Main Highlights:
- Samsung’s first mainstream foldable phone has garnered considerable praise for its dazzling display, lightning-fast performance, water resistance, and minuscule folded footprint.
- Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the company’s most affordable foldable phone to date, retailing at $999.99, but the smartphone is now available for substantially less.
- The unlocked Z Flip 3 is available at Best Buy for $599.99 when purchased with service.
- In rare instances, you may be able to save even more. The unlocked Z Flip 3 reduces to $499.99 when a new service line is activated on T-Mobile / Sprint.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the company’s lowest-priced foldable phone to date, retailing for $999.99, but you can now acquire the intelligent phone for significantly less. The unlocked Z Flip 3 is available from Best Buy for $599.99 if you activate the service with your purchase.
That’s a massive $400 savings over the Flip 3’s standard pricing, putting it on the level with the Pixel 6. Google’s phone is fantastic, but it lacks the cool factor associated with a folding screen. Customers of Verizon and AT&T can also take advantage of that discount for a short time.
You may be able to save even more in some circumstances. By activating a new service line on T-Mobile / Sprint, the unlocked Z Flip 3 drops to $499.99. If you’re willing to put up with some carrier bloatware, you can also get the Verizon model for $499.99 if you’re eligible for an upgrade.
Samsung’s first mainstream foldable phone has received widespread accolades for its brilliant screen, fast performance, water resistance, and tiny footprint when folded. If there is one flaw with the phone, its battery life is just mediocre compared to the competition. However, there’s no doubting this thing’s clean design — and the cream color is just as stunning now as it was when Samsung launched it, though the discount also applies to the black, green, and lavender hues if those are more your taste.
Review Of The Z Flip 3
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the first foldable phone to put it all to the test. The same CPU powers it as the Galaxy S21, which was launched earlier this year. Its screen, like Samsung’s other flagships, operates at a smooth 120Hz. It features a redesigned, purportedly more durable design, as well as IP water resistance, which is precisely what you’d expect from a modern phone. And, perhaps most importantly, it starts at $1,000, $450 cheaper than the Z Flip 5G it replaces. This places the Flip 3 on a par with several high-end, non-folding smartphones.
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However, the Flip 3 is not always a sure thing. There are some areas where it falls short of other, more mainstream phones. Using a folding phone in this manner is an experience that many of us are unfamiliar with. However, those distinctions are rapidly being reduced to human preferences and choices, not to compromises. As a result, this is the first folding phone that the whole public can purchase, not just early adopters.
The Flip 3’s design is substantially identical to the original Galaxy Flip and the Flip 5G, both released last year. The purpose of this folding phone is not to transform a standard-sized phone into a tablet, like the Galaxy Fold series does, but to transform a vast phone into something that fits more comfortably in your pocket or purse. When closed, the Flip 3 is about the size of my wallet, but when opened, it reveals a 6.7-inch screen that is both roomy and tall.
Additionally, as with previous Flips, the Flip 3 is quite thick when closed – it’s near twice the thickness of standard phones. However, this did not make it difficult to grip or slip into my pocket. Because the Flip 3 is half the height of other phones, it will not protrude above the top of my jeans pocket. If anything, it stayed more securely in my pants and jacket pockets than tall, thin phones – I never had to worry about it sliding out when I sat.
The Flip 3’s hinge remains unaltered mainly from the previous model – it’s still relatively stiff and challenging to open with one hand, but snaps shut satisfyingly. (Samsung suggests opening the phone with two hands.) It can be propped up halfway open and remain there, allowing you to shoot selfies, make video calls, or watch videos using only half of the display. I’ve never done this, and I’m not sure many others outside Samsung’s marketing materials would.
Samsung made most of its durability enhancements under the hood, including self-curing gaskets to keep out water. You can read more about those modifications in detail in my colleague Dieter Bohn’s essay. Still, the conclusion is this: you no longer need to worry about getting the Flip 3 wet, which is quite an accomplishment for such a tiny piece of electronics that practically folds in half.
You must remain vigilant for dust and debris, as the Flip 3 lacks an official dust protection grade, and there is still a visible gap in the hinge when closed. TL;DR: the Flip 3 is best suited for pool use, not beach use. Otherwise, the Flip 3’s fit and quality are comparable to that of other premium phones.
My cream-colored review unit has a distinct throwback aesthetic, and the aluminum side rails and hinges feature a soft, matte feel. (Samsung also offers a variety of other color options if you’re not a fan of cream.) It does not creak or grind in an unsettling manner when opened or closed, and the seams and tolerances are very close.
The most noticeable modification Samsung made with the Flip 3 is expanding the size of the cover screen from 1.1 inches to 1.9 inches (measured diagonally), which equates to an almost fourfold increase in display size. It’s significantly more helpful for viewing notifications and manipulating media than the previous Flips’ tiny ticker screen, but it’s still somewhat limited.
While the UI is similar to that of a smartwatch, with swipeable panels for calendar appointments, weather, alarms, and timers, you cannot reply to an incoming message without utilizing Bixby voice commands (no thanks) or fully unlocking the phone. While the screen may be used to frame selfies and the clock customized with different animations, the cover screen could be significantly larger.
The limits of the cover screen emphasize how the Flip 3 differs from a typical smartphone. You can’t simply pick up the Flip and perform one-handed tasks – you almost always have to open the phone, which frequently demands two hands.
As a result, it is less convenient than a regular phone and requires more time to complete simple tasks. I got past these limits by just leaving the Flip open and using it as a regular phone when I was at my desk or just lounging around the house and only closing it when I needed to put it in my pocket. However, this essentially contradicts the purpose of purchasing a folding phone in this form in the first place.
Samsung offers a variety of vibrant and entertaining cases for the Flip 3 that include integrated finger straps or rings to help hold the phone easier when it’s open.
