Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy Z Flip 3: Should you upgrade?

Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to enter the foldable space with the original Galaxy Z Fold back in 2019. Since then, the company has produced more than a few foldable devices, including several variants of the hugely popular clamshell model. It’s called the Galaxy Z face. This year, the company announced the Galaxy Z Flip 4 which – at least outwardly – is very similar to last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 3.

The differences are so subtle this time around that you might wonder if it’s worth upgrading to the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 from the previous generation phone to save some money. Well, let’s take a quick look at the Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy Z Flip 3 match to find out which foldable smartphone you should buy in 2022.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy Z Flip 3: Specifications

Let’s take a quick look at the specification table to see what each of these scalloped folds brings to the table:

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 share almost the same design. You will probably have a hard time distinguishing them even when they are kept side by side. If not for the new colors, you’ll really have to stare to notice that the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 has flatter sides. However, the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 looks almost identical to the Galaxy Z Flip 3 isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We say that because the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was one of the most stylish phones you could buy last year, and that’s still true for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 as well.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a slightly smaller footprint overall, but it’s mostly just numbers on the spec sheet when you look at the dimensions. You can’t really tell the difference between the two in the real world. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 also comes with a glossy frame and a frosted glass back. Both phones also carry the same IPX8 water resistance rating, and they also don’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack or microSD card slot.

For the screens, you again get two panels on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The outer cover screen is a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 512 x 260. It’s similar to the one seen on last year’s model but is now protected by Gorilla Glass Victus Plus instead of Gorilla Glass. Glass Victus only. The foldable internal screen is the same as last year, measuring 6.7 inches. It supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a maximum resolution of 2640 x 1080 pixels.

While the foldable screen itself remains the same, Samsung says it’s made a lot of changes to the foldable glass layer. The Galaxy Z Flip 4’s foldable display is said to be up to 45 percent stronger than what we saw in the Galaxy Z Flip 3. That’s definitely a huge improvement, although it remains to be seen how it will hold up over time. The crease in the center of the screen is still very visible on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, so there are no differences at all.

Indoor devices and cameras

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is among the first Samsung phones to run on the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset. This is a huge improvement considering the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 is one of the best chipsets you can find in the market now. It performs better than the Snapdragon 888 SoC, and it does so with significantly lower power consumption as well.

You probably won’t notice the difference in performance between the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 when it comes to everyday use, but the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 certainly provides more power to drive it all. . You get 8GB of RAM on both phones, but the Galaxy Z Flip 4 can be purchased with up to 512GB of internal storage. This is a nice improvement since the Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes with 256GB. However, the basic variant of both smartphones comes with 128GB of storage with no option to add more via a microSD card slot. We recommend choosing the at least 256GB variant if you are a heavy user who have installed a lot of apps or recorded a lot of videos.

You’ll notice some difference in battery performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset. Not to mention that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 also has a larger battery. We’re now looking at the 3,700mAh battery inside the Galaxy Z Flip 4 versus the 3,300mAh battery with the Galaxy Z Flip 3. This, along with a more power-efficient chipset, is sure to bring in better battery life. The new clamshell phone also supports 25W wired charging now instead of the 15W wired charging support on the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Both phones support 10W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, and you still don’t get a charger with the Galaxy Z Flip. 4.

Samsung hasn’t changed much when it comes to optics. You get the same dual camera setup that includes a 12MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The main sensor is a bit larger now, which means it can let in more light to get slightly better photos in low-light conditions. The selfie camera remains the same, which means you get a 10MP camera. Both phones can shoot 4K HDR videos at up to 60 frames per second, so there are no differences either.

We didn’t get the chance to take the same set of photos from both phones to compare side by side. However, we will leave some camera samples taken with both phones below for you to review. Tell us what you think of the samples in the comments below.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 camera samples:

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 camera samples:

Programming

Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 4 that comes with Android 12L, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 runs OneUI 4.1 which is based on Android 12. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because you don’t really get a huge screen for multitasking. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 launched with Android 11, but it now runs on OneUI 4.1 as well. There’s definitely feature parity on the software front and you don’t get any extra features with the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Both phones are also eligible to receive up to four major Android OS updates, which means the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is guaranteed to be supported longer than last year’s model while taking Considering it’s the latest Android 12 phone out of the box.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 3: Which Should You Buy?

If you’ve read it all, you probably already know that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is only a marginal upgrade over last year’s clamshell phone. But the minor improvements come together to deliver a solid overall experience. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 may not be the perfect smartphone for everyone, but it is – without a doubt – one of the best foldable devices you can buy in 2022.

With the new Galaxy Z Flip 4, you get a more refined version of the clamshell phone that debuted last year. We’re looking for a stronger screen, a slimmer hinge, a better chipset, and a higher level of storage. You’ll also get a bigger battery and slightly faster charging speeds, so keep that in mind. The Galaxy Z Flip 4, as mentioned earlier, might not be a huge departure from last year’s model, but it fixes a lot of issues most people had with the Galaxy Z Flip 3. So if you’ve been eyeing the Galaxy Z Flip series from a distance without buying it Actually due to battery life concerns, you should definitely consider the new Galaxy Z Flip 4.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is still a great alternative for those who don’t want to spend $1000 on a smartphone. You can now get last year’s clamshell for $899 or less depending on where you buy it from. It’s still a great phone if you can live with an average battery life. All things considered, we think the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a buy in 2022 unless you get a premium deal on the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

Make sure to stop by our best Galaxy Z Flip 4 deals page if you’re interested in buying this phone. And if you have already bought it, consider buying one of the best cases to protect it from accidental drops and bumps.