Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Hands-on: Unpacking the future of foldables
Two years after the first Galaxy Fold was launched a second time, Samsung has unveiled the third generation of its folding flagship. Much like the early years of the Galaxy S range, we’re still in the stage of foldables where innovation comes thick and fast every year. Unlike its compatriot, which is firmly in the iterative stages of innovative improvements, this year’s Fold, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, feels like a defining point in the range.
Rather than just software gimmicks taking center stage, there’s a host of very welcome hardware improvements, including a smaller, lighter, and thinner design, improved hinge, a massive increase in durability, the first under-display camera on a Galaxy, support for the S Pen and much more. Yet, as we’ve come to expect, the new Galaxy Z Fold 3 doesn’t have all the improvements I’d have hoped to see.
Unlike previous years, there’s no Galaxy Note to take center stage, and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is not One More Thing. Instead, Samsung is going all-in on foldables in a huge way, and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is its flagship for the second half of the year. The headliner in a dedicated Unpacked event that also featured the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Watch 4, and Galaxy Buds 2, Samsung is banking on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 to continue its dominance in smartphone innovation.
Does it deliver? We’ll reserve final judgment for our full review, which is coming soon, but for now, our initial impression is that Samsung might just have a winner on its hands. Here’s our hands-on preview after spending an hour with Samsung’s new flagship.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: Specifications. Tap/click to show.
| Specification | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 |
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| Dimensions & Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC |
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| RAM & Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Security |
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| Rear Camera(s) |
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| Front Camera(s) |
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| Port(s) | USB Type-C |
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| Software | One UI based on Android 11 |
| Other Features | S Pen Fold Edition/S Pen Pro support |
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Galaxy Z Fold 3 Design: Thinner, Slimmer and Lighter
The original Galaxy Fold reminded me of the Nokia E90 Communicator in that it was an absolute tank. That means it was big and heavy and that heft gave it a reassuring bulk that’s been missing from smartphones for many years. To be fair, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy S21 Ultra both delivered in the heft department, but as smartphones began getting slimmer almost 10 years ago — a few years after the launch of the original iPhone — that reassuring feel in hand disappeared rather quickly.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 takes us further in that direction by being slimmer, lighter, and narrower than the Galaxy Z Fold 2, without compromising on the core essence of the foldable form factor. Most of this thinner form factor can be attributed to the improved hideaway hinge, which makes the overall device a bit thinner and closer to the thickness expected from a modern flagship.
Galaxy Fold vs. Z Fold 2 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 3
Folded, it’s 16mm thick, while unfolded, it’s 6.4mm thick. Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 2, it’s 4.5% thinner when folded, and 8% thinner when unfolded. This might seem like small margins, but as Samsung improves the form factor with each generation, improvements in the heft of the device will become more important. Compared to non-folding phones, it’s 28% thinner than the Galaxy S21 Ultra when unfolded — 6.4mm vs. 8.9mm — and ~14% thinner than the iPhone 12 Pro Max — 6.4mm vs. 7.4mm. Granted, at 16mm when folded, it’s definitely still a bulky device, but as it keeps getting slimmer and more refined, Samsung will settle on the magic dimensions that make it acceptable to most users.
On the weight side, it’s definitely still the heaviest of smartphones out there, which is unsurprising given it unfolds to a fully functional mini-tablet. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 weighs in at 271 grams, which is 4% lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 2 (283 grams). Beyond foldables, it’s 19% heavier than both the Galaxy S21 Ultra (227 grams) and the iPhone 12 Pro Max (228 grams). Yes, it’s heavier, but given the additional screen (and the less-than-stellar cameras in comparison), this weight balances out very well, and presumably, a foldable iPhone would end up weighing in at a similar number.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 Displays: improved yet virtually identical
Beyond these minuscules yet noticeable differences, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is much like its predecessor in that it has a fully functional HD+ Dynamic AMOLED cover display that measures 6.2 inches, and when you unfold it, the main display measures 7.6 inches with QXGA+ resolution. Samsung already makes the best displays on the market, and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks as good as any other Samsung display.
The refresh rate changes are immediately noticeable and a welcome improvement
The cover display is also almost identical but slightly narrower at 6.2 inches vs 6.23 inches last year. The aspect ratio is almost identical at 24.5:9 vs 25:9 last year, which is a good thing as the Galaxy Z Fold 2 front display is a joy to use and mostly perfect for one-handed use. During the past year, I’ve used the front display with one hand almost as much as I used the main display with two hands, so I expect the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be just as good, if not slightly easier to use with one hand thanks to the slightly narrower design.
While the displays are virtually identical on paper, the big difference comes in actual usage with both the cover display and the main display, now supporting a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Much like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the rest of the S21 series, and other Samsung devices that came before it, this means the refresh rate changes based upon the content being shown.
