Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G in for review

Both of Samsung’s just-announced foldables have now arrived at HQ and we’re starting work on their reviews. But while that meticulous task takes its time, unboxing the phones is quick and pleasurable, so let’s do that.

Quick is right! Despite the premium price tag, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G comes with a single cable and SIM eject tool.

Samsung is running a pre-order promotion where you get the phone, a €200 instant discount and a year of Samsung Care+ for free with the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G gets a free 25W charger as well as a Flip case and the S Pen Fold Edition.

What's in the box and what's missing
What's in the box and what's missing

What’s in the box and what’s missing

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G we have at the office is the Cream color. It’s a warm and lovely paint job and it hides any smudges the phone picks up. The aluminum frame of the phone is brushed and has a comfortable grippy texture.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is very solid when its folded shut. But despite what photos of the device may lead you to believe, it’s not really that tiny. It’s almost as wide (72.2mm) as it is tall (86.4mm) when in this mode. And it’s substantial at 183g, even though we can’t call it heavy.

Controls on the closed Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
Controls on the closed Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

Controls on the closed Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

When unfolded the 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x is lovely to look at and use. It’s considerably brighter than the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and it’s twice as smooth, thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate.

However the panel is slightly taller at 22:9 than your conventional 20:9 display. It will take some getting used to if you’re coming from a conventional bar phone.

The other thing to get used to is taking a selfie with the phone’s cover display. The natural way of doing it is by using the full width of the small screen, but then the camera would be in portrait orientation and not landscape, so you should flip the phone to the side. However in this case you’re only seeing the middle portion of what the camera sees, which makes it hard to frame a selfie.

Using the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G opened and closed
Using the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G opened and closed

Using the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G opened and closed

We’ll cover all of the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G’s quirks and charms in our full review so stay tuned for that. Also stay tuned for our Galaxy Z Fold3 5G unboxing, coming tomorrow.

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