| **OUR VERDICT** |
|---|
| The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a marvel of innovation, blending cutting-edge design with top-tier specs. With versatile displays, stellar performance, and foldable-specific features, it redefines multitasking. While the price and battery life are drawbacks, it’s perfect for tech lovers seeking the ultimate productivity tool. |
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is one of the most advanced foldable smartphones on the market. It functions as both a phone and a tablet, offering versatility for various needs. Keep it folded for a compact device or unfold it to enjoy a larger screen for productivity, gaming, or entertainment.
This device builds on Samsung’s experience with foldables, featuring an improved hinge, stronger materials, and enhanced multitasking capabilities. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 caters to professionals, tech enthusiasts, and those intrigued by innovative smartphone designs.
However, the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s high price makes it a premium product meant for a niche audience rather than the average consumer. For those who prioritize cutting-edge technology, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 delivers a unique and polished experience.
Samsung has also introduced software features specifically for foldables, such as better app scaling and advanced multitasking tools, to ensure a smooth transition between compact and unfolded modes.
GALAXY Z FOLD 4 SPECIFICATIONS
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 offers high-end specifications to meet the demands of power users:
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage Options | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Display (Closed) | 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 2268×832 pixels |
| Display (Open) | 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 2176×1812 pixels |
| Outer Display Protection | Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Inner Display Protection | Ultra-Thin Glass with protective film |
| Battery | 4,400mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 25W wired, wireless charging |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP (main), 12MP (ultra-wide), 10MP (telephoto) |
| Front Cameras | 10MP (cover), 4MP (under-display) |
| Operating System | Android 12 with One UI 4.1.1 |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Build Materials | Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Water Resistance | IPX8 (up to 1.5m underwater for 30 minutes) |
| Dimensions (Folded) | 67.1 x 155.1 x 15.8mm |
| Dimensions (Unfolded) | 130.1 x 155.1 x 6.3mm |
| Weight | 263g |
DESIGN & BUILD
The design of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 balances elegance and durability. Samsung has refined the foldable form factor to make it more robust and practical for everyday use.
Hinge Mechanism:
- The hinge has been redesigned to be sturdier and more reliable, ensuring smooth folding and unfolding.
- It reduces the inner screen’s crease visibility, though a faint crease is still noticeable under certain angles and lighting.
Build Materials:
- The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s outer screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, offering high resistance to scratches and drops.
- The frame is made of Armor Aluminum, which is lightweight yet strong, providing added durability without compromising on portability.
- The inner display uses an ultra-thin glass layer, topped with a protective film to handle repeated folds.
Water Resistance:
- The device is rated IPX8, meaning it can withstand submersion in up to 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. This is an impressive feat for a foldable phone, as most competitors lack water resistance.
Compact and Portable:
- When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is slim enough to fit in most pockets, making it convenient to carry.
- Unfolded, it transforms into a tablet-like device, perfect for productivity or immersive media consumption.
Premium Feel:
- The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a luxurious finish with precision-engineered components that exude quality. Despite being packed with advanced technology, it maintains a balanced weight distribution for comfortable handling.
Design Improvements:
- The bezels are thinner, providing more screen space without increasing the overall size.
- The hinge mechanism now occupies less internal space, allowing for a slimmer overall profile compared to previous models.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 combines cutting-edge engineering and premium materials to create a design that feels futuristic yet functional. It is a testament to Samsung’s leadership in the foldable smartphone market.
DISPLAY
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4’s displays are among its standout features, designed for versatility and immersive use.
Outer Display:
- The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen is ideal for one-handed use and quick tasks like texting, browsing, or checking notifications.
- It offers a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, ensuring smooth scrolling and animations.
- The screen resolution of 2268×832 pixels delivers crisp visuals, making it excellent for compact media consumption or casual gaming.
Inner Display:
- The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen is perfect for multitasking, watching videos, working on documents, or gaming.
- With a resolution of 2176×1812 pixels, it provides detailed and vibrant visuals.
- The HDR10+ support ensures vivid colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast, enhancing the viewing experience for movies or games.
- The adaptive 120Hz refresh rate makes transitions and animations feel fluid.
Display Quality:
- Both displays boast bright and vibrant colors, excellent for indoor and outdoor use.
