The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 was announced a while ago as the fourth variant of the compact foldable screen device from Samsung. Last year, the Galaxy Z Flip3 was the highest-selling foldable screen device, easily beating the Galaxy Z Fold3. The main factor behind this higher sales is its much more affordable price compared to the Flip 5G and also its much smaller size making it look more fashionable for fashionistas.
Samsung hasn't made any major changes to the Z Flip4 this year with differences being made to internal components and minor cosmetic touches. In this regard Samsung borrows Apple's marketing style which also only provides minor cosmetic changes with updates to internal components.
Having used almost the same design for four generations, the question that needs to be answered is whether the given minor iteration is still able to make the Z Flip4 the foldable screen device to buy this year?
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
Inner Screen – 6.7″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+
External – 1.9″ SAMOLED
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor (4nm)
1x 3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 chip
3x 2.75 GHz Cortex-A710
4x 1.80 GHz Cortex-A510
Adreno 730 Graphics Chip
8GB LPDDR5 RAM
Internal Storage 128/256/512 GB UFS 3.1
Main Camera 12+12 Megapixel f/1.8+f/2.2, OIS
Selfie Camera/Internal Camera 10 Megapixel f/2.4
3700 mAh battery
25W wired charging
10W wireless charging
4.5W reverse charging
SIM/Nano Telephony/5G
NFC Yes
No Audio Jack
IPX8 Waterproof
Scan System Side fingerprint scanner
Sale Price RM 4099 (8/128GB)
RM 4399 (8/256GB)
RM 4899 (8/512GB)
RM 4599 Bespoke Edition (8/256)
Screen
The same 6.7″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X foldable screen from last year is used again. It is of the LTPO type which allows the refresh rate to drop down to 1Hz and jump to 120Hz when needed. The device feels very responsive to touch and scrolling because of this technology.
The screen also supports HDR10+ mode for apps that support it such as Netflix and YouTube. Content looks bright and clear when we use it for a short period of time. The viewing angle is also good. Unfortunately we were not able to test the screen description under bright sunlight as the test room was closed.
The screen still has a selfie camera hole in the front in the middle. Although the under-screen camera (UDC) technology was used in last year's Z Fold3 and this year's Z Fold4, Samsung is not yet ready to offer their UDC technology on the Z Flip4. Therefore the video content is still interrupted by the camera hole when using full screen mode.
We need to touch on the folding effect on the Z Flip4 because it is still clearly visible as soon as the device is opened. Entering the fourth generation, the issue of the fold effect is still unresolved. The crease effect can be seen even if the screen uses a dark background image.
Samsung says they improved the durability of the Ultra Thin Glass used on the surface of the Z Flip4's foldable screen. But we don't know how much improvement and long-term durability it will have in the real world because in the lab it was tested up to 200,000 times opened and closed without any damage according to Samsung.
The outer screen is still 1.9″ AMOLED unlike some of the previously reported rumors. The size of the secondary screen is still too small to make it as practical as on the Motorola RAZR 2020. But users can now send quick reply messages directly from the external screen as supported on the Galaxy Watch4. Last year's feature that allowed AOD was updated with more interesting animations, static images, widgets and selfie screens. Quick shortcuts to place the most frequently contacted individuals can also be done on this external screen.
Design
Same year design as Z Flip3. The sides of the device and the back surface are flat with a frame made of durable aluminum material. In hand the device still feels the same just with a different color offering. This year Z Flip4 Bespoke edition can finally be ordered by users in Malaysia.
A choice of five colors for the top panel, five colors for the bottom panel and three colors for the frame and hinges are offered to customers. This version will be sold at a more premium price than the regular Z Flip4 and customers will have to wait between 4-6 weeks for the device to arrive in hand.
Previously, the Bespoke edition was only offered to users in South Korea and the United States. An interesting approach is that only the Z Flip4 is offered in the Bespoke edition and not the Z Fold4.
The hinge and bezel have been changed on the Z Flip4 to reduce the size of the device in closed and open mode. The first thing we noticed was the much smaller hinge. The smaller bezel isn't as noticeable to the naked eye as we don't have a Z Flip3 to compare it to. The device also feels lighter in the hand.
