14 DAY TRIAL // If it wasn’t already obvious, the future is pretty much here, and Samsung, not you know who, is the most important name making it happen.
The company’s big bet on foldable devices has turned Samsung into the leading brand whenever it comes to this form factor, and the recently released Galaxy Z Fold3 proves exactly why.
Just like its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold3 comes with an approach that sounded impossible a few years ago: it has a screen that folds, allowing you to use it either as a phone, as a tablet, and of course, as both of them depending on what you do.
The Galaxy Z Fold3 comes with a 6.2-inch display which when unfolded gives birth to a massive tablet-like 7.6-inch screen. If you’ve never used such a device before, folding and unfolding the phone feels unbelievable, and it’s impressive just how far the world of technology has managed to go.
And needless to say, to make the whole thing happen, the Galaxy Z Fold3 comes with an arsenal of systems. The main screen is made of the so-called Samsung Ultra-Thin Glass and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.
The specs, not only on paper but in real life too, are impressive as well. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X peaks at 1200 nits, so using this device in direct sunlight is much easier. The cover display sports a 25:9 ratio, so it’s a little bit tall, but you’ll end up using the large screen much more often anyway.
And speaking of this larger screen, it covers no less than 88.8 percent of the entire device, with a resolution of 1768x2208 pixels and 375 ppi density. Thanks to 120Hz, it feels incredibly smooth and lively, and trust me, once you discover just how fluid such a screen can be, it’s hard to go back to an old-school screen with a 60Hz refresh rate.
Without a doubt, the screens are the ones everybody is talking about on the Galaxy Z Fold3, and this happens for a good reason. It’s what sets it apart in the first place, and what I noticed is that using the device overall feels much more natural this time. Typing is a lot more convenient, and I’m not sure it’s all because we’re all getting used to foldables or Samsung has finally managed to find just the perfect way to optimize the Fold for those with cat-sized hands too.
But despite the Galaxy Z Fold3 impressing everybody with its display, the device is so much more than that. And under the hood, it’s a true workhorse.
Power comes from a Snapdragon 888 processor built on a 5nm platform, while the GPU unit is an Adreno 660. In other words, it’s a high-end mix that should allow the Galaxy Z Fold3 to easily deal with pretty much anything you throw at it. I haven’t noticed a single slowdown, no matter if we’re talking about things like watching videos in 4K, playing the most demanding games, browsing the web, or even doing all of these at the same time.
Again, the large screen estate allows you to do so much more, so it’s definitely essential for the hardware under the hood to be capable enough of letting you take full advantage of this. And it is, especially when paired with 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM.
Certainly, the Galaxy Z Fold3 had no other choice but to come with just the best hardware mix at the time of launch. And Samsung knew this very well.
So in addition to all of the above, you’re also getting innovative things like dual-GPS, Bluetooth 5.2, USB Type-C version 3.2, a fingerprint sensor, UWB support (so at one point it’ll even allow you to lock and unlock the doors of your car hands-free), and reverse wireless charging.
The camera itself sports exactly the performance you’d expect from Samsung and a flagship device.
It’s a triple camera setup this time, so you’re getting three separate 12-megapixel sensors, as it follows:
12MP Ultra-Wide Camera: Pixel size: 1.2μm; FOV: 123˚; F.No (aperture): F2.2 12MP Wide-angle Camera: Dual Pixel AF, OIS; Pixel size: 1.8μm; FOV: 83˚; F.No (aperture): F1.8 12MP Telephoto Camera: PDAF, OIS; Pixel size: 1.0μm; FOV: 45˚; F.No (aperture): F2.4
The performance aligns with the other high-end cameras from Samsung, so the photos are clearly impressive, especially with the right calibration. And speaking of calibration, the pictures still exhibit a little bit of oversaturation, but this is something that Samsung has turned to for several years already.
And the vivid displays certainly contribute to making your photos feature more intense colors, but if you want to see a more natural version of your pics, you’d better adjust the color profiles of your screen.
So overall, the Galaxy Z Fold3 is a device that’s as impressive as it gets. But how does it feel to use a foldable device for your daily activities instead of, you know, a regular phone?
The answer is as simple as it could be: it’s not easy, especially at first, but the more you use it, the more you discover it’s capable of more and more and more and more things.
The power offered by the Galaxy Z Fold3 will blow your mind, and this is truly a small computer that’s sitting in your pocket. And speaking of the pocket, this is something that also requires a little bit of time to get used to.
When folded, this device still feels a little bit bulky and it’s rather difficult to carry it in any other way than in a bag or a backpack. It’s not the thinnest device, but this somehow makes sense, because when folded, you kind of have two phones placed one on top of the other.
The pen input feels more and more natural and obviously makes sense on a screen this large. And given Samsung has managed to build a stylus with impressive precision and response time, it’s getting closer to a real pencil as well. It’s not there just yet, but it’s not far either.
THE BOTTOM LINE
With a 4,400 mAh battery and 25W fast charging, the Galaxy Z Fold3 is the kind of device that’s always ready for whatever you want to do. If you use the device most unfolded, the large screen obviously takes its toll when it comes to power usage, but if you recharge it once a day, that should be just fine.
So to answer the question on everybody’s lips: should you buy the Galaxy Z Fold3? The answer, in my opinion, comes down to another question: do you really need a foldable phone?
If you’re the kind of person who spends most of his time on Instagram, reddit, Twitter, and watching YouTube, you’re probably just fine with an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy S anyway.
If you’re a businessman who’s most of the time on the go and just needs a personal computer that’s capable of doing pretty much anything, then the Galaxy Z Fold3 is totally worth the money. After all, it’s a phone, a tablet, a mini-computer, a notebook, a camera, a portable gaming console, a navigation device if you use it unfolded in your car with Google Maps, and probably so much more, because as I said, the more you use it, the more you discover it’s capable of new things.
