With the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung proves that a folding smartphone can be almost uncompromisingly good. Two improvements make the big difference to the predecessor.
Large smartphone screens of more than 6.5 inches have their advantages because you simply see more and better on them than on small displays. However, you sometimes have to put the devices away, which pushes some trouser or jacket pockets to their limits. This is not a problem with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, because you can simply fold it up. And with the fourth generation, you almost no longer have to make any compromises when it comes to comfort, as the everyday test by ntv.de has shown.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 doesn’t bring many changes, it’s practically indistinguishable from its predecessor in terms of looks. You can neither see nor feel that it is slightly narrower and shorter than its predecessor due to a slightly slimmer hinge. But Samsung has used the space to increase the capacity of the battery from 3300 to 3700 mAh.
The difference might not be big on paper, but the Galaxy Z Flip 4 lasts much longer. This means that you no longer have to constantly check the charge level, but can rely on the fact that the device does not have to be plugged in on normal days before going to sleep. If you have a 25-watt power supply, you can now charge the battery quickly. An empty battery is about half full again in 30 minutes. This means that Samsung’s folding smartphone is finally suitable for everyday use.
Qualcomm’s current top chip Snapdragon 8 (Gen.1), which uses the reserves more efficiently than the Snapdragon 888 before it, also contributes to the lower power consumption. The chip is also very powerful and, together with 8 gigabytes (GB ) memory neat legs. The device achieves top-class results in benchmark tests.
Samsung has also improved the camera equipment, albeit less clearly. This is mainly due to the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is only 6.9 millimeters thick when opened. Powerful snaps like the Galaxy S22 Ultra have no place there or would stick out too far. The fourth generation of the folding smartphone only has a main camera (wide-angle) with an aperture of f/1.8 and an ultra-wide-angle camera with an aperture of f/2.2, each with a resolution of 12 megapixels (MP).
However, the main camera now has a sensor with larger pixels, giving it better results in low light conditions. And because the new chip also brings an additional boost here, the Galaxy Z Flip no longer produces mediocre shots, but good to very good ones.
Added to this are the advantages that the predecessor already had to offer. The 6.7-inch interior display is magnificent and offers a refresh rate of up to 120 Hertz (Hz). Its contrasts are crisp, the colors bright but realistic. A new coating is said to have made its surface a little more scratch-resistant. In general, the Galaxy Z Flip is waterproof, but not dustproof.
At a 90-degree angle, the large display offers, among other things, the option of showing the preview on one half of the display and the other the control elements when taking photos. You don’t need a tripod at night and you don’t have to look for a support for your smartphone for hands-free video chats.
The 1.9-inch external display, which can not only be used to see a preview of selfies with the main camera, is also unchanged. It also displays notifications and widgets, you can reply to text messages directly on the small screen.
All in all, with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 you get a high-end smartphone with a powerful display in pocket format. This has a future. Although the prices have remained high, they are at the level of “ordinary” top smartphones. With 128 GB of storage, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 costs around 1100 euros, with 256 GB 1160 and with 512 GB 1280 euros.
In addition, you can enjoy the Galaxy S Fold 4 for a long time, which, guaranteed by Samsung, has to withstand at least 200,000 folding movements. And the manufacturer grants four major OS updates and five years of security updates. The folding smartphone comes onto the market with the current Android 12.
