Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Intro
The Galaxy Flip series arrived in 2024 to give us a fresh
new take on 🍉 the clamshell flip phone that used to be popular 15 years before that.
This
new style of foldable phone was a 🍉 revolution, Samsung overcame huge engineering
challenges to figure out this new form factor.
But we humans get used to new things
🍉 quickly and now all of this seems... trivial! Ordinary! We want to see even more
innovation.
And this is the point 🍉 in time when the Galaxy Z Flip 4 arrives. And this is
the point in time when the Galaxy Z 🍉 Flip 4 arrives.
It is every bit as cool as the
earlier Flip phones, but it is also oh-so-similar to the 🍉 preceding model. We were made
all the more aware of that when a Samsung representative grabbed our Flip 3 to 🍉 show us
a feature thinking it was actually the Flip 4 they were picking up!
The screen is the
same size, 🍉 the looks are the same, the cameras are almost the same, the whole
experience is... kind of similar! But you 🍉 do get a new and faster chip, a larger
battery and a couple of other refinements, so let's see if 🍉 this is a good reason to buy
this phone!
We have also put the Z Flip 4 through our new in-depth 🍉 camera testing
procedure with scores for each individual camera, and an overall score for the camera
system, all of which 🍉 you will find in the 'Camera' section of this review. If you want
to find out more about how we 🍉 rate each camera check out our We have also put the Z
Flip 4 through our new in-depth camera testing 🍉 procedure with scores for each
individual camera, and an overall score for the camera system, all of which you will
🍉 find in the 'Camera' section of this review. If you want to find out more about how we
rate each 🍉 camera check out our PhoneArena Camera Score benchmark page.
What’s new about
the device
Longer battery life
Faster processor
Improved camera quality
Slightly more
refined 🍉 design
Same-ish charging speeds
Table of Contents:
Galaxy Z Flip 4: get at
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Specs
What's new?
Here is a quick summary of
the Z 🍉 Flip 4 specs
There are two big highlights here. The first one is the more
powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, 🍉 which is receiving glowing reviews. Unlike the
Galaxy S series which comes in two versions with two different processor, you 🍉 have the
same processor on all Z Flip 4 models. Great news! And then you have the second
highlight, which 🍉 is a battery size increase of more than 10%, quite the change! There
are two big highlights here. The first 🍉 one is the more powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
chip, which is receiving glowing reviews. Unlike the Galaxy S series 🍉 which comes in two
versions with two different processor, you have the same processor on all Z Flip 4
models. 🍉 Great news! And then you have the second highlight, which is a battery size
increase of more than 10%, quite 🍉 the change!
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Design & Colors
More elegant and refined, but size and form factor is unchanged
We 🍉 already told you
about the design and colors being so similar to the previous generations that even
Samsung representatives would 🍉 have a hard time recognizing the newer model. Still, you
can find some differences if you know where to look.
First, 🍉 the metallic borders around
the glass on the back are thinner on the Flip 4, which makes it look more 🍉 elegant. And
then secondly, the aluminum frame of the phone has a glossy finish on the newer model,
while the 🍉 previous model had a matte finish. At the same time, the glass on the back
now has a matte finish 🍉 on the Flip 4, while you have a glossy one on the Flip 3.
But
apart from that there is nothing 🍉 particularly new about the Flip 4 design. You still
have the same tiny 1.9" screen on the front, and opening 🍉 and closing the phone still
feels mostly the same (both phones can stay kind of locked at any angle from 🍉 about
30-ish to about 120-ish degrees). Buttons are on the right hand side, including the
fingerprint scanner which is embedded 🍉 in the power button.
Unfortunately, it's still
very hard to unfold the Flip 4 with one hand! You would need to 🍉 use both your hands
most of the time, and we really hope that Samsung figures out a way to make 🍉 unfolding
this phone with one hand easier.
Like before, you can customize the Flip 4 and mix and
match colors with 🍉 the so called "Bespoke" versions of the phone. Like before, you can
customize the Flip 4 and mix and match 🍉 colors with the so called "Bespoke" versions of
the phone.
We also appreciate having IPX8 water and dust protection rating on 🍉 the Z
Flip 4, which gives you peace of mind it will survive an occasional drop in water or
more 🍉 extreme weather conditions. Just remember that this phone is NOT protected from
dust, and you'd better keep it away from 🍉 dusty environment. Dust can still get in the
hinge and remains one of the big dangers to foldable phones
Samsung Galaxy 🍉 Z Flip 4
Display
Once you unfold the Flip 4, you are greeted with a 6.7-inch display, which is
the same 🍉 size and 1080p resolution as the previous model. Remember that the Flip series
comes with a 22:9 aspect ratio screen, 🍉 which is taller and narrower than the
proportions of a traditional smartphone, so it's a different experience.
