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Samsung is the current leader in foldables, and after spending a few months with the Galaxy Z Fold 2, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the company’s other option, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. After the company opened a 100-day trial, I thought it was worth it, but here’s why I won’t buy the Galaxy Z Flip.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5G is a one-ride pony
Foldables have the ability to change smartphones as we know them in major ways, but there are useful ways to do it, and there aren’t. With the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, the idea is to take a normal smartphone and shrink it on command, making the whole thing easier to slip into a pocket.
It is an idea that I can certainly support. Phones these days are huge, and for many, they’re just too big for a pocket. However, that’s really the only value proposition the Flip brings to the table. Other than that, it’s no better than a Galaxy S20, and in some ways it’s actually worse. So, let’s take a quick look at what makes up the Z Flip.
On the datasheet there is a Snapdragon 865 chip paired with 8 GB of RAM. As with the Galaxy S20 which shared virtually the same options, the performance is pretty stellar. No matter how many apps or tasks I had at the same time, the Flip followed me. What doesn’t, however, is the battery life. The 3,300mAh power supply isn’t exactly small, but by 2020 standards and so on, it’s pretty disappointing. At best, I could handle around 4-5 hours of active use in a full day. Usually I can handle less than ideal battery life, but what made it frustrating was wireless charging. I love that it’s supported, but I constantly have alignment issues. The phone was too short for one of my charging cradles and on my Nomad base station it repeatedly failed to line up leaving me with a nearly dead phone in the morning. In the camera department, the 12MP camera part is doing well, for the most part taking good photos with the same somewhat inconsistent experience with other Samsung phones. No surprises there.
In terms of hardware, Samsung has succeeded. The matte glass of the Z Flip 5G is comfortable to hold and beautiful. I also like the fact that the mat covers the small outer screen. The hinge is tight and reassuring too, although I have notably seen it not fully unfold after a few weeks. This is apparently fairly common with the Flip, however, and hasn’t affected my usage. The interior screen is also of solid quality. It’s crisp, the OLED has vivid colors and good contrast, and the bump in the center pretty much disappears in front of your eyes when you’re actually using the phone.
The disadvantages outweigh the advantages
After using the Flip as my primary phone for a few days, it became very clear that I wasn’t going to stick with it. Why? The main reason, in reality, comes down to the choices that the makers of this phone have made.
By having a primary internal screen that is only accessible when the phone is open, a number of usability issues arise. One-handed operation is certainly possible once the design is opened, but the stiffness of the hinge makes it difficult to open the phone with one hand, at least while feeling like you’re trying to protect a device. at $ 1200. That alone was enough for me to be turned off by the device, but the more impactful the problem is the longer you think about it.
Forcing the device to unfold for most tasks sometimes gets really annoying. For example, when you try to take a quick photo, you are automatically delayed for several seconds, that is, if you want to see your subject. You can use the small outdoor screen to take a selfie, but that doesn’t help in other scenarios. It might sound like something you’ll get used to, but honestly, I can’t imagine living with it on my only smartphone, and at $ 1,200, it will almost certainly be someone’s only phone.
This annoying problem also ignores the basic problems that all foldables face today. The Z Flip has no water resistance to speak of and the screen is easily scratched. The ultra-thin glass improves the feel of the screen, but it still comes with a plastic screen protector, and the screen underneath is no longer durable.
Where does this form factor come from from here?
Having a phone that folds in half is awesome, and for some people this form factor is worth it just because it’s so small in the pocket. For me and I would bet a lot of other people, the current state of the Z Flip just isn’t.
I do believe, however, that there is common ground that can be reached, and the master plan already exists. The outer screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 5G acts as the Achilles heel. The little strip is fine for notifications, but that’s it. Getting it to occupy the entire front of the folded device would solve a lot of problems. You can see an entire email or text and more. This is something Motorola is offering with its Razr 5G. Samsung gets everything else on the Flip over Motorola’s option, but the Razr deserves credit for its external display; it’s actually useful. I would love to see Samsung do something smart with the cameras as well to allow photos to be taken while the phone is closed, but that may not be possible … at the moment.
Is the Galaxy Z Flip 5G worth $ 1,200? It really depends on you. If having a very small phone in your pocket is worth the inconvenience, I think the rest of the experience justifies the price if this tip is important to you. I will return my Galaxy Z Flip 5G before the trial is complete. It’s a great phone, but it’s just not for me.
If you want to have fun, the trial period is valid on purchases made on Samsung.com until today, April 1.
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