Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Straight Talk

TechRadar Verdict

The Samsung Milky way Z Flip is the flip-telephone-way foldable smartphone with a 6.7-inch display that collapses in half. Its novelty will plow heads, but so will its extraordinarily loftier price. It now comes in 4G LTE or 5G, each with durable sparse drinking glass that makes information technology feel more durable than the Moto Razr foldable.

Pros

+
Corking folding concept
+
Cool splitscreen UI
+
Durable flip design

Cons

-
Incredibly expensive
-
Cover Display is tiny
-
Beginning-gen limitations

Update: our Samsung Milky way Z Flip review has been updated subsequently more time with the 4G LTE version of this foldable phone. A 5G version has as well recently launched.

Ii-minute review

The Galaxy Z Flip introduces the flip telephone to the smartphone generation thanks to Samsung's bold rethink of how foldable screens work: it collapses in one-half vertically.

This means the Z Flip (and newer Z Flip 5G) has a big traditional-looking half dozen.7-inch display that packs upward into an incredibly compact clamshell class factor. It instantly has a comforting throwback vibe to it, and yet feels cutting-edge, besides.

Its novelty turned heads as we tested this phone in public – the wow gene was off the charts for the Z Flip. People wanted to know how a screen could fold in half, and of course endeavor it themselves. We got the same reaction to the Z Fold and Z Fold 2 that unfolded into tablets, merely the Flip was seen as more than practical to many people.

As neat as it is, Z Flip is a commencement-generation device, one that'south sure to be refined in an inevitable Galaxy Z Flip ii in 2021. Our biggest hangup is the i.1-inch Cover Display on the front; it doesn't offer much info when the phone is closed and sitting on a desk-bound. Information technology has the basics – notifications, the time and battery percentage – but when someone calls and they have a longer name, information technology has to roll like a news ticker.

Within, on the unfolded screen, nosotros dug the Flex UI, which allows for multitasking with 2 apps and, in some cases, enables the controls of one app to be laid out across the Total HD+ screen. For instance, taking a selfie puts the camera preview on the pinnacle screen, while all of the controls are on the bottom of the display. And the phone works great half-folded for video calls, interim every bit an impromptu tripod on a table.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip — (Image credit: Futurity)

Here's the rub: the Z Flip's half-size portability is a selling point, certain, just the primary reason to buy this phone is make an early adopter super flex. It costs more than than the Galaxy S20 and the Notation 20 series, yet the photographic camera isn't virtually as good as the Note 20 Ultra. Its specs aren't equally good either – 256GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM.

Expensive and dialed back specs are par for the course for all new, space-deprived foldable phones in 2020. Only make no mistake, some are better than others: the Z Flip is the hand-down improve foldable vs the equally expensive Moto Razr (and the Moto Razr 2020). We've found Motorola's foldable flip phone disappointing, despite offering tons of nostalgia (many people nosotros showed Samsung's Fold to either called it 'the Razr', or instantly asked about the Razr – please, don't but information technology for the proper name).

The Z Flip gets a lot of things correct that Motorola got incorrect, including stuffing in a bigger battery and thin glass – not plastic – to protect the 6.7-inch inner display. That's withal non enough reason for everyone to pay so much money for a phone that'southward just every bit pricey as the Notation 20 Ultra, which has better cameras and specs. You have to be looking for something new and chichi.

The Galaxy Z Flip doesn't necessarily represent a pivot in Samsung'southward foldable phone strategy – it feels like some other an experiment to come across which design sticks with consumers. Both the Fold and Flip styles may co-be. In that regard, it's an experiment with a high request price, one that's destined to be upgraded in 2021. This volition turn heads for the next few months, though the novelty may clothing off soon.

