I was born in the late 70s and during my teenage years, Nokia flip-phones were a thing. I owned a few and my friends had them too. They were cool and trendy and you could slam the phone shut to end calls, which was satisfying (especially when you had an argument with someone). However, along came the iPhone in 2007 and ended the flip-phone trend. In 2021, the flip-phone trend is in again with new foldable screen tech and the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G.
Over the past decade, almost all phones have been rectangular high-tech slabs with different cameras, battery limits and screen configurations. I think many people find most phones -- both cheap and expensive -- meet their needs for media consumption, communication and photo snapping. Many of my friends have been using their phones for more than five years and see no need for a better camera, gaming or state-of-the-art phone. But a flip-phone that can fold in half to save space? Sure, they can relate to that.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is Samsung's third attempt at a flip-phone line. By lowering the price to the same as their S series -- their other premium consumer line -- it is available to the masses. If you are considering buying a Samsung phone, there is plenty of choice from the top line S21 Ultra to the Z Flip 3. Fashion-lovers will enjoy the fact that there is a nice selection of colourful cases to choose from too.
The Galaxy Flip 3 5G's glossy coloured glass backplates contrast with the phone's chrome metal rim well and have a premium touch which makes my other phones look dull in comparison. The phone is a little longer than most big phones these days but is a little narrower at the same time, making it very easy to hold in one hand. You can flip the phone open to receive calls and slam it shut to end calls, something that will grab a lot of attention while doing so in public.
The phone's screen features Samsung's top-notch vividness and crispness standards and can be folded in half with an unnoticeable crease when looked at directly (you'll still see the crease at certain angles and feel it when you glide your fingers over it). This foldable screen feels like glass, not plastic, which is weird because glass does not bend, no? But this one does.
Using the phone when fully open is just like using the Samsung S 21 Plus as it is as speedy, but this version is a little taller. It also has stereo speakers; one firing down and one in the earpiece at the top (though the bottom one is slightly louder). The camera is only around last year's S20 quality though. It's not in any way bad, but is not as detailed or has as much zooming capability as this year's S series.
A flip-phone like this has an advantage for taking selfies though. You can easily lay it on a table, flip it up halfway to create an L shape, walk away then show your palm to the phone and your photos are taken. This is perfect for parties and there's no need to have a sacrificial person to take photos.
Once again, the specs are already to the point of overkill for 99% of the population. So there is no need to worry that the phone will not run smoothly regardless of which app you throw at it. Unlike the Z Fold 3, the aspect ratio of the screen is not too dramatically different from the 16:9 phones you normally get. You may get black bars or cropping while watching YouTube or playing some games like ROV, which gets squished down a little but it's pretty much like using a normal phone. Selfishly, I wish the next Samsung flip-phone would have the normal 16:9 aspect ratio which will ensure my favourite games are shown as intended by developers. The phone can also be washed in sinks for an occasional deep clean or dunked in shallow water if you like to torture your phones.
The roughly half-inch outer screen is an OLED that is capable of showing a few widgets, such as time, notifications (can't reply to them though), sound recorder, music controls and much more, and can be used as a display while taking photos with the main outer cameras, which makes it fun to have your friends see how their photos turn out on the fly. This front screen can be activated with a double tap also.
Don't game on this phone too much though because there is one sacrifice the phone has to make to be this compact and that is the battery. This phone will survive casual media consumption (Facebook, Twitter and Line) until the end of the day before needing to be charged. However, anything more than that, like any type of gaming or constant photo and video activity will require you to plug it in to a charger (not included in the box) around mid-day. The phone supports wireless charging so if you have one around, it may come in handy for your peace of mind from out-of-juice situations. Oh, and this phone does not have Samsung DEX (a function that lets you connect your phone to a monitor to use like a PC) but I don't think it's something the owner of a flip-phone will be looking for anyway.
Moreover, Samsung has also released another foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G, which is geared towards people that need to multitask on-the-go, but that's for another review.
For people who are looking for a colourful phone which folds in half and want to stand out from the crowd of rectangular slabs, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G will not disappoint.
Speacs
- Dimensions when unfolded: 166 x 72.2 x 6.9mm
- Dimensions when Folded: 86.4 x 72.2 x 15.9-17.1mm
- Main screen: 6.7-inch foldable dynamic AMOLED (1080 x 2640 pixels)
- Outer screen: 1.9-inch Super AMOLED (260 x 512 pixels)
- Weight: 183g
- Battery: 3,300mAh
- Camera: 12MP (wide), 12MP (ultra-wide) and 10MP (selfie camera)
- CPU: Snapdragon 888
- Storage: 256GB
- RAM: 8GB
- OS: Android 11 with One UI 3.1.1 on top
- Other: 5G ready, IPX8 water resistant, USB-C port, fingerprint reader on power button
- Price: 36,900 baht