Review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
Is there more to foldables than a high-priced gimmick?
Price: £1599
If you were hoping that 2021 would be the year full-fledged foldable phones became popular, you'll have to wait a little longer.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs £1599, which is roughly the same as the price of your first car. While the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is just under £1000, only this model provides the true foldable flagship experience.
So, what exactly is it? The front of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a phone-like screen, but it opens up to reveal a massive display inside.
You should think about whether it's worth the money. Or whether you'd prefer the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra's superior cameras. However, if you're desperate to get in on the foldable action, the Z Fold 3 is the way to go.
In this review, we'll look at some of the scenarios in which the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 provides a significantly improved experience. And how you end up paying for it in ways other than just money.
Design and Dimensions: Open sesame
The first of these foldable drawbacks will become apparent as soon as you pick up the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. This thing weighs a lot. To be precise, it weighs 271g. That's 20% more than a Galaxy 21 Ultra, a phone that's already too heavy for some. It's also 16mm thick, which is double the depth of a tablet and thicker than many laptops.
Your first few hours with a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be spent 50% admiring its foldability and 50% pondering whether you actually want to live with it. But there's good news: you'll probably get used to it quickly. Samsung understands that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is massive in some dimensions, so it has made certain that it is not massive in all dimensions.
It's only 67mm wide when folded. Despite its thickness and weight, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is actually quite manageable. We only made one change: we enabled swipe typing on the keyboard. After that, the phone didn't feel strange or any more difficult to use than any other Android device.
The Z Fold 3 features an ultra-narrow 6.2 OLED display on the front. Most of the time, you'll use it for WhatsApp and other quick phone checks. You won't need to open it very often to get the full-screen experience. That's fine.
You'll need a firm grip to flip it. The hinge has been refined by Samsung over the last few years. Its current strategy is focused on strengthening the joint while keeping dust and grit out of the mechanism. As a result, it lacks the delicate beauty of a blooming flower. You firmly grasp the sides with your thumbs and open it like a cursed book from a horror film. We might see a light-touch foldable device one day. But for the time being, it's sufficient to know that you won't be returning the Z Fold 3 with a broken bend.
Main screen: creased collector
The screen inside the Z Fold 3 is impressive, but it might not be your first impression. There is a visible crease down the middle, as with previous-generation Z Fold phones. The plastic-protected screen will be smeared with fingerprints for the majority of its life, and the contours of the surround are expert at picking up unidentifiable detritus. Paper, dust, and pocket fluff all congregate on the inner screen of the Galaxy.
But after a while, you stop noticing these things. If you're anything like us, you'll open the Z Fold 3 when you know exactly what you're going to do. Then you just get started.
And there are many things you can do. YouTube is number one. The inner screen does not have the aspect ratio of a usual video, but it does allow you to enjoy a large-screen view while also scrolling through the comments. Too refined for that? Flip the Samsung over to see a much larger version. There are black bars on top and bottom, but it's still larger than a regular phone.
Certain types of games are also well-suited to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. It's not the console-style games that stand out (Asphalt 9 feels awkward). Instead, titles with more interface, such as Bloons TD 6, Civilization VI, and Stardew Valley, feel fantastic. We feel less silly playing games on the Z Fold 3 in public than we would with a tablet. However, we felt more vulnerable to mugging than with the Motorola Edge 20 Pro.
You can also run two apps side by side, but just as we don't use this feature on tablets, we aren't particularly drawn to it on the Z Fold 3. Perhaps it's one for the galaxy's cleverest minds.
In terms of visuals, the inner screen is vibrant, sharp, and has the ability to go extremely bright. It's a 120Hz OLED with enough punch to attract attention away from the dust and micro fluff communes that are likely to surround it.
There's another reason to be concerned. The plastic topper on the main screen should never be removed. This layer is used to protect the ultra-thin glass of the OLED panel in Samsung's foldable phones. Nothing in this sandwich is particularly resilient, so be cautious when wiping it. While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports Samsung's updated S Pen styluses, we'd be wary of using it excessively. While doing normal things like watching videos or playing games, the display doesn't feel vulnerable - and the outer shell is basically armour plating - but it's worth exercising caution when it comes to doodling on the display.
Features: High-end kicks
The Z Fold 3's feature set is not watered down by Samsung in favor of its foldable form, which is one of the reasons it is so expensive. It has 5G, solid stereo speakers, and a fingerprint scanner on the side. This is typically seen as a less expensive alternative to an in-screen one, but that's not the case here: a scanner on the side unlocks the phone whether you're using the inner or outer display.
There are no quality compromises in the construction as well. The sides are made of aluminum, and the front glass is made of Corning's top-tier Gorilla Glass Victus.
In addition to the camera on the cover, Samsung's third-generation foldable features an under-screen selfie lens. It doesn't appear to be a part of the main display; rather, it appears to be a separate tiny display over the camera with a much lower pixel density. That's basically what's going on here: there needs to be enough space between the pixels for light to pass through to the camera. It's the kind of technology you'd expect to see at a trade show. Even Samsung, however, would probably admit that foldables are still a work in progress.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has the best processor of any Samsung phone right now under the hood: Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888. While this chip was also used in US versions of the S21 series, international variants used Samsung's own Exynos 2100. So, if you're looking to buy the Z Fold 3 in the UK, it's at the top of the list - though rather not the more powerful 888+ that some were expecting.
Everything works flawlessly. The only complaint we have about the phone's operation is how quickly the screen autorotates. And this is more of a user-experience decision than a performance issue. The Z Fold 3 also appears to heat up faster than the vast majority of phones we've tested this year. We'd almost forgotten that was a big deal a few years ago.
