Galaxy fold camera quality. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 delivers a more durable design, S Pen support and better multitasking, but it’s still a pricey device for power users

Tom’s Guide Verdict

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is best foldable phone yet, with a more durable design and S Pen support, and the multitasking features are even better. You need a case to store the stylus and the cameras are not upgraded, but overall the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a great choice for power users.

Pros

• durable, water resistant design
• Dual 120Hz displays
• S Pen support
• Improved multitasking features
• optimized foldable apps

Cons

• – Still pricey
• – Camera hardware not upgraded
• – No S Pen or charger included
• – Bulky when closed
• – Battery life could be better

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Price: 1,799 (256GB), 1,899 (512GB) CPU: Snapdragon 888 RAM: 12GB Storage: 256GB, 512GB External display: 6.2 inches (2268 x 832) 120Hz Adaptive Internal display 7.6 inches (2208 x 1768) 120Hz Adaptive Rear cameras: 12MP wide (f/1.8); 12MP ultrawide (f.2.2, 123-degree FOV); 12MP telephoto (f/2.4, 2x optical zoom, 10x digital zoom) Front camera: 10MP (f/2.2) Under-display camera: 4MP (f/1.8) Battery: 4,400 mAh Charging: 25W (charger not included) Size: 6.2 x 2.6 x 0.56 to 0.62 inches (closed); 6.2 x 5 x 0.25 inches (open) Weight: 9.55 ounces

Update: Samsung now has the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which offers an improved 50MP main camera, a sturdier display, slimmer hinge and narrower bezels. And it offers a new taskbar along with better multitasking. Check out our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is so good that it might just win over foldable phone skeptics. Samsung addressed some of the durability concerns. The display, for example, is up to 80% tougher, and the whole phone is water resistant. Want to do more with a massive 7.6-inch screen? There’s S Pen support, plus an under-display camera to make for a more immersive display.

Think foldable phones cost too much? Well, we can’t help you much there. This sequel is still pricey at 1,799, but at least it’s 200 cheaper than its predecessor at launch. If you’re looking for a truly affordable foldable, the new 999 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a better bet. (For a deeper comparison, see our Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 3 face-off.) Or you could turn to our Samsung promo codes to help you knock a few dollars off those hefty price tags.

Other notable Galaxy Z Fold 3 upgrades include a brighter display and enhanced multitasking features, complete with a Windows-like taskbar. However, the battery life could be better, the design is still quite bulky, and Samsung should have included the S Pen. (Read our comparison between the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 3 S Pen)

While this foldable remains a niche device, our Galaxy Z Fold 3 review shows that Samsung has refined the best foldable phone you can buy, making it an excellent choice for power users who want a phone and tablet in one gadget.

However, if you’re planning on buying a Z Fold 3 any time soon, you may want to look at the Galaxy Z Fold 4. This improves on the Z Fold 3 in a number of ways, so read our Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3 to learn more.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Release date and price

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 was released on August 27. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a starting price of 1,799 for the 256GB model, and the 512GB version costs 1,899.

Check out our best Galaxy Z Fold 3 deals page for all the biggest discounts, and you might also find our guide to the best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 cases helpful. If you do pick up a Galaxy Z Fold 3, make sure to check out what we think is the first app you should install on your Samsung Galaxy phone.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Design and durability

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 adds a lot of in the way of durability, even if it’s still on the bulky side.

Right off the bat, you’ll be glad to know that the new Galaxy Z Fold is IPX8 water resistant, which means it can withstand being in up to 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. I doubt most people will dunk this foldable, but it’s good to know it can handle everything from splashes to rain.

Unfortunately, we are not able to test water resistance on our review sample, but we have purchased a Galaxy Z Fold 3 and will put that unit to the test and update this review. Just note that the Z Fold 3 is not dust resistant, so I wouldn’t feel comfy bringing this foldable to the beach.

To further fortify the Galaxy Z Fold 3, its stronger Armor Aluminum body and Gorilla Glass Victus display are designed to resist scratches and drops. Last but not least, Samsung claims that the Z Fold 3 employs a new protective PET film that when combined with “optimized” main screen layers results in a 80% more durable screen.

