Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 | Classy and compact

Samsung recently announced their new Fold and Flip phones for 2022. The Samsung Galaxy Flip 4 is now the fourth generation and with it comes a lot of improvements and upgrades. The bezels are now thinner than ever, the hinges protrude less when folded, the cameras have slightly been improved just to name a few.

But the real question is, who actually buys Flip phones? At $999, it is not the most affordable phone but it still manages to attract many consumers. The Flip and Foldable markets are relatively new and sources claim that Samsung owns over 90% of this market share. If you are stylish and you like to stand out, this phone might just be the perfect fit for you. In this article, we are going to discuss its design language, the cameras, the unique ways to take advantage of this formfactor and lastly, I will give you my final verdict.

Specs.

• Build – Plastic front, Glass back, Aluminum frame
• Display – 6.7” Foldable dynamic AMOLED 2X
• Peak brightness – 1200 nits
• Cover display – 1.9” Super AMOLED display
• OS – Android 12
• Skin – One UI 4.1.1
• Chipset – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm)
• IP Rating – IPX8
• RAM – 8GB
• Storage – 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Dual camera – 12MP (Wide), 12MP (Ultrawide)
• Selfie Camera – 10MP (Wide)
• Loudspeaker – Yes
• Headphone jack – No
• SD Card slot – No
• Bluetooth – 5.2
• NFC – Yes
• Ports – USB Type C
• Battery Capacity – 3700mAh
• Charging – 25W Wired, 15W Wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless
• Security –Fingerprint Sensor (Side mounted)
• Colors – Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, Blue, Yellow, White, Navy, Khaki, Red
• Starting price – $999

Design language and Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4’s formfactor makes it rather distinctive. At the front we have a foldable 6.7” AMOLED display which is primarily made of plastic. Due to the fragile nature of this display, it should be handled with at most care in order to get the most lifespan out of this phone. Since the foldable market is fairly new, the lifespan of these foldables rarely make it past two years without developing some form of display issue.

Aside from that, the 1.9-inch cover display at the back is one of the interesting bits about this device. From this tiny high-resolution screen, you can access your unread messages, respond to messages with voice record, you can use it to take selfies with the superior rear cameras, you can also configure quick settings among other useful features.

The cover screen has proved to be time saving and as a matter of fact increases productivity in a way. Let me explain. When you receive a message from your regular phone, you are tempted to start scrolling some TikTok videos after responding to the message. Before you realize, you have already wasted half an hour which would have otherwise been used in a productive way.

With the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, once you receive the message from the cover screen (assuming the phone is folded), you can choose to answer from the cover screen hence avoiding using the entire screen which is full of ‘clickbait’ apps. This is one of the many perks of owning this phone in particular.

The build quality in the Z Flip 4 is exceptional as we have come to expect from Samsung flagship phones. The back is made from Gorilla Glass Victus+ which is the strongest glass that Corning currently makes. This glass in particular has a very high drop and scratch resistance in case you accidentally drop your phone. The frame is made from Armor Aluminum which also improves shatter and scratch resistance. The choice of material is really good in this device. Props to Samsung.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes with an IPX7 rating. This simply means that it can handle water submersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes but just to be safe, I wouldn’t recommend this. The X in the IPX7 means that there is no guarantee of solid protection from penetrating the device.

Cameras.

This device comes with a dual rear camera setup; a 12MP (Wide) and a 12MP (Ultrawide). For a $999 phone, these cameras are just not it. Don’t get me wrong, they are good, but they are not a thousand dollars good. The main camera should at least have gotten a 50MP upgrade like in the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Samsung claims that the main sensor absorbs 65% more light than its predecessor. The more light a sensor can absorb, the more data that is available for image processing which ultimately leads to better image quality.

Because this new sensor has bigger pixels, another perk to this is better low light photography. Other than that, there are other minor tweaks such as the camcorder mode, which imitates a camcorder when the device is partially flipped. More on this later. The 10MP Selfie Camera is good, no complains here. On the same note, you can use the cover screen and the rear cameras to take more detailed selfies with the rather superior Wide or Ultrawide cameras.

Functionality, quirks and features.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is full of features which many regard them as gimmicks. Here are the top quirks and features on this device that may prove to be actually useful.

Camcorder mode.

Camcorder mode is a feature built in the phone’s camera app. This feature basically imitates how camcorders were used. Once you partially flip the phone, hold the bottom half of the display on your right hand. The top part which houses the camera system is then used more so to record videos rather than take photos. It’s somewhat a cool feature but is it a gimmick or can it prove to be useful? Comment below your thoughts on this.

Cover Screen.

The cover screen as we discussed earlier, has tons of use cases that just keep rolling out which each generation of the Flip. Some of my favorite features include receiving notifications, recording voice notes via the cover screen, taking selfies from the cover screen and finally the ability to customize the layout to your liking. With the cover screen, your creativity is the limit.

Flex mode.

One other cool feature available the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is Flex mode. This feature works when you partially flip your phone and place it on a flat surface. From there, you can easily multitask where one app is on the top screen while another app is on the bottom one. What’s even more interesting is that in supported apps, the bottom screen can turn into a control center.

Let me explain. For example, when you open YouTube on the top screen, the bottom screen has controls that can be used to pause, fast forward, rewind among other controls. To add cherry on top of the cake, the bottom screen can be used as a touchpad. You can open an app on the top screen and use the bottom one as your touchpad. Flex mode is definitely not a gimmick and I hope Samsung continues to improve it in future updates.

Tripod mode.

Just as with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, you can use Flex mode as a tripod. All you have to do is just Flip the phone partially and it will automatically go into flex mode. The next step is opening your camera app and placing the phone on a flat surface. From there you can record video and one of the best use cases for this is shooting TikTok videos especially in that vertical orientation of the device.

Final thoughts.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is definitely a very classy yet compact device. At $999 you get tons of features but durability is still a disadvantage with these Fold and Flip phones. Apart from this minor setback, technology is always evolving and people are upgrading their phones constantly. If you want to get into this Flip market, there has never been a better time.

According to statistics, the number of foldable devices sold in 2019 were 0.7 million, in 2020 the number almost tripled at 1.9 million and in 2021 7.1 million units were sold. The shocking thing is that most of these were Samsung devices. Sure, there are devices like the Microsoft Surface Duo but, they also come with their fair share of issues. If you are planning to buy a foldable or a Flip, Samsung is definitely the way to go.

If you are torn between the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, you can read our comprehensive article on the Z Fold 4 by clicking this link. Leave a comment below on your thoughts on this Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. You can also ask any tech related question in our forum by clicking the window on the bottom right of your screen.