Samsung’s 4th generation Flip smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip4, showcases the finest improvement of the Korean Giant in the foldable generation. This year Samsung focused on refinement and the clamor of treating the foldable lineup as a flagship-class smartphone with the following.
As a Galaxy Z Fold2 user before, I’m already well aware of the thrill and frill of a dual-form device. But as a Flip, I was more intrigued by the portability side benefits of the smartphone since this is my first time experiencing a Z Flip. Read this review to know more.
The Z Flip4 still takes the same form factor from the previous generations but with more of better mobility and portability. At 187 grams, relatively the same as before, the Z Flip4 is better to hold with better grip thanks to the non-slippery anti-fingerprint back-glass and chrome metal side frames.
We got the Bora Purple color which is the flagship front of this generation, at first we found it a bit too loud, but eventually widely accepted already by everyone since its highly recognizable.
At the back hinge part, the strong Samsung label still takes part and shows a new approach to a hinge that is stronger and better compared to the previous generations. Noticing the flex of the hinge, its smoother, and no clicking at certain angles when opening or closing the lid.
Interestingly the cover screen is a 1.9″ AMOLED Display that can show previews of the camera, application updates, and even browse through notifications such as widgets, SMS, or even messenger.
Honestly, the 4th generation Z Flip is the most premium foldable yet based on the materials used and how it feels, considering the price range starts at Php58,990. No more questioning of the building construction/doubts that it’s a well-built smartphone that is compromising being a flip over a flagship smartphone.
Amazingly the 6.7″ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED display is bright enough to enjoy entertainment and gaming. The same kind of display we love in the famous Galaxy S22 series is bright, vivid, and delicious to appreciate.
The bigger sensors on the dual 12MP rear camera are great, compared to my experience with my Galaxy Z Fold 2, the jump in performance in both night capability and the joy of snapping photos. The wide and ultra-wide cameras are great, especially when activating the cover screen preview for better photos when taking photos of people.
When closed, the cover screen can act as a preview to activate the cameras maximizing the potential to take selfies. Giving a smaller hand-grip to produce ideally stable and clearer selfies when needed.
One great advantage of the flex mode is the capability to take photos and videos on a tripod state as the vertical camera. This is stable enough when taking video calls or placing the table for a quick Tiktok reel. While this mode is fairly unique to the foldable, it might be a great advantage to consider with no cases, or 3rd party stands to depend on.
900k+ on AnTuTu is more than enough to be a powerhouse in multi-tasking, entertainment, and gaming. Honestly, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is one of the snappiest Samsung smartphones we’ve used in a while.
Happy to report that mobile gaming on the Z Flip4 feels like any other flagship smartphone. Snappy, fast, and highly responsive, as you wouldn’t expect that a flip phone can carry much power. All thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, plus the 8GB RAM is fast enough in all the apps we use from day to day. Confidently enough, the Z Flip4 can stay snappy for years to come.
Don’t get excited too much, though… The tall 6.7″ display and folding capability might press your thumbs too much to start folding the display. So a bit of awareness that you can fold the phone does help avoid accidental moments.
As the flex mode gives outstanding flexibility in the camera for the user, the cover screen is also like an extension of the smartphone, like using a smartwatch.
But perhaps the best advantage we like about using a flip is the split-screen capability to both view and navigate within apps like Messenger, YouTube, Chrome and etc.
3rd party apps unlock the potential of this feature a lot more, which can be downloaded in the Google Play Store, but for this review, we didn’t dwell on this as we focused more on the vanilla features that Samsung provides. Should you want to know, it’s really to use more apps on the cover screen…but we don’t know how you can maximize a 1.9″ display for opening YouTube and etc.
The 3700mAh capacity battery is still a bit short especially given the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor on the Z Flip4. In our experience, a whole day of busy social media, camera, and socializing already tolls the majority of the device. In our case of no charging for a day, getting by 6 PM with around 10%, but that’s with no power saving already. So a more conservative phone usage by enabling the power saving mode can maximize screen time.
Playing games such as a round of Mobile Legends or Genshin Impact highly affects the battery with no doubt. A single-game session already consumes around 8-11%.
Overall, the Z Flip4 is a portable device that gives the luxury of saving space. So bringing a PD charger can enable an 18W or 25W charging speed for the device. Which can fully charge in around an hour, ideally good when in transit, driving, or at work before departing again.
While the Z Flip4 is a portable powerhouse, the 22:9 ratio screen is still a concern when browsing the latest trends in vertical videos. As most smartphones are still on a 21:9 ratio display, that minor taller profile is still enough to disrupt some content when viewing or uploading, especially reels and stories.
So you will encounter a text that might be normal to 21:9 / 16:9 ratio phones but cut out on the Z Flip4. Though some apps can be fixed through the display options, Instagram is one stubborn app that can’t be modified even with the powerful influence of Samsung. Which are a major audience and target market of both app and device.
Among a sea of smartphones today, Samsung’s vision of a foldable smartphone ignited even my enthusiasm that smartphones are fun again. While it’s still time before Samsung can get into that future, they are on the right track, and I’ve never smiled in a long time holding the Z Flip4 compared to other phones this 2022.
Great optics, powerful performance, and a folding smartphone that can be a conversation starter whenever anyone sees the Z Flip 4. In our take, go straight to the 256GB variant for Php62,990 to become future-proof. Despite having a 22:9 ratio display that can be disturbing in some content previews, hopefully, Samsung’s wide range of solutions in displaying apps and 3rd party solutions (like the Multistar) can fix our concerns in the future.
Taking on the Z Flip4 is a love relationship in our journey, knowing the ups and downs of a flipping smartphone. For us, it might be the excitement you might look for a new smartphone.
