Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Review: The Best Affordable Flip Phone

Samsung recently unfolded the brand new Z Flip 3. It’s the 3rd entry in Samsung’s Z Flip lineup which brings a healthy dose of improvement upon its predecessor.

The Z Flip 3 price in Nepal is Rs. 1,24,999 and it is available for purchase via Samsung Plaza.

I used this product for more than a week and I found it very exciting. Why? I’ll tell you all about it in this review article of the Samsung Z Flip 3.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Review

Killer Looks + Water Resistance

• Unfolded: 166 x 72.2 x 6.9 mm, Folded: 86.4 x 72.2 x 15.9~17.1 mm
• 183 g
• Single SIM (Nano-SIM)
• IPX8 Rating

If you’ve played GTA Vice City, you might have come across the cheat code “Chick Magnet”. Well, Samsung Z Flip 3 is that cheat code but it attracts everyone.

The Flip 3’s overall look, folding mechanism, and compactness are sure to attract everyone. I’m definitely a huge fan of the Flip 3 but some might end up on the other spectrum and it’s completely understandable.

When folded, it is very easy to insert into your pockets and it is especially great for ladies. They can easily throw it somewhere inside their purse without any worries. Why? Well, the new Armor Aluminium hinge is said to be stronger than before and it definitely feels so. I was using the phone as I would use any other smartphone and the phone felt pretty durable.

On top of that, the Z Flip 3 is now IPX8 rated for water resistance and is the first water-resistant folding phone along with Z Fold 3. To achieve this, Samsung has added rubbers and CIPG caskets on the hinge. This is definitely a very big deal for a folding phone.

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Moving on, the rear panel now has a bigger cover display with a dual camera and an attractive two-tone finish. The whole back panel is also protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus.

On the front, the foldable display doesn’t use Gorilla Glass Victus though. Samsung is using a new protective film made of stretchable PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) which is said to be 80 percent more durable than the previous one. Only time can tell if this claim is true.

Dynamic Dual Display

• 6.7 inch Dynamic AMOLED Display
• 2640×1080 pixels
• 120Hz
• Cover Display- 1.9 inches Super AMOLED

The main display of the Samsung Z Flip 3 now has a 6.7 inches Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Moreover, the display can switch between 60Hz and 120Hz depending upon the content. But the important thing is that Samsung is using its strongest and thinnest flex display with redesigned structure and more durable PET material.

The display feels bright and punchy just like all of Samsung’s flagship phones. According to Samsung, the new display on the Z Flip 3 is 29% brighter and less power-hungry. However, the Z flip 3 doesn’t get the S Pen support. Last but not the least, the crease is still there but i got over it quite quickly.

Switching to the cover display, it is a much bigger 1.9 inch AMOLED panel compared to the previous Z Flip. The secondary screen is useful to go over notifications, weather information, Spotify control, and other media control.

One can also pick up calls using the cover display but you cannot reply to messages via the cover display. However, I found that the cover display is best used to capture videos and images. During my review period, I was constantly using the secondary display to capture videos and images. The cover screen preview mode really helps you to capture high-quality selfies with the rear camera.

Top-Notch Hardware

• Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
• Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
• Adreno 660
• 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, No Card Slot

Powering the Samsung Z Flip 3 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) chipset. It is paired with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage.

Well, I guess I don’t need to tell you much about the Snapdragon 888’s performance. The Z Flip 3 is super sleek and super smooth. Running apps is a breeze and gaming on the Z Flip 3 is smooth as well. The Snapdragon 888 is definitely the best out there when it comes to gaming performance.

Dialed Down Camera Setup

• Rear Camera: 12 MP, f/1.8, Dual Pixel AF, OIS
  • 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 12mm (ultrawide)
  • Video: 4K@60fps, 1080p@60/240fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps (gyro-EIS), HDR10+
• Front Camera: 10MP, F2.4
  • Video: 1080p@30fps

Samsung Z Flip 3 doesn’t get Samsung’s full-blown flagship camera setup. It gets a trickled-down dual camera setup on the rear with a 12MP main sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor.

Likewise, it has a 10MP camera on the front for selfies.

MAIN CAMERA

The photos from the main sensor look decent. They have good details and the dynamic range is wide. But I did notice some white noise on the picture that made the pictures look a bit flat.

Furthermore, the joy of capturing selfies with the rear camera is on another level. You get high-quality selfies and selfie videos. It is especially great for content creators or social media influencers who are constantly capturing pictures.

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Plus, this camera will serve you great if you are into vlogging. The cover screen preview mode lets you capture high-quality vlogs with relative ease.

The portrait photos also look great with good edge detection and subtle background blur. But I did notice that the portrait photos were slightly overprocessed which leads to a loss of details.

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ULTRAWIDE CAMERA

Moving on to the ultrawide camera, it is definitely not the top drawer sensor from Samsung. But, I was satisfied with its overall quality. The ultrawide images have decent detail but you will notice noise even in daylight scenarios. The images are vibrant with saturated colors and the exposure is also quite balanced.

The FOV from the ultrawide camera is also really wide and the color is consistent with the main camera.

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FRONT CAMERA

The front 10MP camera of the Flip 3 also works well. The dynamic range is not as good as the rear camera but it’s fine. Selfies have good details and a warmer color profile. But, it did struggle to properly expose the selfies in tough high dynamic range situations.

The portrait selfies also look good but you would rather use the rear camera to take portrait selfies. If not for video calls, the selfie camera of this phone is not that useful. But video calling is fun and easy with the Z Flip 3 as you can easily place the phone on top of the table. I would always fold it halfway through and keep it on the table while video calling.

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VIDEOS

Moving on to videos, the Z Flip 3 can capture videos up to 4k 60fps with the main camera but you can only use 4k 30fps in the cover screen preview mode.

The 4k videos have plenty of details and the dynamic range is more than good enough. The stabilization is pretty decent and the videos look really sharp. Similarly, the ultrawide videos are also good but it looks a bit noisier, especially indoors.

Small Battery

• Non-removable Li-Po 3300mAh battery
• Fast charging 15W
• 10W Fast Wireless Charging
• Reverse charging

In terms of battery, Samsung Z Flip 3 has a smaller 3300mAh battery paired with a 15W fast charger. The Z Flip 3 is not the phone to buy if you want good battery life. It can only muster 4 hours of screen on time on moderate usage without playing any games.

Furthermore, it also has 10W Fast Wireless Charging and 4.5W Reverse Wireless Charging support.

Software

• Android 11
• One UI 3.1.1

Samsung Z Flip 3 runs on One UI 3.1 on top of Android 11.

The Z Flip  3 runs on Android 11 with One UI 3.1.1. With the new Flip, the One UI doesn’t offer PC-style interactions that we see on Fold 3.

The camera UI comes with a cover screen preview mode that allows you to capture images and videos via the cover screen. It also has an auto framing video feature that scales the video according to the content on the frame.

Some of the other features have to do with the cover screen as you can modify the always-on display and play with various widgets on the cover screen display. Except for these, it is pretty much the same experience that we expect from a Samsung phone.

Final Thoughts

So, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is an iterative improvement of the Z Flip and it is more of a mainstream foldable phone compared to the Z Fold 3.

ALSO READ: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal: Features and Specs

If you want to look a bit extra and carry something unique, Z Flip 3 is the flipping phone for you. This is also a great device for content creators and influencers. However, you should stay away if you need impressive battery endurance.

Samsung Z Flip 3 is definitely the best foldable phone for the price.

What do you think of the Z Flip 3? Let us know in the comments!

Also, watch our review of the OnePlus Nord 2 in Nepali.