Samsung Milky way Z Flip release appointment and price

Release date (4G LTE): Friday February 14, 2020
Release date (5G): Friday, July 22, 2020
High launch price: $1,380 / £ane,300 / AU$1,800 (4G LTE)
Now discounted and easier to find in stock

Like all foldable phones, Samsung's Z Flip launched with an extremely high asking toll: $1,380 / £1,300 AU$ane,800, and information technology was impossible to find in stock on its release appointment: Fri, February 14. Everyone seemed willing to pay for its novelty despite that lofty toll. Z Flip colors included Mirror Black, Mirror Imperial and Mirror Golden.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G carried an even bigger price tag – $1,449 / £1,399 / AU$two,599 when it came out 5 months subsequently on Friday, July 22, 2020. It not just contained 5G speeds, but upgraded the chipset to the Snapdragon 865 Plus and changed up the color options to Mystic Grey, Mystic Bronze and Mystic White.

There was a $ii,480 Z Flip Thom Browne Edition in gray with a red, white and blue strip that was a fashion argument more than than anything else. Its limited edition status meant it sold out, simply the box came with a leather telephone instance, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active two, and the Galaxy Buds Plus.

Blueprint

Candybar-style shape unfolded, clamshell form factor folded
Hinge feels stiff, and the screen crease is faint
Platonic for those with modest hands and tight pockets

The smaller footprint of the Z Flip means it'south lighter on specs compared to a flagship telephone similar the like the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but it'due south not short on novelty – that it has in spades. But don't buy it expecting the latest 7nm chipset (in the 4G LTE version), or Samsung's newest cameras or largest battery capacity (in whatsoever version).

The Z Flip has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ screen and unique 21.nine:ix aspect ratio, so information technology feels extremely alpine in the manus. Its candybar-style shape, when unfolded, makes this have on the thought of a foldable phone distinct compared to the mini-tablet-like Galaxy Fold.

You can see how the phone folds out in the video below:

This is the Samsung Milky way Z Flip, which is the company's latest foldable phone. It'south all yours for just $1,380 or £one,300. The best chip? It's out this Friday in the United states and United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland #SamsungEvent moving picture.twitter.com/KsmFqidzYcFebruary xi, 2020

Come across more

You could easily mistake an opened Z Flip for a typical Android flagship phone if y'all don't pay attending to the faint crease across the middle of the display; collapse that hinge down, however, and the telephone's overall size gets much smaller.

The Galaxy Z Flip design makes it infinitely easier to hold and pocket than a regular smartphone, a win for those of us with smaller easily and tight jacket pockets. Even if it's far chunkier than your average telephone when folded in half, overall this is going to be the near compact phone you've endemic in over a decade.

That pocket-sized Embrace Display

The 1.1-inch AMOLED outer 'Cover Display' is tiny
Simple notifications, the time and date appear here
Names and CallerID numbers forced to scroll if too long

At that place'south a tiny 1.1-inch AMOLED 'Cover Display' on the outside of the Z Flip, and it has merely enough space to testify an incoming phone call from a contact – if their name is short enough – in the course of a scrolling proper name or telephone number. That said, our 10-digit number proved as well long for the entire Encompass Brandish when we tested information technology out. It also had to screen like a news ticker.

Notifications, battery life and the time can as well be shown on this small screen, and it does more than than just brandish static information. You tin curl through the various sets of data on the Comprehend Display, plus there's a style to tap a notification on the and then open upwards the phone to see the app in full.

Samsung calls this contextual continuity, and it's like feature to how apps on the Galaxy Fold serial are capable of running on the outside brandish and instantaneously loading on the main display when you unfolded the phone.

We also like the fact that when information technology goes black, the Comprehend Display can be lit support with a unproblematic double tap similar any other Samsung screen. That said, the scrunched-up information isn't nearly every bit useful equally the larger Cover Brandish on the new Milky way Z Fold 2 or fifty-fifty the Moto Razr.

About that thin glass

Feels more like glass than the Moto Razr and Z Fold
Information technology has remained durable over months of our testing
The screen pucker is faint and easy to ignore

The Galaxy Z Flip display is made of Samsung'southward 'Ultra Thin Glass', which one-ups what we've seen from other foldables, including the Motorola Razr with its plastic OLED and its ain original Galaxy Fold.

Samsung's glass-based approach felt shine to swipe across, with a frictionless feel. The slickness is akin to Corning Gorilla Drinking glass, which is typically found on non-folding phones. You can hands forget that y'all're using a new display applied science.

