the successful return of the flip phone

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The Galaxy Z Flip is not the successor to the Galaxy Fold. A year after presenting a smartphone capable of transforming into a tablet, Samsung has decided to bet on a new design that is a little less original … that of the well-known flip phone. The resurrection of this form-factor allows you to halve the height of the device – by folding it on itself -, which greatly facilitates its transport. The Korean brand has also imagined new types of uses that we will present to you later.

Before we take the Galaxy Z Flip Review, let us advise you to try it out for yourself. While it seems easy to criticize the concept of a folding smartphone, the reality is that its use is much more convincing. If you have the opportunity, we strongly recommend that you handle one for a few minutes (in a store for example).

The smartphone that wanted to be a laptop

Remember, in April 2019, the Galaxy Fold missed its debut. Accused by the American press of not being solid enough, the launch of the first folding smartphone in history had been postponed, just to give Samsung time to make some hardware optimizations. Finally released in September, the revamped Galaxy Fold did not break this time, but left many observers skeptical about the future of folding screens. Many questioned the capacity of this technology to evolve.

A year later, Samsung has more than answered doubts. The progress between the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip is such that it almost looks like testing a new product category. For example, the hinge of the Flip (the mechanical part that connects the two parts of the screen) no longer offers the same sensations. In addition to being silent (that of the Fold creaked slightly), it allows for the first time to keep the smartphone unfolded from different angles, as if it were a laptop. It is therefore possible to place your Galaxy Z Flip on a table and orient the upper part of its screen 90 degrees so as not to have to hold it. How cool is that?

Beyond the hardware exploit, we can only applaud Samsung's good software ideas. By working with Google, the Korean brand has found a way to adapt the interface of certain applications to this new format. For example, if you’re in the app Camera and you decide to fold the screen slightly, the camera return switches up while the controls go down (you can move away to take a picture from a distance). Sure Youtube, the ehealth is in the upper part and the comments are installed below. Same thing on calls Google Duo, you can put your smartphone on a table and straighten its screen so that you no longer have to hold it. And so just focus on your ehealth call.

Currently, the number of applications compatible with this process is still very limited. We still have to recognize that these ideas are great. It really reinvents the way you use your smartphone.

Samsung also highlights the simultaneous display of two applications which, for once, rather disappointed us. Split view shrinks each app, making them pretty unusable.

Another thing that we regret, a lot of fun features are not enabled by default. For example, to answer a call by opening the smartphone, you must activate a parameter in the submenus of the application Phone. Same thing for facial recognition, by default, you have to swipe your finger on the screen after opening the smartphone. Unfolding it is not enough. We would have liked the brand to use this format (even) better. We can always console ourselves by installing a Gameboy or DS emulator which, for once, lends itself really well to the folding format.

The first foldable glass screen, yes but …

Another major advancement from Samsung with its Galaxy Z Flip is the use of a foldable glass screen rather than 100% plastic. In use, we feel the firmness of this material, which gives an impression of solidity. The problem is, that in reality, this screen is not made only of glass …

Read also : Samsung: the screen of the Galaxy Z Flip is really glass … but covered with plastic

What Samsung forgot to explain during the presentation of its folding smartphone is that at present, it is impossible to bend glass without additional protection. The UTG (ultra thin glass) panel used by the Korean is therefore covered with a plastic film, which makes it thicker. This addition is not without consequence, it is easy to scratch your Galaxy Z Flip.

Before you panic, remember all the same an important point: the screen of the Galaxy Z Flip folds back entirely on itself. This means that when you carry it in your pocket, its screen is in contact with … nothing. He is protected. In other words, is there really a risk of scratching it?

An incredible giant screen

Unfolded, the Galaxy Z Flip sports a large 6.7-inch screen, like the Galaxy S20 + or Galaxy Note 10+. However, there is one major difference between these devices, the screen ratio. Indeed, the 6.7 inch screen of the Galaxy Z Flip is in 22: 9 format while that of the Galaxy S20 + is a 20: 9. This means that on an equal diagonal, the screen of the folding smartphone is much narrower and extends more in length.

As a result, the Galaxy Z Flip is much more pleasant to use. It is very easy to hold in hand and, contrary to what we could have imagined during our first hours with the mobile, its long format turns out to be an excellent idea. Most modern apps work as a stream, which lets you view more content at once. This is the advantage of this new kind of folding smartphone. The length of the screen is no longer a problem for the pocket since, when folded, the smartphone becomes very small.

Without equaling the display quality of the Galaxy S and Note, the Galaxy Z Flip undoubtedly belongs to the world of high-end. Its screen is very bright as evidenced by the measurements from our laboratory (576 cd / m2 on average, up to 631 cd / m2 in boost mode). In contrast, in terms of color fidelity, Samsung is backtracking. The Z Flip is configured on a vivid display by default (the colors saturate, Delta E of 4.51) while a natural mode allows to have excellent results (Delta E of 2.04). All this is all the more regrettable since, on the Galaxy S, it is indeed the natural mode which is configured by default. We therefore recommend that you make this change if you acquire this folding telephone.

We should also mention the fold of the Galaxy Z Flip. In the middle of the screen, there is indeed a clearly visible fold. Fortunately for us, the latter is invisible when we stand in front of the mobile. On the other hand, if someone is leaning on your shoulder and looking at your smartphone, he or she will see the crease. Samsung has yet to find a quick fix.

