[보니하니]Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 4 times for three days

The era of intelligent electronic products is overflowing. We already live using many electronic devices, but tomorrow, next month or next year we will meet new products again. “Boni Hani” is an experience device that aims to share the experience of using electronic devices as much as possible from the perspective of general consumers. We try to convey to our readers the novelty we have seen, heard and touched, without adding or subtracting.

After Samsung Electronics’ innovatively folded smartphone in half in 2019, it released its fourth series of “foldable smartphones” this year. Although there has been trial and error over the past four years, efforts to popularize foldable phones through constant improvement are continuing.

So is the new product this year. The Galaxy Z Flip / Fold 4 showed no great ‘technical innovation’, but left the impression that it slightly erased the regrets of its predecessor. I have been using Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 4 for three days.

Flip 4, improved battery, but …

In the case of the Galaxy Z Flip 4, there is little difference in design from its predecessor. Although there is a size difference, it is not noticeable because it is 1 ~ 2mm difference. In fact, it was a heavy burden on the previous job. The Flip 3’s design was well received. Even loyal Apple users have often replaced their smartphones due to the design. From Samsung Electronics’ point of view, it wasn’t going to be easy to make a design change in the next generation of products.

The advantage of Flip’s “flexible mode” remains the same. Flex mode is a feature that allows the user to open the product at the angle desired by the user. When sitting at a desk and placing the Flip 4 folded at 45 degrees, it acts as a table clock and both hands are free when taking photos with friends.

The ability to take portrait photos as well as general photos and videos on the front display was perfect for “selfies”. The ‘color’ of the photos taken with the dual 12 megapixel camera was also better than with the 10 megapixel front camera.

However, the overall performance of the camera was a little underwhelming. The size of the image sensor increased without changing the number of pixels in this new Flip, and even compared to the iPhone 12 Pro released in 2020, it felt that the accuracy of night photography was insufficient.

How much battery performance have Galaxy fans expected most from the Flip 4? The battery capacity of the Flip 4 is 3700 mAh (milliampere). This is the same level as the overall model of the Galaxy S22 flagship smartphone introduced earlier this year. Compared to the previous model, the capacity has increased by around 400mAh.

In fact, when I used it, I felt that the battery capacity was still insufficient. For the experience, I inserted a SIM into the Flip 4 for a day and used it as a “second phone”. The battery, which started at 100% at 8 am, dropped to 30% after 12 hours. All I had to do with the device was to do a little messenger and some functional tests.

After work, I used it continuously for about an hour to test the camera function and it quickly dropped below 10%. If it weren’t for a second phone, it would probably have to charge once in the afternoon. Charging started at 4% and reached 33% in about 30 minutes. It looks like it will take around 1 hour and 30 minutes to fully charge from 0%.

The heat problem also seemed to need improvement. After using the phone for about 30 minutes, the rear camera started to overheat.

Fold 4, the powerful multitasking

Unlike the Flip 4, which weighs around 4g more than its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 weighs around 8g less than its predecessor. However, it is by no means light due to its “weight class” which weighs 263g. It was still difficult to hold the screen in one hand and open it. Realistically, it wasn’t easy to feel the difference in the 8g weight loss.

However, personally, in this Galaxy Z4 series, the improvement of the fold function was more noticeable than the flip. This is due to the “Task Bar” role, created in collaboration with Microsoft. The task bar is a kind of menu bar at the bottom of the screen when Fold 4 is open. Makes the screen of a smartphone look like that of a PC.

In practice it was quite useful. Calls, messages, internet, notes, photos, and camera menus were all placed on the taskbar, so there was hardly any need to go to the home screen. By dragging the app across the screen, it was easily converted to a three-part split screen. It was also easy to close. This means that “multitasking”, which was an advantage of the existing Fold product line, has been further strengthened.

As the multitasking feature of the Fold product has improved over the years, I also expected the Fold product line to absorb the demand for tablets.

The Fold 4 is often compared to Apple’s smallest tablet model, the iPad mini, but the actual screen size difference isn’t that big. The Fold 4 measures 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3mm when unfolded, while the latest iPad mini measures 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3mm. There is only a 4 cm difference in length, but the rest is almost the same.

Also improved the camera under the display, introduced for the first time in the previous work. Under display is a technology that applies display pixels above the camera hole. Samsung Electronics explains that in this new work visibility (easily perceptible shape and color) has been improved to further enhance the sense of immersion on the screen.

When I used the previous work, I felt that the pixels applied to the camera hole were visible and annoying, but the Fold 4 was not. When watching a video, it’s definitely more engaging than having a camera hole.

It is true that the Galaxy Z4 series lacks significant innovations. Customers who used the existing foldable phone may not be attractive enough to change the device. However, it is attractive enough for those who have used a regular bar-type smartphone.

With the Galaxy Z4 series, Samsung Electronics is determined to take a step closer to truly popular folding phones this year. Apple is criticized for “lack of innovation” every time a new product is announced, but it has record sales every year. What about the achievements of Samsung Electronics’ fourth generation foldable phone, which focused on small improvements rather than big innovations?

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