Cameras: Good, but not the best from Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a fantastic set of cameras, but the array isn't particularly impressive when compared to the rest of the Samsung phone lineup.
It appears to have the same hardware as the Galaxy S21 Plus's main camera, which is a large, high-quality 12MP camera. After months of using other brands' phones, this one feels instantly familiar. It's a very forgiving camera. It's difficult to take a bad shot with even the most rudimentary attempt at composition. The dynamic range enhancement is excellent; there is plenty of detail, and the image processing will boost contrast and color as needed to make your photos stand out. But, because this isn't the old Samsung, it doesn't go so far as to make the grass look neon. You also get good results at night. Insufficient indoor lighting? No worries. It's as simple as that.
The compromises are visible in the Z Fold 3's other cameras. There is nothing missing. You get an ultra-wide and a zoom. However, when compared to the Galaxy Note 20, the Fold performs slightly worse in each category. And at launch, that phone cost roughly half as much.
The 12MP wide is a little softer and isn't as good at resolving fine-grained textures. Its 2x zoom simply cannot resolve as much detail as the Note 20's 3x zoom. While the camera app has zoom presets up to 10x, you can tell these are digital crops from a mile away.
In terms of shooting versatility, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 falls short of a phone like the Galaxy S21 Ultra. It wouldn't be so bad if this weren't one of the most expensive phones on the market. It's fun to use and takes great photos, but the Fold isn't the ultimate Samsung in every way. It is not intended to be, but the £1600 price tag may, understandably, make people expect more.
You can't even shoot 8K video with this phone. 12MP simply isn't enough for that, but 4K footage looks fantastic - and that's what you'll want to use the majority of the time anyway.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 also has two selfie cameras, one on the outside with a strong 10MP resolution and one on the inside with a limited 4MP resolution. It's no surprise that the images aren't as good as a standard selfie shooter because it has to see through the screen. Having said that, we frequently use the inner lens for video calls. Sure, the other person's image is slightly fuzzier, but it's a fantastic experience for you.
Battery life: sufficient until bedtime
Despite having to power a much larger screen, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a smaller battery than the Galaxy S21 Plus (at least some of the time). It has a capacity of 4400mAh. To keep the phone manageable in size, Samsung will have made careful trade-offs. What were the outcomes? They're actually fine.
On days spent mostly at home, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 easily lasts until bedtime. Even after a few rounds of Blood TD 6 and some extra-large web browsing, we rarely need to recharge the phone. Granted, by lights-out, we're sometimes down to 3% battery, but that's not a disaster.
That means you should top up your phone before going out. We drove the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 from the Midlands to London. It was ideal for the job: big-screen entertainment without the need to pack a tablet. But by late afternoon, it was struggling. Nothing else was expected of us. While it's easy to argue that Samsung should have included a larger battery, we're glad the phone isn't any bigger than it is.
It's a shame the charging speed of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is only 25W. That's the same as other high-end Samsung phones, but in 2021, we've seen several competitors with 65W or higher. Because of the speed, top-ups are only a few minutes long, rather than the 20 or so minutes required by the Z Fold 3. Working in an office or from home? Because the Fold supports wireless charging, you might want to consider purchasing a Qi pad.
Comparisons of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
There aren't many direct competitors to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. Its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, has an older processor and lacks a few outer design improvements as well as S Pen support. And the internal camera is not hidden behind a screen. So, unless you can find the old version for a bargain, there's little reason to consider it.
Huawei, Samsung's former foldable rival, has the Mate X2. With more advanced cameras, larger screens, and faster charging, this pushes the technology even further than the Fold 3. However, it is more expensive, is not widely available in the UK, and - the real killer - lacks Google apps. It's no longer on the list.
The other contender is the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold. It is similar to Samsung but is slightly larger due to its larger display. It appears to be cheaper as well, but there hasn't been a full UK release, so you'll have to import it. It's difficult to recommend Xiaomi right now, with Samsung right here with UK customer support, UK warranties, and no crazy customs charges to pay.
So, if you want a foldable that feels like a phone-tablet hybrid, get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 conclusion
Our skepticism is heightened by a £1600 phone. For that price, you could get a Fiat Seicento with 30,000 miles and only minor curb damage. And you'd still have enough money to get a couple of large-screen budget phones.
As a result, we don't believe that many people will purchase a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. But we can't deny that it provides an experience, unlike any other smartphone. It's also not the same as having a phone and a tablet. On the Tube, there's no doubling up or looking silly tapping on a 10-screen.
And Samsung has done an excellent job of creating an unusual phone that quickly becomes normal. Even though it's heavy and thick, the narrow frame deserves a chef's kiss.
No company is doing as much as Samsung to make foldable phones a reasonable option for everyday people. While we're not quite there yet, phones like the Z Fold 3 show that foldables are more than just a high-priced gimmick.
Tech specs
Main screen: 7.6in 2208×1768 120Hz AMOLED Infinity Flex Display
Cover screen: 6.2in 2268×832 120Hz AMOLED Infinity-O Display
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
Battery: 4400mAh, 25W charging
Cameras: 12+12+12MP (rear), 10MP (cover), 4MP (under display)
Dimensions: 158.2×67.1×16.0mm (folded), 158.2×128.1×6.4mm (unfolded)
Weight: 271g
TechliciousOfficial says...
Score: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
Although it is too expensive to recommend to almost everyone we know, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is good enough to persuade many foldable skeptics.
- Good Stuff
+ Surprisingly simple to use
+ Durable hinge
+ The inner screen is extremely bright.
- Bad Stuff
− Cameras are average Samsung performers.
− It is still extremely expensive.
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