Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – Third Times The Charm [Review]

Samsung’s third attempt at making a foldable still has room for improvement.
Image by Faiz Alavi

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A little less than 2 week is not enough to experience everything the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G has to offer, but all the hard work that Samsung has put into it is undeniable.

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – The Foldable Wonder [Impressions].

Image by Samsung.

The Fold3 5G is the Korean phone maker’s third attempt at making the best foldable smartphone in the market, and it shows.

They manage to make their foldable flagship phone tougher than ever before and has taken strides to improve its usability. But there some ways to go before they reach perfection.

Its All About The Two Forms

When folded, the 16mm thick Fold3 features a long and narrow 6.2in display. Build for scrolling notifications and social media feeds, its fits perfectly in the hand. But while most thumbs can span the width, it is too tall for single handed use.

Once opened, the thickness of the Fold3 goes down to 6.4mm and its display grows to 7.6in. The almost square screen gives ample space for content consumption and creation. It is too large for most hands to grip, but larger hands may find it easier to handle.

A Device For Getting Things Done

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is made for those who wants to do more. When unfolded, the 7.6-inch can display up to free apps at a time.

With it, a user can be on a video call, while looking at a document, and have a chat app open, all at the same time.

Gamers can also benefit from the larger display. It give players a larger playing field, and in some games, a bigger view. Being able to see more is an advantage in almost any game.

When folded the, the thin 6.2 cover display is perfect for checking notifications, scrolling through news feeds, and some light browsing.

It can be used to watch media as well, but the screen ratio will make a 16:9 video look small. The thin ratio of the display does not make for the best typing experience either.

Image by Samsung

Good thing is, the apps can transition between the cover display and the larger display seamlessly. Whenever the cover display feels cramp, all you have to do is unfold the phone and the app will continue on the main screen.

About Those 5 Cameras

The photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G favours warmer tones and has that signature Samsung colour pop.

Its white balance leans more towards orange and colours like green and yellow gets a saturation boost. Eyecatching for social media posts.

Personally I would tone down the the colours just a little bit to make the photos look more natural.

One of the best camera tricks that the Fold3 5G can do is to take photos using the rear camera. When fully opened, the cover display can be used to compose the picture.

Image by Faiz Alavi.

Sample Photos:

The Food Mode in Fold3 5G preserves the colour and look of the subject. I compared it to the results of another flagship smartphone and found that the photos taken with Z Fold3 5G looks better.

The selfie cameras on the Fold3 5G gave me mixed results.

On the cover screen there is a competent 10MP camera, but with the ability to shoot selfies using the better rear cameras, it went mostly unused.

The 4MP under-display camera in the main display is novel, but is more suitable for video conferencing, not selfies.

Image by Faiz Alavi.

Still Room For Improvements.

Despite the ability to transform, the Fold3 5G is still a chunky phone. It is not easy to hide that phone bump in a pocket of a pair of pants. It is more at home in a jacket or in a bag.

The narrow cover display, although perfect for endless scrolling, is too cramped for anything else. You’d be better off unfolding the Fold3 5G if you are typing anything longer than a short reply.

All the features on the Fold3 5G takes a toll on its battery. Push it hard and you’ll be looking for somewhere to plug it in after using it for half a day. Not great for a productivity centric device.

Finally, there’s a good reason why Samsung is touting that they are working with developers to optimise app to work better with the unique form factor of the Fold3 5G. Although Samsung has nearly perfected the build of a foldable smartphone, the user experience is still lacking.

Some apps do not fit the large screen and makes scrolling awkward. For example, Instagram only covers about 70% of the main screen and with lots of empty space on the sides. .

Image by Faiz Alavi

The Specifications

Display Size

  • Main Screen: 7.6-in Dynamic AMOLED 2X
    (2208 x 1768)
  • Cover Screen: 6.2-in Dynamic AMOLED 2X
    (832 x 2268)

Both the main and cover screens have 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.

Dimension

  • Open: 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4mm
  • Close: 158.2 x 67.1 x 16.0~14.4mm

Weight

271g

Camera

The rear cameras include;

  • 12MP Wide
  • 12MP Ultra wide
  • 12MP Telephoto

Front cameras include;

  • 10MP Front Cover
  • 4MP Front Main (Under Screen Camera)

Speakers

  • Stereo with Dolby Atmos.

Tech

Processor: 5nm 64-bit Octa-Core.
Memory: 12GB of RAM.
Storage: 256GB or 512GB of internal storage.
Battery: 4,400mAh battery.
Security: Fingerprint sensor on the power button and facial recognition on the front cameras

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G comes in Phantom Black, Phantom Green, and Phantom Silver. Prices starts at RM 6,699.00 for the 256GB variant and RM 7,099.00 for the 512GB variant.

If you are getting a Fold3 5G, consider picking up an S Pen as well for RM199.00 or the Galaxy Fold3 Note package, which comes with an S Pen, a cover with a slot for the S Pen, and an adapter for RM369.

To make sure you get the best price for your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, visit its official landing page.

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