Because it matters
Companies like Samsung are betting big on foldable phones being the next major evolution of the modern smartphone. But high prices and other setbacks have limited their appeal so far.
What’s next
Samsung is holding its next Unpacked event on August 10, where it is rumored to announce the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4. Folding phones have come a long way since Samsung’s original Galaxy Z Fold debuted in 2019. Last year’s $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 3 and $1,000 Galaxy Z Flip 3 are the sleekest iterations of its flexible devices company to date, each of which brings improvements to their software and display screens. But there’s a lot Samsung could do to further improve these devices, and I hope we see such changes in the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4. Both phones are expected to debut during Samsung’s Unpacked event on August 10. They will represent Samsung’s latest play to maintain its position as a leader in the emerging but growing foldable phone market. TM Roh, head of Samsung’s mobile business experience, said nearly 10 million foldable phones shipped in 2021. This is broadly in line with estimates from International Data Corporation, which says 7.1 million foldable phones shipped in 2021, representing an increase of 264.3%. in relation to 2020. These figures suggest that foldables are starting to appeal to more than just early adopters and tech enthusiasts. However, there are still some hurdles for Samsung and other companies to overcome before foldables become as ubiquitous as standard smartphones.
Lower prices
Samsung’s foldables are priced higher than their standard smartphones, which can make them a tough sell. This has changed in recent years, with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in particular being one of the most affordable foldable models. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 starts at $1,000 without trade-ins, making it the same price as the Galaxy S22 Plus. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is significantly more expensive, with a usual starting price of $1,800 trade-in, though it’s still a welcome improvement over the $2,000 Galaxy Z Fold 2.
New software features
The foldable designs of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 definitely set them apart from most phones. But the software has to catch up with the hardware. Samsung has made a good start in this regard. Both the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip have a feature called Flex Mode, which reorients and optimizes certain apps to fit the device’s screen when folded in half. For example, Flex Mode shifts some compatible apps to the top half of the screen while displaying navigation and playback controls on the bottom. My favorite example of using this feature is in the Galaxy Z Flip’s camera app. When the device is half-open, the shutter button, photo settings and other controls are on the bottom half of the screen, while the top half acts as the viewfinder. Flex mode combined with the Z Flip’s ability to stay open on its own make it a great camera-tripod combo. In addition to Flex mode, the Galaxy Z Fold can also run multiple apps on the screen at the same time to take advantage of the tablet-sized screen. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 can run multiple apps on the screen at the same time. Patrick Holland/CNET These are great additions, but there’s plenty of room for Samsung to do more. It feels like the software conforms to the hardware, when it should be the other way around. While the Z Fold’s Flex mode and multitasking features are a great start, they aren’t enticing enough on their own to justify buying a foldable phone. I would like to see Samsung develop more exciting software features. While I wouldn’t recommend buying the Surface Duo 2 because it doesn’t work very well as a regular phone, I think Microsoft is on to something with the software.
Longer battery life
Battery life is one of the most important features of any phone, and flip phones are no exception. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 both had incredible battery life. My colleague Patrick Holland could barely get through a day on the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s 4,400mAh battery capacity. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 managed just 11 hours before requiring a charge. I hope Samsung improves battery life or develops new ways to address it in the next iterations of the Z Fold and Z Flip. And by “work around it,” I mean Samsung could boost the devices’ fast-charging speeds or improve power-saving features. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 charges up to 25 watts while the Z Flip 3 charges at 15 watts, neither of which is anything special. The Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra, for example, have a charging speed of 45 watts.
Better cameras
Camera quality is right up there with battery life when it comes to what matters most in a phone. The cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 are good, but there’s room for improvement. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a 12-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel ultrawide main camera setup, which my colleague wrote in his review is “on par with the cameras you’d find on a $700 phone.” The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a triple camera system that adds a 12-megapixel telephoto lens in addition to the 12-megapixel wide and ultra-wide lenses. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 cameras Sarah Tew/CNET These cameras are fine for most people. Anyone considering buying one of these phones is obviously more interested in the screen than the cameras. But for the price, I’d like to see camera quality that at least matches, if not beats, Samsung’s best non-folding phones. As my colleague Patrick puts it: “the Z Fold 3 has B+ cameras at an A+ price.” This is especially true of the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s under-display camera, which is the selfie camera for the phone when used in tablet mode. Fortunately, rumors suggest that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will come with some serious camera improvements that will put it up to par with the Galaxy S22 series.
Design improvements
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 folded close. Sarah Tew/CNET Although the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 are Samsung’s most sophisticated foldables to date, phones with flexible screens are still relatively new. As such, it takes time to get the ergonomics right and Samsung still has some work to do here. Let’s start with the Galaxy Z Fold. The Z Fold’s biggest downside is that it still feels a bit awkward to use as a regular phone when it’s closed. Samsung has made some design improvements to the Z Fold 3 that make it lighter and thinner than its predecessors. But it’s still an unusually bulky phone when closed, which can cause some discomfort when using it with one hand. Anyone who has bought the Z Fold probably did so because of its large internal display, not the display on the cover. But think about how many times you pull out your phone to quickly check a notification or reply to a text message. In some cases, these tasks are much more convenient when the Z Fold is closed, such as when you’re on the go and unfolding the device isn’t practical. Another design upgrade I’d like to see on the Z Fold is the ability for the S Pen to magnetically attach to the hinge of the device. A stylus storage slot like the one on the Galaxy S22 Ultra doesn’t seem like a reasonable solution, as it would add to the thickness of the Z Fold. The Galaxy Z Flip already looks a lot like a standard phone, but one improvement I’d like to see is a larger screen cover. The Z Flip 3 is a significant upgrade over the original Z Flip in this regard. While Samsung’s first foldable phone had just a tiny pill-shaped cover screen, the Z Flip 3 is big enough to fit widgets for weather, music, alarms and more. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 cover screen Sarah Tew/CNET However, I would still like to be able to see more lines of text and graphics on this screen. A larger display would also make it easier to take a quick selfie without unfolding the phone, as the cover’s display can serve as the camera’s viewfinder. Fortunately, rumors suggest that Samsung is planning to increase the size of the flip screen with the Galaxy Z Flip 4. I also hope that Samsung finds a way to make the crease less obvious on both the Galaxy Z Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip. The creases on Samsung’s current foldables aren’t too distracting, but they’re definitely noticeable — both to the eye and to the touch. Chinese tech giant Oppo has found a way around this in its foldable Find N by implementing a “waterdrop” hinge, which makes the fold of the device more inconspicuous and more difficult to open. Motorola’s drop-folding hinge design makes creasing the foldable Razr less…
