Samsung has usually nailed it when it comes to powerful, non-foldable android smartphones, the same can definitely not be said for its foldable attempts. Nevertheless, Samsung was the first to introduce us to the world’s first commercial foldable smartphone, however unfinished that attempt was. At the Unpacked 2020 event today, the Korean smartphone maker is looking to correct history with a brand new foldable smartphone launch, the Galaxy Z Flip. And to break it first, it does have a rather practical price tag, $1380.
Much of the form factor of the Z Flip was revealed in an Oscars commercial that the company aired. And in all its flesh & skin, the phone looks and feels exactly that way. Apart from that official reveal, all other rumoured specifications have largely come out to be true.
The device features a 6.7-inch clamshell foldable display with 2636 x 1080 pixels screen resolution. It runs on Android 10 operating system with Samsung One UI 2.0 on top. It also has an external display which is just 1.06-inch in size and it is placed next to the front camera for notifications and showing battery percentage. This device is powered by a SD855+ SoC along with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features a 12MP primary sensor and a 12MP wide-angle lens at the back. The front panel houses a 10MP snapper with autofocus. The device is powered by a 3300 mAh battery with 15W fast charging.
While not much was revealed, Samsung did talk about an interesting, ‘Flex Mode’ in the Galaxy Z Flip. The mode divides the phone into two different sections, creating one as an interaction area and the other as a viewing area. More on that once we get our hands on the device.
The Galaxy Z Flip will be available in limited quantities in Mirror Purple and Mirror Black, starting in select markets including the U.S. and Korea on February 14, 2020, followed by Mirror Gold in select countries.
The Galaxy Z Flip is a different approach to foldable smartphones, one that was initiated by Motorola by bringing back the iconic Razr in a foldable avataar. But then, at $1499 (though still way cheaper than Galaxy Fold), the new Razr offered neither the performance, nor the durability which we have come to expect from modern smartphones.
What did go well for Razr was its compact form factor, something that Samsung is now taking a crack at through the Z Flip. And IMHO, modern foldable smartphones should ideally be doing exactly this, reducing the surface area that you have to carry around in those big, bulky new smartphones. People may differ, but from a utility perspective, this flipping form factor makes much more sense.
Stay tuned for our more detailed review of the Galaxy Z Flip.
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