Another point that could annoy some, the screen of the Galaxy Z Flip is "only" Full HD +. The difference is not really visible to the naked eye – we still benefit from a high resolution of 425 ppi – but the most geeky will certainly find it difficult to go back. You also have to settle for a refresh rate of 60 Hz (like on the S10) and not 120 Hz (like on the S20).

The small screen on the back disappoints

Closed, the Galaxy Z Flip gives its user the ability to view the time and its notifications through a tiny 1.06-inch screen. The latter also allows you to take selfies which, of course, is not at all practical.

This secondary screen could have been practical. In reality, this is surely Samsung's biggest mistake with this Galaxy Z Flip. Nothing is working properly.

Indeed, the absence of an "always on" mode is already a problem. The time is not always displayed there and you have to touch the screen twice or press a button to wake it up. It’s already impractical. As if that weren't enough, the 1.06-inch screen on the Flip is woefully unresponsive. The gesture required to display notifications (swiping to the right) only works once in two. Finally, reading a notification on such a screen is almost mission impossible. The scrolling of the text is extremely long and we never have time to reach the end of a sentence since the screen goes to sleep. 99% of the time, so we open our smartphone.

An almost well thought out design

Regarding the design, we would like to salute the efforts of Samsung. The use of a punch rather than a notch improves the immersion in the screen, the borders are symmetrical and the device is very light (183 grams). The Galaxy Z Flip is so successful that it's almost cute. The Korean brand really succeeds and shows the know-how of its design teams.

Unfortunately, the design of the Galaxy Z Flip also has some flaws. We noted three particularly annoying ones such as the fact that the device marks fingerprints a lot and is not easy to unfold with one hand. Finally, closed, the Galaxy Z Flip is as slippery as a bar of soap. When placed on a non-flat surface such as a wireless charger, the device is likely to fall on its own. Not very reassuring.

Almost the top of the top  

Equipped with the Snapdragon 855+ processor and 8 GB of RAM, the Galaxy Z Flip belongs to the category of high-end smartphones. You will not be surprised to learn that everything works correctly on this device. One UI, the software interface used by Samsung in addition to Android, is still as pleasant to use.

Admittedly, Samsung has not equipped its Z Flip with the best components in the world as it has accustomed us to do so far. Let us cite in particular the absence of stereo speakers (we must be content with a poor mono speaker), the absence of Wi-Fi 6 and the non-compatibility with 5G which we should however see launched in many countries in 2020. Another unfortunate point, but not necessarily disabling, only the Galaxy S20 take advantage of the Exynos 990 and Snapdragon 865 processors of 2020. The Z Flip, on the other hand, uses a processor released in mid-2019.

Finally, last point a little more worrying, the laboratory of artbzen.com noticed that the Galaxy Z Flip could heat up to 43 degrees when its processor was too stimulated. This should not hinder your use (It’s the upper part that gets very hot and it’s not the one you are holding), But we wonder what will happen in midsummer when you use the smartphone in the middle of a furnace.

Read also : First tests of the Galaxy Z Flip: does the Samsung folding smartphone have heating problems?

Autonomy: Samsung does no miracle

By betting on a 3300 mAh battery separated in two (there is a tip in each part of the smartphone), Samsung took a risk. The standard is rather around 4000 mAh today and the Galaxy Z Flip therefore left with the risk of not being very enduring. Our laboratory tests confirm our concerns. It is frankly not crazy.

With its versatile autonomy of 11:39, the Galaxy Z Flip comes far behind the best smartphones of the moment like the iPhone 11 Pro Max (19:18), the Huawei P30 Pro (5:26) or the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 (5:17). It also does worse than the Galaxy S10 (12:01), a smartphone that does not already enjoy a breathtaking autonomy. The same is true in ehealth streaming where the autonomy of 11:02 of the Galaxy Z Flip places it in the low middle of the ranking. Finally, in communication, it is possible to call up to 10:21 p.m. in a row according to our measurements. This is even worse than many other smartphones, without being catastrophic.

However, note that in everyday life, the Galaxy Z Flip is doing well. We have completed each of our Review days with 10% autonomy remaining. It’s not enough to forget your charger on weekends but you can survive a classic day without any problem. To recharge it, note that it takes 1h28 with the charger supplied in the box (15W). The mobile is also compatible with wireless charging.

Photo: as good as a Galaxy S10

On the back of the Galaxy Z Flip, there is a double camera module. This is the zoom that Samsung has decided to sacrifice since its folding smartphone has no telephoto lens and is content with a wide-angle and an ultra-wide angle. Both are paired with 12 MP sensors similar to those of a Galaxy S10. In fact, the dual camera module of the Galaxy Z Flip is nothing more or less than that of the Galaxy S10e. No need to say more, it is very satisfactory in most situations.

Price, French tax

The last point we wanted to make in our review of the Galaxy Z Flip concerns the price of the device. If the 1509 euros requested by Samsung do not really surprise us because of the innovation proposed by the Korean company, we especially have trouble digesting the difference between the price in euros and that practiced in dollars. Indeed, here, the Galaxy Z Flip costs 150 euros more than the Galaxy S20 Ultra (1359 euros). In the United States, it is the opposite, the Galaxy Z Flip costs … 19 dollars less than the Galaxy S20 Ultra (1380 dollars against 1399 dollars). Why is France paying more for the Z Flip? Samsung has not been able to provide us with an answer even though it may be suspected that this decision is purely marketing.

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