More important, the Ultra-Thin Glass feels pretty durable, and when we tapped on the screen, even fairly hard. Nosotros didn't feel like the device was in whatsoever risk of breaking, which wasn't the case on the original Galaxy Fold. The Z Fold 2 we plant mushy due to its protective plastic layer on top of its like Ultra-Thin Glass layer.

Of course, we weren't hitting the Z Flip screen as hard every bit a drop would hurt it – this wasn't an official drop test. But we're still pretty confident that this is a durable foldable telephone months after first using information technology.

There'south still a crease across the screen from left to right where the hinge is located. The crease doesn't seem as dramatic equally on the Galaxy Fold, but, so again, it'south across a smaller screen and it may go more than pronounced every bit time goes on.

Yous're nevertheless not going to observe a better foldable screen in 2020. There are two things nosotros feel Samsung gets right near its new foldable: commencement, it uses thin drinking glass to cover the inner screen. The Razr, original Fold and Huawei Mate X all use vulnerable plastic screens, and this glass has stood up well since we first started testing the Z Flip.

Camera

2 cameras on the exterior, one selfie cam inside
Uses Galaxy S10e camera tech from early on 2019
No telephoto lens, so zoom range is express

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip cameras are perfectly fine – and at the same time we're left wanting after reviewing the far superior Milky way Note 20 Ultra camera.

There are two cameras on the outside of the Z Flip, and both capture 12MP photos. The f/i.eight regular camera and f/2.2 ultra-wide camera capture bright and colour-rich tones in the daytime, though we've seen better nighttime photos from Samsung. Inside, at that place's a small cutout in the display for 10MP selfies when you have the phone unfolded.

At that place'due south no telephoto lens whatsoever, so your zoom range in limited. We're used to seeing that on cheaper versions of flagships – Samsung Galaxy S10e and iPhone 12 – simply not phones this expensive.

Sticking with the S10 comparison, the photos we took are on par with Samsung's budget flagship launched in March 2019. Information technology's either going to be perfectly fine or a major compromise, depending on how important a smartphone photographic camera is to you.

Specs and operation

Snapdragon 855 Plus (4G LTE) or Snapdragon 865 Plus (5G)
Plenty fast for what you tin do on a meaty foldable phone
8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage – no microSD menu slot

The Galaxy Z Flip launched using 2019'due south Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset – on the same day that the S20 range launched with the Snapdragon 865 chip inside. It's less impressive tech squeezed into the Z Flip's smaller confines.

Information technology'due south still plenty fast for what you can practise on a compact foldable phone, so most people won't notice the compromise. In any event the Milky way Z Flip 5G did upgrade things to the Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset vi months later on.

Nosotros've been more concerned with the fact that there's 8GB of RAM (fine) and 256GB of internal storage with no microSD card slot (not fine) tucked into the nano SIM tray. In that location are no other versions of the Z Flip with beefier specs, and then y'all can run out of room despite paying and then much money.

Battery life

iii,300mAh dual bombardment in the phone'southward two halves
Lasts a normal waking mean solar day for anybody but power users
Wireless Qi charging placement can be a bit awkward

The Galaxy Z Flip battery life is either subpar or good enough, depending on how yous look at things. It lasts a normal waking 24-hour interval with average employ before yous need to recharge information technology, only open up that big, vivid screen upwards more than often throughout the twenty-four hours and it'll demand a charge earlier the end of the night. Power users will struggle here.

That said, Samsung's three,300mAh bombardment capacity fabricated a significant difference when we tested it against Motorola's Razr'due south 2,510mAh capacity. The Z Flip pulls this off by embracing a dual battery design in the ii halves of the phone, much like Samsung did on the larger Fold devices.

Bonus: Samsung stuck wireless charging inside of its telephone (that is notably missing from the Motorola Razr). Nosotros were able to use it somewhen, but had to figure out how to line upwardly the phone with our stand-upward wireless Qi charger – the charging spot in on the lower half of the phone.

Should yous buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip?

Buy it if...

Don't purchase it if...

First reviewed: December 2020

Source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-z-flip-review