Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review: Sophisticated folding smartphone

Last year around this time we were allowed to review the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. We were then quite satisfied with the device. You can read in this review whether the successor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, can continue the success.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review

Smartphones that you can open and close are slowly becoming more common. More and more you hear from people that they have someone in their circle of acquaintances who also has “such a thing”. We already wrote about the Flip 3 that such smartphones are becoming more and more mature. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 has some improvements over its older brother. We have extensively tested whether this is sufficient to call the Flip 4 a full-fledged successor.

Sales package

As usual, the first part we discuss is the sales package. The Flip 4 comes in a rectangular, somewhat thin box. The fact that the box is a bit thinner than usual is due to the fact that Samsung does not include a charger. In addition to the device, we only find some booklets, a USB-C cable and a sim needle.

Design and interface

Samsung has not changed much in the design of the device. And there’s nothing wrong with that. When the Flip 4 is folded, you can operate the phone with the small screen. Notifications are shown on this small screen and you can control your music and manage your agenda, among other things. The manufacturer has placed two lenses next to this screen, which is 1.9 inches in size.

Folded open we see the foldable 6.7-inch screen. This screen has a resolution of 2640 by 1080 pixels. As we are used to from Samsung, the screen is of excellent quality. The screen is easy to read in bright sunlight and it can be dimmed sufficiently in the dark. As with other devices from this manufacturer, you have the option to set the screen to your own taste.

On the left we find the SIM tray that offers space for one SIM card. On the right side is the power button and the volume keys. The fingerprint scanner is incorporated in the on and off button. At the bottom is the USB-C connection and one of the two stereo speakers. The other speaker is above the screen.

Interface

Samsung supplies its devices with Android and over it its own sauce, called One UI. On the Flip 4, the manufacturer has installed Android 12 with One UI version 4.1.1 on top. Now we have sometimes had comments about One UI, but to be honest, version 4.1.1 works very nicely. Moreover, Samsung is very good at updating its smartphones, which we will come back to later in the Galaxy Z Flip 4 review.

The start screen can be customized to your liking. Through settings of the home screen you have the option to install themes, so that the home screen gets a completely different look. The Edge screen is also present again. This allows you to open a number of apps that you have preset from any screen.

Communication: calling, chatting and surfing the internet

As we are used to from Samsung, the manufacturer supplies a number of its own apps. One of them is the phone app. Calling is of course fine. A handy addition is accepting and hanging up calls by opening or closing the phone. Another handy function is that you can see who is calling on the cover display. You can also type messages and send messages with the standard apps from Samsung. These apps work fine, nothing to complain about.

In terms of connectivity, the Flip 4 is also good. As you would expect from a high-end smartphone, it is equipped with 5G, WiFi 6, GPS and NFC. Also Bluetooth is not missing. You will have to do without an FM radio, although we rarely see it on (high-end) smartphones.

Multimedia: music and film

Earlier we talked about the screen. It is great to watch movies on this 6.7-inch screen. However, the fold is clearly present, but this is not really disturbing in our experience.

Above and below the screen we find the stereo speakers. These speakers go nice and loud and the sound quality can also be called good at a high volume. The Flip 4 does not have a 3.5 millimeter connection; to listen to music via a headset, you need a Bluetooth headset.

Camera: photo and video

In the review of the Flip 3, we were less pleased with the camera. We expected a bit more from this. The camera module on the back of the Flip 4 has two lenses; a 12-megapixel main lens and a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens.

We are a little more enthusiastic about the quality of the photos you take with the Flip 4. The camera isn’t a high-flyer yet, but pictures taken with the wide-angle lens are better than pictures taken with its predecessor. Zooming in is still not recommended. Zoomed in photos aren’t great, especially if you zoom in 10 times. If you take photos with the main lens, the quality of the photos can be called excellent. Photos are rich in color and detail. This also applies to photos taken in the dark, these also show a lot of details.

The camera app is also pleasant to use. All options are in a logical place and are easy to set. Next to the shutter button are several options, such as switching to a portrait photo or making videos. One of the useful functions is when you have the device half on, all options and settings on the bottom half and the top half of the camera are shown.

You can view the photos we took with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in this photo album.

Video camera

With the Flip 4 you have the option to film UHD, Full-HD and HD. When you film in UHD or Full-HD, you have the option to choose between 30 and 60 frames per second. In HD mode only in 30 frames per second.

The quality of the videos you shoot with this device can generally be called fine, provided you don’t zoom in too far.

selfie camera

The selfie camera has a 10 megapixel lens. This camera takes excellent photos and has sufficient settings for the somewhat narcissistic among us.

Other options

The Flip 4 is a special device with its folding function. With of course not everyday possibilities that we have not yet discussed in the Galaxy Z Flip 4 review.

Cover Display

When the Flip 4 is closed, you can operate the device with the cover display. We mean to serve to a certain extent. Do not expect that you can adjust all settings on this small screen, but you can, for example, control music, view notifications, give quick responses and start a timer or view your agenda. You activate the cover display by clicking on it twice. You can also set different clock styles.

Fingerprint Scanner

Samsung has placed the fingerprint scanner on the side again and is located in the on and off button. The fingerprint scanner does a great job, a small touch and you can use the phone.

bloatware

We think bloatware is a disadvantage. Samsung provides a number of apps from Microsoft. Although these apps can be removed on OneDrive, we would rather not see bloatware.

Performance: battery, speed and memory

You don’t have to worry about the speed of the Flip 4, because the device is equipped with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. There is no shortage of working memory either, Samsung has given 8GB of RAM to the device. The storage memory is 128GB, which is more than enough for most users. What is a point of attention is the battery.

Although it is larger than the battery in the Flip 3, the 3700 mAh battery is small compared to other devices. This can be explained by the fact that the device can be folded in half. This makes it impossible to place a large battery in the device. If you are not an intensive user and you use the cover display to view notifications and the like, you will certainly have some charge left at the end of the day.

If you use the device intensively and you often use the normal screen, you will have to refuel in between. The Flip 4 supports 25 Watt fast charging via a wired charger and 15 Watt wireless charging. A charger is not included, so if you don’t have a fast charger at home yet and you want to use the fast charging function, a fast charger must be purchased.

Rating

Although foldable phones are becoming more and more common, it attracts quite a bit of attention. Friends and colleagues are curious about the device and want to hold it for a while. When they hold him for a moment, the comparisons come loose. According to colleagues, he resembles a gameboy or a gadget from the cartoon series totaly Spies. In general, the reactions are positive and people see the benefits of it.

All in all, we are fairly satisfied with the Flip 4, except for a few downsides. The device is slightly better than its predecessor. The cover display is a valuable addition, but we had already experienced that during the test period of the Flip 3. We are very pleased with performance, even about the battery if you compare it with other devices.