Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Review: Apple of my eye

The smartphone market is utterly saturated with similar-looking slab phones that when Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold in 2019, it turned a lot of heads. It was not just about looks, but a new form factor that enabled more from a smartphone. The Fold was a technological marvel, but being a first-gen product had several areas of improvement. Gladly, Samsung was a good sport and brought out the second-gen Z Fold 2 with almost all kinks fixed. So, the next-in-line Z Fold 3 needed to be mainly a refinement, with fewer technical hiccups to solve. Well, Samsung has done just that with its third-gen foldable phones.

Yeah, this time too, there’s the titular folding tablet to phone format (christened Z Fold 3 5G) and a folding phone to a smaller Gameboy Advance SP design (called Z Flip 3 5G). Both have their respective use cases and prospects, based on which you should make your purchase decision. Primarily, the Fold 3 is the one for people who wants a bigger nearly-bezel-less screen. In this year’s model, you also get support for S-Pen, which makes the Fold a Note-taking and productivity tool too. The list of interesting stuff doesn’t end here. The Z Fold3 boasts high-end specs and things like an Under Panel Camera (UPC), IPX8 water resistance, better hinge mechanism, sturdier yet supple Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG), and other build materials.

All these while the starting price of the said phones’ stay either unchanged or even lowered year on year. Speaking at its Q2 2021 earnings call, the company did reveal its aim to “solidify its leadership in the premium segment by mainstreaming the foldable category”. So, has Samsung managed to break the status quo and simultaneously make these more accessible to the general public? In other words are the new foldies ready to be the next defacto flagship phones?

Well, we will be answering such questions in this Smartprix review of the Z Fold 3.

Starting off with a look at contents, both in-box and in this journal —

Time to rock and roll. Let’s get into this Fold’s review —

As mentioned already, the device comes in an unfolded form out of the box. So, but obvious, you would try to fold it and the thing does so with a satisfactory clasp. And when this opening-closing happens, you’d feel the robustness of that underlying joint. It dovetails pretty firmly and holds the chosen position. Both the so-called ‘Hideway Hinge’ and the frame are made of ‘Armor Aluminum’ which is apparently 10% stronger than regular aluminum. Samsung also tells the Z Fold 3 is tested to withstand folding up to 200,000 times. That should be reassuring.

In case you are wondering, the one-handed opening is a bit tough. So, you would need two hands to open and thereafter operate this form factor.

There are some new things on the makeup of this face too. First of all, the company has used a PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) overlay in place of the plasticky screen protector of the predecessor. Samsung is confident that this would offer 80% more structural integrity and perhaps why it has also allowed S-Pen usage on the Fold 3.

To add even more strength to the panel, there is Gorilla Glass Victus on the outer screen, which is said to be 50% stronger than the GG6 on the Z Fold 2.

Now only time can tell how durable the screen is. But, it does feel smoother to touch and is quite responsive. There’s that. More on the display later on.

Moving to the sides, there is the power key cum fingerprint reader on the left side along with the volume rockers. The buttons are clicky and rather reachable, even in the unfolded state. In the case of biometric unlocking, if you have moist fingers, the scanner might not read the print always. Anyways, for better accessibility, you can register the lower half of the finger. If not that, you can also set your face to unlock the thing. For this to work, ensure your face isn’t in an off-angle.

On the other side, there is a single SIM tray. You can use dual SIMs but one of them has to be an eSIM. If it were a regular twin card slot, it would have been nice.

By the top and bottom, there’s the stereo speakers, USB Type-C (3.2) port, and mics. Now these few holes aside, there isn’t a major unwanted opening in the whole structure. Whatever orifices there may be, those are covered with glue and rubber gaskets. Samsung has done a bunch of such solutions to ensure IPX8 water resistance on the Z Fold 3. This is a big achievement for a device like this with several moving components. But, it could also mean the repairability becomes tougher. So, it’d be advised to visit official Samsung support centers for getting things fixed, if ever needed.

Also, note that there is no dust rating here. So, you better don’t take this to a beach ‘cuz sand. And if dust enters, let’s hope the inner bristles brush these particles away. During the course of the review, I had some construction work at my home, and contrary to my concerns, the dust and sand were easily swiped clean without causing any damage. But, your mileage may vary. So don’t risk it.

