It had been a long time since a phone had arrived to impress us with its design, and that is that, today, all phones seem the same to us. But technology is advancing, and the first great advances of the future are already here, and it is just at this precise moment where the Galaxy Z Flip surprises us with its technology. But will it be enough?
The future is folded again
It’s not Samsung‘s first foldable, we know, but it is the company’s first foldable that can be taken seriously. The reason for this conclusion is none other than the infinity of design errors with which the Galaxy Fold came, a string of errors that ended up digging its own grave. However, this time we have a much finer and better finished job.
Galaxy Z Flip Features
But before I tell you all about the folding experience, let’s make a quick summary of what this Galaxy Z Flip offers:
- 6.7-inch screen : Very long in length, and although it looks good, it does not reach the quality of the AMOLED panels of the Galaxy S or Galaxy Note.
- Double rear camera: 20 MP, with acceptable quality, without great luxuries and correct performance. You will take good photos, but not spectacular, much less with the ability to defend yourself in difficult light situations.
- Front camera: it is hidden in the screen and offers very normal results. In addition, it is quite eclipsed with the function of the external screen, which allows us to use the rear camera for selfies (thus obtaining more quality in the image).
- Processor : A Snapdragon 855+ that will offer you excellent performance for all kinds of uses. Perhaps, the most complete and outstanding hardware component that we can find in the device.
- Battery : 3,300 mAh with which to complete the day with suffering. A little more capacity would not have hurt.
After this review, do not you think we are dealing with a very normal phone that would be difficult to stand out in the market? That is mainly the problem that we found in this Z Flip, since its folding screen does not justify the general set of the product.
The pleasure of folding
But don’t get us wrong. The feeling of folding the phone is brutal. It is important to mention that, although it is another folding phone like the Galaxy Fold , here the intention is different, since Samsung seeks to offer you a phone that you hardly notice in your pocket.
With the Galaxy Fold, the idea was to have a phone that can be converted into a tablet, but here, it is to convert a phone into something that we can hardly notice that we carry. And that is very cool, however, it is not perfectly executed.
Design to improve
You only have to take the phone with one hand to discover that it weighs a lot and that you need the other hand to open it. Forget about that old gesture of opening the phone inertia or hanging up a call quickly closing it tight. It is very difficult to do the opening and closing gestures with one hand, and that affects the shell-like experience that we have been used to seeing for a long time.
The phone is delicate, and that has forced Samsung not to make the same mistakes again as with the Fold. This results in a rough design … on the inside. And it is outwardly perfect. Perfect fold, no gaps, and a perfectly balanced weight. Seriously, the finish on the outer face of the device still maintains Samsung’s high standards in terms of bezels, perfect finish and jewelry details.
The two sides of the coin
But on the inside, it seems that we are facing a phone from decades ago. The frames are wide and to top it off, they have a fairly important height that clashes a lot with the designs that Samsung has accustomed us to. Obviously they are limitations imposed by the screen, since it requires the best protection to avoid breakage. But if there is something that bothers visually it is the pieces by way of grip that are in the flexion area. They are in sight and are horrible, but they are just essential elements to ensure the security of the screen.
Most of the time the phone will be closed, with the screen protected, so with the idea of being able to know who is calling us or what notifications we have pending, Samsung has included a small screen with which to see the information. But little else. The screen is so small that it does not serve much else, and even using the camera function, it falls short to frame correctly.
Would we have included a larger screen? Insurance. Had the price of the device increased? Well also.
Excellent screen, but not perfect
The used AMOLED panel looks pretty good, but it doesn’t quite match the quality of the Galaxy S or Note. This is especially visible in images with a black background and a lot of lighting, examples where the screen lacks that degree of punch in brightness and contrast, which other Samsung devices do.
I can not leave aside the issue of the fold, something that is present, but that will quickly go unnoticed. If you look for it, you will find it quickly, but if you forget it, you can live with it without major problems. The problem is, perhaps, that it is noticeable when you move your finger on the screen when we scroll, so it is something that still has to be perfected.
Too expensive a luxury
Don’t you think that all these details related to the screen weigh too much? That is the impression I have with this folding device, an amazing terminal that looks like a newcomer to the future, but suffers from insurmountable limitations produced by current technology. Everything that surrounds the screen is not up to it, and that makes us feel the Galaxy Z Flip as a device closer to a state of prototype than final product.
For all this, its price of 1,500 euros seems to us nonsense, since we are dealing with a very first generation with such a wide margin for improvement that it will be obsolete when you least expect it.