Such a narrow
and 🍉 tall screen may feel a bit weird at first, but can actually be just the perfect
thing for movie lovers 🍉 as movies are often filmed at a similar aspect ratio. If you use
split-screen multitasking, the taller screen also feels 🍉 like a good idea.
We had
previously heard rumors about a less noticeable "crease" on the Flip 4, but honestly,
we 🍉 could not see any improvement. The crease is still very much there and at least to
our eyes, it looks 🍉 unchanged.
Apart from that, just judging screen quality and color
calibration, this is your typically great Samsung AMOLED panel! Impressive colors, 🍉 plus
a dynamic 1-120Hz refresh rate for buttery smooth scrolling. What's not to like? Apart
from that, just judging screen 🍉 quality and color calibration, this is your typically
great Samsung AMOLED panel! Impressive colors, plus a dynamic 1-120Hz refresh rate 🍉 for
buttery smooth scrolling. What's not to like?
Display Measurements:
Our tests show that
the Flip 4 comes with an improved screen 🍉 that can both get brighter for more
comfortable use outdoors, or dimmer when you use it at night so it's 🍉 easier on your
eyes. Samsung also says the screen is 45% stronger thanks to changes in its structure
and a 🍉 new and more resilient ultra-thin glass.
The cover screen on the front remains
the same tiny size, but it gets a 🍉 few new widgets and functionalities. Our favorite has
got to be the ability to return quick replies to texts directly 🍉 from it, or use it to
access Samsung Wallet.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Camera A great dual camera system, but
🍉 no telephoto lens
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 PhoneArena Camera Score BEST 152 129
PhoneArena Photo Score BEST 157 135 Main 🍉 (wide) BEST 83 73 Zoom BEST 24 16 Ultra-wide
BEST 24 20 Selfie BEST 29 26 PhoneArena Video Score BEST 🍉 147 124 Main (wide) BEST 78 70
Zoom BEST 21 12 Ultra-wide BEST 23 20 Selfie BEST 27 23
One thing 🍉 that has not changed
on the Flip 4 is that it still uses two cameras on the back (a main 🍉 and an ultra-wide
one), but it has no telephoto zoom lens. On a flagship phone with a flagship price,
this 🍉 does feel like a big compromise, but we guess that is just because of the tiny
form factor and the 🍉 lack of physical space. One thing that has not changed on the Flip
4 is that it still uses two 🍉 cameras on the back (a main and an ultra-wide one), but it
has no telephoto zoom lens. On a flagship 🍉 phone with a flagship price, this does feel
like a big compromise, but we guess that is just because of 🍉 the tiny form factor and
the lack of physical space.
Here are the camera specs: Here are the camera specs:
12MP
main 🍉 camera, f/1.8 aperture, OIS
12MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 aperture
10MP selfie
cam
Samsung is still using a 12MP sensor for the main camera, 🍉 but it's a bigger size
sensor so every individual pixel is nearly 30% larger (you have 1.8µm pixel size on 🍉 the
Flip 4 vs 1.4µm on the Flip 3). Imagine each pixel like a bucket and the larger the
bucket, 🍉 the more light it can gather, so this should help with low light photos.
With
the new and more powerful processor 🍉 on the inside,
will also process faster. We
have seen how other Samsung phone s where one model is 🍉 available with two different
processors showed different image quality as well, and thankfully there will be none of
that on 🍉 the Flip 4.
< Flip 4 Flip 3 >
During the day, photos out of the two look quite
similar, but the 🍉 Flip 4 has a wider lens and dynamic range seems to have improved as
well, but colors do retain that 🍉 familiar saturated "Samsung look".
< Flip 4 Flip 3 >
In
this photo, you can see that the Flip 4 benefits from 🍉 the wider perspective, and the
color of the bricks appear more saturated and lively.
< Flip 4 UW Flip 3 UW 🍉 >
Colors
from the ultra-wide camera are now much more vivid coming out of the Flip 4, and you
have a 🍉 lot more blues in the skies. It looks good, even if that is not quite the most
true-to-life depiction.
< Flip 🍉 4 Portrait Mode Flip 3 Portrait Mode >
A wider lens and
more pleasing softer detail make for a slight but 🍉 appreciated improvement in portrait
mode as well.
Selfies, however, turn out quite similar on both, not much of a
difference.
Video quality 🍉 out of the Flip 4 looks very similar to that of the flagship
Galaxy S22 model and in most conditions, 🍉 you can expect the same flaghsip-grade results
with one exception: the zoom camera. Since the Flip lacks a telephoto lens, 🍉 zooming at
3X or further on it looks way less detailed then the Galaxy S22, which switches to the
dedicated 🍉 3X lens in those conditions.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Performance The new
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip is fast!
We already 🍉 touched upon the Snadpragon 8+ Gen 1
processor inside the Flip 4, but it is indeed a beast of a 🍉 chip and is receiving
universal praise.
And best of all, there is no Exynos version of the Z Flip 4, all
🍉 models across the globe run on the Snapdragon chip.
