It’s the latest era of Samsung’s smaller foldable, and it comes with some small but significant upgrades, like a larger battery, upgraded camera hardware, and a more substantial primary display.
There are some unique colors, too, which you can mix and match to create your own “bespoke” Flip 4. But if you were carrying your breath for a price drop, we’ve got some bad news: it still begins at $999 — affordable by foldable benchmarks but still in the upper echelons of mobile pricing.
It’s not a day for significant updates or surprises from Samsung, and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is harboring the line. Naturally, there’s a revised chipset: the Flip 4 comes with a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 (paired with 8GB of RAM), which you’ll notice on basically every flagship Android phone not built by Google released this year.
As a result, the hinge is a little slighter, and Samsung tidied out the previously curved edges of the phone, shaving off a pair of millimeters in width and height. The thickness stays the same, though: 17.1mm at the hinge and 15.9mm where the limitations of the display meet, so the gap when the phone is folded is the same size.
The main screen is 6.7 inches with a 120Hz varying refresh rate, and it’s a contended 45 percent stronger this time around thanks to transitions in the display structure and stronger ultra-thin glass.
This year, the adhesive that keeps the (essential) screen protector in place is also more robust. As we all understood, bad things happen when that glue loses its grip. However, the overall durability rating hasn’t altered. It’s still IPX8 with strong water resistance and dust resistance.
At 1.9 inches, the exterior screen is still just a little guy. However, you can do more with the cover screen; there will be an alternative SmartThings widget for speedy access to smart home controls, and you can transmit quick replies to texts or use it to access Samsung Wallet. The cover screen will also display selfie previews with a similar photo ratio as the final image.
The cosmetic distinctions between this year’s model and Samsung’s prior grinds are minor, but they make an imprint. The Flip 4 handles just a little more like a regular, lovely flagship phone that occurs to fold in half — creating many privileges for its ability to fold. Nevertheless, the glossy aluminum rails, the straighter corners, edges, and the flatter hinge all gave me a good impression. This fashion-focused phone seems like what the Flip should have scrutinized initially. Instead, it just grabbed Samsung an extra iteration to get there.
Last year’s 3,300mAh battery brings a boost up to 3,700mAh. The Flip 3 got via a full day of use quickly enough, but more battery capacity certainly isn’t insufficient. In addition, wired charging rates are a little faster: 25W, up from 15W. However, wireless charging is still open at the same 10W rate.
Last but not least, the primary camera brings some upgraded hardware. It’s always a 12-megapixel chip, but this year’s sensor is more significant (Samsung doesn’t say by how much), and the pixels are more extensive (1.8?m compared to 1.4?m). You still get optical stabilization, which you definitely should from a $999 phone. The 12-megapixel ultrawide stays, as does the 10-megapixel selfie cam.
The Flip 4 is available for preorder and will be available on August 26th. Colors include bora purple, graphite, and new pink-gold and blue options.