Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 – my take

A lot has happened over the last few months but I spent the latter part of 2021 getting really acquainted with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.

Not to age myself or anything but my dad’s first phone was a flip phone. It was a big fat Motorola with a hefty battery on the back which he gifted to me after an upgrade. It was subsequently forcefully taken (stolen) from me a few weeks later. I was a kid with a phone and I live in South Africa. It’s the nature of the game here.

We went for a Nokia 8110 after that but my fascination with whipping a phone open to take a call and slapping it back shut to hang up is still a thing.

It’s fair to say that the re-emergence of foldable phones has left tech journalists, bloggers and youtubers worldwide critical. Can we also acknowledge that Samsung have delivered a very good product here? The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is not something to turn your nose up at all. In fact, if you’re in the market for a phone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a phone I’d consider.

When I’ve shown, and I mean shown off, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 to people: friends, colleagues or when spotted by the tellers in shops who want to know what “that is?”, their questions have been about the screen, the bulkiness and it’s functionality, so I’ll address those concerns here.

Needless to say though, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and I have always come away with a pretty impressed audience. The front screen selfie camera making the biggest impression and probably the biggest seller. Selfies are always the winner!

The screen(s)

When you unfold the Galaxy Z Flip 3 to its 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, it sports 2640 x 1080 resolution combined with the 120Hz refresh rate. The biggest question however is how annoying is the actual fold in the screen?

To be honest, when the phone is on and you’re watching videos or anything, you hardly see the indent. Sometimes, you’ll notice the imperfection when you’re reading but it really doesn’t bother me. Scrolling is silky smooth especially with 120Hz refresh rate toggled on in settings.

The 1.9-inch front touchscreen, when closed, can be used to play music, monitor the weather, and even take selfies. By double-clicking the power button, the touchscreen turns into the viewfinder for the selfie camera. It’s nifty!

The shape and size

A question that also seemed to come up when I was asked about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 was whether it was bulky and heavy. Sure, it’s not the slim Motorola Razr but I wouldn’t call it chunky. When you fold it, it basically folds in half and into a square – easy to fit into your pocket, a handbag or purse and in my case, my hand and even the little pocket of my leggings for gym (which is brilliant).

It is a dual colour tone if you choose cream, lavender or green but black is black. The indentation for the fingerprint reader and power button are on the side. The volume rocker is above the power button when the phone is open and below when it is closed. Both the power button and volume rocker work whether the phone is open or closed but the power button just really wakes the phone when its closed. I also find the fingerprint reader on the side so responsive – it’s impressive – just a light touch and you’re in. As I mentioned, there’s only a limited amount of things you can do with the front screen when the phone is closed. It’s limited but very handy.

The hinge is also very sturdy and will hold the phone at almost any angle you want. When it’s nearly shut though, the magnets take over and snap that Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 shut. I don’t know why but it’s so satisfying…

Functionality

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a phone, there’s no doubt about that. Samsung haven’t designed a cool looking device at the expense of the features you would need from your everyday phone.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 was just such a foreign concept to so many people and I was bombarded with questions like how does it work? and what are its functions? I guess the concept is so strange to some people, who didn’t know flip phones before. Once we went through some of the features though, most really enjoyed it.

Build quality

For me the stand out feature of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the build quality. The improvements since the original Z Flip are huge. The hinge is excellent, stiff enough to allow you to open the phone and leave it at any angle while still being easy enough to open with one hand. This makes the phone great for filming content without a tripod or holder and also very convenient for Zoom or Teams calls while leaving your hands free.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is also way more robust than you would imagine, I mean it looks pretty fragile but between us, it has slipped out of my hands a few times and each time after that initial few seconds when you’re terrified to look, I peeked through one eye and found it to be completely unmarked!

My one concern

My one concern is that the phone sometimes gets hot. There’s no reason. I’ll be watching something or not watching something on the phone, it’ll be on charge or not charging at all. It doesn’t last long but something is working that phone hard in the background…

My take

Although it might seem like it, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is not a gimmick. It has a lot of necessary features and I’ve really liked being able to fit a phone in my pocket again for a change. I’ve also enjoyed the fact that it’s a conversation starter and that people are inquisitive about the phone. I’ve really only had mostly positive responses to the phone.

Performance-wise this phone has not let me down and in fact has allowed me to create on the go without having to carry the usual paraphernalia with me. It’s been handy to say the least.

Locally this phone will set you back R 21 999 or have a look here if you’re shopping from anywhere else in the world. https://amzn.to/3F5PHlC