Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Hands-on: Android 12L with better user experience and multitasking

Much of what Samsung showed us today as part of the Galaxy Unpacked Event for the Galaxy Z Fold4 5G was already known in advance. For example, the faster and above all more efficient Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the new cameras, or the slightly adapted display formats. But there are still a few other new features, such as software and resilience. Let’s find out in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 hands-on below:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Review

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 5G relies on the brand new and more efficient Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and has been given new triple cameras, the main sensor of which is now a 50-megapixel sensor with 1 um pixels known from the Galaxy S22, dual pixel autofocus as well as OIS and F/1.8 aperture is. The 12 MP ultra-wide-angle shooter with F/2.2 aperture, 1.12 um pixels, and 123-degree FOV is joined by a new 10 MP 3x zoom camera with OIS, 1.0 um pixels, F/2.4 aperture, and 36-degree FOV, maximum 30- fold space zoom can be realized with it.

Even more resistant flex display

As before, you shouldn’t hit the unfolded Galaxy foldable display with sharp objects, but Samsung promises even more durability with the fourth generation. According to Samsung, not only Amor Aluminum in the frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front and back but also a new and 45 percent more resistant ultra-thin glass layer over the flexible Dynamic AMOLED make the Galaxy Z Fold 4 the most robust Samsung foldable to date. Like its predecessor, it is waterproof according to IPX8, of course, but still not dustproof.

Less distracting under-display camera

The mosaic pattern in the dynamic 1 Hz-120 Hz 7.6-inch display on the inside, which is less disruptive thanks to the denser and modified pixel grid over the UDC, was also discussed in advance. This now has a resolution of 2,176 x 1,812 pixels and thus results in a 21.6:18 format, the front display with a slightly less dynamic 48-120 Hz 6.2-inch display offers a slightly wider 23.1:9 with 2,316 x 904 pixels Format. The information about the battery has not changed: The 4,400 mAh battery charges with a maximum of 25 watts via USB-C, there is also 15-watt wireless charging and 5-watt power share.

Better multitasking thanks to Android 12L and new gestures
The 263-gram foldable, which is now minimally lighter thanks to the further optimized hinge, is the first Samsung cell phone that has been optimized for Android 12L, an intermediate version specially optimized for larger displays before Android 13. One UI 4.1.1 now offers one that is familiar from PC operating systems App dock on the bottom, there are also new swipe gestures, for example, to split the display in half or to turn full-screen apps into pop-ups. The Flex mode already known from the predecessor is of course also available again.

Samsung once again emphasizes intensive cooperation, in particular with Google and Microsoft, to optimize their respective apps for the Samsung folding cell phones. Chrome and Gmail, for example, offer drag-and-drop for photos and other content, the S-Pen in the Fold Edition (separate accessory) can now, somewhat better than its predecessor, be in one of the new cases (also available separately) on the back, for example, the Standing Cover with Pen. However, there is still no integrated S-Pen compartment like the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 price and availability

The new foldable smartphone can be pre-ordered from today on the Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk websites, starting price of $1,799.99 / £1,649 for the model with 256GB storage and will be widely available after August 26th.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Hands-on review

Square design, stronger and more sturdy

There are the 3 main colors of this year’s Z Fold4. Besides the traditional Phantom Black color, now we have the option of Beige and Grey Green. Personally, we like the Beige version the most, looking clean and quite slim, outstanding.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Review

It can be seen that the selection of these colors partly shows that Samsung’s stance this year towards the Z Fold4 is not only limited to male subjects, but in addition, it is also more suitable for women because of the bright colors.

The second remarkable point that we will quickly realize when looking at the Z Fold4 is that the frame is designed in a more square, beveled shape. This approach makes the device visually stronger, and also fits the “modern flat” trend, which has never been out of fashion for many years.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Review

Despite choosing a flat beveled design at the edges, the point of contact between the edge and the glass back or the screen still has certain corners, giving a rather smooth grip, no need to touch the hand when in use, especially at the edge of the screen.

Another change that also contributes to a very positive experience is the hinge. The Galaxy Z Fold4 has a hinge that folds inward more, so when used in the external screen state, the device is balanced and looks thinner.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Review

Another point that you will feel when holding the device is the lighter weight than before. On the other hand, we personally feel that the hinge when folding in and out also feels stiffer, a little firmer than the previous version.