- The peak brightness ensures visibility even under direct sunlight.
- Eye comfort features, such as adaptive blue light filters, reduce strain during prolonged use.
Crease Visibility:
- While the inner display’s folding mechanism is refined, the crease remains noticeable in certain lighting conditions or when viewing from specific angles.
- This does not significantly detract from usability but can be distracting during high-contrast scenes or when viewing content full-screen.
Durability Enhancements:
- The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s outer display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, making it resistant to scratches and minor drops.
- The inner screen features an ultra-thin glass layer reinforced with a protective film, designed to handle frequent folding.
PERFORMANCE
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is equipped with hardware that ensures smooth and powerful performance across a wide range of tasks.
Processor:
- Powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, the phone delivers flagship-level performance.
- It handles demanding applications, gaming, and multitasking with ease, offering fast response times and fluid user interactions.
RAM and Storage:
- With 12GB of RAM, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 ensures seamless multitasking, allowing users to run multiple apps simultaneously without lag.
- Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, catering to different user needs. The absence of expandable storage makes it important to choose a variant that meets your requirements.
Multitasking:
- The foldable design enhances productivity by enabling split-screen multitasking, where you can use up to three apps side by side.
- Features like drag and drop make tasks like transferring files or copying text across apps intuitive and efficient.
Gaming Performance:
- The phone is a solid performer for gaming, handling graphically intensive titles like PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact at high settings.
- Game Booster mode optimizes performance and battery life for extended gaming sessions.
Thermal Management:
- While the phone performs well under normal conditions, intensive tasks such as prolonged gaming or video editing can cause noticeable heating.
- Heat buildup may lead to slight throttling, which could impact sustained performance during extended use.
CAMERA CAPABILITIES
The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s camera setup is versatile and capable, offering a range of features for different photography needs.
Rear Camera System:
- Main Camera (50MP):
- Delivers sharp, detailed images with vibrant colors and excellent dynamic range.
- Performs exceptionally well in daylight, capturing fine details and accurate colors.
- In low light, the night mode significantly enhances quality by reducing noise and brightening dark areas.
- Ultra-Wide Camera (12MP):
- Great for capturing landscapes, group photos, or tight spaces.
- Produces consistent colors and decent sharpness, though there is slight edge distortion, particularly in extreme wide-angle shots.
- Telephoto Camera (10MP):
- Offers 3x optical zoom, capturing distant subjects with clarity and minimal loss of detail.
- Digital zoom up to 30x is available but shows a noticeable drop in quality, especially at higher zoom levels.
Front Cameras:
- 10MP Cover Camera:
- Ideal for selfies and video calls, providing clear and vibrant images in good lighting conditions.
- 4MP Under-Display Camera:
- Hidden beneath the main screen for a more immersive display experience.
- Produces adequate results for video calls but lacks sharpness and shows graininess, particularly in low-light environments.
Camera Performance in Lighting Conditions:
- Daylight: All cameras perform well, capturing vivid, sharp, and detailed images with balanced colors.
- Low Light:
- The main camera excels with night mode, producing bright and clear shots with minimal noise.
- The ultra-wide and telephoto cameras are less effective in low light, showing reduced detail and more noise.
- The under-display camera struggles the most in dim environments, delivering subpar image quality.
- HDR and Dynamic Range: Handles challenging lighting conditions well, preserving details in highlights and shadows.
Video Capabilities:
- The rear cameras support 4K video recording at 60fps, delivering high-quality footage with smooth stabilization.
- Features like Super Steady mode ensure less shaky videos during action shots.
Camera Usability:
- The foldable form factor allows for creative use of the cameras. For instance, you can use the rear cameras for selfies with the cover screen acting as a viewfinder.
- However, the device’s size can make it awkward to handle during certain shooting scenarios, particularly one-handed.
Overall, the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s cameras are highly versatile, providing excellent results in most conditions, although handling and performance in specific lighting scenarios could see slight improvement.
BATTERY LIFE & CHARGING
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 balances its power demands with a moderate battery capacity, though foldable phones inherently face unique challenges in power consumption.
Battery Capacity and Performance:
- The phone is equipped with a 4,400mAh battery, which supports a full day of use under moderate conditions, such as web browsing, video streaming, and light multitasking.
