Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 review: A flexible smartphone with quirks. The usual monoblocks are closer and more understandable to me, but bending devices somehow do not beckon. Nobody forces you to change your habits, but it’s always interesting to try something new.
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Acquaintance begins with studying the kit, but here everything is minimalistic: a clip for a SIM card and a USB-C to USB-C cable. The power supply must be purchased separately, but we have become accustomed to this in recent years.
Flexible but not small
You can’t find fault with the assembly with all your desire, the hinge is tight and very tight, the smartphone unfolds with more than a decent effort. There is no backlash both disassembled and folded – everything is very soundly. I will leave behind the scenes the question of how long the screen will last in the device, but, according to Samsung, you can count on 200,000 unfolding, and then how things go.
A factory protective film is glued on the screen, you do not need to remove it, otherwise there will be problems with the warranty service. Wearing polarized sunglasses is not pleasant to use a smartphone, the film is frantically glare, so keep that in mind.
Now more durable Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + is used – I did not crash test, but there were no major scratches. There was a feeling that the case was not scratched at all, but when I took photos of the device, I noticed a scratch on the bottom of the Z Flip4 case.
The cover will not hurt if you are kind to the appearance of the smartphone. At the same time, the surface collects prints and from time to time the frosted glass has to be wiped. IPX8 moisture protection has also been preserved – the phone can withstand a half-hour stay at a depth of up to 1.5 meters.
The most interesting thing is, of course, the disclosure mechanism. It is so tight that it is most convenient to open the smartphone, helping with the second hand, so as not to accidentally drop it on the pavement. Folding the Z Flip4 is also more convenient with the help of a second hand – there is no auto-closer here, but it would be very useful.
In the process of use, peculiar moments related to ergonomics emerge. The volume buttons are too high, as is the power key with a built-in fingerprint scanner on the right side. Although you can unlock your smartphone through the front camera, even if this method is not very reliable.
Carrying a smartphone in your pocket is not very convenient – when folded, the Z Flip4 is quite plump and resembles a small box in size. Luckily, it’s not as bulky as the Sony or Sennheiser headphone cases in the photo, but you still have to sacrifice comfort. The usual flat elongated smartphones, as for me, are more convenient. Although no one forbids putting the phone in the pocket in the unfolded form, but this is still quite strange behavior. Moreover, when you walk in jeans, the smartphone falls to the bottom of the pocket – it is not always convenient to remove it.
The case has flat edges, while there are no sharp edges, so it feels right in the palm of your hand. Moreover, the glossy sidewalls do not slip out and there is no fear that the smartphone will fall out. I note that several times I had situations when the smartphone in my pocket itself switched the tracks of the player – apparently, the external screen was waking up.
Two displays, one bar
In the unfolded state, the hinge is hardly noticeable and does not catch the eye, except that you can pay attention to the crease in the middle of the screen. And so, when unfolded, the smartphone is easy to confuse with some ordinary candy bar.
Diagonal 6.9 inches, Full HD + resolution and a frequency of 120 Hz, if anyone is interested in the characteristics. You can adjust the operating frequency in the settings: limit it to 60 Hz mode or select an automatic profile when the frequency changes from 1 to 120 Hz, depending on what is happening on the screen.
But the front camera has not become sub-screen, as in the Z Fold3 or 4, here it is still clearly visible. The sides around the perimeter also remained, although they once again worked on their sizes and made them a little thinner.
The display is bright, juicy – a Dynamic AMOLED 2X matrix with a good margin of brightness, if you activate the “Increased brightness” setting. You can only find fault with the unusual aspect ratio of 22:9. But it is convenient to use two applications at once: you can chat in Telegram and read texts on websites or watch videos using multi-window mode. At the same time, the freedom of choice of angle remains: a tight hinge helps to find a comfortable position.
An additional 1.9-inch display, of course, is color, touch-sensitive and displays auxiliary information such as the number of steps taken, weather data, shows notifications and helps control music. In addition, it works as a viewfinder when shooting, and also opens the control center for wireless services, and you can also answer calls without opening the case.
Camera
While I was shooting on a smartphone, I had only pleasant impressions from the camera: it starts up quickly, the photos are excellent in different conditions. Then it’s time to evaluate the results on a large monitor – I liked the daytime shots, but not the evening ones. And do not forget about the interesting feature of the Z Flip4, because here, thanks to its flexible nature, you can use its main camera for selfies, and not the auxiliary one.
A smartphone with a pair of 12 megapixel cameras: the main module with optical stabilization, an auxiliary wide-angle without it, plus a 10 megapixel front camera.
During the day, the quality is excellent, no questions.
If we talk about evening or night shooting, then there is already a noticeable lag behind the flagships. I think that most users will be satisfied with the quality, but the most demanding ones will certainly look towards smartphones with more outstanding results. The related Galaxy S22 Ultra will be more interesting in terms of photo quality, but it costs less.
Powerful and hot
The specifications are top-end: here is the fresh Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 8 GB of RAM, and the built-in memory can be 128, 256 or 512 GB. Traditionally, there are no memory cards.
During use, the upper half of the phone heats up, especially when you start actively browsing sites on the Internet, not to mention launching the camera. It does not heat up, I have not had such situations, this is not a hot Google Pixel 6, but the sediment remains. Hypothetically, you can also run benchmarks, but taking into account the specifics of the smartphone, I would not worry too much about throttling. Still, during normal use there are no brakes, and for games it is more logical to buy a device with a more efficient cooling system.
The stereo speakers sound decent, a feeling of volume is created, and the call is always audible. I listened to music on Spotify using the Dolby Atmos advanced setting in my smartphone settings paired with the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. I will be brief: the sound is excellent, especially if you activate the Dolby Atmos setting in your smartphone. There is no connector for connecting wired headphones, the mini-jack is a thing of the past.