Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 initial review: The best foldable just got better

(Pocket-lint) - The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is 1 of conscionable a fewer wow infinitesimal devices to get successful 2021. Not due to the fact that it's a immense advancement implicit its predecessor - as, really, it's not - but due to the fact that that monolithic foldable surface present hosts a convincing nether show camera, keeping that ocular acquisition other slick.

There are different tweaks too: the asking price, portion inactive monolithic - don't gasp excessively loudly, it's from £1599/€1799 - isn't arsenic ample arsenic its predecessor; there's besides much powerfulness nether the hood, positive the caller summation of S Pen stylus support. All of which adds up to marque this the foldable telephone to beat. But is that rather enough?

What's new?

• S Pen stylus support
• Slightly slimmer (16mm)
• More almighty processor
• More streamlined rear camera array
• 120Hz dynamic refresh for beforehand screen
• Under show camera for foldable screen

If you works the Z Fold 2 adjacent to the Z Fold 3 they're not massively antithetic looking. However, the newer instrumentality does streamline the camera statement truthful it's smaller - though that present causes irksome 'table wobble' erstwhile popping it onto a table oregon different level aboveground - and the beforehand show is really a small little gangly (it's 24.5:9 facet alternatively than 25:9 of the older device) and offers a 120Hz refresh complaint too.

The bigger take-aways are, arsenic we pointed retired up top, the nether show camera - oregon 'under sheet camera' (UPC), arsenic Samsung prefers to telephone it - and the summation of S Pen support, but the stylus isn't integrated into the instrumentality truthful doesn't marque arsenic important a alteration arsenic you mightiness think. There's a caller no-Bluetooth S Pen Fold Edition which, arsenic its sanction suggests, lone works with the Z Fold 3 (the S Pen Pro is besides compatible, portion being suitable for different supporting devices successful Samsung's scope too).

Design & Displays

• Colours: Phantom Black, Phantom Green, Phantom Silver
• Dimensions (folded): 67.1 x 158.2 x 16mm / Weight: 271g
• Dimensions (unfolded): 128.1mm x 158.2 x 6.4mm
• Front display: 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 2268 x 832 resolution, 120Hz dynamic refresh
• Unfolded display: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 2208 x 1768 solution (XQGA+), 120Hz dynamic refresh

In its folded presumption the Z Fold 3 is the slightest spot slimmer than its predecessor - astatine a neat 16mm connected the folding edge; 14.4mm astatine the other extremity - but that's hardly slim by immoderate modern telephone standards. It's truthful a spot of a wedge to clasp successful this 'normal phone' format.

The beforehand sheet is besides marginally antithetic to before, present delivering a 120Hz refresh complaint and that 24.5:9 facet ratio, truthful it's shaved a millimetre disconnected the wide footprint height. You won't truly consciousness that successful the hand, though, but astatine slightest this main show fills the bulk of the device's beforehand - thing that wasn't the lawsuit with the first-generation model.

But the existent crushed to bargain the Z Fold 3 is due to the fact that of its monolithic foldable screen, which measures 7.6-inches connected the diagonal erstwhile open, and delivers a precocious solution and 120Hz refresh complaint too. Sound familiar? That's due to the fact that it's identical to the Z Fold 2's offering. So it's nary bigger, nary sharper, nary better.

Except, actually, it is acold amended for 1 azygous reason: that nether sheet camera (UPC) does implicit wonders successful removing the request for a punch-hole, which gives the Z Fold 3's show the cleanest, neatest ample sheet you'll spot successful immoderate folding instrumentality to date. Nothing other connected the marketplace tin yet interaction this, which goes to amusement that Samsung is good successful the lead. It's not wholly invisible, though, arsenic you tin spot from the faint circular quality successful the beneath image:

That said, determination person been inherent issues with foldable panels from the off. As the OLED sheet beneath needs to beryllium protected, and evidently solid can't fold, this is achieved by utilizing a plasticky coating to let for each this bending and flexing. That works well, but integrative is reflective and truthful catches reflections acold much than a well-made solid panel. It's conscionable a by-product of folding displays astatine the moment. It's besides the crushed wherefore foldable panels often amusement a 'crease' crossed the fold, wherever the sheet isn't rather perfectly level - which besides rings existent with the Z Fold 3.

But that's each portion and parcel of owning a folding phone, really, arsenic the pay-off is the humongous screen. Here it's bright, it's colourful, it'll beryllium glorious for consuming content. And conscionable arsenic we said of the Z Fold 2, erstwhile you get utilized to this elephantine sheet you'll statesman to admit its adeptness with antithetic layouts successful definite apps - astir similar split-screen fixed the grade of abstraction connected offer.

Performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 12GB RAM
• 4400mAh artillery capacity

At this signifier we've not had heaps of clip to play with the Z Fold 3 - we sampled the telephone astatine Samsung KX, the Korean company's awesome showroom astatine London's King's Cross - and surely haven't lived with it arsenic our ain conscionable yet.

What we tin guarantee you, however, is that it's massively powerful, functions bully and smoothly, and the top-tier Snapdragon 888 processor nether the hood is served with a meaty 12GB RAM arsenic modular to guarantee those big-screen experiences won't adjacent travel unstuck (well, if they're programmed successful properly).

Whether that processor volition origin the artillery excessive symptom is simply a lingering question though, successful portion due to the fact that the 4,400mAh compartment present is really a tiny simplification connected the 4,500mAh 1 successful the older Z Fold 2. Probably thing that immoderate bundle optimisation can't fix, not to notation that SD888 is simply a 5nm exertion alternatively than 7nm of the last-gen SD865.

Cameras

• Triple rear cameras:
  • Main: 12-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, Dual Pixel autofocus
  • Tele (2x): 12MP, f/2.4, optical stabilisation (OIS),
  • Wide-angle (0.5x): 12MP, f/2.2
• Cover camera: 10MP, f/2.2 / Under show camera: 4MP, f/1.8

Cameras is 1 country wherever galore had hopes that the Z Fold 3 would importantly propulsion forward. But, actually, its triple rear setup is hardly immoderate antithetic from the Z Fold 2's one. That's to accidental it's a tri 12-megapixel offering, delivering a wide-angle, ultra-wide, and 2x telephoto zoom (with up to 10x integer zoom).

The large displacement is successful the camera housing's design. It looks overmuch neater and tidier, successful a smaller container, and doesn't protrude an unsightly magnitude from the rear of the phone. It fits amended into the Samsung household plan overall. Still, we'd alternatively person seen immoderate higher-resolution offerings successful the premix this clip around, to enactment the Fold up determination with Samsung's precise best. This, surely, volition beryllium wherever the next-gen Z Fold 4 volition measurement things up successful 2022.

Much much awesome is what you can't spot though: that nether sheet camera tucked down the main foldable display. It's truly hidden from presumption successful a mode that you don't look for it astatine all. Sure, its conscionable a 4-megapixel offering, truthful it's hardly going to stroke your socks disconnected with the astir resolute of results, but that's inactive Full HD susceptible nary problems. It's this neat instrumentality that truly defines the Z Fold 3.

Writing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 11 August 2021.