Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Review : Tiny In Your Pocket, Big In Your Hand | Tech Reviews
Small, square, chic – and also really big in no time at all: The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is super compact and still offers an impressive folding display. The test shows what it can do better than its predecessor.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is very similar to its predecessor. Unfortunately, the edge is now glossy. In return, the hinge is a little less bulky. Despite the more compact case dimensions, the larger battery ensures significantly better endurance and the new processor provides a speed boost.
In the Samsung language, the mighty king butterfly in tablet format is called the Galaxy Z Fold and the small butterfly is called the Galaxy Z Flip. Samsung is now launching the fourth evolutionary step. And just as the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 resembles its predecessor, the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 is also very reminiscent of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 . The principle remains: small in your pocket, big in your hand. When it comes to balancing a 6.7-inch display and super-compact pack size, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is the first choice.
Samsung Galaxy Flip 4
The Z Flip 4 is not a new construction, but the refined version of the predecessor with the same computing power as the big brother Z Fold 4. In the high-tech Hanuta, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 ensures top performance. Both open and folded, it has shrunk in all dimensions between 0.3 and 1.5 millimeters – at the same time the battery has grown from 3,300 to 3,700 milliampere hours. According to IPX8, dives should withstand folds and flips up to a depth of one meter for half an hour.
Even more compact
To get a sense of what changes we’re dealing with, the Z Flip 3 is 72.2 millimeters (mm) wide and 86.4 mm long when folded. The Z Flip 4 is 71.9mm wide and 84.9mm long. The bulk of the savings comes from the more compact hinge, which now protrudes 1.2mm less at 2.3mm. Of course, the width does not change when opened. The length of the Z Flip 4 is 165.2 mm, which is 0.8 mm shorter than Generation 3. It is 17.1 mm thick when folded and 6.9 mm thin when opened. It weighs 187 grams.
Tiny outdoor display
The 1.9 inch small touchscreen with 260×512 pixels shows incoming messages and calls, time and battery status and can quickly turn on and off Wifi, Bluetooth, airplane mode or the flashlight, start calls, control smart home devices or authorize payments – everything without opening the flip.
The appearance of the outer display can be adapted to your own wishes, so it shows about the same design as the Galaxy Watch.
Big, crisp main display
Unfolded, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is suddenly a completely different type. With a diagonal of 6.7 inches, it surpasses most smartphones, even the mighty Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is only just ahead at 6.8 inches. The resolution of the flip is 2640×1080 pixels. The refresh rate is regulated between 1 (particularly economical) and 120 Hertz (particularly smooth) as required.
As with the Fold, Samsung has optimized the surface to the possibilities of the display. A swipe gesture and you’re in multi-window mode, which either shows two apps or divides the half-open display into display and control.
For videos, the Flip 4 can be held like a camcorder or placed half open. So you always have a stand with you.
This is particularly useful for taking selfies with the main camera. The small external display provides enough orientation, and the flip is super easy to align thanks to the folding mechanism. You don’t even have to use the timer. Raising your hand is signal enough. An animation signals that you still have a short time to lower your hand, and then the picture is taken. Thanks to this, the flip 4 selfies are among the best in the mobile world.
Pace and equipment
The currently most powerful mobile processor in the Android universe, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, puts a lot of pressure on the boiler. Even the Z Flip 3 wasn’t a nose pick, but Generation 4 has even more to offer. The score for the Geekbench 5 multi-core improves by around 20 percent (from 3334 to 4008 points). The speed boost is even clearer in the gaming department: In the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme, the Flip 4 delivers a whopping 76 percent more points than the Flip 3 (from 1462 to 2575 points). The speed mark thus improves from 1.7 to 1.3. The RAM is well rated at 8 gigabytes (GB) (the Fold 4 can even access 12 GB). Depending on the model, the device memory is 128, 256 or 512 gigabytes. Memory expansion by card is not possible. The Flip 4 only swallows one SIM card, Dual SIM is possible via eSIM. Bluetooth 5.2, 5G and Wifi 6 are of course also on board. Samsung’s promise to offer at least four Android updates is positive. It starts with Android 12 and Samsung’s One UI 4.1 interface.
Cameras ensure good photos
Like the main camera (f/1.8), the ultra-wide-angle lens (f/2.2) has 12 megapixels, and the selfie camera (f/2.4) in the folding display has 10 megapixels. The pixel size of the main camera increases from 1.4 µm to 1.8 µm. Samsung promises significantly improved light sensitivity. In contrast to the Fold 4, COMPUTER BILD was able to confirm this at the photo booth. The Fip 4 turns the Flip 3’s grade of 2.1 into a 1.8 in poor lighting. Daylight photos were even better. The main camera has optical image stabilization and ultimately even performed better than the new 50-megapixel camera in the Fold 4. There is still no telephoto lens. That’s why the folds perform significantly better at a practical four-fold magnification.
Bigger battery, better efficiency
The battery has a capacity of 3,700 mAh. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 still had to make do with 3,300 mAh and thus only had a service life of 6:53 hours in the battery test . In fact, the Flip 4 lasts much longer and achieved a strong 8:53 hours in the test – almost 30 percent more endurance with smaller dimensions is a word! However, Samsung and Apple are not quite up to speed with fast charging. The small Flip 4 needs more than two hours for a complete charge with the “quick” charger, which you have to buy if you don’t already have one. It charges with a maximum of 25 watts. The Flip 4 charges wirelessly with 10 watts and supplies energy in the opposite direction if necessary, for example to charge the charging case of the Galaxy Buds.
Galaxy Z Flip 4: colors, prices, availability
In addition to the four colors Graphite, Pink Gold, Bora Purple and Blue, the Bespoke Editions offer 75 color combination options. In the basic colors with 8 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 128 GB of device memory, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 costs 1,099 euros, with 256 GB 1,159 euros. This increases the RRP by 50 or 60 euros compared to the predecessor. The version with 512 GB for 1,279 euros is new. Ordering is now possible.
