Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review

Introduction

Samsung wowed everyone last year when it introduced the Galaxy Fold. Sure, it took a few months to figure out the kinks after the first batch of units saw some fatal manufacturing defects. Once figured out, though, the Galaxy Fold turned out to be one of those milestone devices that would change the industry forever.

The Galaxy Z Flip is Samsung's second-generation folding device, and the company's first-generation Galaxy Z product. In both cases, the Galaxy Z Flip is a unique device - combining the nostalgic form factor from almost two decades ago with the brilliance of Samsung's second-generation Hideaway Hinge and flexible display technology.

The AMOLED screen has a punch hole cut-out for the 10MP selfie camera and the dual 12MP cameras look promising. The Z Flip also keeps some of the flagship Galaxy's charging features like wireless charging and Power Share (reverse wireless charging). The 3,300 mAh battery seems a bit small, though.

The Galaxy Z Flip sees a couple of improvements in the hinge, as well as a new protective material in front of the display which Samsung calls "UTG" or Ultra Thin Glass. This glass is protected by the same polymer material as the Galaxy Fold so it's still not as scratch resistant as your typical Gorilla Glass handset.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Specs:

• Body: Hideaway Hinge; aluminum frames; Gorilla Glass 6; mirror finish; 183g
• Dimensions: Closed: 87.4 x 73.7 x 15.4-18.33 mm; Open: 167.9 x 73.6 x 6.9-7.2 mm
• Screen: 6.7-Inch Infinity Flex Adaptive AMOLED display with Ultra Thin Glass layered under polymer-based protective surface; FHD+ (1080 x 2636 px), 21.5:9 aspect ratio
• Cover Display: 1.1-inch (112 x 300 px) Super AMOLED
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ Octa-core (1x2.95 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.41 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485); Adreno 640 GPU
• Memory: 8GB RAM + 256GB UFS 3.0 internal storage (non-expandable)
• OS: Android 10; Samsung One UI 2.1
• Battery: 3,300 mAh, 15W Adaptive Fast Charge; Fast Wireless Charging; Wireless Powershare 9W
• Cameras: Primary: 12MP (f/1.8, 27mm (wide), 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS); Ultrawide: f/2.2, 12mm, 1.12µm; LED Flash
• Selfie camera: 10 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1.22µm; PDAF
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; USB-C

The Galaxy Fold's specs aren't groundbreaking, but they are certainly not midrange by any means. It's running the 2019 Snapdragon 855+ with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage - so it's basically a flagship Samsung Galaxy phone on the inside.

Samsung went with a dual-camera setup on the Z Flip - there's no telephoto camera, but there's at least an ultra-wide. The selfie camera is a 10MP unit, though its aperture isn't as bright as we've seen on other Galaxy Flagships.

In any case, we're here to let you know if the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is worth it. Does this brand-new form factor offer enough bang for your buck?

Unboxing

The Galaxy Z Flip's box features a dual-layered logo shaped like a "Z". Our Mirror Purple model showed a purple "Z" and after cutting the seals, we can slide the sleeve off the actual box. Now you can lift the lid off the box and see the Z Flip.

The first thing you'll notice is the list of warnings on the protective film on the Z Flip. It warns not to use sharp objects near the screen, not to press too hard with your finger or fingernail, and to not attach any screen protectors to the display. It also warns that the phone is not water-resistant and that the strong magnets on the Z Flip may cause damage to credit cards or medical devices.

We almost missed it, but there's a flat box hiding in the top half of the box with documentation, a SIM eject tool, and a protective plastic case for the Z Flip. It doesn't seem like it will actually protect the phone from damage in the event of a drop, but it should be fine to keep the outside safe from scratches.

Underneath the phone is a 15W Adaptive Fast Charge adapter, USB-C to USB-A cable, a content transfer adapter with a full-size USB-A port, and a pair of AKG headphones with USB-C connector.

Now let's look at the design of the Z Flip.