Although the hinge has been slightly redesigned, the experience of opening the device still feels sturdy. There are no issues with the hinges sounding like old hutch doors or the closing mechanism being too hard to open/close the screen.
The power and volume buttons are placed on the right side. A physical fingerprint scanner is still included on the power button which is quite large. We still feel the position of the power button/fingerprint scanner is too high but with the folding mechanism in the middle, the position of this button cannot be changed to a more ergonomic location.
For those who do not like the side fingerprint scanner, the face scan system can be activated but only of the 2D type. Without an IR transmitter this system also cannot be used in a dark room.
The SIM tray is placed on the left side. Only one nano SIM is supported with no slot for micro SD card or secondary SIM. If two cellular services are to be used, the user needs to use an eSIM. No more micro SD support but this has been done for the past few years by Samsung on their flagship devices.
Stereo speakers are supplied complete with Dolby Atmos audio support. The audio grille at the bottom is matched with a smaller speaker on the earpiece. In this configuration the audio is not so bright with the bottom speaker clearly louder.
The device still passes the IPX8 waterproof standard which is a relief because with so many exposed components, without waterproofing it's scary.
Use And Software
The operating system used is still Android 11 with the One UI 4.1.1 launcher, so not many new features are introduced because this is the same version of the operating system used by the Z Flip3 at this time.
Standard features of dark mode, Side Panel and Multi Window are provided. Not much feature innovation can be seen on the Z Fip4 software. From an innovation point of view this is disappointing because it is not able to provide uniqueness to the newer models. But this also means no gimmicky features added simply in the name of innovation. As we've written before, One UI 4 is a launcher that's already packed with so many features that it's already a bit heavy with a device equipped with only 8GB of RAM.
Usage is very smooth and neat. Opening applications can feel faster. This is expected because the device uses a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. It would be a shame if a device with the fastest Android chip these days couldn't run smoothly.
If you feel that 8GB of RAM is not enough, adding virtual memory through RAM Plus can be done. Samsung offers virtual memory in sizes of 2, 4, 6 and 8 GB with part of the storage to be used as RAM. Therefore, Samsung offers 512GB storage on the Z Flip4 in Malaysia so that users will no longer complain that the storage is too small or not enough to use RAM Plus.
Camera
A 12MP f/1.8 wide-angle lens sensor is paired with a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens sensor on the back with a wide-angle lens equipped with an OIS system. On the front, a 10MP f/2.4 sensor is placed in a camera hole. There is no change in the megapixel size but the pixel size is larger on this year's sensor for better imaging performance according to Samsung.
The camera only supports digital zoom up to 10X. More significant camera improvements are only given to the Z Fold4 this year. One new feature on the Z Flip4 camera this year is the Flex Cam. The device can be held like a classic camcorder video camera when recording video
Battery
This year's 3700 mAh battery is bigger than last year's 3300 mAh. The main complaint of Z Flip3 users is its battery life which is tragically unable to last all day. The supported charging system is also increased to 25W compared to only 15W. The device can also be charged wirelessly 10W and charge other devices wirelessly.
Conclusion
Samsung believes in the arena of foldable screen devices a sudden design evolution is not necessary if iteration alone is sufficient. Their competitor in the clamshell foldable screen device market is only the Huawei P50 Pocket which is sold at a much more expensive price.
Because of this, a more compact design update, the use of the most powerful processor for Android, larger storage, a higher capacity battery and slightly faster charging have been done. Samsung's strategy is to appeal to users who do not yet own a Z Flip4 and are not users of the Z Flip3 or Z Flip 5G.
A smart strategy actually because the number of users of foldable screen devices needs to increase first before major changes are made to each new model. This year's Z Flip4 package is still exciting as it is currently the most powerful foldable screen device on the market.
At a starting price of RM4099 it is a bit expensive compared to last year's model which was sold at a starting price of RM3999. Supply chain issues, chip shortages, inflation and the dwindling value of the Ringgit make this inevitable. The fact is that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is the most powerful and best compact foldable screen device to date. Whether it is true or not will only be known after we review it later.
Pro
A neater and more compact design compared to the Z Flip3.
Landmark class specifications in a compact size.
IPX8 waterproof.
Bigger battery with faster charging.
Supports wireless charging.
Cons
The camera system is recycled.
The screen is the same as last year.
The external screen is still too small to be really useful.