And also don’t keep it on a smooth and slanting surface from where it could fall as the glass body is slippery. The back has a matte texture on glass, but still, it could slide down.

Overall, this feels like a well-developed foldable that can take the form of both a phone and a pad. You can pick it in Phantom Black, Phantom Green, and Phantom Silver colors.

The centerpiece of the folding phone is its display. All the design decisions are made so to enhance and extend the screen experience. On the Z Fold 3, there is a 7.6-inch main screen and a 6.2-inch cover screen. Let’s look at them one by one.

The main screen is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 22.5:18 aspect ratio, QXGA+ (2208 x 1768) resolution, and 374ppi. It is big, bright (1200 nits peak), and beautiful. That real estate is great for watching videos (Widevine L1 compliant for FHD HDR streaming on Netflix and the likes), multi-tasking (up to 3 apps), playing games, and everything you’d want to do on a phone or a pad. And the use of an in-display camera means mostly there’s nothing obstructing the 88.57 % screen to body ratio. It stays discreet most of the time and is only apparent in certain colored backgrounds and whence viewed from an off-axis. Cool, from a visual standpoint.

This time around, Samsung has used something called Eco2OLED panel which stands for Efficient power Consumption + Eco-friendly Component. In its press release, the Samsung Display highlights how this screen has a “first-of-its-kind integrated polarizer”. It notes by removing this dark plastic polarizer layer, the screen’s brighter up to 29%, the light transmittance is up by 33 percent, while power consumption has been lowered by up to 25 percent.

So, yeah as already mentioned, the display is definitely legible both indoors and out, but also allows more light to the UPC. The pixel density of the screen area over the UPC is far less which also facilitates its functioning.

There is still Ultra-Thin Glass inside with the PET film on top. I didn’t feel any unwarranted screen inertia. The 120Hz adaptive refresh-ness of the panel also helps in this regard. The thing can get easily smudgy though.

If you purchase the S Pen Pro or the S Pen Fold edition, you can use them too here. These new styluses are specially built for the Z Fold 3 screen with improved pen-tip precision and latency.

Now since it’s an Infinity Flex display, you can seat it on a table as a clamshell form. This enables use cases like video calls with the under-screen camera, watch videos and read comments or something below, play games and click on controls beneath, and perhaps even type something on the downward keyboard. If you try to do the latter, a bit of finger gymnasium might be involved.

You won’t have to bother your fingers that much on the exterior screen. It is more like a regular phone size, but narrower. Samsung has made it 120Hz too. So, for anything that just needs short attention and not long interaction, this should be fine. In a later part, you’ll see how it works in tandem with the interior screen.

And while you choose to immerse in the big picture or have the audio play in the background, the sound comes out of the Z Fold 3’s dual stereo speakers, one on top and the other below. They are loud, certified by Dolby Atmos, and should be plenty good for most media consumption. It’s either that, wireless, or Type-C headphone ’cause no jack, homey.

Another thing missing in the mix is an adapter.

Samsung has not included a charger in the box (for “a greener galaxy” of course). So, you will either have to buy one or use any PD-supported USB-C cable plus charger lying around in your home. The phone works with 25W fast charging, 10W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The cell inside carries 4400mAh of juice. This is divided into two parts of 2280mAh and 2120mAh. This has been done to maintain a thin chassis.

Now, with all the displays and digital drudgeries, I was getting 5 hours of screen on time. I was using the screen at 120Hz mode. In the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test, the Z Fold 3 clocked 6Hr 52 Mins (at 120Hz) and better 10Hr 4 Mins (at 60Hz). So you know what to do to eke out more runtime out of this Fold.

For what it’s worth, the processor used is said to offer a 25% improvement in battery efficiency over the one used in Z Fold 2. Within the battery settings, there is a feature dubbed Protect Battery which limits the maximum charge to 85% so as to extend the lifespan of the battery. In any case, filling up the tank full took about 1 hour 45 minutes (with an 18W charger). If you use a 25W one, it would take lesser time.