If that isn’t enough to convince you that the Z Fold 3 you’re thinking of buying will be safe, take a look at the best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 cases you can get for additional peace of mind.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 measures 6.2 x 2.6 x 0.56 to 0.62 inches when closed and 6.2 x 5 x 0.25 when open. And it weighs 9.5 ounces. Compare that to 6.2 x 2.6 x 0.66 inches (closed), 6.2 x 5 x 0.27 inches (open) and 9.9 ounces for the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Still, this is way thicker and heavier when closed then most phones, so you’ll feel it in your

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes in three main colors: Phantom Black, Phantom Green and Phantom Silver. I’m a fan of the silver because it pops most.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Displays and audio

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 once again features two displays: a 6.2-inch OLED cover display and a 7.6-inch main screen that’s revealed once you unfold the device.

Both panels offer a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and I experienced smooth scrolling and overall performance during my hands-on time with the phone.

The resolution for the interior screen is the same as before at 2208 x 1768 pixels, but the good news is that the new display is rated to be 29% brighter than before, thanks to new Eco display technology.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3’s main display looks pretty stunning, and a big reason for that is a new under-display camera. Instead of having to stare at a notch or punch hole, the UDC on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is nearly invisible, especially when you go full screen on content like photos and videos. When the display is dark, say on the home screen, you can make out the tiny hole, but it’s not that noticeable.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s display averaged 422 nits of brightness in our lab testing. That’s okay but nearly half what the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra turned in (821 nits), and the iPhone 12 Pro Max also hit a relatively high 654 nits.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3’s speakers are quite powerful and delivered clear and loud sound while listening to Spotify and when making calls. The sound can get a bit muffled when you stand the Z Fold 3 on a desk (one of the speakers is on the bottom) but overall the audio is solid from this foldable phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Softwares and special features

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 Is a multitasking powerhouse. Thanks to the Multi-Active Window feature, you can run two apps side by side (dragging and dropping content between them) or run up to three apps at once. And now the enhanced App Pair feature lets you create shortcuts for two apps later in the same way you had them open.

Don’t feel like constantly swiping in from the right side to open the Edge Panel to see these and other apps? Samsung added a new Taskbar feature that lets you switch between apps on the fly; it just sits there on the right side of the display, similar to the Windows taskbar. To get the Taskbar to work, I had to dig into the Settings menu and activate Samsung Labs, which most people won’t know how to do.

Once activated, the Taskbar is a great addition. I love that I can quickly glance at how many notifications I might have in Slack, for example, then quickly switch to that app. Or I can quickly open my favorite App Pair: Gallery and Messages.

Samsung Labs can also force apps that are not optimized for foldable displays to work in Multi-Active Windows mode. For example, I could park Netflix on the left side of the display and continue watching Outer Banks while keeping an eye on messages on the right side of the screen.

Another cool feature is drag and split. For example, if you’re in the Samsung browser and you’re looking at items on Amazon, you can simply drag one over to the right to open a new window. That way you can look at the details on one product while comparing other products on the left. Other apps that support this feature including Samsung Message, MS Office, One Note and more.

When you fold the Galaxy Z Fold 3 like a laptop, a number of apps support Flex mode, which puts the content up top and controls on the bottom portion on the display. This works in YouTube and the Camera app, and I also used it during a hands-free Google Meet video call. You can even force Flex mode to appear in apps, but I’d rather see more developers just embrace the feature.

Samsung is also working closely with third-party developers to roll out more apps that work natively with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. These include Snapchat, TikTok, Netflix, Spotify and YouTube. For example, when you’re using Spotify, you’ll see the Now Playing window on the bottom left side and the rest of the discover menu on the right side, making it easier to multitask.

But my favorite optimized app for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Chrome. I like being able to see all my tabs at the top and move them around, just as I would on the desktop.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: S Pen

Given that I’ve always found using a stylus on even the biggest phablets cramped, it’s refreshing to see Samsung add S Pen support to a 7.6-inch foldable phone. There’s simply more room to take notes, sketch or mark up documents without needing to constantly zoom in.

But right away, there’s an issue with the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s S Pen support. While the stylus will work with the foldable phone, it’s not included, nor is there a built-in slot for the stylus like there is with Galaxy Note models. Instead, the S Pen is an accessory that you buy separately on top of the 1,799 you’re already spending on your phone. If you want a way to store the pen, you’ll need a specially designed case, which is another purchase.

You’ve got two S Pen options — the 49 S Pen Fold Edition and the 99 S Pen Pro. The latter offers Bluetooth connectivity for supporting features like Air Gestures and other remote control capabilities. The S Pen Fold Edition is merely a writing instrument, albeit one that’s been specially designed with a collapsible tip to work with the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s screen.

