Samsung’s latest big foldable smartphone is another similar iteration of its foldables, but it’s the absolute best yet.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is designed to convince you that the third time’s a charm when it comes to buying into the future of foldable phones, and without a Galaxy Note 21, there’s a lot of pressure on Samsung to make good on that adage. Good news: we’ve fully tested the Z Fold 3 for nearly two weeks now, and it’s become the first foldable phone that we can recommend to those who would ordinarily consider themselves early adopters, but who passed up on the first two iterations of Samsung’s foldable, without hesitation. We’ve been closely evaluating its familiar 2-in-1 design, determined to fold and unfold the 7.6-inch flexible display until we could do it in our sleep in order to properly test its durability. The result? This version of Samsung’s foldable phone feels stronger than its two predecessors: it’s waterproof this time, while its mini-tablet-sized inner screen withstood our meanest stylus strokes with the new S Pen and S Pen Pro. S Pen support makes perfect sense on a screen of this size, and it was something that people were clamoring for with the first two Folds. There’s more writing and drawing real estate here than on any Galaxy Note smartphone, yet not so big that it’s inconvenient like a full-sized traditional tablet that has to be stowed in a bag. The Z Fold 3 can be closed to half and stuck in a pocket. It may well change the way you use your phone day to day, especially if you spring for the S Pen and a case to carry it in – unfortunately, the stylus is sold separately and doesn’t tuck inside the phone. That inconvenience will be jarring for long-time Note fans, even if we found the new stylus bigger and easier to use than the Note’s toothpick-sized S Pen. Also, you’ll need to dial back your camera expectations: this is yet another foldable with cameras that are good, but which lack the zoom-in oomph of the Samsung Galaxy S21 and last year’s Note 20 Ultra. There is one standout camera perk: an under-the-screen camera neatly obviates the need for punch-hole on the more seamless inner display, although the 4MP camera quality loss is noticeable. The big hook to the Z Fold 3 is its slightly cheaper price compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and, maybe more convincingly, the excellent trade-in deals Samsung is offering in many regions when you pre-order ahead of the official release date. Those who had their doubts about the first two generations of Samsung’s foldable, were right to hold ‘em, but now it may be time to fold ‘em. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 release date was August 27, 2021 in the US and UK, while in Australia it’s September 10. Some of those who pre-ordered received their phones early with us hearing multiple reports of this in the US and UK. The Z Fold 3 price is cheaper than the launch price of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, but be warned: foldable phones are still notably more expensive than conventional top-end smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or iPhone 12 Pro Max. It starts at $1,799 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 for a model with 256GB of storage, while if you want extra capacity you can get a 512GB Z Fold 3 for $1,899 / £1,699 / AU$2,649. The Z Fold 2 started at $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$2,999 when it was released in 2020. In the US, Samsung is offering some tempting trade-in deals – up to $800 off if you turn in an older device, be it a phone, tablet or wearable, or any combination of the three, and you can add up to four devices to reach that maximum value. You could, then, get this phone for $999, and that’s a much more compelling price tag. In the UK you’ll be able to get up to £250 trade-in on your phone, and pre-ordering will get you a Fold Starter Kit which comprises a charger, a case for your Z Fold 3 and an S Pen stylus. In Australia, Samsung is offering trade-in discounts of up to AU$500, along with a choice of bonus gift bundle, which varies between the two models. You could score Galaxy Buds Pro, Galaxy Buds Live, or one of the power or productivity packs that includes items like the S Pen, phone case and charging mat. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 retains the book-like design and functionality of its two predecessors, with a limited but usable 6.2-inch Cover Display on the outside of the handset that opens up to reveal a massive 7.6-inch display on the inside. The two displays, and a hinge mechanism that allow you to fold and unfold this phone, combine for the most head-turning mobile gadget design in 2021.