Samsung has packed in a Snapdragon 888 chip within the Z Fold 3. This time, it’s this Qualcomm chip all the way, irrespective of region. This is an octa-core CPU setup based on a 5nm architecture. This comprises a Cortex-X1 prime core clocked at 2.84Ghz coupled with three Cortex-A78 performance cores and four Cortex-A55 efficiency cores. On the graphics front, an Adreno 660 GPU takes the charge. The internals also consists of up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

That’s an accomplished spec sheet and it measures up well in the works. In day-to-day use, things were fast and fun for the most part. The only odd thing was occasional stutter whilst apps return to their post in the dock. Apps are retained in the memory for a very long time. There is an option to lever up performance by enabling the Enhanced Processing mode within Settings. I reckon this overclocks the system but at the expense of battery life. Not advisable, hence.

Anyhoo, the device fared well in synthetic tests too. The scores are largely in flagship territory only but are not among the best out there —

Here are the synthetic test results:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Benchmark (Unfolded state)	Scores
Antutu	726533
Geekbench 5 Single | Multi	1134 | 3401
PCMark Work 3.0	14178
3DMark Wild Life Extreme | Wild Life	1362 | 5751 | 6202
Androbench Sequential R/W (MB/s)	1778.77 | 786.38
Androbench Random R/W (MB/s)	271.02 | 244.53
GFXBench Aztec Ruins Open GL (High Tier) | Car Chase | Manhattan 3.1	25 FPS | 31 FPS | 41 FPS
Conversion of 2:35min 1080p 60fps MP4 video to MKV using Video Transcoder app	5 mins
CPU Throttling test (15 mins)	72% of its max performance

Now as stated, these tests were run on the main display. The performance is likely to differ on the front cover screen due to differences in resolution, aspect ratio, and other factors.

Moving from benchmarks to real-world usage…

Starting with some games —

BGMI maxes at Ultra HD Graphics and Ultra Frame Rate while the COD Mobile can run at up to Very High Graphics and Max Frame Rate. You can rash through the Asphalt 9 roads at 60 FPS. All these titles are awesome to play on this large screen.

Besides that and my routine run, there were a lot of new use cases to try on this. Some were easy, while others required a bit of practice. You see it’s not just a phone, but a tablet and something in-between and beyond. Software plays a key role in this experience.

OneUI 3.5 (based on Android 11) shows Samsung’s efforts in making the software match the hardware demands. This new version brings perks exclusive to Samsung’s foldable range. Many of these goodies are packed within Settings > Advanced Features > Labs. Weirdly enough, they are disabled by default. So, you have to dig into Settings and turn them on.

My favorite feature of the lot is ‘Customize app aspect ratios’, which as the name suggests lets me use Instagram on full screen. And it’s frickin’ great on this big screen man!

Allow me to suggest the following apps for this expanse: Google Earth, Tachiyomi, Kindle, Desktop-like tab system on Chrome.

Then there is a Multi-window for all apps, which is a must-have for a device of this kind. You can also continue app instances between screens without a hiccup. This is thanks to Android’s built-in App Continuity feature. Btw, the Z Fold 3 runs on June 01, 2021, Google Play System Update, and July 01, 2021, Android Security patch.

Coming back to the Fold-specific features — Flex Panel (i.e., using the fold in an upright clamshell form with the main app visuals at the top and controls, if any, at the bottom). Although this mode isn’t all that practical, it can prove convenient at times. Say, you want to take long-exposure shots from the camera app, do video calls on Google Meet, watch content on Netflix, YouTube, or Samsung Video app, or heck even play games on the top and control buttons on the bottom half. For this to work as intended, developers must customize their apps. So, let’s hope they do.

Other tricks in the bag include the option to pin most-used apps to the sidebar which can now be made permanent residents on the screen like a dock or taskbar in other OSes. It lets you quickly access apps you want and even open multi-window setups (up to 3 apps simultaneously) with a click. Yeah, you can use the apps in floating bubbles or windows too.

The crop of features also consists of things like Link to Windows (Your Phone and use Android apps on Windows), Samsung Dex, slide screenshot with editing options, a lot of motions, gestures, and Game Launcher, amongst other things. Some of you moving from iPhone will appreciate that this is the first device to get the recently announced Whatsapp Backup transfer option between iOS and Android.

But all is not well here. In some cases, you get, “This app may not be optimized for your device” message, apps like Spotify detect the thing as a tablet (understandable), screen cut on a game like Stumble Guy. Some games appear pixelated due to the stretched aspect ratio. YouTube doesn’t have all the tools required by a creator. Scrolling on the YouTube playback bar can be tricky too. Well, things aren’t always within your thumb’s reach.

