Pros | Cons |
+ Bigger Battery | - Relatively same design |
+ Better Camera | - Quite pricey |
+ Wide range of color selection | |
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
RM4099
If you read my first impression of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, you must know that I find this phone awfully similar to its predecessor, but can it perform better?
Design
Upon initial reaction, the Galaxy Z Flip4 did not look very different from its predecessor and it’s because Samsung believes that the Flip3 was their best design yet.
This time, the back of the phone now comes in a matte finish compared to the glossy finish the previous generation had - making it less of a fingerprint magnet. The hinge is also thinner making it look so much more minimalist.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 comes in 4 base colors: Graphite, Pink Gold, Bora Purple, and Blue, but that’s not all as it also comes in a Bespoke Edition that allows users to create up to 75 unique color combinations. The Bespoke Edition is only available on Samsung's Official Website and via a pre-order basis, as each combination is made to order.
Photo courtesy of Samsung Malaysia
The rear camera setup is still located right side of the cover display, and as controversial as it may sound, I like how the flash is placed below the ‘black bar’ as it just looks better in my opinion.
As Samsung is sure that users are to flip their phones ALOT, Samsung implemented the same Metal Frame & Hinge armor aluminum bodice to ensure that it can flip and be flipped for longer periods without breaking halfway.
The Flip4 comes with the same IPX8 water resistance as the Flip3, although I am rather disappointed that Samsung didn’t make it dust resistant as well.
Cover Display
The cover display also maintained its 1.9-inch AMOLED display, which served plenty of room to take selfies, check notifications, reply to messages and do a ton with the widgets.
Swiping down allows users to connect to wifi, and Bluetooth, activate airplane mode, switch flashlights on/off, and adjust the display's brightness which is a new feature that makes a user's life easier.
Swiping left allows users to view notifications while swiping right showcases the widgets. There are also two new additional widgets like Direct Dial to make phone calls directly and SmartThings Scene which controls connected home devices.
Nothing much changed regarding accessing widgets and doing minor tweaking on the phone. It still works well and functions great to make your life a tad bit easier (If you have the extra cash to spend).
Main Display
The main screen comes with a 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display coupled with a 120Hz refresh rate, which allowed me to have a smooth butter experience.
Honestly, I enjoy the fast refresh rate a lot as it feels like there is almost nothing between the phone and my fingertips, everything registers at a fast speed and I think that is worth it.
Since it's a flip phone, it is meant to have a crease because that part is just inevitable. It is noticeable and it does feel very different from a normal phone but once you get used to it, it eventually stops being annoying (for me at least).
Camera
In terms of camera, the dual camera setup consists of a 12MP main rear camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera. And to test out the camera, we brought the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 to ESL One @ Genting to see how it can perform with different types of lighting.
In a dark auditorium with different colored LED lights, the picture looks decent and not washed out in any way. The colors remain vibrant, and you can still feel the memory from the photo alone.
The video we shot looks amazing despite being shot in a low light setting, nothing looked washed out and it remained clear.
Photos taken in a brighter environment look sharper and clearer with the contrast being there but not overly saturated.
The macro camera looks good when there is a good source of light, otherwise, it looks rather dull and blurry.
Meanwhile, the 10MP selfie camera looked decent and bright, it did not blur out our faces and made us look overly fake. It is also clear enough to showcase our features and still see a tad bit of our skin texture.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 comes with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, along with 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Two more available variants come onboard with 256GB and 512GB of RAM respectively.
In terms of performance, this phone works great for things like scrolling through social media and browsing the web. For gaming, however, despite performing well, it heated up pretty quickly but it remained comfortable enough to touch (I didn’t burn any fingers, thank goodness).
For battery, it now comes with an upgraded 3,700mAh battery compared to the 3,300mAh battery the Flip3 had and I am pretty sure it had a lot to do with the complaints due to the poor battery life. The battery can now last me an entire day (if I don’t take as many selfies and play as many rounds of game).
Buy or no buy?
For RM4099, I think that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is great if one is looking to enter the foldable market as it's packed with the latest processor, better battery life, and a tad-bit improvement on the camera.
It is also an amazing fashion statement piece with the 4 base colors it comes with and the 75 Bespoke Edition colors. However, if you are already using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, I honestly don’t think it’s worth the upgrade - maybe the next generation perhaps?