We tested the S Pen Fold Edition, and it’s a good sturdy stylus in a uniform black. We struggled to find the S Pen’s button at times, and that’s unfortunate since you’ll need to press that button to activate features like off-screen memo or quick note. Just hovering the pen over the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s active screen summons up the S Pen menu, though, giving you access to various tasks you can perform with the stylus.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3’s expansive 7.6-inch canvas offers ample space to jot down a quick note — just hold that button on the S Pen and tap the screen to start writing things down. If the screen is turned off, all you have to do is press and hold the S Pen button and tap the screen to create an off-screen memo.

Other S Pen-powered features include productivity boosters such as Screen Write (a markup feature), Smart Select (pull text and pictures out of other apps) and translate (where you can tap words to find out what they mean in different languages). Other features like Live Message — where you can capture an image and add text and doodles — or AR Doodle for superimposing your drawings over real-world objects are less about productivity and more about fun.

Note that you can only use the S Pen on the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s main screen. The cover display doesn’t support input from the stylus. This seems like an oversight, as if you want to jot down a quick note, maybe you don’t want to bother with unfolding the device.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Cameras

There’s really not much new to report on the camera hardware front with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, with the exception of the under-display camera. But Samsung has brought some of the best camera features over from the Galaxy S21 Ultra, including Single Take (Dynamic Video) and Director’s View (for using the front and back cameras at once). Other highlights include rear camera selfie and a Capture View Mode that lets you see your photos on the left and your live preview on the right.

The rear cameras once again include a trio of 12MP lenses: an f/1.8 wide-angle shooter, an ultra-wide f/2.2 camera with a 123-degree field of view, and a 12MP telephoto camera. Based on our photo comparisons, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 takes colorful and mostly sharp photos. But it’s a step behind the iPhone 12 Pro in terms of details and more realistic hues. And you miss out on the zooming power of the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

But now that the Galaxy S22 is the new kid on the block, Samsung has announced that it’s bringing some of that phone’s camera features to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, like nighttime portraits with the telephoto lens. The Fold 3 is also getting Expert RAW and support for the telephoto lens in Pro Mode.

You can see in this shot of portulaca flowers that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is capable of delivering vibrant colors, though the details could be a bit better in the petals when I zoomed in. I slightly prefer the contrast offered by the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

In this portrait, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 does a mostly fine job with the bokeh effect, blurring out most of the background, though the leaves on the right side are fairly pronounced. My blue shirt really pops, and there’s a good amount of detail in my hair, but my skin tone is a bit washed out, with the iPhone 12 Pro offering a warmer and more realistic take.

Once again the Galaxy Z Fold 3 produces a colorful shot here of various peppers, offering saturated hues of green, orange, yellow and red. And this time the detail remained fairly strong as I zoomed in on the sign and even the stickers on some of the produce. It’s nearly a draw with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, though once again the added contrast gives Apple’s phone a slight edge, and the oranges are a bit richer.

In this beach scene you can see that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 struggles to deliver the same amount of detail and subtlety as the iPhone, especially when it comes to the translucence of the water, the variations in sunlight and the bark in the tree on the right side.

With Night mode engaged, I compared the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy S21 Ultra, and the Fold has an edge with more realistic colors. The S21 Ultra’s shot is brighter but has an orange tinge to it.

To test out the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s selfie capabilities I used both the 4MP under-display camera and 10MP front camera, and it’s no contest. My face looks blurrier and washed out with the UDC photo, and my hair, shirt and the surrounding grass just look better with the 10MP camera. For more on this UDC see my Galaxy Z Fold 3 under-display camera test results.

It’s too bad that you get just a 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, for example, packs dual telephoto lenses with 3x and 10x optical zoom, and that phone’s Space Zoom (digital) goes up to 100x.

In the above photo the Z Fold 3 delivers a shot that’s nearly as good as the S21 Ultra at 10x, even if the pic is a bit too bright. But the Galaxy Z Fold 3 pushes much further, as you can see in the above shot taken with the 50x zoom setting.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: Performance

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 proved mostly snappy in our hands-on time, and that’s because it has some pretty beefy hardware under the hood. A Snapdragon 888 chip runs the show, and it’s backed by 12GB of RAM. There’s also 256GB of internal storage standard, though you can opt for 512GB.

In everyday use the Galaxy Z Fold 3 provided swift performance, whether I was running three apps at once or racing around the track in Asphalt 9. However, I did notice some glitches at times, such as when going from the cover display to the main display.

On Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 notched 3,418 on the multi-core portion of the test and 1,107 on single core. That’s on par with the the Galaxy S21 Ultra (3,400/1,123) but well behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max (4,100/1,600).

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 wasn’t as far behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max on the 3DMark Wild Life graphics test. The Samsung mustered 33 frames per second, compared to 39 fps on the iPhone.

On our video editing test using the Adobe Premiere Rush app, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 took 50 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. That’s faster than the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 1 minute and 2 seconds but still slower than the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s 28 seconds.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Battery life and charging

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 packs a 4,400 mAh dual battery, which is a bit smaller than the Z Fold 2’s 4,500 mAh pack. And we were disappointed in the results of our web surfing battery test, which involves surfing the web over 5G on 150 nits of screen brightness.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 lasted just 7 hours and 52 seconds in 60Hz display mode, and even less on adaptive mode (up to 120Hz) at 6:35. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 lasted a much longer 10:10 and 9:05, respectively, on the same screen modes. Last year we used T-Mobile’s network so that may account for some of the difference. We will report back with more test results.

As expected, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 doesn’t include a charger, so we used a 25W Samsung charger to test the charge time. After 30 minutes, the phone reached 47%, which isn’t bad.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 also supports up to 10W wireless charging. You can also use the back of the Z Fold 3 to reverse wireless charge other devices up to 4.5W.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: One UI 4.1

In mid-March, Samsung announced some new features coming to older Galaxy phones in the One UI 4.1 update. Most of these relate to Galaxy S22 camera features that will start trickling down to these handsets, including the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

We’ve detailed everything that’s coming to the Fold 3 in the One UI 4.1 update. The foldable is getting access to Samsung’s ExpertRAW app, letting you take RAW photos that you can tweak to your heart’s content.

The Galaxy Z Fold is first up for the One UI 4.1 update.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra

Foldables are a category of their own and Samsung is essentially the only player right now. While Apple allegedly prepares its own foldable, we can only draw comparisons to what’s available right now, and that’s the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

It’s a bit unfair to compare these phones in some regards due to the differing form factors, but Samsung has to convince people to buy the Fold 3. And when compared to the new iPhone, the Fold 3 falls far short in several areas. Key among these are battery life and camera quality. In fact, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has earned a spot on our best phone battery life and best camera phones lists.

Foldables are still in their infancy, but when you get an arguably better phone for several hundred dollars less, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a tough sell in some respects. It’s still a neat and novel phone/tablet and it’s by no means bad, but Apple knocked it out of the park this year. The Fold 3 has trouble keeping up in some places.

And then there’s Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S22 Ultra. This beast brings back the Galaxy Note with a blocky design and a built-in S Pen. It’s a productivity powerhouse for those who like the stylus life. Like the iPhone 13 Pro Max, it’s almost unfair to compare these two phones, but no device exists in a vacuum.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra features better zoom, more power, a brighter display, better battery life and the built-in S Pen. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a great device, but it flounders a bit when compared to its newer cousin.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Verdict

With the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung retains the title of best foldable phone, and that’s not just because there’s really no competition right now. You get a more durable design, improved multitasking and better displays for a little less money than last time around.

The under-display camera is a step forward in terms of design, letting you see more of the screen when not in use. But you’ll need to trade off some image quality from this 4MP shooter.

Samsung also deserves credit for working with developers to optimize more apps for foldables. However, while I appreciate the S Pen support, Samsung should have included the stylus for 1,799. Plus, the battery life could be better and the overall design slimmer.

Overall, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a winner, but it’s only for those users who are willing to pay a premium for a phone that can double as a tablet.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review

The new Galaxy Z Fold 4 sets the bar higher for all foldable and is the most advanced, most expensive Samsung Galaxy smartphone. In this fourth generation, Samsung brings an array of incremental but significant upgrades we have tested and analyzed using our experience with prior Galaxy Z Fold smartphones and a good knowledge of the competitive landscape.

Note : our specific unit is the ATT Galaxy Z Fold 4 (model SM-F936U) with 256GB of storage. ATT sells it for 1799.99 (or 50/mo). We have the Black version, but the same carrier also has it in “Beige” and “Graygreen” which is probably the best of the three.

This ATT unit supports both mmWave and sub-6Ghz 5G connectivity. so you can get extremely fast peak downloads where mmWave is available, and the roaming compatibility seems to be extremely high if you’re a world traveler. Select carriers may discard mmWave support in their units. Do your homework.

