You know a phone has really hit the spot not just when young and older millennials, but tweens and teens alike goes gaga over it. That’s exactly what happened when a friend of mine saw my review unit of the Samsung Galaxy Flip3 and gawked at it, telling me that his 12 year old son will totally lose it when he sees it. “Please don’t come to our house with that phone, our son will totally lose it. He’s crazy about the ‘Zeee’ Flip and gives us sleepless nights about it,” he said before admitting “but I told him over and over that he’s too young for it.”
Admittedly, the hefty R21,999 prize for the Z Flip (256GB storage, 8GM Ram) tells you straight away that it is not a device with a teen or tween market in mind, unless of course you can afford to. It’s not surprising why for most people – young and old – foldables illicit so much excitement, and almost every person that sees me using the Z Flip3, often ponder: oh my, did you just do that – fold your phone?
It’s understandable given that the smartphone sector had been staid over the past decade or so, and now Samsung is taking the lead and making sure this once abandoned sector takes a life of its own. Now more phone brands are taking the plunge, with the likes of Chinese smartphone maker Honor having just announced the launch on January 10 of the Magic V foldable, coming just a month after OPPO’s first-ever flagship foldable smartphone, Find N.
One thing for sure, Samsung did a great job ushering the foldable phones into mainstream consumers with the release of both the Galaxy Z Flip3 and Z Fold3 (unveiled at during August 2021 Galaxy Unpacked event), thanks to industry-setting, top tier specs and attractive designs.
It therefore comes as no surprise that Samsung broke its own record for foldables, exceeding lifetime sales of their predecessors, notably the Note 20 and Galaxy S21 line in a matter of weeks.
With the Z Flip3 in particular, the Korean tech giant took things a notch up, making sure it stands out just by merely looking at it, even when squeezed into a case. The Z Flip3 simply can’t be mistaken for anything else, yes you heard right, not even the latest iPhone.
Galaxy Z Flip3; all the addictive, fun features we can’t stop using
Wanna know why the millennials are abandoning their old, smartphones of choice and switching to the Galaxy Z Flip3 in record numbers? Below are all the reasons (all the fun features everyone would love) why hip and happening crowd is lining up to be among the first to own this unexpected top-seller, a full-size smartphone (powered with 6,7-inch Infinity Flex Display with120Hz refresh rate) that not only folds to fit the tiniest of pockets, but turns out to be just the perfect companion for those looking for some fun and entertainment from their oh-so stylish devices, all the while being productive.
Versatile camera
While the Galaxy Z Flip3 has the same camera specs as it’s predecessor Z Flip 5G (from the 12MP primary and ultra wide angle cameras to 12MP selfie camera), and is a couple of thousand rands lesser price wise – R6, 000 to R7, 000 less – placing in the same league interestingly as the iPhone 13 Pro, its design makes it a far better option when it comes to capturing photos and shooting perfect videos due to its versatility.
This may not be such a bad for those looking to have some fun with their too-tier smartphone camera, which some people will be more than happy with. With its stylish design and petite size that requires no tripod – though it can come in handy if you already own one – you can put in on a flat surface anywhere, and still be able to take your dream shots and spectacular videos by using the bottom half as a base and folding the top part to a preferred angle of your choice, as seen in the video below when I ventured out on my own for a fun outdoor workout one sunny afternoon.
While you can’t place it in the same league as the S21 and Galaxy Note series when it comes to capturing breathtaking, high resolution images (in particular the Galaxy Note 20), one can argue that its unique design and versatility more than make up for it.
So if you’re a content creator looking to take fairly good photos and videos, but can’t afford to tag a photographer along or have someone to accompany you on your creative content rendezvous, you know you can bet on this uniquely stylish device, right? Take my word for it!
Larger, more adaptive cover screen
- Interacive messaging
One of the big improvements from the tinier pill-shaped cover screen of the original model has to be the 1,9-inch outer screen. The previous model was a far cry as it could only display the first part of the message. Now the Z Flip3 has a screen that’s three times bigger than its predecessor, meaning you can see all of your notifications, though you’ll have to unfold it to interact and respond to them.
When it comes to durability, it’s too early to tell, however the company says it’s stronger than the previous model, as they’ve used a combination of Armor Aluminum for the frame, said to be the strongest ever in any Galaxy smartphone yet, and Gorilla Glass Victus on the back to protect it from scratches and accidental falls. Hopefully these aren’t all empty promises. Only time will tell.
- Mini laptop
Compact as some of the popular devices from early 2000s, this time Samsung has added turbo boost to users’ typing experience with a vibrant 6.7-inch screen design, with a solid QWERTY keyboard functionality.
Much like its predecessor, the Z Flip3 begs to be used one handed by anyone who gets frustrated by larger phones. But if just like me you’re nto big screen smartphones as you happen to type a lot, that is a no-no.
So if you’re a busy content creator who spends as much time typing as you do shooting and uploading videos, the Z Flip3 handy companion for doing just that, giving you that perfect QWERTY keyboard feel when you flip your screen on its side (rotate) for those who use it to create documents. It works even better when you install a third party keyboard app like Google’s Gboard for more personal typing preferences and larger selection of themes.
- One of a kind 1,9-inch outer selfie mirror, plus split screen, perfect for multitasking
Featured on the outside of the device, the petite display acts as a selfie mirror and notification panel, which makes it a breeze for viewing messages – up to 4 lines of message text – without opening the phone, as well as answer calls. Better still, it allows you to scroll through up to 8 lines of text.
A dream device for multi-tasking, you can view multiple apps on the top and bottom screen even when the device is folded. Not only these, the split screen feature is another useful element, as seen below, we set the NOWinSA article page on the top and our YouTube channel on the bottom half; call it multitasking at its finest!
What more? Oh, in case you’re wondering I deliberately chose not to much anything about its 3,300mAh battery endurance, which given the Z Flip3’s top-tier specs and state-of-the-art hardware not surprisingly lasts hardly 12 hours on a single charge, is a story for another day. So keep an eye on our next update (review).
.){kind=link}