When Samsung announced its latest Galaxy Z series, I almost lost my mind and was hoping if I could ever get my hands on any of the new foldable phones. Thanks to Samsung, I got to play around with its Galaxy Z Flip3 5G unit.
It comes in a simple black box with a capital Z logo on top, which represents the Galaxy Z series smartphone. It comes in 4 base colours - Cream, Phantom Black, Green and Lavender. For those who'd love some special colours, Samsung also offers 3 other colours - Gray, White, and Pink - exclusively on its website only. The unit that I've received is the Cream one, which looks beautiful in its subtlety.
Opening up the box, you'll see the phone itself. Underneath it, there's a black box with Samsung's logo on top, containing some paperwork, and a USB-C to USB-C cable. The SIM ejector is tucked on the other side of the box. Judging by the thickness of the box and since Samsung encourages you to reuse your previous phone charger, I'm not surprised by the missing charging unit.
In terms of aesthetics, it's pretty simple - a smooth finish back with a black "bar" area housing the cover display and the double rear camera module. While many may be concerned about the durability of the phone as it will be folded and flipped open frequently, you may rest assured because Samsung took the model's durability seriously this time.
The phone's frame is constructed with Armour Aluminum Metal. Samsung also uses Gorilla Glass Victus to protect both its front and back displays. It is said to be 80% more durable than the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Flip 5G. To top that, it also comes with an IPX8 water resistance rating so it's still okay if you accidentally spill a glass of water over it on a blue Monday morning.
The cover screen on this unit is notably bigger. While its predecessor features a 1.1-inch cover screen, this new model has an expanded 1.9-inch cover screen. Of course, this means that you don't have to flip open the phone as frequently as the previous models. You can easily check notifications, weather, schedule, play music, and even take pictures without the need to flip open the phone.
Next to the cover display is the vertical double rear camera setup, which consists of a 12 MP wide camera and a 12 MP ultra wide camera. On the front, there's a 10 MP punch hole selfie camera.
The 6.7-inch screen boasts a Super AMOLED screen with a 2640x1080 resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate. On the bottom, there is a USB-C charging port and a stereo speaker setup. However, there isn't a 3.5 mm jack so you need to opt for a separate pair of TWS earbuds or connect your wired earphones with the help of a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter.
On the right, you will find the volume rocker and power button mounted side by side. There's a built-in fingerprint sensor on the power button, which I find very convenient. Meanwhile, the SIM card tray is located on the left.
As for specs, this unit features a Snapdragon 888 chip and a 3300 mAh battery along with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. There is also another storage variant available with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It's still too early to judge its performance yet, but it should be a good performer on paper although I'm a little concerned by its battery capacity.
I look forward to testing out this unit, so stay tuned to the full review, which will be coming soon. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G retails for RM3,999 and RM4,999 for the 128 GB and 256 GB storage variants respectively. And what's more, Samsung isn't charging you extra bucks for the exclusive colour choices. Have you pre-ordered the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G yet?
