Hands-on: The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 are all about addressing the biggest flaws

Ben Schoon | Aug 10 2022 - 6:30 am PT

Samsung has been the leader in foldable smartphones since the product first hit the market, largely because the company had a first-mover advantage. But three years later, there’s more competition out than ever before, and even more on the horizon. With its new Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4, Samsung isn’t reinventing the wheel. Instead, it’s fixing the biggest problems.

Galaxy Z Flip 4 is capitalizing on success

Foldable smartphones are still a niche on the market, but they’re quickly gaining steam. Last year alone, 10 million foldables were sold worldwide, and the bulk of that volume was made up by a single model – the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

And really, it’s not hard to see why that phone was a hit. It had a reasonable price. It had few compromises. It had the “cool factor.” And it served an actual need for those who want a small smartphone. So it makes total sense that Samsung wants to double down on what made the Flip 3 great for its Flip 4.

With the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung stuck to the same basic playbook.

At a glance, these two phones look identical. And in person, the differences are still not clear if you don’t hold them up side by side. The Flip 4 is a little bit smaller, to the point where it’s barely noticeable but still sure to be appreciated, nonetheless. The first thing I noticed when I picked up the Flip 4 were the changes to hardware. The flat frame feels wonderful in the hand, and I’m very glad that Samsung has opted for matte glass across the entire core color lineup this year.

Samsung also claims that the inner display has a stronger glass cover this year, which I certainly hope works out given the unfortunate experience I faced on the Flip 3.

MORE: Galaxy Z Flip 4 goes official with bigger battery, updated camera, same $999 price

But is that it? Thankfully, it’s not!

What was the biggest problem with the Galaxy Z Flip 3? Easily its battery life, which we said was the “worst since the Pixel 4,” a device that was notorious for terrible endurance.

As such, that’s the main thing Samsung has fixed this year. The battery is bigger, despite the hardware being smaller, and the charging is also faster. Of course, these are two aspects I couldn’t really get a feel for in the hour I had to use the Flip 4, but they’re the biggest thing I’m looking forward to testing for our forthcoming review.

I also couldn’t move on without taking a moment to talk about the “Bespoke Edition” of the Flip 4. This version of the Flip allows buyers to pick from a few colors to create a personalized phone out of 75 different combinations. It’s a fun idea that creates some gorgeous color combos.

And I will not stop wanting a Galaxy Z Fold 4 in this incredible “Brick Red” option.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 is preparing for battle

On the other side, there’s Samsung’s original idea. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the fourth iteration of this “notebook” style design, and in mere minutes I was convinced it was by far the best one yet.

MORE: Galaxy Z Fold 4 goes official with wider displays, 50MP camera, same $1,799 price

It’s hard to convey what it feels like to pick up the Fold 4 for the first time, but the short version is that it feels like a fully refined foldable. The Fold 3 made big efforts to fill the gaps in Samsung’s foldable hardware, like adding water resistance, but the Fold 4 feels like the culmination of it all. But is that all? Of course not!

*This is the best Galaxy Z Fold 4 color, hands down*

What was the biggest problem with the Galaxy Z Fold 3? Really, it came down to three things. The display crease, the narrow outer display, and the cameras.

With the first of those three, the display crease is noticeably less distinct on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s still there, and you’ll still be able to see it, but it’s visually less distracting and is much less obvious under your finger when using the phone. As someone who’s used a Fold 3 over the past year and has started to notice the crease more and more over the past month or two especially, I’m beyond excited to make my upgrade for this aspect alone.

Further, there’s just the size of these displays. While the diagonal measurement is identical, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has wider displays compared to the Fold 3. On the inside, this leads to something that feels much more like a tablet, which has always been the intention. On the outside, it leads to a display that’s less awkward and more like a normal smartphone. Personally, I never had qualms with the narrowness of the outer display and actually quite liked the one-handed usability it offered. But I can see fully why so many people have clamored for a wider panel, and I can already see how it will be a benefit going forward.

*The keyboard on the Fold 4’s outer display leaves more space for typing*

And finally, there’s the camera. I love using the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but it has failed to stick around as my daily driver mainly due to its camera. Especially after the Pixel 6 Pro arrived with its stellar shooter, it became harder and harder to carry the Fold when I wanted to capture memories. Now, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a 50MP camera, the same camera found in the Galaxy S22 and S22+. Since I was using the Fold 4 in a controlled environment, I can’t speak to just how much of an upgrade this will prove to be, but even just in a few minutes of playing around with it, it already feels like a huge boost.

These three changes in particular aren’t just for the quality of life as the Fold series moves forward, either. To my eyes, they feel more like changes that prepare the Fold to stand up to tougher competition. Samsung knows that other brands such as Oppo have better cameras, a virtually non-existent display crease, and arguably better aspect ratios for the displays. By making these moves now, Samsung is bridging the gap between what it has done to date, and what’s next.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are available for pre-order starting today with their same $1,799 and $999 prices, respectively, as the prior generation. We’ll have full reviews of both devices in the coming weeks. Stay tuned, and drop a comment below if there’s anything else you want to know about them!