Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Review: Best Compact Phone

Samsung Z Flip 4 is the latest flip phone from Samsung. Though it was released in August 2022, Flip 4 was launched pretty late in Nepal.

Samsung Z Flip 4 price in Nepal is Rs. 1,44,999 for the sole 8/256GB variant. Samsung is offering a bundle offer where you can get the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro worth Rs. 27,999 at just Rs. 5000.

Last year, the Samsung Z Flip 3 was one of my favorite phones. The compactness, ease of usability, and versatility of the camera made it really good. The Z Flip 4 is more or less the same as the Z Flip 3, but it brings some quality of life changes. So, is it better? Let’s find out in this review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Review

Refined Design

• Unfolded: 166 x 72.2 x 6.9 mm, Folded: 86.4 x 72.2 x 15.9~17.1 mm
• 183 g
• Single SIM (Nano-SIM)
• IPX8 Rating

I addressed the Samsung Z Flip 3 as the cheat code “chick magnet” that attracts everyone. This holds the same for Flip 4 as it regains the same design form.

The Flip 4’s overall look, folding mechanism, and compactness are sure to attract everyone. I’m definitely a huge fan of the Flip 4 but some might end up on the other spectrum and it’s completely understandable.

When folded, it is very easy to insert into your pockets and it is especially great for ladies. They can easily throw it somewhere inside their purse without any worries. The Armor Aluminium hinge and frame have been enhanced with stronger material. The back panel is now tougher with the new Victus+ panels with a matte finish.

On top of that, the Z Flip 4 retains the IPX8 rated for water resistance and the bezel around the foldable display has also been reduced. Likewise, it now uses a glossy frame and matte glass instead of a matte frame and glossy back panel.

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The frame looks flatter than before and it may look thinner too, but this is probably an illusion because of the thinner hinge.

Dynamic Dual Display

• 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED Display
• 2640×1080 pixels
• 120Hz
• Cover Display- 1.9 inches Super AMOLED

The main display of the Samsung Z Flip 4 is the same 6.7 inches Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. But, it gets a display update as it can now allegedly go as low as 1Hz.

The display feels bright and punchy just like all of Samsung’s flagship phones. It has a peak brightness of 1200 nits and it also supports HDR10+.

Switching to the cover display, it is also the same 1.9-inch AMOLED panel compared to the previous Z Flip. The secondary screen is useful to go over notifications, weather information, Spotify control, and other media control.

One can also pick up calls using the cover display but you cannot reply to messages via the cover display. However, I found that the cover display is best used to capture videos and images.

During my review period, I was constantly using the secondary display to capture videos and images. The cover screen preview mode helps you to capture high-quality selfies with the rear camera. And this time around you can get a full preview of the images or videos on the cover screen. This was not available on the Z Flip 3.

Top-Notch Hardware

• Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm)
• Octa-core (1×3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A510)
• Adreno 730
• 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, UFS 3.1

Powering the Samsung Z Flip 4 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) chipset. It is paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 internal storage.

Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is the upgraded version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. As expected, the Z Flip 4 performs superbly in daily tasks and is a smooth operator. I did not feel any lags even when using two different apps simultaneously in multi-window. However, it’s a small phone which leads to a smaller cooling mechanism. For this reason, Samsung has throttled the performance of the Z Flip 3. And, you will notice the difference while playing games.

Since the flagship chipset can play most AAA games, I only tested the heaviest AAA title, Gensin Impact. I tested the game at the medium setting with a 30fps cap and it was running smoothly with an average fps of 29.7. I also ran the game at a medium setting with a 60 fps cap and I was getting average fps of 50. After playing for a while, I did notice some frame drops and throttling. The camera section gets warm but it doesn’t lead to any heating problems.

Good Camera Setup

• Rear Camera: 12 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
  • 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1.12µm
  • Video: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+
• Front Camera: 10 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1.22µm
  • Video: 4K@30fps

Samsung Z Flip 4 doesn’t get Samsung’s full-blown flagship camera setup. It gets a trickled-down dual camera setup on the rear with a 12MP main sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. However, the main sensor is now an updated Samsung S5K2LD 12MP sensor.

Likewise, it has a 10MP camera on the front for selfies.

MAIN CAMERA

The main sensor captures impressive photos in daylight with good details, nice contrast, and a high dynamic range.

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Plus, this camera will serve you great if you are into vlogging. The cover screen preview mode lets you capture high-quality vlogs with relative ease. Furthermore, you can now get a full preview of what you are going to capture.

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The portrait photos also look great with good edge detection and subtle background blur.

ULTRAWIDE CAMERA

Moving on to the ultrawide camera, it is the same sensor as the Z Flip 3. It is definitely not the top drawer sensor from Samsung. But, It was already good on Z Flip 3, so I have no complaints about the Z Flip 4 either.

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The FOV from the ultrawide camera is also really wide and the color is consistent with the main camera.

FRONT CAMERA

The front 10MP Samsung S5K3J1 sensor of the Flip 4 is taken from the S20 series. The dynamic range is not as good as the rear camera but it’s fine. Selfies have decent details and a warmer color profile.

The portrait selfies also look good but you would rather use the rear camera to take portrait selfies. If not for video calls, the selfie camera of this phone is not that useful. But video calling is fun and easy with the Z Flip 4 as you can easily place the phone on top of the table. I always keep the phone on flip mode and place it on the table while video calling.

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VIDEOS

Moving on to videos, the Z Flip 4 can capture videos up to 4k 60fps with the main camera.

The 4k videos have plenty of details and the dynamic range is more than good enough. The main camera also has optical stabilization and EIS can be enabled/disabled for all three lenses. EIS does an excellent job at the expense of a bit lower FoV and a slight drop in the sharpness.

Improved Battery Life

• Non-removable Li-Po 3700mAh battery
• Fast charging 25W
• 15W Fast Wireless Charging
• 4.5W Reverse Wireless

In terms of battery, Samsung Z Flip 4 has a bigger 3700mAh battery compared to Z Flip 3. Even with a small battery capacity, the Z Flip 4 can provide up to 5 hours of screen time in moderate usage.

Furthermore, it has 25W fast charging that takes 75 mins for a full charge and can charge up to 50% in 30 mins.

Software

• Android 13
• One UI 5.1

Samsung Z Flip 4 comes with Android 12 out of the box but it has already received an Android 13 update with One UI 5.0.

The Flip 4 comes with similar software features as the Flip 3 with some upgrades. For example, when the phone is closed, you can turn on the camera preview on the cover screen by double-tapping the power button. You can also switch between various camera modes from the cover screen. Plus, you can now get a full preview instead of a crop preview in all the camera modes. This was now possible in Z Flip 3.

Similarly, you can customize the lock screen from the lock screen itself. If you long press on the lock screen and unlock the phone, you can customize lock screen widgets and wallpapers. Likewise, you can use filters on wallpaper just like on iOS.

There are lots of other useful features baked into the Flip 4. You can swipe up with two fingers to open the split-screen window. And, you can just close the phone to end the call.

Final Thoughts

Phones are getting boring these days but flip phones provide you a fresh dynamics. You get that extra feel and excitement when you use the flip phone.

ALSO READ: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal: Features and Specs

So, if you want that wow factor and a compact phone that can do everything you expect from a flagship phone then Z Flip 4 is really good. Of course, it doesn’t have top of a line camera and gaming performance but it’s a fun device to use.

What do you think of the Z Flip 4? Let us know in the comments!

Also, watch our review of the Realme 10 Pro Plus in Nepali.