The usual ATT security apps. including Call Protect and ATT Cloud, offer free incoming calls and browsing security and very affordable Cloud storage to their customers. That aside, the experience should be very similar to other Galaxy Z Fold 4 phones.

Design

The Z Fold design is one of the most intricate smartphone designs on the market and has objectively been years ahead of the competition. As of today, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 design sets a new bar and progresses in key areas: cover screen, camera, and durability.

The cover screen is 3mm wider, which is hugely important because, as a primary phone, it’s likely that you’ll use the cover screen more often than the primary folding display. Essentially, this makes it a more classic smartphone experience even though it is still narrower. Samsung has slightly changed the display ratio, and the new Z Fold 4 is not as tall as the Z Fold 3, which is good.

This 3mm gain was acquired thanks to a more optimized hinge design. The new hinge does not protrude as much, and that’s partially how the cover-screen’s left bezel size was reduced.

In the back, the Camera bump is a bit taller because the camera system has been changed to better match the Galaxy S22/S22 performance. This is one of the most anticipated changes, and that’s a good reason for the bump to be larger.

Some people freak out when the phone wobbles a bit if used on a flat surface, but it’s never been an issue for us, especially as a trade-off for a high-performance camera. Packing a great camera in a thin phone is physically impossible without a sizeable camera bump.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is waterproof (IPx8, so not dust-proof), and Samsung remains the only folding phone OEM that produces a water-tight device. It also has an 88% market share in the foldable phones space and uses its first-mover advantage very well.

These three areas aside, the industrial design feature more minor changes such as a more durable external glass surface (Gorilla Glass Victus) similar to the S22 Ultra or a nearly invisible selfie camera under the folding screen.

The chassis is extremely rigid. Closed, it won’t bend or shear under strong forces. The internal display is extremely well protected from drops onto hard surfaces, but remember that the cover display is like a classic smartphone and can crack.

The Power button doubles as a fingerprint reader on the right side. It makes sense since it needs to work when using either screen. A good strategy is registering a few fingers to accomodate every possible grip (we noted three).

Sound Quality

The audio quality is excellent. and nominal loudness aside, it’s better than many laptops we’ve tested in the past. The sound is powerful and clear. making the Z Fold 4 a great desk companion for watching TV shows or video news while working on a computer.

Folding Experience

The foldable design features a radically different experience vs. classic phones or larger tablets. Overall, it feels very similar to what we had last year, but for those who are just getting interested, there are highlights you should not miss.

First of all, the 7.6″ OLED display brings a vastly superior visual experience for consuming content in general. text, websites, games, videos, and images are much better represented, and that’s the fundamental reason why people are willing to spend that much.

The Flex Mode (folded at ~90 degrees) lets you naturally rest the phone on a flat surface to watch videos, participate in video calls, or even take photos. It can be extremely convenient and is essentially a natural tripod.

The large display brings a world-class tablet experience in a unique able format. The Galaxy Z Fold phones are just starting to get some competition and are undoubtedly the 7.6″ Android tablet with the best performance/size or performance/weight ratio.

THE WORLD’S MOST PRODUCTIVE PHONE

The Z Fold 4 keeps the “world’s most productive phone” title in the family. Samsung has refined the split-screen experience. making it easier to open multiple apps simultaneously. Having two vertically split apps is the best option for us, but Samsung supports up to four tiles 1 floating app.

There’s ample room on the screen, so Samsung’s latest One UI 4.1.1 adds the Android 12L taskbar at the bottom, letting you switch to the most recent or your favorite apps without going back to the home page.

On top of that, it supports an optional S-Pen digitizer which takes the whole thing to the next level for those who like taking notes, making sketches, or doodles. The S-Pen can also become a remote control for presentations or photos. The competition is left in the dust.

The display crease in the middle can sometimes be felt when writing with the S-Pen. It’s no big deal; you should check for yourself in a store. What is rather extraordinary is to have this option at all. It would be wonderful if Samsung could integrate the pen into the chassis someday.

Display(s) quality

Technically, both displays feature incredible image quality and comfort and can go from 1Hz to 120 Hz for optimum power consumption. You get butter-smooth scrolling or gaming when you need, and save power when you don’t.

Key numbers : 940 NITs (manual setting, measured), 1200 NITs (peak brightness specs, auto-mode). dE2000 of 1.0 (excellent color accuracy, in “natural” mode)

Samsung has made subtle changes in the aspect ratio, which is excellent because it improves the proportions of the handset, but it does not affect how the phone feels or is used vs. the Z Fold 3.

