Samsung has addressed some of the Z Flip 3's biggest pain points with its 2022 successor; mainly by way of a larger battery that fits into a more compact form factor, but there's still plenty of room left for further improvement. Price versus performance remains unmatched in the market, especially when you consider this is one of the only water-resistant foldables out there.
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We would venture that anyone who read this far in a smartphone review is not an "average consumer" of mobile gadgets. For those people, the Flip4 makes its case simply by being different. After years of flat glass slabs, smartphones are getting interesting again, and the Flip4 is at the forefront. It's refreshing to have a phone that doesn't ride around on your thigh like a splint, and the form factor has an undeniable cool factor.
If 2021’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 was Samsung giving the foldable smartphone line a smart makeover, 2022’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 is Samsung seeing if it can get away with wearing the same clothes two days in a row. It may be perfectly serviceable and a pleasure to use, but it’s far less exciting the second go around and offers less value when you can get almost the same experience from last year’s model at a discount.
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 is putting in the work to be the ultimate Gen Z influencer phone. It might not appeal to some, but the BTS Army won't care about their opinion.
With its improved battery life and durability, the Flip 4 is a more practical phone than its predecessor and is the first of Samsung’s foldables that’s truly ready for the mainstream. Sure, there are a few minor inconveniences to put up with, like Instagram’s incompatibility with its aspect ratio or the fact that it has considerably less battery life than other phones at this price.
Samsung has addressed some of the Z Flip 3's biggest pain points with its 2022 successor; mainly by way of a larger battery that fits into a more compact form factor, but there's still plenty of room left for further improvement. Price versus performance remains unmatched in the market, especially when you consider this is one of the only water-resistant foldables out there.
It feels greedy asking for more from the Flip 4. It folds in half. It’s waterproof. Performance is great. It has fairly good cameras, and you can use them in a way that no slab-style phone can match. It doesn’t cost $1,800. But we can and should ask for more from this phone because it could be much better.
don't think there's any reason why you should not get the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It's a flagship phone in every way and one designed to stay in your pocket more than most other phones, which is a nice change of pace. If you have concerns about durability, that's understandable, though I think we're at the point where that's the exception, not the rule.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a lot of refinements, such as a slimmer, lighter hinge and flatter edges. The new Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor ensures that the Flip 4 shines in every task. But despite the larger power pack, I have concerns about battery life. The cameras are good, especially the night mode, but not quite $999 level.
As I noted in the initial preview, Samsung’s foldables have matured to the point where updates are more iterative. Given how dramatically the company leads the market, who can blame them, really? The Galaxy Flip continues to be the closest thing we have to a mainstream foldable, and right now, nothing else comes close.
Hands on: The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 makes a few important updates to this popular folding phone, resulting in a better-looking device, and bringing the power up to date. There's novelty in the design and many will love the customisation that it offers, while the upgraded camera will likely appeal too. But the reality is that these phone displays just don't last as long - and that's something you need to consider when buying.
The potential performance improvements via the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 might be its best new feature and when you consider that one of our biggest complaints with the previous model was its less-than-stellar battery life, the increase in capacity could be worth the upgrade as well.