Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: Best Cameras, Battery Life, and Software Features

Samsung About the Galaxy Z Flip 4 on Wednesday during its activities Unpacked event As part of its recent efforts to promote foldable phones. The Z Flip 4 has new software that takes advantage of its foldable design, its improved cameras with better low-light shooting and a larger battery. It goes on sale on August 26 and starts at $1,000 (£999, AU$1,499).

The Galaxy Z Flip prove that Most popular foldable So far according to market research estimates. But across the industry, higher prices, lower cameras, battery life compared to standard phones, and a lack of attractive features have hampered the overall look of foldable devices. With the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung is addressing some – but not all – of these concerns. More importantly, it is making progress in the public’s understanding of foldable devices like the Z Flip.

Samsung is trying to prove that there’s more to the Z Flip 4 than its compact size. That’s why you tend to put Flex – the feature that divides apps between the top and bottom of the screen when folded halfway. Now, you’ll be able to use the lower half of the screen as a trackpad for navigating the top of the screen — an update that should make it easier to work with apps in flex mode.

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This feature is new to both the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, although Samsung has said it will be bringing it to older foldable devices as well. In the short time I’ve had with the Z Flip 4, this seemed to work pretty easily after toggling the feature off in the settings menu.

The Z Flip 4’s cover screen also got some new additions. You’ll be able to send quick replies to text messages, make phone calls, and take portrait photos from the external screen.

Taken together, these upgrades are a step in the right direction for the Z Flip 4. It’s unclear if the flexible mode expansion and additional cover screen functionality will be enough to turn those who aren’t already interested in foldable phones. But it does show that Samsung is paying more attention to software as well as hardware, which is crucial to demonstrating the promise behind foldable phones.

Other than that, the Z Flip 4 gets a few of the routine updates you’d expect to see in any new smartphone – foldable or not. It will work Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 Processor, which is a slightly upgraded version of the chip that runs Galaxy S22 Lined up. Although the resolution of the main camera is the same as it was in Z Flip 3 (12MP wide and ultra-wide lens), Z Flip 4 inherits the format Galaxy S22 Enhanced Night Photography. This means that it will have a brighter wide lens and a larger pixel size as well as support for portrait mode photos in the dark. The Z Flip 4’s battery size also increases to 3,700 mAh compared to that of its predecessor’s 3,300 mAh.

These are all welcome changes that reduce the compromises you have to make when choosing between the Z Flip and Samsung’s non-foldable Galaxy S phones. The Z Flip 3’s previous battery life was underwhelming, and the camera system felt “equivalent to the cameras you’d find in a $700 phone,” my colleague Patrick Holland said.

The design of the Z Flip hasn’t changed much, apart from a few improvements. The hinge is slightly smaller and now has a glossier finish than the Z Flip 3. The Z Flip 4’s interior display is 45% more durable while the exterior is covered in Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus Plus. New color options include Samsung’s Bora Purple Just introduced for Galaxy S22 Along with rose gold, blue and graphite. These differences aren’t immediately noticeable when you pick up the device, but you can see them when looking at the Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 4 side by side.

The Z Flip 4’s $1,000 price tag is still probably high for many people, especially since there are many compelling standard phones on the market that cost hundreds of dollars less. With some new software improvements and routine upgrades for the camera, processor, and battery, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 doesn’t seem like a massive upgrade.

But it’s still a turning point for Samsung’s foldable devices. Samsung has gone beyond simply making apps run smoothly across bendable screens. It’s finally trying to find new ways to interact with apps that you wouldn’t be able to get with a non-foldable phone.