The phone for people who don’t want to stare at their phone
The third time was the charm for Samsung’s big-screen Galaxy Z Fold (and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is even better), but the smaller, more popular Flip needed one more generation of development. The new Z Flip 4 ($999.99) overcomes the battery issues of its predecessor and is still as intriguing as ever. Samsung’s mobile exec TM Roh keeps saying he wants foldables to be mainstream, and the Z Flip 4 is as close to that ideal as any yet; I’ve seen this phone at airports, on the subway, and even at a public bus stop outside a housing project in Queens. Yes, you’re still paying a premium for the flippable form, but, if you like how the design keeps you focused on life off-screen, no other phone in the US offers quite the same experience. A Very Touchable Phone
When it is closed, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 measures 3.34 by 2.83 by 0.67 inches (HWD). A new, flatter hinge design makes it slightly smaller and more pocketable than the Galaxy Z Flip 3 (3.38 by 2.83 by 0.67 inches, 6.45 ounces). The new model is a little heavier than the previous one at 6.6 ounces, but I didn’t notice any practical weight difference, and the phone still feels sufficiently light to me.
The front display defaults to showing the time, but that’s not all it does
The Flip 4 is available in four standard colors: Graphite, Pink Gold, Bora Purple, and Blue. Alternatively, you can also order a bespoke model with custom front and back-panel color combinations. For instance, you can add yellow, navy, red, khaki, or white elements into the mix for a total of 75 possible combinations. The bespoke model costs $40 more.
The front and back covers, which use Gorilla Glass Victus+, are particularly soft and smooth. It’s soothing to glide my fingers across the device, and I enjoy having something to fidget with while testing the phone. As for durability, the handset features an IPX8 rating, which means it’s fully water-resistant, but not dustproof. Other flagship phones, such as the Apple iPhone 13 and the Google Pixel 6, are fully dust- and water-resistant, but, then again, they don’t feature a folding design.
Like on the Fold 4, the right side of the Flip 4 includes a power button and a volume rocker. The home button integrates a physical fingerprint sensor; it works quickly and accurately. A USB-C connector sits on the bottom, but you notably don’t get a headphone jack here.
One thing you can’t do with the Flip 4 is clack it open and closed one-handed, like with a classic flip phone of the aughts. The hinge is primed to stay stable at any angle, so you can lever the phone open with your thumb a bit, but the best method for unfurling the device is to hold the bottom half in one hand and smoothly open the other half with your other.
Open the phone fully to reveal the very tall 6.7-inch, 120Hz OLED panel with a 2,640-by-1,080-pixel resolution. The screen has an awkward 22:9 aspect ratio. For reference, most recent mainstream Galaxy S models sit somewhere between 19:9 and 20:9, so the Flip 4 is proportionally narrower. The screen is great for scrollable content like social media and webpages, but not ideal for playing games in landscape mode.
Samsung says the main screen glass is 45% stronger than that of the previous model. The folding crease is visible, but not really noticeable if you are looking at anything on the screen straight-on. Like the Galaxy Z Fold 4, a super-bright daylight mode ensures that the Flip’s screen remains usable outdoors.Front and Centered
The key to the Flip 4 experience is its 1.9-inch front display with a resolution of 512 by 250 pixels; the specs haven’t changed from the Flip 3, but new software features help encourage you to open the phone less often.
The three software highlights are message replies, the calendar widget, and Samsung Wallet.
