Galaxy Z Flip 4 Review: A Diminutive but Fun Upgrade
Foldable Phones
Speaker 1: This is the galaxy Z flip four. It's a phone that fold in half to fit in your pants, pocket or shirt, pocket, or backpack. It's all about being portable, but the Z flip four is also incredibly fun and has several special features you won't find on any other phone. Hi, I'm Patrick. And this is my review of the galaxy Z flip four. I've had this review sample on loan from Samsung for just over two weeks. And in this video I'm gonna cover the design changes, the new processor, the new main camera sensor [00:00:30] software, and more. Don't worry. I got chapters enabled in the description. So feel free to take off your seatbelt and move about the video cabin. As much as you like last, there are links to check out the Z flip four for yourself. And with all that out of the way, it's time. It's a flip.
Speaker 1: Now. I really like last year's galaxy Z flip three, but I was hesitant about recommending it because it's battery life. [00:01:00] Wasn't great. And his cameras were just, okay. The new galaxy Z flip four takes all the good things about the flip three and add some welcomed improvements. Now it still costs a thousand dollars, but remember, what you're paying for is the fact that it can do this or this. Now, fortunately, if you have your heart set on a flip four, Samsung and carriers offer heavy discounts, the Z flip four gets a larger battery and runs on the new snap drag eight plus gen one chip, which increases efficiency. [00:01:30] What all that translates to is well, a tiny bit longer battery life, which yay, but hang on a second. The difference isn't game changing. I definitely won't scoff at getting a couple more hours on the single charge, but the galaxy Z flip truly won't be ready for the masses until it can reliably get through a long day on a single charge. On the flip three, I found myself making it to the late afternoon before it needed to be charged again with a flip four, I typically make it through a day, but [00:02:00] if I'm using my phone heavily to watch videos, take photos or have a video call, that battery lasts me into early evening at best, but let's talk about performance. The new processor and Android 12 L keeps things feeling pep and responsive. Animations look smooth. Gaming is fun. I mean, I played PUBG mobile Alto's adventure and Mario cart tour, and didn't have any issues.
Speaker 1: [00:02:30] Now you'd be forgiven for confusing. The flip three and the flip four, I mean, they're virtually identical, which is fine because the design works so well. Why change it? But the flip four gets gorilla glass plus for better durability, which combined with the aluminum sides and a minuscule increase in weight makes the flip four feel pretty solid though. I I'd never describe this phone as heavy. It has an IP X eight rating for water resistance, [00:03:00] meaning it can be submerged up to 1.5 meters about five feet for 30 minutes. But as impressive as that is the flip four lacks dust resistance, the phone has a new matte finish, which in purple doesn't show fingerprints. Yes, I love this. I like this far better than the glossy finish on the flip three. And I dig how the aluminum sides have a slight, shiny purple hue about them.
Speaker 1: If you're wondering about the crease, as you can probably see, it's still [00:03:30] there, it doesn't bother me, but look, I get why some people are gonna be put off by a crease and use. It's not that noticeable, especially since you're likely using the flip four, just like any other phone head on Samsung, improved the display with stronger glass. And overall the flip four has a nice satisfyingly firm feel to it. I didn't need to baby it or treat it any differently from any other phones I use also one of my favorite parts of the flip four is the fact that the display isn't [00:04:00] laminated to a glass panel like a regular phone, meaning there is just this minute layer that separates your finger from the display. Now combine that with the flip four's high refresh rate screen, and it feels like there's nothing between you and the internet or nothing between you and your photos. Also, the flip four is delightful to open and close. Now it took me a while to get used to, but after a bit, I was able to flick it open one handed, which is something you just can't do with a fold four. [00:04:30] And listen to that closing sound. I mean, come on. This is what you pay for.
Speaker 1: Then there's the cover screen. It's the same size as the one on the flip three. And in terms of functionality, well, it's largely the same as well. Meaning I wish it did more. One of the new features is that you can send canned responses to certain messaging apps from the cover display, but there's no option to [00:05:00] type or dictate a reply without opening up your phone. And out of everything on the flip floor, the cover screen is the place where Samsung could definitely do more. When I reviewed the 2020 Motorola razor, it was that external display that really opened my eyes to what was possible with a foldable phone. I was able to basically use the Razor's quick view display as a tiny Android phone. I even got video games to work on the external display like PUBG mobile. Now, to be clear, I don't need to play call duty on the flip [00:05:30] force, cover display, but how about a keyboard for replies?
Speaker 1: And then there's flex mode, which triggers software to change when it's positioned halfway open. Now there are more apps that are optimized for flex mode, and really what flex mode does is move an app to the top half of the screen and give you controls or settings at the bottom. Now, one of the most obvious examples of this is Samsung's own gallery app, which lets you now edit a photo in flex mode. The photo goes the top. The settings are at [00:06:00] the bottom. Thank you Samsung. But the big new addition to flex mode is that it gets a track pad and a tiny baby cursor. Now I can click things with a cursor. I can even use two fingers to swipe and move across the track pad. Maybe I'm looking at street view and Google maps, for example, and as much as the track pad and cursors seem like a novel idea. In reality, they're not very practical.
Speaker 1: [00:06:30] The flip four has three cameras. There's the same selfie and ultra wide cameras that were on the flip three, but the main camera gets a new image sensor and like the battery camera performance gets to boost, but uh, nothing major photos from the flip four, have a nice punchy look to them in terms of contrast to color for some, the way the flip four processes colors might feel oversaturated for some surprisingly in low light. That's [00:07:00] where the new main sensor comes into its own photos have nice detail and there's not a lot of image noise. Well, unless you're zoomed in, you see the flip forward does not have a dedicated telephoto camera. And that means you rely entirely on digital zoom, which as you can see is where things start to fall apart. Now, here are some photos and videos that I took with the flip four,
Speaker 1: Despite [00:07:30] having B minus cameras. The flip four gives you one of the most versatile camera setups on any phone. The fact that it can fold and hold its position means you're able to put the phone nearly anywhere, whether you're trying to get a video of your cat or trying to capture some Nochi that you're cooking. The flip for is its own tripod. And there's another small upgrade with some major ramifications and it comes to the cover display. You can now show a preview of either portrait or landscape, [00:08:00] photos and videos. Now combine that with the ability to have the flip take photos with nothing more than holding your hand up means that the flip four could be one of the best creative tools for capturing content for social media.
Speaker 1: So if you're a current flip three owner, should you upgrade? Well, I wouldn't, I don't think you get enough on the flip four to warrant a year over year upgrade, but if you're trying to decide [00:08:30] between getting the flip four and a discounted flip three, well, I'm all about saving money and that flip three is definitely appealing and I probably push you that way. If you have an original flip or a flip 5g, I do think upgrading, especially if you can snag one of those hefty trade-in discounts is worth it. You get better build quality, you get a better battery, a larger cover screen, a faster, more efficient processor and a high refresh rate main display. At the end of the day, I [00:09:00] really like the galaxy Z flip for, and I appreciate all the upgrades large and small that stamps are included, but I'd still like to see the cover display, get more functionality, the battery life to improve more and for there to be better quality cameras. Now I want to hear from you guys though, are you considering getting a galaxy Z flip for if so, what about it makes it appealing to you? And what questions do you have throw your thoughts in the comments? Also make sure you check out my video review for the galaxy Z fold for which oh boy, [00:09:30] I really, really like that phone. Lastly, do all the YouTube things like subscribe, hit the bell and thank you for watching.
