Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Review: It’s The Mobile Computing King
November 14, 2021It’s a cross between a flagship smartphone and a mini tablet, but is that practical?
Performance: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, 12GB RAM
Main Display: 7.6-inch, 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2x,(1768 x 2208)
Cover Screen: 6.2-inch, Dynamic AMOLED 2x, (832 x 2268)
Weight: 217g
Storage: UFS 3.1 (256GB/512GB)
Battery: 4,400mAh
Rear Camera: 12MP Ultra-wide, 12MP wide-angle, 12MP telephoto
Front Camera: 4MP under display, 10MP Selfie camera
Rating: 9.5/10
Price:RM6,699.00
Foldable phone technology is considered the next logical step in the evolution of the smartphone. Rigid screens have run their course and are now face to face with a brick wall – practicality. For the past ten years, manufacturers have worked tirelessly to offer larger screens while ensuring that the devices’ overall dimensions remain the same.
By and large, they have succeeded. Despite having several orders of magnitude greater processing power and photo taking abilities, today’s smartphones are slimmer and have relatively non-existent bezels – thus the brick wall. The only way forward from here, is through the incorporation of something new i.e. bendable screens.
Design
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold3 is the amalgamation of the best technology we have right now. The device consists of two slabs, each measuring 158.2mm x 67.1mm x 6.4mm. They are held together by a clever hinge mechanism that governs the degree to which both sides are able to unfold. This in turn provides the phone with its various unique features.
Compared to the original Fold, the Fold3’s hinge feels more robust and less likely to fail prematurely. One has to be deliberate when attempting to operate it. There’s noticeable resistance when trying to pry both halves open. When they do start to unfold, it happens gradually, with purposeful, gradual movement.
When closed shut, there’s an audible “thud” that is produced when both halves meet at their edges. The experience is far more reassuring than what was experienced with the original Fold. It serves as proof that Samsung has managed to iron out some of the creases that may have earned the Fold, its unsavory reputation.
The 7.6-inch Infinity Flex Display (Main Display) spans the entire width of both halves, when unfolded. Its surface though fairly firm, flexes a little at the point where pressure is exerted. This may add to a sense of realism when jotting down notes with an S Pen. The display has a resolution of 2208×1768 – it’s fairly bright and offers the same eye-popping, vivid colors that are expected of an AMOLED display.
It has a 120Hz refresh rate, which offers instant feedback for every touch input. Though the material may be different from that of traditional rigid screens, the response times are similar. At the top left section, there’s a cutout for the 4MP selfie camera. Its presence is masked by the illuminances of LEDS layered over the camera sensor.
Though not strikingly obvious, the cutout is still somewhat visible. But you’ll need to look deliberately at it to actually notice something amiss. The look is far more pixelated than the rest of the screen, but not disturbingly so. Overall, it doesn’t hinder the quality of selfies.
The selfie camera on the Cover Screen doesn’t use any LED trickery to conceal its presence. Instead, it resides within a traditional hole punch at the top center section of the phone’s 6.2-inch display. For all in intents and purposes, the front display can function as the main screen. There’s nothing standing in your way of using it as such.
While considerably smaller than the main display, at 6.2-inches, its perfect for general smartphone-like uses. It’s only when you need to read documents or view schematics will you have the need to unfold the device and access the main display.
Practicality
Unfolding The Fold3 conjures feelings of nostalgia because of how eerily similar it is to the Nokia E90 Communicator. At that time, it was the best mobile computing platform for business folk. The UI and physical keyboard made it possible to work on tasks that were meant for actual computers.
The Galaxy Fold3 is the present day’s E90. It serves as the northern star, providing us with a glimpse into what could be possible in the near future. As unnecessary as critics may claim it to be, the is a perfect example of something we never knew that we needed. As good as tablets are, from a practicality stand point, they are far more cumbersome to carry on your person.
A smartphone, no matter the size, fits into reasonably sized pants pockets. There they lie at your beck and call – ready to come to your aid when needed. The same cannot be said of a tablet, no matter its size. This is what makes foldable technology, an absolute godsend. The Fold3 combines the practicality of a smartphone and melds it with the productivity of a proper tablet.
Chatting on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger can be done with the cover screen. It’s capacious enough to view conversations and text a reply, conveniently. The same is true for glancing at social media updates or flipping through news highlights. However, when it comes time to actually getting work done, you can unfold the screen and get down to business.
Through use of the multi-window feature, you can arrange three of your most used apps to fit the 7.6-inch screen and save said configuration. The next time you’d like to access all three at the same time, the layout can be selected from the quick pane. It’s a feature that is accessible across Samsung devices, most notably the larger tablets. And it allows you to maximize the real estate offered by the Fold3.
Reading e-books, pdf documents or online articles are an absolute joy here. The phone lays out content neatly and accurately spaces sentences so that it’s easier on the eyes. The same translates to streaming content. The 7.6-inch screen is ideal for watching YouTube Videos playing mobile games.