- Heavy Use: Intense activities like multitasking with multiple apps, gaming on the expansive inner screen, or prolonged video editing can drain the battery faster, sometimes requiring a midday recharge.
- Battery life can vary based on screen usage; the inner screen consumes more power than the outer one.
Charging Speeds:
- 25W Wired Charging:
- Capable of charging the battery from 0 to 50% in about 30 minutes, which is decent but slower compared to competitors offering faster charging speeds like 45W or higher.
- Not ideal for users who need rapid charging between short breaks.
- Wireless Charging:
- Compatible with Qi wireless charging but at slower speeds compared to wired charging. Useful for casual top-ups or overnight charging.
- Reverse Wireless Charging:
- Known as Wireless PowerShare, the device can charge accessories like Galaxy Buds or other Qi-compatible devices by placing them on the back of the phone.
Power Optimization:
- Adaptive Battery Management: Samsung’s software optimizations help extend battery life by learning usage patterns and limiting power to less-used apps.
- Dark Mode and Adaptive Brightness: These features reduce power consumption, particularly when using the AMOLED displays.
SOFTWARE
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 runs on One UI 4.1.1, a custom interface layered on top of Android 12, specifically optimized for the foldable experience.
- Flex Mode:
- A standout feature that enables hands-free operation.
- When the phone is partially folded, it acts like a mini laptop, splitting the interface between the two halves of the inner screen.
- Ideal for video calls, watching content, or taking photos with the device propped up.
- Multitasking and Productivity:
- Split-Screen Multitasking: Users can open up to three apps side by side on the large inner display, making it perfect for productivity tasks like editing documents while referencing a browser and chatting in real-time.
- Drag and Drop: Files, text, or images can be easily dragged and dropped between compatible apps, streamlining workflows.
- Taskbar: A new PC-like taskbar appears at the bottom of the inner screen, providing quick access to frequently used apps and facilitating smooth app switching.
- App Scaling and Compatibility:
- Optimized Apps: Popular apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Samsung’s own apps scale well to the foldable screen, offering a seamless user experience.
- Third-Party Apps: Some apps struggle with the unique aspect ratios, leading to letterboxing or stretched interfaces, which detracts from the otherwise polished experience.
- Developer Support: Samsung continues to encourage developers to optimize apps for foldables, but there is room for improvement.
- Customization and Features:
- Theme Support: Customize the look and feel with themes, icons, and wallpapers that adapt to both folded and unfolded modes.
- Gesture Controls: Intuitive gestures make navigating the expansive display easier.
- Samsung DeX: Allows the Z Fold 4 to connect to a monitor for a desktop-like experience, further enhancing productivity.
- Software Updates:
- Samsung is committed to providing four years of major OS updates and five years of security updates, ensuring longevity and continued performance improvements.
PRICE & VALUE
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is positioned as a premium device, reflecting its innovative design and cutting-edge technology.
- Pricing:
- Launch prices started around $1,799 (€1,799/£1,649), placing it firmly in the ultra-premium smartphone category.
- This price makes it one of the most expensive mainstream foldable devices, accessible primarily to enthusiasts, professionals, and early adopters.
- Value Proposition:
- What You Get:
- A futuristic foldable design with robust build quality.
- High-end specs including a flagship chipset, excellent displays, and versatile cameras.
- Features tailored for multitasking and productivity.
- What You Miss:
- Battery life and charging speeds could be better, especially given the price.
- Some apps still lack optimization for the foldable form factor.
- What You Get:
- Comparison to Traditional Smartphones:
- Traditional high-end smartphones like the Galaxy S22 Ultra or iPhone 14 Pro Max often offer better cameras, battery life, and app compatibility at a lower cost.
- However, these devices cannot match the Z Fold 4’s foldable innovation and multitasking potential.
- Target Audience:
- Ideal for professionals who value multitasking, tech enthusiasts eager for the latest innovation, and users who enjoy standing out with a unique device.
- Less suited for users prioritizing value for money, battery life, or compact, lightweight phones.
- Future Investment:
- Foldable phones represent the next evolution in mobile technology. Buying the Z Fold 4 offers not just a device but an opportunity to experience the forefront of smartphone innovation.