Credit where it’s due, Samsung has tried to ease the accessibility to a great degree. For instance, the lock screen pattern can be moved closer to your thumb during one-handed usage. And the default keyboard comes in a split mode. It doesn’t solve the typing predicament on this giant screen, but the point is it is up to devs to tailor their app layouts to match the Folding format.

So, even though it’s a little rough around the edges, there’s some hope.

Now one another area where software is said to play a big role out this time is —

Z Fold 3 features three 12MP cameras by the back within an oblong-shaped bump. This includes a primary wide-angle lens with OIS and Dual Pixel PDAF, a 12MP 123° ultrawide angle lens, and a 12MP 2x optical zoom lens, also with OIS and PDAF. You can digitally shoot up to 10x magnification. Most of this setup is similar to its precursor, except for the SK Hynix Hi-1337 sensor within the telephoto lens.

Anyways, on the cover, you are getting a 10MP snapper. Samsung has also added one more 4MP sensor under the main screen. This one gains headlines for being in-display. Videography can be done at max up to 4K@60fps from the rear side and 4K@30fps at the front. The UPC can shoot up to FHD@30fps. There is no optical stabilization for the selfie cams.

On to the real-world samples —

In the daylight settings, the photos come out well with sufficient details. Colors would appear pleasantly vibrant than they are. There is an auto scene optimizer option, which you can disable if you want the results to be raw.

The camera app is quick to open and present the viewfinder. You can use the cover display too as a viewfinder which can come in handy while shooting a human subject. They can pose themselves better.

Thanks to Dual PDAF, focussing is fast too. However, at times, multiple objects in the frame can trick it a bit.

Switching between various lenses is also at the finger’s tip. Look at the different lenses at play below:

Colors maintain parity between ultrawide and regular perspectives. The 2x hardware zoom preserve details, as you’d suppose. And impressively enough the magnified images at 4x and 10x too carry ample quality. Just check for yourself in the above image wherein you can clearly read what’s written on that board. Cool.

Coming to human subjects, the portraits are so appealing with a decent blur and edge detection that falters at teeny stuff like hair follicles. Also, the portraits are more zoomed in than regular shots. Now, if you are not so critical and picky, you would enjoy shooting from the Z Fold 3 and the results can be straight-up posted on socials.

The regular night shots have enough details. Night Mode also fares up to the task. It corrects the exposure and things like texts are more clear as a result.

So you can capture tier-1 photos out of these cameras. But, things can be inconsistent. A part of the problem could be the difficulty in properly holding the device to take a shot while it’s in the unfolded state. In the folded state, the cover screen gives a very narrow viewfinder. You can prop the thing in Flex mode too which can make shooting long exposure shots a cinch.

I haven’t mentioned the 4MP sensor yet because photography isn’t its intended purpose, or say it isn’t equipped for it. So, why bother. It is of lower resolution but being an Under Panel Camera makes it one of a kind. If you use it as a webcam under favorable lighting conditions, it should be fine.

There are various other camera features tucked in the camera app like Single Take, AR Doodle, Pro Mode, Portrait Video, Pro Video, Super Slow-Mo, HyperLapse, Director’s View, and QR Code scanner. Some of these can be useful, while others party tricks.

Moving on…

At the core, this is a phone only. And so, the Z Fold 3 comes with a healthy suite of connectivity options. This includes Dual SIM VoLTE (one of which is eSIM), VoWiFi, dual-band WiFi-6e, Bluetooth 5.2 (with aptX HD), NFC, GPS, UWB (Ultra Wideband), and 5G. I had no issue with Bluetooth and WiFi speeds, stability, and latency. Using Google Maps navigation on a large canvas was great. Total 5G Bands supported by Fold 3 is 16 (8 for MIMO & 8 for ENDC).

So, there’s future-readiness in terms of the next-gen network, and at present too, calls and mobile data on my Airtel SIM were alright.

And finally, it’s time to know —

Samsung has kept the starting price of Z Fold 3 at ₹1,49,999, which is the same as its predecessor. But for this asking price, you are getting a phone unlike anything on the Indian market. It is the phone that gets people curious or excited to talk. It is the 3rd gen foldable that is more mature than ever. Besides the top-rung specs like Snapdragon 888, large oodles of memory, 5G, and other latest connectivity solutions, this one also comes with a sturdier cum refined screen and hinge system, water resistance, an under-display camera, and S-pen support.