And since Samsung has included S Pen support, some of the best features of the Note line are now available with the Fold3. They include:
- Air Command
- Air view
- Live message
- Samsung Notes
- Screen off memo
- Smart select
- Screen write
- Translate
- Bixby Vision
- Glance
- Magnify
- Coloring
- Air Doodle
- Write on calendar
PENUP
It truly is an amalgamation of the S21 Ultra, Note 20 Ultra and Tab S7. And thanks to Samsung DeX support, this is effectively the only device you will ever need. While on the go, it is able to fulfill smartphone related tasks with far greater efficiency. And when docked to a Monitor or TV, you can become instantly more productive.
Like the Flip3, the phone can be folded in a number of ways to access dual screen features for vlogging or watching videos. This is why I prefaced the article by comparing it to the Nokia E90 Communicator. When typing long messages or documents, a comfortably large keyboard appears at the bottom making it extremely easy to type on and with fairly good accuracy.
Performance
The Fold3 has a Snapdragon 888 5G chip and a colossal 12GB of RAM. This is why its apps launch in an instant, windows can be resized and shoved about without a second thought, light video editing or picture adjustments can be done on the fly and when it come for time to unwind, the phone can be perched up in front of you to stream movies.
Though some Samsung fans were hoping that it would get the same 16GB RAM option as the S21 Ultra for bragging rights, in the real world – this amounts to naught. Unless you attempt to edit 4K videos on this device, you’ll never hit the performance ceiling of the Fold3.
Nothing and I mean nothing, seems to slow this phone down. It handles the most demanding tasks like an absolute trooper. The performance is akin to that of the S20 Ultra. Even in DeX mode, your workflow can continue unhindered by lagging or app crashes. The device switches almost instantly between its Cover Screen and main display.
Mobile gaming is nothing short of amazing here. The larger screen allows you to enjoy better graphic details and gaming controls. If you’re an avid smartphone gamer, then this phone should be on your shortlist. This is especially true if subscribe to cloud gaming platforms like Google’s Stadia or Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.
The phone can be had with either a 256GB or 512GB storage options. I’d suggest that you spring for the latter because only then will you truly be able to appreciate this phone for what it is – a full-fledged mobile computer.
The Fold3’s shell does get noticeably hot when playing graphically demanding games for extended periods of time or recording 4K videos, but the phone’s cooling solution doesn’t allow the temperature to spiral out of control.
Cameras
On the phone’s rear are three cameras: 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP Wide-Angle and 12MP telephoto. They take really good pictures, which is on par with the S21+ but far inferior to that of the S21 Ultra. But the Fold3’s main display gives it a leg up on the competition.
Two thirds of the screen is used as the viewfinder and camera settings management while the remaining one third can be used to view recently taken photos. The Cover Screen can serve as a preview window for your subjects
This allows for amazing flexibility when trying to capture a scenic shot or when capturing a photo of a group of friends. And the camera software is able to identify subjects accurately and ensure that they are kept in focus. Like the S21+ the phone can take great shots with minimal effort. The results look crisp, vivid and with a decent amount of depth.
This is true of photos taken in broad daylight as well as those captured in low lighting conditions. Samsung’s post-processing software is able to compensate for these changes quite well. Scene Optimizer lends a helping hand by making small adjustments to camera settings for clearer and more vibrant results.
Like Samsung’s other flagship devices, the Fold3 also gets shot suggestion, Single Take, Director’s view, Night Mode and a whole host of others. But what its siblings can’t offer you is the ability to choose between the front facing 4MP camera or the trio of rear ones when taking a selfie. It goes without saying that the rear cameras offer better features and inevitably more impressive results.
You can capture videos with a resolution of up to 4K with 30 or 60fps. But keep in mind that the 12MP ultra-wide sensor doesn’t have optical image stabilization. Due to its size and weight, capturing videos with the Fold3 isn’t ideal but it can be done well provided that you maintain a good grip at all times.
Battery life
This phone comes with dual batteries. One is mounted in each slab just like the its Flip3 cousin. They give a total output of 4,400mAh, which is rather disappointing considering that both the S21+ and S21 Ultra are equipped with far larger ones. That said, The Fold3 should be able to provide a day’s worth of usage before asking to be recharged.
And since it supports 25W fast charging, its diminutive battery can be charged to full in slightly more than hour. The phone also supports 10W wireless charging. It will take considerably longer to charge your battery this way but you won’t have to worry about untangling wires ever again.
Should You Buy This?
If you have the stomach to fork out more then RM6000 for a phone, then the answer is a resounding yes. It is the best smartphone on the market by a country mile. It represents the pinnacle of smartphone technology, which makes it ideal for people who want a device that can do it all. Though the S21 Ultra bests in outright camera performance, it makes up for that in other areas.
The S Pen may be an optional extra, but we suggest that you purchase it alongside the Fold3. It adds a level of functionality that cannot be ignored. The Note line owes its success to the S Pen, which speaks volumes of the tool’s usefulness.
Unlike its predecessor the Fold3 is far more durable, which should allow it to survive a few years of abuse without showing signs of wear. If you have the money, this is the phone to have.