INCREDIBLE IMAGE QUALITY AND COMFORT

The 4MP selfie camera under the folding display is very well hidden and nearly invisible. Samsung engineers have doubled the pixel density on top of the camera, and you might have to squint to spot it. That said, it also seems to slightly decrease the image quality because it does block some of the incoming light.

There’s no need to delve into all the technical details, as this Samsung OLED display’s capabilities are beyond what your eyes can perceive and are among the best today’s technology can produce.

Camera Performance

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 brings a camera performance closer to the one found in the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22, some of the best on the market. In the rear, there are three cameras:

There are also two selfie cameras

Our algorithmic CAMERA HW score ranks the Galaxy Z Fold 4 ( score=155 ) which is now closer to the Galaxy S22 ( score=166 ), a great score as independent reviewers recognize the S22 as an outstanding shooter in the high-end segment.

The Z Fold 4 new GN3 primary sensor is ~26% larger. which is significant, but the sensor pixels are smaller than the Z Fold 3 (50MP 1.0 microns vs. 12MP 1.8 microns). Note that smaller pixels also decrease the light capture efficiency. Additionally, we estimate there’s 17% more light getting to that larger sensor, so gains might not be as dramatic as the sensor size alone suggests, but it’s a positive change.

UBERGIZMO CAMERA HW SCORE: 155

The Samsung GN3 sensor is more flexible and adaptable to different scene conditions. importantly, Samsung engineers have extracted every bit of quality from it. For example, if there’s ample light, Samsung is one of the rare OEMs to offer a full-resolution 50 Megapixel capture in “auto” mode that should yield more details.

The new 3X optical zoom camera is also slightly better, with a 62mm lens vs. the previous 52mm one. The difference is slight, but it’s worth noting. For reference, the 10X optical long-zoom of the S22 Ultra is a 230mm zoom.

The better selfie camera is on the cover screen, which makes sense because you capture selfies with one hand. The 4MP selfie camera is for video calls (Flex Mode), and that activity is mainly limited by network connectivity, so 4MP is enough.

System performance

Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the computing performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is without reproach, with outstanding CPU speed. With such a screen, graphics performance is even more critical. In our tests, it was up to 82% faster and on par with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

In “stress tests” like 3DMark Wildlife extreme, this smartphone showed excellent cooling capabilities and would be an impressive gaming phone. That aligns with Samsung’s goal of building a productivity and multimedia Champion, and users can be assured they are getting the best level of Android performance in 2022.

Battery Life

The 4400 mAh battery capacity is identical to last year’s Z Fold, and it’s normal since it is limited by the chassis size, which is 2% smaller than its predecessor. That said, it does have longer battery life, and our experience suggests that it could be as much as 20% higher depending on your activity.

Two optimizations could induce such a gap: the variable display refresh rate and the higher power efficiency of the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 platform. Still, the larger display and smaller battery (vs. the S22 Ultra) means the battery life is shorter than a regular phone, perhaps slightly above a full day’s work for most people.

The charging speed was also slightly improved but pales compared to recent phones from OnePlus, Infinix, and others. Since battery capacity is unlikely to go beyond 5000 mAh any time soon, charging speed is the new battleground.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a technological marvel that remains way ahead of the competition despite a decreasing pace of innovation. It has become the de-facto best folding phone in the world, providing the best visual experience, productivity, and excellent durability.

These facts alone would qualify it as your foldable phone of choice if you made a purchase decision. That said, it’s (sadly) not for everyone, and owning a folding phone remains a very different smartphone experience that should be considered carefully.

To the right audience, the Z Fold 4 brings an unparalleled experience that explains why this category grows very fast, even with the 1799.99 start price.

Samsung’s new foldy phone is more versatile than my iPhone, but it’s not worth 1,800

A Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable smartphone is seen in this undated handout provided by Samsung Electronics.

I’ve been testing Samsung’s new 1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 4 phone, which launches Aug. 26, for the past two weeks. It’s the first time I’ve ever used a phone that opens up to reveal a screen the size of a small tablet. And I’m impressed.

I normally use an iPhone 13 mini, and I found there’s a lot I can do with a phone like this. I can run multiple apps side-by-side, for example. I can sit outdoors and watch TV with a larger screen than I usually have in my

The battery life is great, the upgraded camera is sharp and the new app taskbar at the bottom of the screen makes it easy to launch your favorite apps with a quick tap.

