The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a great all-around gadget

Galaxy Z Fold 4: From Viability to Refinement – Samsung’s Latest Flagship Foldable Smartphone. It only took a few years for Samsung’s priorities for its flagship foldable smartphone to naturally progress from viability to refinement. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 preserves the fundamental idea of the productivity-driven phone-turns-tablet form factor but adds some much-needed camera upgrades and minor hardware refinements.

Other features that are absent from this version include rapid charging which is appropriate; Samsung has chosen to stick with 25 watts of PPS-enhanced USB PowerDelivery instead. We won’t be making a huge issue out of the 4,400mAh battery capacity, since it hasn’t shown to be a problem in the past. The Z Fold3’s camera configuration made use of some rather antiquated hardware, which is mostly changed in the latest generation. but maintaining the same wide-ultrawide-telephoto configuration in theory, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 main camera has a larger sensor and greater long-range reach, but the ultrawide is unaffected.

Regarding the display, the folding inner panel keeps the dimensions of the previous model: the diagonal measures 7.6 inches, with a refresh rate that spans 120 Hz and is granularly adaptive, in keeping with the Fold’s high-end standing. The outside panel has the same refresh rate capability as the larger one, and although the diagonal is still the same at 6.2 inches, the new feature should make it marginally more convenient and increase the useful surface.

Price when reviewed: $1,664.53 | Check price at Amazon

Galaxy Z Fold 4 KEY FEATURES

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a versatile gadget that requires few sacrifices. It works well for taking pictures, multitasking at work, and watching Netflix, but some customers could be turned off by its expensive pricing. Samsung is committed to a fantastic and ever-improving foldable design. The camera hole and rounded corners reduce the actual visible area. Though there is still a noticeable wrinkle, the main screen is excellent and the cover display is bigger and better. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 main screen measures 7.6″ when measured diagonally in a full rectangle and 7.4″ when the rounded edges and camera hole are taken into consideration. The actual viewing area is smaller. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a potent mobile CPU in terms of performance. This is a costly phone that does not even come with a charging brick, but there are plenty of bargains available. Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, 12GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 may charge at an acceptable rate via wired or wireless power, although most high-end and even mid-range phones charge more quickly. This is a pricey phone. Yes, it has a lot of RAM and two screens, but unless you get a good offer, it’s not cheap.

SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 4 UNBOXING

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 unboxing process is rather straightforward. The phone arrives unfolded in a huge squarish black box with the word ‘Fold’ prominently displayed. And when we say the box is ‘big,’ we just mean in terms of footprint; it’s half-height since it lacks a charger, as has become customary. There is still a USB-C cable provided.

But the barebones retail bundle is quickly forgotten once you handle the Fold4, so let’s talk about it.

CAMERA

• New S22-influenced camera array.
• Selfie cams appear unaffected.
• The rear camera array receives a 50MP wide-angle camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 uses the Galaxy S22’s main camera array, the same as how the Galaxy Z Fold 3 did. It has the same sensors (although with a slightly more powerful CPU) and lenses.

There is also a selfie camera on the cover screen and a low-quality selfie camera beneath the huge main screen.

• Here’s the complete list of cameras.
• 12MP ultrawide with a 123-degree field of view. F2.2
• 50 MP Wide F1.8
• 10MP telephoto, F2.4
• Cover: 10MP F.2.2.
• Main screen: 4MP, F1.8

All of these cameras are quite impressive, particularly the triple array, and meet the expectations we set after reviewing the Samsung Galaxy S22.

The light-gathering abilities are great, the colors are vibrant (maybe a little too much, but that’s Samsung for you), and the portrait mode is stunning.

The 3x optical zoom works well, and the digitally assisted, optically, and digitally stabilized Space Zoom is also quite impressive.

Low-light and nighttime shots are very remarkable. See the sample image below.

Slight disappointment creeps in, however, when you consider that your $1,799 folding phone lacks the best cameras Samsung has to offer. These can be found on the excellent Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. So there is no 108MP main camera or 10x optical zoom, and Space Zoom is limited to 30x.

The selfie camera on the cover screen is good, and the one on the main screen is more than adequate; we used it for photos and a Google Meet session.

There are other video recording choices available, including 8K 60fps, but this is only relevant if you have a good 8K TV to watch it on. The 4K video looks excellent, and you can record in slow motion. The camera app provides quick access to a variety of shooting choices, including Pro Mode, which allows you to adjust settings like shutter speed and white balance.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

• Not a significant upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
• Thinner and lighter than Z Fold 3.
• The hinge is better at vanishing from view.
• The wider 6.2-inch display mimics a standard flagship screen.

Samsung has been clear about what a flagship foldable smartphone should look like, and the Z Fold 4 follows suit.

