Flip 4: improvement on an already great design

With Samsung announcing its Flip 4 and Fold 4 yesterday, I was left wondering, will you desperately need to upgrade to the Samsung Flip 4 when it releases locally or can you stick with the Flip 3 for now?

Sitting through the livestream I raised an eyebrow but also ooh’d and ah’d at the tweaks made to the new phones. There’s no argument here though that the new derivatives of the Flips and Folds are yum!

But once the dust settles and the lights dim and you start to think clearly you realise that might really be all they are… tweaks… minor improvements. Still for the better but just tweaks all the same.

Worth shelling out more of your hard-earned cash? Let’s see!

Here’s what I’ve surmised after my first look at the Samsung Z Flip 4 last night. Needless to say that once I’ve reviewed the device in a few weeks, there might be more to this story!

If you’ve got the Flip 3, you might not need the 4 but if you’re in the market for a phone that slaps shut dramatically, the Flip 4 is what I’d go for! Newer, sleeker, the shiny new toy to hit the market only last night!

The challenge for me now though is to specifically identify just one essential feature that would motivate a current Z Flip 3 user to upgrade, or maybe convince a frugal buyer to choose the new model over a discounted older one – I say frugal! I mean we’re all shopping for a bargain at the moment!

Colour options

Samsung has changed up the colour options on the Z Flip 4. Available in Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, and Blue, the Z Flip 3 was made available in Cream, Green, Lavender, and Phantom Black.

The lavender and black are similar comparing the 2021 and 2022 flip models but they are notably not the same. There’s a definite lighter hue on the new phones. Some of my colleagues were sad to see the cream go, while I loved the green from before but hey… c’est la vie! So if a favourite colour will make or break your decision, then there you go!

Durability

While both phones use armour aluminium frames and are rated IPX8 for water resistance, the 4 should be more scratch and crack-resistant, thanks to the Gorilla Glass Victus Plus. The Z Flip 3 only, I say ‘only’ but still pretty phenomenal, ONLY has Gorilla Glass Victus.

Display

Both the Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 4 have a 6.7-inch FHD AMOLED inner display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a 1.9-inch AMOLED outside display for notifications.

But there are some slight noticeable differences.

Compared to the Z Flip 3, the Z Flip 4 has thinner bezels surrounding the inner display, giving it a more contemporary appearance. Given how delicate foldable screens can be, the fact that that display is now more resilient on the Z Flip 4 is welcome news.

The crease is less noticeable on the Flip 4 but on the 3 wasn’t a problem at all once your screen was on.

The Z Flip 4 also expands on the capabilities of the cover display. It can send messages or manage smart home appliances without having to unlock the phone. Adding a video or GIF background is another option. Overall, though, it continues to fulfil the Z Flip 3’s core function of showing notifications.

Camera

The camera on the Z Flip 4 is identical to that on the Z Flip 3. In addition to a 10MP selfie camera on the inside, both phones boast 12MP main and 12MP ultrawide cameras on the outside.

However, the Z Flip 4 should still raise your photography experience because of improvements made beneath the surface. For better low-light photography, Samsung has incorporated its Super Night Solution software, updated its lighting and stabilising AI, and integrated Quick Shot function. There are just more modes to match the standard camera app.

Performance

Samsung has upgraded the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip from the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s already powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset. With both phones, you only get an average of 8GB of RAM, but it’s almost a given that the Z Flip 4 will be quicker and more responsive while using a number of processor-heavy apps.

The greater storage ceiling of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is an additional performance advantage. Both the Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 come in base 128GB and 256GB models, but the Z Flip 4 now has a 512GB capacity option if you need the most storage possible. I am not sure as yet what South Africa will be getting!

Battery

The Galaxy Z Flip 4’s battery is still small but bigger than that of the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The Z Flip 4’s two-part battery has a 3 700 mAh total capacity compared to the Z Flip 3’s 3 400 mAh total capacity. The battery life should be improved as a result, but I’d have to try that out before I can really comment.

In short

Compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is as the campaign claims “greater than”. Although the hardware hasn’t changed much, the improved cover screen, larger battery, new chipset, and toughened body all sound like worthwhile changes that I can’t wait to test out fully in the coming months but worth an upgrade? Until I’ve tried and tested, I’ll have to let you decide whether you’d part with your money, for now!