Still, I’m not impressed enough to justify the 1,800 price tag. The improvements to the Z Fold 4 are marginal compared to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 3. And while it’s fun to use, I don’t think the Z Fold 4 will take foldables mainstream just yet.

Here are my three takeaways after trying out the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.

The big display is a game changer

The most common complaint I came across before my first interaction with the Z Fold was that the crease down the middle is obvious and distracting. I compared the Z Fold 4 to its predecessor, the Z Fold 3, and the crease seems less noticeable. When watching Bravo on the YouTube TV app, I forgot I was watching on a foldable phone altogether. The crease just sort of fades away once you get used to it.

The screen is also super bright. I was able to watch TV outside on a bright day and the picture didn’t get blown out by the sun. I even read an e-book and some news articles on the beach.

I also like that the external screen is slightly wider than on last year’s model. There’s more room for typing and it feels a lot more like using a regular phone, instead of a skinny one.

The most useful feature was being able to open multiple browser tabs on the 7.6-inch screen at once. It meant I could bounce between different websites, as I would on a computer, just by tapping different tabs.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is also the first device with Android 12L, a special version of Android created by Google for large-screen devices. It makes multitasking with three open apps at the same time really easy. In the picture above, you can see I have the browser, YouTube TV and my photo gallery open. But you can do it with any three apps. I liked that I could save them into a shortcut on the home screen and, with one tap, launch them again right back to where they were.

Some apps aren’t automatically optimized to use the bigger internal screen. Take Instagram for example, another app I frequent often. It has big borders on the side by default. Thankfully, Samsung has an option in settings to force apps to use the whole display, even if they aren’t optimized. It works, you just need to know where to look.

The camera is on a par with the iPhone 13 Pro Max

There a three rear cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, including an upgraded 50-megapixel wide lens and a 30x zoom lens. The bigger lens size means the camera catches 23 percent more light than the Fold 3, and the increased megapixels translate to sharper pictures.

I compared the Z Fold 4 to Apple’s high-end iPhone 13 Pro Max. Both are great for pictures. The details seemed to be captured better by the Z Fold 4, while colors were more accurately represented on the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Take for example this shot of a rose. The iPhone 13 Pro Max offers more detail and a more accurate representation of the real color. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 captures a photo that has a little more natural blurring around the rose, which some people prefer.

In this landscape photo, you can see that the colors the Z Fold 4 captures aren’t super accurate. They’re more saturated looking. You do, however, get more details from the darker parts of the Z Fold 4 images.

One thing I miss when using the Z Fold 4 is the indexing capability of the iPhone camera roll. I like being able to search my camera role for text in images, which works really well on the iPhone but doesn’t work great on the Galaxy Z Fold.

Battery life that lasts a full day

I used the Galaxy Z Fold 4 all day to stream, email, read e-books and play games, I managed to make it until bedtime without needing a charge. But, keep in mind your battery life will vary depending on how often you’re using the big internal display versus the smaller one. You might get much longer battery life if you mostly use the external screen.

The Z Fold 4 comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable, but it doesn’t come with a wall plug despite the 1,800 price tag. Most phone makers are doing this now, under the assumption they can save on waste since most people may already have a charger at home. Still, I think it should come with a charging brick since you need at least a 25-watt charger to fast charge. It’s also compatible with wireless charging.

Should you buy it?

A Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable smartphone is seen in this undated handout provided by Samsung Electronics.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 feels like a flex. I was at a family gathering among my iPhone-using in-laws and I gave them a chance to try out the phablet. After some initial oohs and aahs all of them said the phone wouldn’t pull them away from their iPhones.

1,800 is a lot of money. I think being able to fold a phone in half is cool, but not cool enough to justify the price. You can save money and buy a great Android phone like Samsung’s Galaxy S22, the S22 Ultra or Google’s Pixel 6 and still have enough left over to buy a tablet.

But, if you want a tablet and phone in one, this might be right up your alley. It’s especially useful if you’re a frequent traveler and want to carry fewer devices.

Samsung’s new folding smartphone flagship gets a much-needed camera upgrade

The Galaxy Z Fold4’s camera setup doesn’t quite match that of fellow flagships but it’s impressive nonetheless.

By Mike Tomkins | Published Aug 12, 2022 8:44 PM EDT

For such expensive devices, Samsung’s eye-catching Galaxy Z Fold phones have long lagged the field when it comes to their camera setup. That’s perhaps understandable, as the folding screen tech is both expensive and bulky, leaving less room and cost for decent cameras. It’s sad news for photographers, though, as it’s meant you have to choose between a huge screen or great cameras. But that’s about to change, to some degree, with the launch of the new flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 was also simultaneously-announced, but given its camera specification is much lower, we’ll just FOCUS on the Fold4 in this article.

