Flipping over Samsung's new devices

Tech reviewers have regarded the Samsung Z Flip 3 the perfect foldable mobile device.
 - Photo courtesy Samsung Caribbean
Tech reviewers have regarded the Samsung Z Flip 3 the perfect foldable mobile device. - Photo courtesy Samsung Caribbean

Samsung has further improved the user experience for their customers with the release of their latest devices and improved operating system with the Samsung Galaxy Fold 3, Flip 3, Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic.

The brand's flagship devices for 2021 and have received rave reviews since they were launched in August.

Business Day got hands-on experience with the Z Flip 3 and its perfect pair, the Galaxy Watch 4 – and to say the least, the experience of these devices are evidence of Samsung's effort to up their game, yet again.

Firstly, the feel of the devices in the hand are unlike that of any older Samsung device, though the Z Flip 3 is their lowest priced flagship ever, at US$999.

The ultra-thin 6.7-inch device folds across the centre of the screen into a 5.2-inch square that fits easily into a small pocket. The device, whether open and folded, is sleek and feels sturdy in the hand. The Gorilla Glass Victus back, aluminium frame and smooth, wobble-free hinge adds to the premium feel of the device, which creates a premium experience for the user.

The phone is available in a number of colours including phantom black, green, lavender, cream, white, pink and grey.

Samsung also offers the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G Bespoke Edition which allows customers to mix and match unique colours on their website, samsung.com.

The cover screen display adds to the novelty of the phone and its crisp display with rich colours allows the user to check messages, take photos, play music, check the weather and many other functions without opening the phone. This, many users have reportedly appreciated in combatting the addiction of randomly checking their phones even when they have not received a notification.

The 1.9-inch cover screen display screen can be personalised to include a range of widgets/apps and can be personalised from a wide selection of themes, colours and background images.

Images on the foldable Dynamic amoled 2X are crisp, and 1080 x 2640 pixels (426 ppi density) results in rich, deep tones and vibrant colours that has been said to be strong competition for more expensive devices from the competition by popular, internationally-known tech reviewers like Marques Brownlee.

Samsung's Z Fold 3 with fashion focused accessories. -

Samsung improved the hinge following not-so-good reviews on their previous flip device, making it more sturdy, coupled with it's improved IPX8 water resistance, which means the phone can survive splashes or falling into puddles, though it remains low in resistance to dust and sand.

Sensors on the device include facial recognition, a side-mount fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass and barometer.

The sound quality of the speakers has seen great improvement and gives top competitors competition on volume and sound quality.

Other outstanding hardware features include the cameras – the 12 megapixel wide lens and Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS ultra wide lens, coupled with the 10 megapixel wide lens front-facing camera which works well for selfies when the phone is folded.

The size of the phone when folded, given the capability to view display in the cover display, makes taking selfies easier compared to other devices.

The Flip 3 is powered by a Snapdragon 888 processor, which is coupled with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage space – making it one of the fastest devices on the market.

A widely discussed shortcoming of the Z Flip 3, despite its many wins, is the battery life. The Li-Po 3300 mAh, non-removable battery barely makes it through a full day of intense use, lasting about 11 hours after being fully charged. Battery life can be extended by the power saving mode or by adjusting the display settings by changing to dark mode, adjusting brightness to adaptive brightness. Battery life can also be extended by adjusting screen timeout, which is the time frame within which the screen goes to sleep. Changing the screen time to 30 seconds and adjusting the display setting by turning always on display off drastically extends the battery life. Features that combat the relatively low battery life compared to other devices with which the Z Flip 3 competes include: fast charging, fast wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

The Watch 4, much like the Flip 3, also lives up to the hype. While it is the lower priced watch, starting at US$249.99 for the 40mm Bluetooth model and US$299.99 for the 40mm LTE model, the sleek, minimalist design is paired with a Google operating system, and is, like the Watch 4 Classic, one of Samsung’s fastest watches yet.

It is available in black, green and silver for the 44mm model and black, pink gold and silver for the 40mm model.

The clean design and round face is reminiscent of traditional watches and the hard build, coupled with the seamless gesture control makes the device fun and easy to use. The rich colour display is almost like having a phone on your wrist.

The Watch 4 allows the user to personal everything, from watch faces to decided which apps the user wants to easily access by just swiping right.

Users can respond to emails and Whatsapp messages, make and receive calls, set reminders, make voice recordings and much more, just using the watch when paired with a Samsung phone.

The Samsung Watch 4 is one of the company's fastest watches yet and is ideal for those seeking to maintain an active lifestyle. - Photo courtesy Samsung

It also promotes a fit lifestyle by giving regular prompts to get up and move, with a number of built-in recommendations for how the user can get the blood pumping, especially for those working from home, including lunges, squats or just going for a short walk.

Other interesting feature includes GPS, the heart rate monitor, monitors for any fitness activity from running, swimming, cycling to circuit workouts. It also has the ability to monitor the quality of sleep, stress level, blood oxygen level and menstrual cycles.

While the devices live up to the hype, there are some drawbacks. The watch face, much like the cover display on the Z Flip 3 are like magnets to pesky fingerprints and, therefore, require much wiping for full enjoyment of the vibrant displays on the devices. The outer frame of the watch is also prone to scratches, for those who seek outdoor adventures. Retrieving the Z Flip 3 from a pocket and opening it also requires some amount of practice – opening it upside down happens often.

Overall, Samsung has given their customers much to which they can look forward from their devices in the future.

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"Flipping over Samsung’s new devices"

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