While the Z Flip4 and newer Z Flip5 are appealing to those looking for a foldable simply because the concept shrinks a conventional smartphone, the Z Fold 4 and 5 make the best use of folding display technology in my opinion. This is both a phone and a tablet, with a larger screen for watching videos or playing games and a smaller screen for all other purposes.

The blueprint for the Z Fold 4 is the same as for previous versions of the phone. The phone features a smaller outer panel and a larger, 7.6-inch inner display that folds out. This time around, Samsung has made the screen slightly wider, with an internal aspect ratio of 23.1:9. The adjustment is minor, but it improves the experience of watching more diverse content.

A larger exterior display is also beneficial, as using the Z Fold 4 feels similar to using a traditional phone. You won’t be able to play games or watch films here, but it’s useful for using WhatsApp and Google Maps, as well as answering phone calls. It’s an experience that Samsung continues with the Z Fold 5, with no difference in display size, so going with the year-old model won’t leave you wanting anything.

The Fold 4 is slightly lighter than the Z Fold 3, weighing 263g rather than 271g. That might appear to be a modest reduction, but I noticed the lighter frame right away. The Z Fold 4 remains a thick phone, though. Its thickness is roughly equal to that of two iPhone 13s, making it difficult to put into tiny pockets or bags.

It’s worth mentioning that Samsung has managed to minimize the thickness of the Z Fold 5, which measures 13.5mm when folded, and unlike the Fold 4, there’s no unpleasant gap between the two parts. These aren’t major upgrades, but they certainly make the phone look more premium.

The inner screen itself is jam-packed with all of the high-end capabilities you’d expect from a phone at this pricing point. Samsung claims it can reach 1000 nits of peak brightness in HDR mode, has a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate for smooth scrolling, supports the S Pen stylus, and includes a camera hidden inside.

Nonetheless, the quality of the actual content displayed on the screen is excellent. I’ve watched many hours of Netflix on YouTube and read two books using the Kindle apps throughout the review process, something I would never have done on a standard Android phone. The screen’s surface, however, differs significantly from that of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The use of ultra-thin glass results in a plasticky, highly reflective gloss that, in my experience, becomes dirtier faster than regular glass.

The Z Fold 4 is still one of the only foldable phones with an IPX8 water-resistant rating, and the front display is covered in Gorilla Glass Victus Plus. Tough aluminum stays around the sides, and Samsung says it has slightly adjusted the hinge this year. It’s astonishing how far Samsung has come in terms of durability in such a short period, especially given how bad the original edition was. Of course, you must exercise caution, but I find myself treating the Z Fold 4 no differently than I would other phones.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

• Featuring Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 CPU
• Not as powerful as current iPhones.
• 12GB of RAM and starts with 256GB of storage.

It’s odd that Samsung’s foldable line suddenly has somewhat stronger CPUs than its S22 flagship line, but that’s how silicon and smartphone scheduling work.

We’re glad the Galaxy Z Fold 4 boasts Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 CPU, as it requires all of the power it can get given its multi-tasking abilities.

Geekbench 5 testing confirms the new CPU’s slightly faster performance compared to the 8 Gen 1. It’s not a tremendous improvement, but we believe the phone’s ability to edit 8K 60fps video simultaneously in Adobe Premier Rush reflects that extra kick. The raw statistics still don’t rival Apple’s A15 Bionic, but that’s irrelevant; there’s more than enough power here to handle all of your cover and main screen activities.

Samsung does an outstanding job of integrating its important One UI features and apps into the Fold experience while keeping them out of the way of the essential stock Android Google apps.

But we’re impressed with the seamless transition between the cover screen and the primary flexible display. The phone switches screens instantaneously, allowing you to transfer the same app between the main and cover displays without waiting for it to reload. It can function as a regular phone with the cover screen, a tablet with the main screen, or something in between if the screen is folded to a 90-degree angle.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 detects when it is bent at a 90-degree angle and, if you are using an app like Word, places the split keyboard on the bottom half of the screen. It’s not the ideal experience, because tapping in the crease is best avoided, but it works. It’s similar to using a very little Android laptop. The app dock not only allows you to drag and drop apps and save those you use frequently, but it also remembers app groupings and allows you to retrieve and reopen them with a single tap. Very smart.

Buy it if...

• The new aspect makes the cover screen more suitable for ordinary use.
• Samsung’s foldables remain the only ones in the market with IPX8 waterproofing (no dust protection).
• Displays are nearly twice as bright as the foldable rivals and comparable to conventional ones.
• Onscreen testing shows an impressive battery life for a foldable device.
• Feature-rich software with unparalleled multitasking capabilities and S Pen compatibility.
• The camera system is a significant improvement, and the cover display’s unique selfie capabilities can be a selling point on its own.

Don't buy it if…

• There is no change in the hinge gap condition; the gap remains. The crease is still very prominent.
• Charging speed has improved, but it remains behind the competition.
• The camera system is nearly identical to that of the S22, yet it costs less than half the price of the Fold.

FULL SPECIFICATION