Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 Foldable Phones Launched

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 were launched at the Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday. While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes as a successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a replacement of the Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Both new foldable phones come with a water-resistant IPX8 build that is made of Samsung’s Armor Aluminum. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 both also come with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. Samsung claims that it has increased the durability of its flexible displays available on the new models by about 80 percent over the previous foldables by redesigning the layer structure and using a new protective film. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 also carries S Pen support — first in the company’s foldable phone portfolio.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 price, availability

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 price has been set at $1,799.99 (roughly Rs. 1,33,600) in the US. The phone will be available in Phantom Black, Phantom Green, and Phantom Silver colour options and will have 12GB + 256GB as well as 12GB + 512GB storage configurations to choose from. In contrast, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 price starts at $999.99 (Rs. 74,200). The phone will come in Cream, Green, Gray, Lavender, Phantom Black, Pink, and White colours. The Gray, Pink, and White colour options will be exclusive to the Samsung.com website.

Both Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be available for purchase from August 27 in select markets around the world, including the US, Europe, and South Korea. Pre-orders will begin later today.

However, details about Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3’s price in India and availability are yet to be revealed.

Customers pre-ordering the phones will get a year of Samsung Care+ protection that will cover accidental damage, including screen replacement, water damage, and back cover replacement.

To give some perspective, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 was launched in September last year at $1,999 in the US. It went on sale in India with a price tag of Rs. 1,49,999 for the lone 12GB + 256GB storage option. The Galaxy Z Flip, on the other hand, arrived in February last year at $1,380. It came to India at Rs. 1,09,999 for the single 8GB + 256GB storage variant.

In addition to the regular variants, Samsung has partnered with American fashion designer Thom Browne to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 Thom Browne Edition that will be available for pre order beginning today in select markets with limited numbers. Pricing detail of the limited edition models were not provided at the time of filing this story.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 runs on Android 11 with One UI on top. It features a 7.6-inch primary QXGA+ (2,208×1,768 pixels) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 22.5:18 aspect ratio, and 374ppi pixel density. The phone also has a cover screen with a 6.2-inch HD+ (832×2,268 pixels) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 24.5:9 aspect ratio, and 387ppi pixel density. The displays are the same in size when compared to those of the Galaxy Z Fold 2. However, Samsung has boosted resolution this time to deliver better image results. The cover screen on the new model has also been upgraded with up to 120Hz refresh rate.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with a 7.6-inch primary QXGA+ display
Photo Credit: Samsung

Under the hood, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a 5nm octa-core SoC that has a maximum clock speed of 2.84GHz. The company hasn’t yet revealed the exact name of the SoC, though it is expected to be Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has 12GB of RAM as standard.

For photos and videos, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 carries a triple rear camera setup that seems to be the same that was available on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 last year. The camera setup comprises a 12-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.8 wide-angle lens and optical image stabilisation (OIS), a 12-megapixel ultra-wide shooter, and a 12-megapixel sensor with telephoto lens that has dual OIS support and delivers up to 2x optical zoom and HDR10+ recording.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 also comes with a 10-megapixel camera on its cover for selfies and video chats. It is paired with an f/2.2 lens that has a field-of-view of 80 degrees.

Additionally, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has an under-display camera on top of its folding screen. This is one of the USPs of the foldable phone against the competition and is designed to offer a full-screen experience, without any distraction. The camera has 4-megapixel resolution and an f/1.8 lens on top.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with 256GB and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), and a USB Type-C port. The phone also comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Samsung has added S Pen support to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and designed two new S Pen models in collaboration with Wacom. These are called the S Pen Fold Edition and the S Pen Pro. The former is exclusive to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and has no Bluetooth connectivity. It supports Air Command gestures and has a Pro tip. The latter is compatible with all Samsung devices that have S Pen support and comes with Bluetooth connectivity. The S Pen Pro works with Air Command as well as Air Actions and includes a USB socket for charging. Users can also switch the S Pen Pro between multiple devices by pressing a button on the stylus or can pair a new device by clicking on the pairing key.

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 packs a 4,400mAh dual-cell battery that supports both wireless and wired charging and enables reverse wireless charging. The battery also has 25W fast charging support through compatible chargers. The phone measures 67.1×158.2x16mm when folded and 128.1×158.2×6.4mm when unfolded. It weighs 271 grams, that is 11 grams lighter over Galaxy Z Fold 2’s weight of 282 grams.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 runs on One UI, based on Android 11. It features a 6.7-inch primary full-HD+ (1,080×2,640 pixels) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 22:9 aspect ratio, and 425ppi pixel density. The size of the primary display is identical to last year’s model, though it comes with a better pixel count. The phone also has a larger cover display of 1.9-inch size that has 260×512 pixels resolution and 302ppi pixel density. The Galaxy Z Flip had a 1.1-inch display with 112×300 pixels resolution and 303ppi pixel density.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 features a full-HD+ folding display
Photo Credit: Samsung

Samsung has provided a 5nm octa-core SoC on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 that has a maximum clock speed of 2.84GHz. Just like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, you can expect it to be Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 as well. The SoC is paired with 8GB of RAM as standard.

In terms of optics, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a dual rear camera setup that carries a 12-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.8 wide-angle lens and OIS, along with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide shooter. The phone also comes with a 10-megapixel selfie camera on top of its folding display, with an f/2.4 lens. Overall, the camera setup on Galaxy Z Flip 3 looks quite similar to what we had on the Galaxy Z Flip.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes with 128GB and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The phone also includes a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Other sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, geomagnetic, gyrometer, hall sensor, and a proximity sensor.

Samsung has provided a 3,300mAh dual-cell battery on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 that supports 15W fast charging and is compatible with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0. The phone also supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. It measures 72.2×86.4×17.1mm when folded and 72.2×166.0x6.9mm when unfolded. This shows that you’ll get a slightly slimmer build over the Galaxy Z Flip that had 17.3mm of thickness when folded and 7.2mm of thickness when unfolded. Nevertheless, the weight of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is identical to the Galaxy Z Flip as both are of 183 grams.