How does the Z Fold4 fit into Samsung’s lineup?

Let’s start off with the not-so-great news: The just-launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 still isn’t the equal of other flagships, with Samsung’s own Galaxy S22 Ultra among the phones that can still beat it in terms of specs, for far less money. But while it’s still not a top-tier setup, the Fold4 should still best everything else in Samsung’s current smartphone lineup.

What’s new since the Fold3?

The Fold4’s camera setup has been mostly rethought since the Fold3 and is effectively now on parity with the non-folding Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus. The main camera sensor has been upgraded from 12 to 50 megapixels, and its size increased such that Samsung says it can now gather 23% more light than before.

The previous 12-megapixel, 2x zoom telephoto camera has also been replaced by a 10-megapixel, 3x zoom camera. (Coupled with 10x digital zoom, this now allows a maximum of 30x zoom, up from 20x in the previous model.) Finally, there’s a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera that carries over from the Fold3.

All three main cameras retain the same apertures as before, with the main camera being the brightest at f/1.8, the ultra-wide in the middle at f/2.2, and the telephoto being an f/2.4 optic. The wide-angle and main cameras also retain the same pixel pitches and fields of view, with a 123˚ FOV and 1.12μm pixels for the ultra-wide and an 83-degree FOV with 1.8μm pixels for the main camera. The telephoto camera retains a 1.0μm pixel pitch, and Samsung has yet to publicly state an FOV range for the uprated zoom lens.

Loads of other tweaks, some of which will make imaging better too

Of course, even for the unchanged ultra-wide camera, there will likely be changes to Samsung’s image processing algorithms, and perhaps image quality improvements to be found. The company is also noting some UI improvements. Among software changes, Samsung is calling attention to both its “nightography” and portrait modes, which it says offer better low-light image quality. Samsung has also added video digital image stabilization and added support for recording videos at up to 8K resolution.

Of course, there are many other changes throughout, including a current-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor upgrade, which should make for a snappier performance across the board. There’s also an improved hinge, more durable displays, and a stronger frame. Samsung has further made numerous upgrades to the operating system itself, including a new taskbar that aims to make better use of the generous screen real-estate.

Where the S22 Ultra still bests the Fold4

So how does the S22 Ultra still better the Z Fold4? The biggest differences are that the S22 Ultra’s main camera has double the sensor resolution 108 megapixels vs. 50 megapixels), and the Fold4 lacks its 10-megapixel, 10x periscope zoom camera altogether. The newer phone replaces that with a non-zooming 10-megapixel selfie camera for use when folded, and there’s also a secondary four-megapixel selfie camera hidden under the screen when the phone is used unfolded. (This latter is now said to be harder to see through the screen itself.)

On the one hand, it’s not a great look that the company’s flagship folding phone still lags noticeably behind its flagship traditional smartphone. But at the same time, this is already a pretty bulky, hefty, and extremely expensive phone. Had Samsung shoehorned in the full camera setup from the S22 Ultra, it likely would’ve broken the psychologically important 2,000 barrier not just for its 1TB phone, but likely for the 512GB variant too, while making the phone even chunkier in the process.

This compromise means you’ll still get a pretty decent camera experience alongside the folding form factor. If you’re focused mostly on photography, though, the S22 Ultra will remain a much better option. And that fact is likely why Samsung isn’t doing that much to call attention to its new camera setup. As of right now, the company has uploaded eight promo videos for the Fold4 to its YouTube channel, but none even mentions the camera, instead focusing on changes to the screen, hinge design, and Android 12L operating system.

Price availability

Available in the US market from August 26, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is priced to start from 1,799.99 for the base 256GB model. The 512GB model is ordinarily 1,919.99 but is currently discounted to the same price as the 256GB model for preorders, while you’ll pay 2,159.99 for the top-of-the-line one terabyte model.

Color options will include Graygreen, Phantom Black, Beige, or Burgundy. Burgundy models are available only in the lower two capacities, and these as well as the 1TB model will all be available only directly from Samsung.

Mike Tomkins is a freelance writer and reviewer for PopPhoto. An early proponent of digital photography, Mike lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with his teenage son—quickly blossoming into an enthusiastic photographer himself—and entirely too many parakeets.