Recently we have witnessed a new breed of smartphones – the folding devices often referred to as the clamshell. Last year Samsung wowed everyone after they introduced a foldable smartphone – Samsung Galaxy fold. The flagship, however, saw many manufacturing defects, which led to its much criticism. But still, with the said defects, Samsung Galaxy Fold would later turn out to be a milestone device that would have a significant impact on the industry.
In February, Samsung launched its second-generation of a foldable device – the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. The Z Flip has come in with kinks to resolve the faults with the Galaxy Fold. Currently, people are struggling with the challenge of having a pocket-friendly device that is convenient to carry around. Some such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra have large screens. Motorola, through their flagship Motorola RAZR had solved some of the faults in most foldable devices, but we later discovered that the battery and camera life were a turnoff. Now, will Z Flip address all these issues? Let’s see.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip supports eSIM
ESIM is one of the new technological features that has caught the smartphone industry with a boom. Many phone manufacturing companies are considering dropping the SIM cards chip and, in turn, replace them with an internal eSIM that can activate different wireless network service providers and plans without necessarily interchanging the plastic SIM cards.
About eSIM
An eSIM is an electronically embedded chip/or a built-in SIM card that allows a device to edit and rewrite or switch different mobile service providers without swapping different SIM cards.
With an eSIM there, you can connect to multiple carriers, convert your device into a multiple SIM, manage business and family’s privacy, there is instant delivery of SIM ready device.
Design
The entire value proposition of this flagship is its design. Galaxy Z Flip has come with a unique design, which, in terms of quality, has a better build and is more brawn. The main flaw with most foldable devices is the folding mechanism. So far, the Galaxy Z Flip’s folding mechanism is excellent.
In design, Samsung has added nylon fibers strategically, which prevents dust from entering. The only minor culpability with the flagship is that it doesn’t completely shut when folded. You, therefore, find pocket lint and dust gather between the two display halves. The phone is further not resistant to water damage.
The fingerprint sensor has been embedded on the power button, which is identical to the one on Samsung Galaxy S10e. The power button is mounted on the right side. Compared to other Samsung smartphones, the vibration motor on the Galaxy Z flip is a little bit weaker. Additionally, the weight distribution is uneven. This makes it less comfortable when used with a single hand.
Camera
The phone comes with a dual main camera system. In 2020 flagships, this is not a big deal, but bearing in mind how thin this phone is, we make its case exceptional. The dual camera has a 12MP super wide-angle lens and a 12MP main camera. On the main screen, we find a 10MP selfie camera. The device has incorporated new features – Super Steady stabilization, Night Mode and Single Take feature – which is used for videos and photos.
Unfolding the device every time you want to take a selfie can suck. But with Galaxy Z Flip, you can use the ticker screen – by double-clicking the power button to launch the camera – even when the phone is closed. In this case, the small ticker screen becomes the viewfinder.
The holy grail is that you can fold the Galaxy Z Flip halfway in the L shape, and it becomes its stand. You can now set a timer and place it on a table and take a picture without holding the phone.
Display
The flagship comes with a 6.7-inch foldable AMOLED screen. The screen’s resolution is 1080 by 2636 pixels. As the case with all premium Samsung phones’ displays, the display of Galaxy Z Flip is tremendous, but the middle has a crease that is mildly distracting. In ambient light, you can easily see the crease, but at night it’s less visible.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip’s display has a come with a layer of a super-thin glass, which is covered by a plastic layer for protection. The only flaw with the display is that its touch sensitivity doesn’t register every tap. Also, the screen is quite reflective, making it hard to use in bright environments.
There’s further a 1-inch screen discreetly positioned next to the main dual camera. The primary purpose of the screen is to allow you to check on the battery level, date, and time without necessarily unfolding your device. The screen further acts as a viewfinder when taking selfies while the phone is folded. Additionally, you can check pending notifications, dismiss or snooze alarms, and skip or pause songs on the screen since it’s a touch screen.
Software
The flagship comes with 8GB of RAM, Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, and a 256GB non-expandable storage. This might not be ideal given that the other debuts – Samsung Galaxy S20s – have come with the newer Snapdragon 865 chip. Regardless, the Galaxy Z Flip has an outstanding performance. Though at times, you will encounter minor hiccups like dropped frames and brief lags.
The flagship runs on top of Android 10, meaning that you will enjoy such features as the new Samsung’s Quick Share feature that allows Samsung devices to send large files more conveniently and quickly. Other features you can include dark mode with a scheduling option, gesture navigation, and Link to Windows.
Battery
The phone has been designed to have two batteries, which, when both combined, have a capacity of 3300mAh. Though not up to today’s standard, the battery holds up pretty well on the device. The phone further supports wireless charging as in many current Samsung devices.
Price
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip comes with a high asking price of $1380 in the US, £1,300 in the UK, and AU$2,050 in Australia.
Conclusion
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has gotten a lot of things right, although there is still a milestone to go.Its price though is not reasonable since Galaxy S20 Ultra – the same cost as this flagship – has a better camera and other specs<.</span
If anything, Galaxy Z Flip has shown us that the future of foldable phones is bold and flexible.
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