Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, worth it?

One of the most expensive Samsung phones is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. But you also get a foldable phone for that, which may be there.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 (Suggested price Samsung €1700) is certainly not cheap. But what you get for this hefty amount is more than just a smartphone. In fact, you don’t just have a phone, but a portable laptop, e-reader, notepad and tablet in your pocket. As such, it can fulfill multiple functions, starting with the function of a smartphone, of course.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 as a smartphone

In terms of use as a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is hardly inferior to Samsung’s top models, such as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Compared to a standard smartphone when folded, the device is thicker and narrower. That sometimes makes photographing a bit more difficult, because you have a somewhat more limited view of the object you want to photograph.

But this isn’t primarily a camera phone either. This device is really mainly aimed at business users, especially people who work in the field or travel a lot, who can also more easily afford the hefty price.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 as a tablet also replaces e-reader

This smartphone only starts to become really interesting when you open it. You then have a tablet with a diagonal of almost eight inches and a square screen. That’s almost double the size of the S22 Ultra’s screen. This makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 also very suitable as an e-reader.

You can read books and documents at your leisure on this relatively huge screen. You can simply put all these three devices in your pocket and always have them with you. Are you on the road a lot? Then that is definitely a bonus. Especially if you fly a lot.

A notepad

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 also comes with a stylus, the S Pen. You can use it to make written notes that are uploaded to the cloud. Then you can search these scribbles. You can also make screenshots and drawings, which you can then send anywhere.

Do you suddenly have a brilliant idea? Then this is of course ideal. This also saves a lot of scrap paper. There are unfortunately even lesser points for this user case, which will hopefully be improved in a next version. For example, you have to take the S Pen with you separately. You cannot click it on the Fold. Also, the stylus does not work on the outside of the phone.

A desktop computer in your pocket

Probably the most spectacular application of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is that it can be used for quite a few tasks, as a replacement for the desktop computer. Not only can you use the screen as a PC, you can also connect the phone to a screen and a wireless keyboard. After this you just work on a more or less full-fledged PC.

You can also connect other useful peripherals, such as a wireless mouse or a wireless printer, to your Fold4.

In that respect, it is a fortunate circumstance that Google has improved Android 13 considerably. This also works smoothly with Dex. The Samsung UI system Dex is very user-friendly and can be compared to Windows or Linux.

You don’t have to worry about the internet anymore, because everything is done via the 4G or 5G connection that is already installed on your phone. Of course you must have 4G coverage in that area.

Of course you can’t really do heavy PC tasks, such as video editing or play heavy games, but the system is fine for most office work such as word processing and the use of spreadsheets. You will use your browser for most of the work. Samsung’s built-in browser is also fine.

Since the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is already the fourth incarnation of a respectable family of foldable phones, the teething problems have now been resolved. Again we see Samsung’s well-known polished, solid product design. Samsung devices may not be brilliant or eccentric, but they are very user-friendly and reliable. The various features are well coordinated, resulting in balanced products.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 right for you?

The answer to this depends entirely on what exactly you want with a smartphone. The strong points of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 are mainly the form factor and the versatility. With this device you actually buy five devices in one: smartphone, tablet, an e-reader, an electronic notepad and a PC. You can then easily put these devices in your pocket.

There are of course also disadvantages. First of all, the enormously high price and then the compromises that Samsung has had to make to pack this versatility into a small, portable device. Furthermore, folding phones, not only those from Samsung, are notorious for the high risk of screen damage.

That makes the Fold4 the ideal device for people who travel a lot and do office work. Especially if they do a lot of air travel, because this device is of course much lighter than the five devices it replaces. Do you mainly work at home, or at a fixed location in the office? Then you are better off and cheaper if you buy these devices separately.