The next generation of foldables has arrived and we’ve spent a week with them. Here’s the first part of our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review!<\/b>
\nMy favorite time of year is around August or September. It\u2019s when I do all my tech shopping \u2013 at least for mobile that is \u2013 and somewhat coincidentally, it\u2019s also when Samsung unveils the Galaxy Note, and\/or more recently, the next generation of the Galaxy Z Fold range. For the past two years, I\u2019ve bought the Galaxy Fold and for the years before it, the Galaxy Note. This year, we\u2019ve got the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the latter of which is shaping up to be my favorite phone of the year (read our ongoing Galaxy Z Flip 3 review for more)! Unlike the Galaxy Z Flip 3 \u2013 which feels like a huge leap forward from the Galaxy Z Flip \u2013 the Galaxy Z Fold 3 brings fewer major leaps and more iterative improvements. However, when you\u2019re starting from a product that was already the second generation and definitely damn near excellent, these iterative improvements take you to an even better place. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has definitely stolen my heart, but equally, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a device I won\u2019t live without. After eight days with Samsung\u2019s new flagship foldable, here\u2019s the first installment of our ongoing Galaxy Z Fold 3 review. Looking at the Galaxy Z Fold 3 side-by-side with the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and one thing is clear: The changes don\u2019t feel particularly major. Yes, there are many of them, and some of them are absolutely necessary for this third-generation foldable, but none reach the mark of the true technological leap that was the Galaxy Fold to the Galaxy Z Fold 2. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 was already one of the most refined devices I\u2019d used. For the past 11 months or so, it\u2019s been my second daily driver and one that I haven\u2019t had to protect in any way. It inserted itself into my life and transformed how I used smartphones, and then also made sure I wouldn\u2019t sway towards something else by making everything else feel lackluster. In short, it was special and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 continues this trend of being special. Before we get into why, however, let\u2019s look at all the improvements. The biggest change is in the display. It\u2019s the same size and resolution as last year, but the change to 120Hz refresh rate makes the Galaxy Z Fold 3 an absolute joy to use. When I use any other phone that doesn\u2019t have this refresh rate, that screen feels jarring and subpar compared to the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. In particular, the gorgeous main display looks even better with the highest refresh rate and is easily in a class of its own. Another particularly welcome improvement is in the durability; in particular, the IPX8 water resistance means the Galaxy Z Fold 3 can withstand being caught in a sudden downpour. Both of the previous Fold phones filled me with absolute dread at the first inkling of rain, and thankfully, those many heart-in-mouth moments will be replaced with peaceful tranquility. One of the biggest things preventing the Galaxy Z Fold 2 from being used as your sole daily device was its susceptibility to the elements, and adding water resistance was by far one of the most requested improvements. For anyone who hasn\u2019t used the Fold range before, these improvements will be additional check marks on a very long list. For Galaxy Z Fold 2 owners, these improvements make for a small evolution of a great foldable experience that relies ultimately on two main things: the small iterative improvements in the software and support for the S Pen. Yes, there are a few new hardware changes, but without doubt, Samsung is relying on its software chops and partnerships with developers and major companies to create a well-rounded experience. The company already had features like multitasking polished enough in the Galaxy Z Fold 2, so it should come as no surprise that the software experience on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is as good as ever. The main reason to own a Galaxy Z Fold 3 \u2014 and the things that set it apart from the scant number of alternatives \u2014 is Samsung\u2019s multi-window feature which was developed through ten years of the Galaxy Note range. You can run three apps side-by-side and have more in pop-up chat head style windows. The result is the ultimate multitasking experience, and if you\u2019ve ever used a Galaxy Tab, you know exactly what to expect here. Between windows, you can drag and drop content, you can rearrange windows as you see fit, and so much more that I\u2019ll cover in a future installment. In short, Samsung is the king of multitasking, and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is its throne, the hero device the company has been building up to for over a decade. New to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but likely to come to older generations of the Fold, are some Labs features that let you resize windows and force unsupported apps to use multi-window and specific resolution. This then solves a huge problem where some apps had the worst experience ever on foldables \u2013 ahem, Instagram \u2013 despite having the most screen real estate to work with. Until the company is able to get more developers on board to optimize for the big screen experience, it wants to try and force the apps, and it does a decent job overall. While some apps definitely still struggle, most are fine with being resized. The Labs features are likely to come to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 at the very least in the future, but one feature that definitely won\u2019t is support for the S Pen. Well actually, support for two different S Pen, but only on the main display. This latter point ended up catching me out as I spent the first fifteen minutes with the S Pen trying to use it on the cover display. Using the Galaxy Z Fold 3\u2019s main display with an S Pen is one of the best mobile experiences I\u2019ve ever come across. Apps like Pen Up were made for the big screen, giving you the ability to use the large display as your canvas to create a masterpiece. No controls getting in the way and plenty of room to zoom in while still being able to see enough of the canvas. Screen write is made for creative professionals everywhere as you can take a much larger screenshot of a page, document, or other item thanks to the bigger screen real estate, and still have enough space to annotate with the changes you\u2019d like to make. I can imagine so many professions finding this use case helpful, whether you\u2019re a small business owner, individual, an executive, or even an advisor to a company. There are two types of S Pen for the Galaxy Z Fold 3: the S Pen Pro and the S Pen Fold Edition. I\u2019ve used the latter with the official S Pen case, which is actually just a leather case with housing for the S Pen Fold Edition. The housing uses a groove to slide into which ensures it stays attached to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 but still lets you remove the housing easily. You\u2019ll want to do this if you want the phone to lay flat when unfolded. There\u2019s sadly no way to ensure the S Pen remains in the housing, although I\u2019ve yet to have any major issues with it. The biggest difference between the S Pen Pro and S Pen Fold Edition is that the former works across any Samsung device \u2014 it\u2019s the company\u2019s universal stylus for any device that supports any S Pen \u2014 while the latter only works with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The S Pen Pro also features a battery so it can connect via Bluetooth, be used as a Bluetooth remote control, and also copy and paste between different S Pen devices thanks to the onboard memory. I haven\u2019t used the S Pen Pro yet but will update this review in a future installment once I\u2019ve spent some time with it. For now, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and S Pen Fold Edition are a match made in heaven. There\u2019s one area that I expected to be disappointed in and have been disappointed in: the camera situation. While the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and onwards will likely start to see substantial camera improvements \u2014 mainly because Samsung will have no other choice \u2014 the Galaxy Z Fold 3\u2019s cameras aren\u2019t amazing. It has the same camera hardware as the Galaxy Z Fold 2, which had the same hardware as the Galaxy S20. Three cameras, all 12MP and nothing resembling the zoom capabilities of most flagship phones. Galaxy Z Fold 3 Forums Speaking of premiums, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is an expensive phone, but it\u2019s definitely worth the money. If the choice is between this or the Galaxy Z Fold 2, buy the Galaxy Z Fold 3. If the choice is between this or a regular phone, where there is a substantial difference between the price of both, the answer is still to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, if you are upgrading from the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, then it\u2019s worth considering how much value these upgrades bring for you. Personally, I\u2019ve got the Z Fold 2 and still bought the Galaxy Z Fold 3, mainly because of the added durability. Being able to use the Z Fold 3 in the rain marks a huge step towards it being the perfect phone for me.<\/p>\n