This is the first water-resistant folding phone and that IPX8 rating is an engineering feat that adds confidence to the durability of the device. As for the stylus, it can be useful, but a pricey accessory for those who need it. They shouldn’t mind collectively buying it as well as the carry case either. Some Galaxy Note fans would find the value addition in this. But of all the new additions, the Under Panel Camera is the only contentious one. If you use it solely as a webcam, then this is a cosmetic choice by Samsung worth the salt. Just don’t bother it for photos or video calls.

After all, there’s a versatile set of cameras for your photo needs. The results out of those sensors are good, if not great. Similar is the performance situation. In both cases, the software takes the mantle. As I’ve mentioned earlier in this review, the software is the connective tissue between the folding hardware and all those varied experiences you get out of this device.

Now the question is whether they are good enough to convince the mainstream audience to switch from their regular Apple and Android slab phones. For them, the lingering concern would be durability and dough. I can’t be sure about the former. But dare I say that since the Fold is a premium device, with an unconventional design and you want it to endure long, you’ll be treating it as the apple of your eye.

So, if you are interested in a foldable device of this nature, then Z Fold 3 5G is your best choice. There are no worthy contenders to lock horns with it, save for its flipping sibling. And with its 3rd gen foldables, Samsung has clearly put a stake in the ground.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ

Q. Does Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a dedicated microSD slot?

A. No, Galaxy Z Fold 3 has no expandable micro-SD Card slot.

Q. What is the SAR value of Galaxy Z Fold 3?

A. Galaxy Z Fold 3 SAR values are: 0.803 W/kg @ 1gm (Head).

Q. Does Galaxy Z Fold 3 feature Gorilla Glass Protection?

A. Yes, Galaxy Z Fold 3 does come with Gorilla Glass Victus protection on the outer screen and the back. The camera lenses are shielded by Gorilla Glass DX.

Q. Does Galaxy Z Fold 3 support VoWiFi or WiFi calling?

A. Yes, Galaxy Z Fold 3 does feature VoWiFi.

Q. Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 support Samsung DeX?

A. Yes, you can run Samsung Dex wired or wirelessly on the Z Fold 3.

Q. Which is the Android update on Galaxy Z Fold 3?

A. Galaxy Z Fold 3 ships with Android 11 software. At the time of writing, it has the July 01 2021 security update. The Google Play System update is also dated May 01, 2021.

Q. How much does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 cost?

A. Galaxy Z Fold 3’s Indian prices are —

Galaxy Z Fold3 (12+256GB): Rs. 1,49,999
Galaxy Z Fold3 (12+512GB): Rs. 1,57,999

Q. Is the Galaxy Z Fold 3 cheaper or more expensive than its predecessor?

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is priced at the same starting price of ₹1,49,999 as the Z Fold 2.

Q. How many screens are there on the Galaxy Z Fold 3?

A. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with a 6.2-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main screen.

Q. Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 feature NFC payments?

A. Z Fold 3 sports NFC-based Samsung Pay and other payment systems.

Q. Which display(s) of Z Fold 3 support S-Pen?

A. Only the main screen support S-Pen, not the cover display.

Q. How many software updates will the Z Fold 3 get?

A. Samsung has promised 3 major Android updates for all its premium phones. This means the Galaxy Z Fold 3 should get Android 12, Android 13, and Android 14 updates.

Q. Does Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 support Google Assistant?

A. Yes, Google Assistant is available.

Q. Does Galaxy Z Fold 3 support HD stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime?

A. Galaxy Z Fold 3 has DRM L1 certification and I did HD streaming on Prime Video and Netflix. There is HDR10-HEVC support too.

Q. What are the 5G bands supported by Galaxy Z Fold 3?

A. Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports the following 16 bands: 8 MIMO (1,n78, 3,n78, n78, n1, n3, n78, 40, n78, 3,40,n78) and 8 ENDC (1A-n78A, 3A-n78A, 5A-n78A, 8A-n1A, 8A-n3A, 8A-n78A, 40A-n78A, 3A-40A-n78A).