Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 hands-on review

Update: Our full Galaxy Z Flip3 5G review is up now.

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is a lovely thing to look at and touch. It is using the exact same hinge as its predecessor, but comes with a reinforced frame and upgraded screens. Yet, the Flips have always been as much fashion accessories as phones so the nicer design it flaunts is arguably at least as important.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 comes in seven color options - Cream, Green, Lavender, Phantom Black, Gray, White and Pink - all of which accented by the black Gorilla Glass DX for the camera island - this foldable is fit for all types of people.

The frame is made of the same Armor Aluminum as the bigger foldable and its color is matched to the phone's glass panel. That glass panel is also matte and covers smudges and fingerprints nicely.

The glass bit on top (unfolded), where the two 12MP cameras reside, is the only glossy portion on the phone. It appears black, but is more of a dark grey color, which shimmers and darkens depending on the reflection.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G folds mostly flat. There's hardly a gap between the two parts of the phone.

There's a volume rocker high up on the right side of the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. Below it is the capacitive fingerprint scanner. The SIM slot is on the opposite side.

The USB-C port and main loudspeaker grille are on the bottom.

Unfolded, the 6.7-inch screen has a smaller crease than the 7.6-inch one on the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G. The screen sits slightly below the plastic bezel for extra protection, while the lack of gap when the phone is closed ensures no dust will get in.

The display is lovely. It's crisp, bright, fast-refreshing and vibrant. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G uses a conventional punch hole 10MP selfie camera.

The cover screen is much bigger this year - 1.9-inch, up from 1.1-inch. It has the same 302ppi density and is good enough to take selfies with either of the two main cameras.

Handling and software

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is very petite when closed. Thanks to its far more manageable weight of 183g it's much easier to carry in your pockets.

When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G remains relatively compact. It's narrower than the Galaxy S21+, which has the same screen diagonal, but taller.

When the phone is folded, you can do a lot with its cover screen. It's more adept at showing notifications than its 1.1-inch predecessor and is perfectly usable for adjusting quick settings like the phone's volume or changing a track on your music player. There are six widgets for the cover screen, including Weather, S Health step count and Samsung Pay, which will allow you to pay without opening up the phone.

When the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is half-opened and placed on a flat surface, Flex Panel will kick in and move your app to the top half of the screen and shift controls like volume to the bottom one. This may be handy to watch a video or do a video chat with someone with the phone supporting itself like some sort of miniature laptop.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 definately looks like the more promising member of the newly announced smartphone duo. Not only is it the cheapest foldable to date, but its refreshed design and far more useful external screen may make a real difference with the intended audience.