Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Review: 5 days later
UPDATE: This ongoing review has been updated on March 2 to include comments on camera performance and battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is one of the few phones I’ve been truly excited to review, mainly because it is so different from anything else I’ve ever tested. It marks a bold departure from the familiar and a splashing entry into a completely different device category – the category of foldable smartphones.I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip for 5 days already, and here are the impressions I’ve gathered so far. This article will be expanded regularly as I spend more time with Samsung’s foldable phone, so be sure to check back soon for the latest updates.
Design: futuristic but frustrating
Apparently, drawing attention is one thing the Galaxy Z Flip is really good at. Soon after its arrival at the office, there was already a line of people wanting to see it in person. Guys were intrigued, but it was the girls who absolutely loved it. I can’t say that I’m surprised. The Galaxy Z Flip is clearly designed to be a fashion accessory, and the purple color looks gorgeous. By the way, fun fact: did you know that it’s common for women’s jeans to have front pockets that are fake or too small to be practical? When folded, the Galaxy Z Flip becomes super compact and fits easily into small pockets, without sticking out – a prime reason why this form factor will appeal to women.
But while the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip looks stunning, I can’t say that I find its design very practical. For starters, having to unfold the Galaxy Z Flip all the time gets annoying quickly. It’s a two-hand action – unless you’re fine with grinding your nail against that fragile screen every time you flip the phone open. Perhaps a spring-loaded, button-activated mechanism would have been nice having.
The folding mechanism has been working well so far, but I’ve noticed that the Galaxy Z Flip does not close completely shut. As a result, dust and pocket lint gathers between the display’s two halves. The raised plastic border around the display makes it difficult to clean – another minor annoyance.
The Galaxy Z Flip does not close completely shut
Then there’s the problem with weight distribution. The phone is very tall and feels top-heavy which makes every-day use less comfortable, especially with a single hand.
The fingerprint reader appears to be identical to the one on the Samsung Galaxy S10e. It is embedded in the power button mounted on the right side. It works, but it is neither reliable nor comfortable to use.
Another issue I’ve noticed is that the vibration motor is kind of weak. I’ve already missed a couple of notifications simply because I didn’t feel the phone vibrating in my pocket.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip photos
Display: foldable yet fragile
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has a 6.7-inch foldable AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2636 by 1080 pixels. It looks great overall, as do all of Samsung’s premium displays nowadays, but the crease in the middle can be mildly distracting. It is noticeable during the day, when there’s plenty of ambient light to expose it. In the evening, however, the crease becomes less visible – to the point that I completely ignore it.
The crease on the Galaxy Z Flip’s display is there, but it’s not too big of a deal
What’s a much more serious issue is that the display on the Galaxy Z Flip is anything but durable. There’s a layer of super-thin glass in the display assembly, but it’s covered by a layer of plastic for protection, so plastic is what your fingers actually touch. I can already see three small dents and one scratch mark in the display, even though I’ve been treating it with care at all times. Welcome to the future!
After just two days of use, the Galaxy Z Flip already has dents in the screen
There’s a bunch of other issues I’ve noticed. For instance, touch sensitivity could have been better. Every once in a while, my taps would not register even though I’d most definitely tapped the screen. The screen is also quite reflective, which makes it more challenging to use in bright environments.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip comes with a dual main camera – not a big deal in 2020 but understandable given the phone’s form factor. It is comprised of a 12MP main camera and a 12MP super wide-angle cam. There’s also a 10MP selfie camera in the main screen, available when the phone is unfolded. On the software side, there’s Samsung’s new Single Take feature, as well as a proper Night Mode, Super Steady stabilization, and manual controls for both photos and video.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has a main camera (left) backed by a secondary ultra wide camera (right)
But since having to unfold the Z Flip each time you want to take a selfie would suck, Samsung lets you use the main camera even when the phone is closed. It’s actually pretty neat: just double-click on the power button to launch the camera, and the small ticker screen on the top becomes a viewfinder. Of course, this is meant for taking selfies, but the other day I took a photo of a document this way because opening the phone seemed like too much work.
And here’s another trick: the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip becomes its own stand when folded halfway in an L shape. Place it on the table, set a timer, and take a picture of the entire party without having to hold the phone!
Photo quality is okay overall. Images appear comparable to what you’d get out of the Galaxy S10e from last year but with tweaked image processing algorithms. Most noticeably, there’s more sharpening with the Galaxy Z Flip.
Here’s a bunch of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip photo samples to explore. Keep in mind that they’ve been mostly taken using the camera’s default settings, with Samsung’s Scene Optimizer feature activated. Selfies have a beauty mode enabled by default and it is set to a strength setting of 2 out of 8.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip camera photo samples
Battery life: not as bad as I expected
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has two batteries, one in the bottom half and one in the upper half, with a combined capacity of 3300mAh. That’s not a lot by today’s standards, but in the real world, the phone holds up pretty well.
I can’t call the Galaxy Z Flip a 2-day phone, but I’ve had no troubles getting through a moderately busy day. It is normal for me to go to bed with about 35% battery left in the tank. Perhaps not having an always-on display helps here.
Is the Galaxy Z Flip the phone of the future?
If you think about it, a Ferrari is a pretty bad car. It gets terrible mileage, it can barely seat two people, it’s unusable off the road, and the trunk is probably no bigger than a shoebox. But I’d still get one if I could afford it!
In a similar way, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a terrible phone. Behind the flashy, foldable design stands an underwhelming phone that solves one problem but creates ten more. But I can’t blame anyone for being excited about it. The Galaxy Z Flip is made for a niche audience that I don’t belong to. It is made to be a fashion accessory, to make its owner stand out of the crowd, and to show us what modern tech is capable of. I’d say that it gets the job done well.
I’ll be using the Galaxy Z Flip for a few more days before I bring you my full review. Until then, drop a comment below if you have any thoughts or questions about Samsung’s second foldable phone.