Even though we only spent a little time with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the difference in the refresh rate is immediately noticeable on both the cover display and the main display. Scrolling is far smoother and the overall experience on the phone feels buttery smooth, making the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s displays look jittery in comparison. Bumping up to 120Hz refresh rate isn’t a game-changer by any stretch of the imagination, but Samsung would be (rightfully) lambasted if it hadn’t made this spec bump.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 Hardware: Finally, a durable foldable
If you’d have asked me six months ago what I wanted from the Z Fold 3, there were probably three things I would have asked for: an S Pen (check), vastly improved durability (check), and better cameras. The durability of the Z Fold 3 — and the Z Flip 3 — most definitely checks this box. The key improvements lie in improved aluminum in the hideaway hinge, the same Gorilla Glass Victus found on the Z Fold 2, and IPX8 durability, meaning it’s waterproof.
The Armor Aluminum is apparently 10% stronger than the aluminum used in previous smartphones and the hideaway hinge has been made thinner than last year’s models to ensure there are even fewer areas for dust to get underneath the display. There’s also a change in the type of display material used for the main display, with a new flexible and stretchable PET layer replacing the TPU screen material used last year. Samsung says that all of these changes have resulted in a massive 80% increase in the durability of the main display and it’s so confident that the Z Fold 3 no longer comes with a discounted screen repair as part of the Galaxy Z Premier service.
Likely the durability is helped by the addition of IPX8 water resistance. Without a doubt, this was the biggest addition I was hoping for in this next generation of foldables. For the past two years, I’ve tried to ensure I never used either the Fold or Z Fold 2 in any form of rain and while both devices survived unintentional exposure to random downpours, it also meant neither was completely suitable as the only phone I carried. The addition of IPX8 to this year’s models means they should be as durable from a water perspective as any other flagship smartphone.
Beyond the vast improvements in durability, you also have a flagship specs list, as you’d expect from a smartphone that costs $1,799 and upwards. The Snapdragon 888 processor powers the Galaxy Z Fold 3 with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. The whole package is powered by a 4,400 mAh battery and supports charging up to 25W when wired or up to 10W wirelessly. There’s also reverse wireless charging up to 4.5W, which is ideal for charging accessories like the Galaxy Buds 2 or Galaxy Watch 4.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 S Pen: Two new flavors, with important differences
The other major addition to the Galaxy Fold line-up this year is the S Pen. Unlike previous years where the Galaxy Z Fold would be the final addition to an Unpacked event featuring the Galaxy Note, there’s no Note this year. Instead, Samsung has expanded S Pen support to other devices, such as the Galaxy S21, and finally brought it to its flagship foldable. Alongside durability, this was one of the things I was hoping to see added to the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
The S Pen Pro lets you copy and paste between devices using just the Pen
Then there’s the S Pen Pro, which Samsung is considering as its flagship stylus. Compatible with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, it’s also the only S Pen that’s compatible with every other device that supports the S Pen. It’s considered the master global solution, and as the Galaxy Z Fold 3 operates at a different frequency to other S Pens thanks to the Wacom layer sandwiched in the display, it has a switch that lets you choose which device you’re trying to control.
The S Pen Pro offers all the Bluetooth-powered bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from the S Pen, including air gestures. There’s also onboard memory and a very neat feature that lets you copy on one device and paste on another S Pen compatible device using nothing but the S Pen Pro. This means you could copy something on your Galaxy Z Fold 3 and then paste it using the S Pen connected to your Galaxy Tab S7+, Galaxy S21 Ultra, or Galaxy Chromebook. If you’re all-in on the Samsung ecosystem, this is a nifty feature, and the global compatibility means you also only need one S Pen for all of your devices.
Fold 3 displays a warning when you try to use a noncompatible S Pen.
The S Pen Pro supports charging through a USB-C port in the tip, and like the S Pen Fold Edition, it features a retractable tip to prevent you from damaging the Z Fold 3’s main display by pressing too hard. This retractable tip, plus the difference in frequency, is also why these two S Pen are the only ones compatible with the Galaxy Z Fold 3; not even the Galaxy S21 S Pen that was launched as a standalone accessory earlier this year is compatible.
Does this mean the Galaxy Note lineup is gone forever? That’s uncertain, with Samsung holding steadfast that there’ll be a new Galaxy Note next year. However, if a lot of Galaxy Note users end up buying the Z Fold 3 and S Pen Pro as it supports all the same features, then it’s definitely possible the Galaxy Note lineup will end up being retired. Regardless, with both the Galaxy S21 series and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 now supporting the S Pen, there seems to be very little need for a standalone device where the main purpose is an S Pen housed inside the device.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 Camera: A new Under Display Camera isn’t enough
On paper, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has acceptable cameras, but to just look at the cameras on their own doesn’t tell the whole picture. Instead, when considering the cameras compared to the industry as a whole, it becomes the area of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 I’m most disappointed by.
