Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 foldable phones first impressions: tougher and cheaper, could they finally make the form factor mainstream?
- Both models are built with stronger materials all around, while also gaining IPX8 water resistance
- The Flip 3’s US$999 price tag is particularly appealing, with most flagship slab smartphones costing more
Samsung’s first-generation foldable devices – the Galaxy Fold in 2019 and Galaxy Z Flip in 2020 – were groundbreaking, bleeding-edge devices. Like most consumer technology released to test the market, they were also a bit rough around the edges.
In turn, it has addressed consumers’ two biggest concerns – fragility and sky-high prices – making them perhaps the first foldable devices to be ready for mainstream adoption. That’s something Samsung is making a big bet on – it has gone so far as to cancel updates to its popular Galaxy Note series this year to make room for the new Z models.
As before, the new devices are siblings but serve different purposes. The Fold 3 is a tablet with a large, 7.6-inch screen that folds like a book to become a thin smartphone shaped like a TV remote control. The Flip 3, meanwhile, is a standard-sized smartphone with a 6.7-inch screen that closes like a clamshell to resemble a make-up compact.
