
In terms of pricing, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is comparatively cheaper than last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 5G, with pricing starting from just S$1,398 for it’s 128GB storage variant and goes up to S$1,498 for it’s 256GB storage variant.