While the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is undeniably expensive, its unique features and advanced engineering justify the cost for those who can fully utilize its capabilities. For others, traditional smartphones may offer a better balance of price and performance.
PROS & CONS
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a unique device, but it comes with both strengths and weaknesses.
Pros:
- Innovative Foldable Design: The Galaxy Z Fold 4 combines the portability of a phone with the functionality of a tablet, setting it apart from traditional smartphones.
- Stunning Displays: The outer and inner screens are vibrant and smooth, offering excellent color reproduction and a high refresh rate for a premium visual experience.
- Excellent Performance: With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ chipset and 12GB RAM, the device handles multitasking, gaming, and productivity effortlessly.
- Versatile Cameras: The Z Fold 4’s camera setup delivers solid performance across various scenarios, including landscapes, portraits, and low-light conditions.
- Build Quality and Water Resistance: Premium materials and an IPX8 water resistance rating enhance durability.
Cons:
- Very Expensive: The high price limits its appeal to a niche audience, primarily professionals and tech enthusiasts.
- Noticeable Crease on the Inner Screen: While improved over earlier models, the crease remains visible under certain lighting conditions.
- Average Battery Life: The dual-screen setup demands more power, leading to shorter battery life, especially under heavy use.
- Heating Issues: Intensive tasks like gaming or extended multitasking can cause the device to heat up, potentially affecting performance.
COMPARISON WITH COMPETITORS
Here’s a detailed look at how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 compares to its closest competitors:
| Feature | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 | Google Pixel Fold | Huawei Mate X3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display Quality | 7.6-inch AMOLED 2X (inner), 6.2-inch AMOLED 2X (outer), both with 120Hz refresh rates. | Dual OLED displays, great color accuracy, and HDR support but lacks a high refresh rate. | 7.85-inch OLED (inner), 6.4-inch OLED (outer), both with 120Hz refresh rates, ultra-thin crease. |
| Performance | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ chipset, 12GB RAM, seamless multitasking. | Google Tensor G2 chipset, optimized for AI tasks, good performance. | Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4G version), 12GB RAM; smooth daily performance but lacks 5G. |
| Camera | 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto; versatile with good low-light performance. | 48MP main, 10.8MP ultra-wide, 10.8MP telephoto; exceptional low-light photography. | 50MP main, 13MP ultra-wide, 12MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom; excellent versatility. |
| Battery Life | 4,400mAh; moderate usage lasts a day, heavy use drains faster. | 4,821mAh; better endurance than most foldables. | 4,800mAh; longer-lasting with 66W wired and 50W wireless fast charging. |
| Software | Android 12 with One UI 4.1.1; optimized for foldables, robust multitasking features. | Android 13 with Pixel-specific features, clean UI but fewer foldable-specific tweaks. | HarmonyOS 3.1; smooth UI but lacks Google services, requiring workarounds for global users. |
| Build Quality | Premium Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus+, IPX8 water resistance. | Sturdy build with an aluminum frame and durable hinge. | Ultra-lightweight design, IPX8 water resistance, durable build with premium materials. |
| Price | $1,799 and up, ultra-premium category. | $1,799; priced similar to the Z Fold 4. | Approx. €2,200/£2,000; expensive but justifiable for its hardware. |
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 pushes the boundaries of smartphone innovation, blending cutting-edge technology with practicality.
- Portability Meets Productivity:
- The foldable design provides the convenience of a phone with the screen real estate of a tablet. It’s perfect for multitasking, entertainment, and work.
- Features like Flex Mode and the taskbar enhance usability and productivity.
- A Device for Tech Enthusiasts:
- The Z Fold 4 appeals to those who enjoy exploring new technology. Its premium build, robust performance, and versatile cameras make it a standout device.
- Challenges:
- The price is a major barrier for most consumers, limiting its audience to those who prioritize innovation and versatility over cost.
- Battery life, app scaling, and the visible crease are areas for improvement in future models.
Final Verdict:
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a glimpse into the future of smartphones, offering unparalleled versatility and cutting-edge design. For users willing to invest in innovation and look past its quirks, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a game-changing device that delivers on its promises. It’s not a mass-market phone, but for the right audience, it’s worth every penny.
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Read Our Detailed Google Pixel Fold Review
Read Our Detailed Huawei Mate X3 Review