Explaining the change in thickness and smoothness of folding, Samsung said that it has completely changed the design of the folding mechanism on the Z Fold4. The gear folding mechanism has been removed and replaced with a completely new design. More specifically, in the past, the folding mechanism was implemented based on rotation, the system of gears would rotate back and forth to lift the two parts of the folding screen. Now on the Z Fold4, the folding mechanism is made based on a reciprocating motion, in which the hinge will be arranged with a cluster of 2 sliders running up and down. When folding the device, these 2 sliders have a lever on them, which will push the 2 metal “wings” attached to the two sides of the screen (like the wings of a butterfly) to fold in and out.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Review

It explains why the thickness of the hinge is reduced because the round gears have been replaced with a thinner metal rod, and the opening and closing will have more hiss, a bit more firm.

Another identifying point of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 5G is the design of the camera cluster. The camera still has 3 uniform circular modules located in the same cluster as the Galaxy Z Fold3. However, the overall size of the camera cluster is larger than before.

We will still have the layout of the volume up and down key cluster and the screen on/off button cum fingerprint sensor.

The bottom edge will be the USB-C port, speaker, and mic cluster, and the top edge with the speaker and mic cluster.

Display

This is one of the extremely valuable changes to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 5G. On this year’s device, the outer screen not only has a thinner left border, and thinner hinge, but at the same time, the ratio is also changed in the direction of the raft to the horizontal and shorter in the height. In terms of numbers, the Galaxy Z Fold4 has a size of 155.1 x 67.1 mm when folded, which looks like a small change compared to the 158.2 x 67.1 mm figure.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Review

However, the 6.7-inch screen on the Galaxy Z Fold4 will be “more comfortable” when using the external screen alone because it feels closer to the bar phone screen. It has shown very clearly when you type on the keyboard or surf Facebook or YouTube on this screen. It can be said that this is the most positive point among the changes on this year’s Galaxy Z Fold4. Adding some other information on the screen, we have a Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, a refresh rate of 48-120Hz, the screen also has a center mole design containing a 10MP camera, and an aperture of F2.2.

According to the same logic, the internal screen of the device will also have a more square ratio, decreasing in height. In terms of parameters, we will have an internal screen after opening with a size of 7.6 inches Dynamic AMOLED 2X, refresh rate ranging from 1-120Hz with peak brightness reaching 1000 nits. Similar to last year, the screen inside also supports the S-Pen stylus. This year’s pen is still a large pen designed specifically for the pen tip structure to take notes on the Galaxy Z Fold4’s flexible glass screen, which has been upgraded to make it harder, ensuring durability during more use.

Regarding the internal screen, Samsung said that they have also improved a lot to enhance the durability and optimize the overall weight of the device. Accordingly, the protective metal layer lining the layers of the screen will be replaced with glass fiber, while reinforcing the layer below by replacing the dampers with pressure-responsive, force-resisting structures. On the other hand, also complete the structure of the protective layers of the display panel with stiffer materials, thereby increasing the overall durability of the screen, but still reducing the weight of the handset.

Another change related to the internal screen is the camera under the screen. We will have a selfie camera of 4MP resolution, F1.8. The camera under the screen on the Galaxy Z Fold4 is hidden and of course, in return, any decision to make a better photo after taking a selfie will depend on the device’s processing algorithm.

Configuration of flagship device and upgraded camera

In terms of configuration, of course, it is a flagship device, so we will have Galaxy Z Fold4 Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip for all versions. In addition, there will be 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 256/512GB of UFS 3.1 memory, and an option of 1TB of storage. In terms of battery, Galaxy Z Fold4 has 4400mAh, supports Super Fast Charging and Fast Charge 2.0 wireless charging, and has reverse charging support for other devices.

It would be remiss not to mention the camera configuration upgrades. We have a 12MP F2.2 ultra-wide camera, a 50MP OIS dual Pixel AF wide-angle camera, and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The camera interface of the device we hold will now be divided into 1x, 2x, 4x, and 6x zoom options. In terms of configuration alone, this is evaluated as an upgrade compared to the previous one, helping this device for a user experience closer to the “pure flagship definition”.

About Ankeet Solanki

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