(Credit: Molly Flores)
After spending some time with Samsung's larger foldable phone, theGalaxy Z Fold 4, I've spent the last couple of weeks with its smaller (and much more affordable) sibling, the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
顾名思义,这是一个电话与主screen folded inside, so you flip it open to use it, although there's a small screen on the outside for messages and alerts. As such, it's pretty much a throwback to the flip phones of years gone by, but with a lot of added functionality. It certainly stands out from other phones in the market.
Measuring 3.34 by 2.83 by 0.67 inches (HWD) when folded and weighing 6.45 ounces, the basic design hasn't changed much from last year'sGalaxy Z Flip 3; it appears to be just slightly flatter and more pocketable, but marginally heavier. It is thicker than your typical smartphone but also smaller, and that works well in some situations.
When you open the Flip 4, you'll see a 6.7-inch, 120Hz OLED panel with a 2,640-by-1,080-pixel resolution. That's a bit taller and skinnier than what you'll find on most phones today (it has a 22:9 aspect ratio). It worked well for things like scrolling web pages or viewing emails, though it's not as good for playing games. The screen itself is a very bright AMOLED panel, which normally features an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz, though you can set it to a fixed 60Hz to get better battery life. I thought the screen was very readable, even in very bright light. Samsung says the main screen glass is stronger than on last year's model, though I couldn't really test that. You can see the fold if you look for it, but it's unobtrusive enough that you just forget that it is there.
当关闭的时候,你看到一个1.9英寸的512 - f - 250像素ront display, which shows you the time, date, and battery status, along with some messages, including calendar updates (depending on the program you use; this didn't work for me with the Outlook calendar). You can easily swipe through your notifications. The idea is that you can do some basic things with the phone closed. In practice, though, I pretty much always opened the device to do anything.
The camera system is good but basic for a phone in this category. It has a 12-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with optical image stabilization and a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera on the outside. I thought these took pretty good photos, and the photo app has all the basic features you'd expect. You can take video in up to UHD (4K), 60 frames per second, but it defaults to FHD 30fps, and does include some video stabilization and auto-focus features. Again, I found this worked well, though it's not quite up to the features you'll find on the highest-end flagship phones. The camera feature I missed most is a zoom lens, which you can find on the less expensiveGalaxy S22.
In a cut-out from the main screen, there's a 10-megapixel, f/2.4 camera for selfies. Photos with this camera were a little darker than the best of today's smartphone cameras, but it's still plenty good enough for things like video calls. Similarly, the sound quality was good, not great.
In video conferencing, one nice thing about the design is that you can use it in what Samsung calls "flex mode" with the camera base flat and the top open in an "L" shape, so that it's very stable, and you can angle the phone to get the best angle of video.
On the specs side, it has a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor with 8GB of RAM and my unit came with 128 GB of storage. (Models go up to 512 GB of storage.) It includes a 3,700 mAh battery, which supports 25-watt charging or 15-watt wireless charging. I found it easily lasted all day.
With Samsung's X65 modem, I got very nice 5G coverage, where 5G was available, similar to what I saw with the Fold 4 or the S22 Ultra. As always, it depends on the carrier and the location—I got pretty good results with T-Mobile in New York and some parts of the suburbs, but there remain pockets of limited 5G coverage on all carriers.
The right side of the phone has a volume rocker and a power button that doubles as a physical fingerprint sensor. I found that worked well, though you can also set the phone up with features like face unlock. Like most of today's high-end phones, it lacks a headphone jack.
The Flip 4 comes with Android 12 and Samsung's One UI 4.1.1 skin, which includes some multitasking features (though in practice, I find multitasking works best with larger displays, like on the Fold).
Unlike the higher-end Galaxy phones, it does not supportDeX, which lets you plug in an external display and keyboard, a feature I have found useful on occasion. And unlike the S22 Ultra and Fold 4, it does not support the use of Samsung's S-Pen stylus. Still, these are niche features and aren't typical of most phones in this class.
The model I tested came in a striking "Bora Purple," and the Flip 4 is also available in a variety of other colors. I used it without a case, as there isn't as much screen to worry about, though of course, cases are available. As with the basic flip design, the somewhat unusual colors help the phone to really look different from other phones.
With a list price of $999, the Galaxy Flip 4 is competitive with the middle of the flagship phone range. For that, you may lose a bit in the camera, but gain a stylish, interesting design that really stands out.
Here isPC Mag’s full review
Like What You're Reading?
Sign up forFully Mobilized通讯让我们移动技术熟食店的故事vered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to ourTerms of UseandPrivacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Sign up for other newsletters
