Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 First Impressions

We got an early look at the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. These are our thoughts and first impressions of the new compact foldable!

Selfie Camera

After months of heavy speculation and leaks, Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy Z Fold4 and the Galaxy Z Flip4. In this article, we take an early look at the new compact foldable.

But before we do, let's talk about the key specs. It features an inner folding 120Hz FHD+ 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex display. On the outside is a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED secondary screen. Inside is the newly released 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 octa-core processor, 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, and a larger 3,700mAh battery with 25W fast wired charging.

At the back is a 12MP f/1.8 primary camera and a 12MP f/2.2 123-degree ultra-wide angle camera while on the display is a punch hole that houses the 10MP f/2.4 selfie camera.

In the Philippines, the price starts at PHP 58,990 for 128GB of storage.

Let's dive into the first impressions.

Build Quality/Design

All four colorways

Like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Flip4 is made of Armor Aluminum. It was first introduced with the last year's Galaxy Z Flip3 5G and Z Fold3 5G. Samsung claims that it is lighter and "stronger" than other aluminum.

The metal frame between the glass back panel and the glass front panel feels solid. While the glass on the outer side and on the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+. These materials make the phone look premium but make it both slippery to hold and make a fingerprint smudge magnet.

"Improved metal frame" + Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+

We still recommend wearing a case right away.

The Z Flip4 is IPX8 water resistance rated which means it can survive being submerged 1.5 meters underwater for up to 30 minutes.

Outer screen

On the outer side is the 1.9-inch Super AMOLED secondary screen. Samsung says that they've added more functionality thru software. We'll see.

While on the inner side is the 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a 2640 x 1080 resolution.

Samsung has tweaked the bezels around the inner display to be slimmer too.

Both screens are bright that produce images with crisp text, vibrant color, and plenty of detail.

The crease is just marginally better (a bit better) coming from the Z Flip3. The firm also "improved" the ultra-thin glass to resist breaking (only time will tell).

Top and bottom

On top of the phone are antenna lines and a microphone port while at the bottom are more antenna lines, a speaker grill, a USB-C port, and more microphones.

Unlike 2022 foldables from other brands, Samsung's flip foldable phone is still not gapless...

In between the two halves is the hinge with the Samsung logo. Samsung says that they've tweaked the design of the hinge to be more durable while reducing the gap between both sides when folded.

Left and right

On the left side of the phone are more antenna lines and the SIM tray while on the right side are the Power button and the volume rocker. The power button doubles as the fingerprint scanner. The volume rocker is also made of metal. Both buttons offer satisfying feedback when pressed.

The Galaxy Z Flip4 measures 165.2 x 71.9 x 6.3 mm when unfolded and measures 84.9 x 71.9 x 17.1 mm when folded. It weighs 187 grams which means it is lightweight for a phone made of metal and glass with added components needed for it to fold.

Rear cameras

For cameras, It features a dual rear-facing module made up of a 12MP f/1.8 primary camera with Dual Pixel AF and OIS and a 12MP f/2.2 123-degree ultra-wide camera with an LED flash while on the punch hole is a 10MP f/2.4.

Once we obtain a unit for review, we will share more details about the camera. 

So stay tuned for upcoming camera samples and for our full review.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 Specs

Display: 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex screen w/ 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, HDR10+, FHD+ 2640 x 1080 at 426 ppi, 1.9-inch Super AMOLED screen w/ 260 x 512 resolution at 302 ppi

CPU: 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 octa-core processor

GPU: Next-gen Adreno GPU

RAM: 8GB LPDDR5

ROM: 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS 3.1

Back Camera: 12MP f/1.8 w/ Dual Pixel AF, OIS + 12MP f/2.2 123-degree ultra-wide-angle w/ LED flash

Selfie Camera: 10MP f/2.4

Battery: 3,700mAh w/ 25W wired w/ Super Fast Charging, 15W Fast wireless charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare

OS: Android 12 w/ One UI 4.1.1

Connectivity: WiFi 6E a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, OTG, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, dual SIM (nano + eSIM)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure

Others: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock, stereo speakers, UHQ 32-bit/DSD audio, Dolby Atmos, USB-C, Colors: Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, Blue

Dimensions: 165.2 x 71.9 x 6.3 mm (unfolded), 84.9 x 71.9 x 17.1 mm (folded)

Weight: 187 g

Price: PHP 58,990 (128GB), PHP 62,990 (256GB), PHP 69,990 (512GB)

As of the moment

With the Z Fold4

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is a refinement of last year's Z Flip3. Samsung polished and improved what made the foldable great while tweaking the hardware to be more ergonomic and functional.

It does come with the last Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and with a larger 3,700mAh battery. It even supports the faster 25W SuperFast wired charging.

At first glance, apart from the chipset, it subtle upgrade over the previous generation.

We will have to see how much better it fares after we've had a unit tested extensively.

Stay tuned until then.

What do you guys think?