When the original Galaxy Fold came out, it offered three cameras that were close to on-par with Samsung’s own flagships as well as most other devices. However, a year later, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 barely improved the cameras while the industry as a whole moved on. Despite the presence of 100X zoom, 100MP+ cameras, and 4 or more cameras now standard on the best devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 still retains the three 12MP cameras found on the Galaxy Z Fold 2. It’s a real shame the cameras haven’t been improved much, although we couldn’t really test them in this controlled environment, so we’ll reserve our judgment for the full review.
That said, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 does bring a first for the Galaxy lineup — the new Under Display Camera (UDC). The UDC is on the main display and has been designed with video calls in mind, with Samsung itself saying the 10MP selfie camera on the Cover display is designed for taking selfies. Samsung says it opted for a UDC as it fit the use-case for the main display. Most people who buy the foldable range use the cover display’s camera for selfies and the main display’s cameras for video calls.
On paper, the UDC shouldn’t be very good as it’s only a 4MP sensor, but Samsung is using AI to improve the overall quality of the image. There are still pixels above the cameras – in a 4×4 array – and Samsung is using translucent wiring so the camera can see through the pixel. It then uses AI to enhance the image, hoping it can deliver better than 4MP quality photos. Considering a 4MP can deliver QHD resolution on paper, it should suffice for most video calls, although we’ll need to wait until the full review to be able to test this.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 Software: Optimization is the name of the game
One of the reasons I absolutely love the Galaxy Z Fold range is that Samsung really understands productivity and how to make software that takes advantage of the unique form factor. After more than ten years of perfecting features such as multi-window and Edge panel on the Galaxy Note range, it found the perfect home for all of these in its flagship foldable.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 brings all the same software features from the Galaxy Z Fold 2, including multi-window, the ability to put three windows side-by-side and have more in pop-up chat heads, and native support for things like media players where the video appears on one side of the screen and the controls appear on the other.
This year, there are further optimizations. The Edge Panel can be pinned like the Windows taskbar, so your favorite apps, and app pairs, are always easily accessible. Samsung’s native app windows can also be resized, and likely any developer can also enable support for this. There are also changes so that when you have two apps side-by-side and click on a link in one of them, it opens on the other side of the screen.
Most importantly is the ability to optimize apps even when the developer hasn’t done so. Take Instagram, for example – the app hasn’t been updated to support the unconventional aspect ratios of the screens, and the result was a horrible experience where a story you posted appeared different from how it was viewed on other phones. With the labs feature, you can force apps to conform to a specific aspect ratio or even take them full-screen, meaning you have more granular control over how things work on your phone.
Another example is Netflix, which doesn’t support the foldable experience. The Labs feature allows you to ensure it still works in multi-window and other areas it doesn’t natively support. Labs also lets you force apps to use the Flex mode panel so if you enable it for Netflix for example, the phone will split the controls to one side of the screen and the media to another. These are all features that used to be available in Samsung Good Lock but are now native to One UI.
Beyond these improvements, Samsung has also worked closely with Google and Microsoft to ensure that certain top apps support the next generation of experiences. YouTube and Google Duo have been further optimized to offer dual-screen, drag and drop, and resizable windows. The Microsoft suite of Office apps now all support multi-window annotations using the S Pen and drag and drop between the apps so you can select a chart in Powerpoint and drag it over to Office to paste it into a word document. Samsung has also worked directly with developers to optimize the top 50 apps to support these foldable-specific experiences.
Galaxy Z Fold 3: A compelling first impression
For the past two years, I’ve been all-in on foldables. I firmly believe we’re witnessing firsthand the future of smartphones and beyond. I’ve used the Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Flip, RAZR, Huawei’s Mate Xs, and even Lenovo’s folding laptop, the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Trust me when I say the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the most mature foldable on the market, at least based on my first impressions.
I've used both the Fold and Fold 2 religiously, and the Z Fold 3 has me more excited than any other smartphone
Will the cameras be good enough in a world where the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s cameras were already lagging behind? Is Samsung’s first attempt at an under-display camera good enough to serve its primary aim of having great video calls? Is the new slightly reduced price tag enough to result in the widespread adoption of what is still a very expensive smartphone?
These are some of the questions that remain unanswered, but for now, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has left an incredible first impression, and I’m more excited than I was even for the past two generations.
- The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung's latest and greatest foldable phone. It brings several improvements over the previous model, including high refresh rate displays, an under-screen camera, and top-of-the-line hardware.
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août 11, 2021
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