Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3

 

How is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 different?

Now, this is a question quite a few people have asked. But the answer is simple. It is better, it is thinner and lighter. In other words, the third version of the Fold is much more refined and visibly so. The hinge, which earlier used to look like an appendage, is now seamlessly integrated into the design. The phone, when closed, fits much better in your hand. The folded Fold 3 also feels more like a Samsung galaxy device now that the front screen is almost edge-to-edge.

How good is the in-screen camera design?

The big design change is when you open the Fold3 and use the larger screen. The front-facing camera here is behind the screen and eliminates the need for a notch or hole. But you can see the small round when you are on a white screen though it will not hamper your experience in any way. And when you switch to the front camera this suddenly comes to life with a spark around the screen — quite a spectacle and something you will enjoy every time. Also, this new tweak makes the larger screen of the Fold3 much more usable.

Is the crease on the folded screen gone now?

The crease is very much there, though subdued. After having seen many foldable over the past couple of years I am not sure the crease will ever go away. That would have to be a wonder of physics if at all. Companies will however try to make them less visible though. On the Z Fold3, the crease is visible more when you are on a white screen, like when checking Gmail. On colourful screens, it sort of vanishes at least stays out of sight.

How good is the camera?

When someone asks me this, I want to respond by asking: “Does it really matter in this phone?”. But anyway, people do tend to take the camera seriously on all their phones. The Fold3 is a flagship and the camera is not something we should really worry about. The rear camera for me is close to what the S series does and will not disappoint you. However, it will surely leave you confused — do you click photos with the phone closed or open? Whatever you do, the photos to come out to be good no matter the conditions.

 

NETWORK	Technology	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G

LAUNCH	Announced	2021, August 11
	Status	Available. Released 2021, August 27

BODY	Dimensions	Unfolded: 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 mm Folded: 158.2 x 67.1 x 14.4-16 mm
	Weight	271 g (9.56 oz)
	Build	Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus) (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame
	SIM	Nano-SIM and eSIM
		IPX8 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) Stylus support

DISPLAY	Type	Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (peak)
	Size	7.6 inches, 179.9 cm2 (~88.8% screen-to-body ratio)
	Resolution	1768 x 2208 pixels (~374 ppi density)
		Cover display: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 6.2 inches, 832 x 2268 pixels, 25:9 ratio

PLATFORM	OS	Android 11, One UI 3.1.1
	Chipset	Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
	CPU	Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
	GPU	Adreno 660

MEMORY	Card slot	No
	Internal	256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM
		UFS 3.1

MAIN CAMERA	Triple	12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 12mm (ultrawide), 1.12µm
	Features	LED flash, HDR, panorama
	Video	4K@60fps, 1080p@60/240fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps (gyro-EIS), HDR10+

SELFIE CAMERA	Single	4 MP, f/1.8, 2.0µm, under display Cover camera: 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm
	Features	HDR
	Video	4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS

SOUND	Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers
	3.5mm jack	No
		32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG

COMMS	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
	Bluetooth	5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
	NFC	Yes
	Radio	No
	USB	USB Type-C 3.2

FEATURES	Sensors	Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
		Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung DeX (desktop experience support) Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support

BATTERY	Type	Li-Po 4400 mAh, non-removable
	Charging	Fast charging 25W Fast wireless charging 11W Reverse wireless charging 4.5W

MISC	Colors	Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Green

TESTS	Performance	AnTuTu: 635918 (v8), 752218 (v9) GeekBench: 12719 (v4.4), 3239 (v5.1) GFXBench: 38fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
	Camera	Photo / Video
	Loudspeaker	-25.6 LUFS (Very good)
	Battery life	Endurance rating 75h