Reportage

In essence, the Flip Cover consists of a rigid base that is anchored to the back of the mobile, covers the hinge with a flexible area in which the space is used to anchor the S-Pen and ends with a rigid cover that covers the outer screen. of the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

In addition to its obvious function of protecting the back and front glass from small accidental scratches of everyday life, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 cover also compensates for the protrusion of the camera module.

This means that, when used on a table or flat surface, the mobile stops moving with each press while protecting the glass of the camera lenses by moving it away from the contact surface.

Just as the brand's folding phone has been designed, this case is an essential accessory to keep the S-Pen close to the phone without losing it. However, it doesn't offer the best ergonomics to use and has some problems that Samsung should solve.

The first of them is that, when opening the screen with the cover on, the front cover moves protruding from the left side of the Galaxy Z Fold. This moves the edge of the phone away from the user's hand, making it harder to hold and more unstable, especially if you're right-handed and using the S-Pen.

Samsung has missed a golden opportunity by integrating a magnetic system in the lid of the case that covers the outer screen, so that it is not loose when the smartphone is folded and opens with some ease as it happens with this model.

In addition, the flexibility of the hinge part could also have been used to convert the case into a support to keep the smartphone in a vertical position or slightly inclined, as some book-type cases already achieve, such as this Flip Cover for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 .

In short, it is still a useful option to keep the S-Pen close to the mobile, but it does not stand out especially for a design that provides additional functionalities.

S-Pen Fold Edition, a more delicate S-Pen specifically for folding phones

The screen of folding mobiles leaves the touch panel exposed and they do not have the extra protection of rigid armored glass like other smartphones.

This means that, until the arrival of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, digital pens could not be used on them since there was a risk of damaging the screen.

One of the novelties of the new folding of the South Korean company has been to incorporate a more resistant screen with Samsung's Ultra Thin Glass coating, which has allowed it to have support to use the S-Pen Fold Edition in the first instance, and the arrival of the S Pen Pro shortly.

The only nuance is that, since it is a screen without armored glass, it is necessary to use a specially adapted S-Pen with a more flexible and retractable rubber tip that cushions the pressure when writing on the screen, preventing it from being marked.

Other than that, the S-Pen is a digital pen exactly like the S-Pen that already existed for phones in Samsung's Note range, activating some automatic functions when it's held close to the screen.

The S-Pen is a key ally in the user experience, far beyond what it meant to use it in the Galaxy Note range due to the increase in productivity that comes with being able to write and select by hand on a 7.6-inch screen like the that mounts this device.

The most obvious advantage is the ease when it comes to taking notes, notes or creating diagrams quickly, as well as having fun drawing as you would in a notebook, but without having to worry about digitizing it to share it with others.

Just bring the pen close to the screen, press the S-Pen button or tap on the Air Command icon that appears on the right side of the screen.

On the other hand, the S-Pen can completely replace the conventional keyboard by typing searches and texts in your own handwriting. Galaxy Z Fold 3's handwriting recognition system recognizes handwriting and converts it into editable text that can be used in apps.

Another aspect that we liked about the experience of using the Galaxy Z Fold 3 with the S-Pen has been the management of the multi-window, one of the great improvements that the new version of One UI 3.0 has brought, which allows adapting the windows to the internal screen of the Samsung folding.

With a finer tip, the S-Pen allows you to move, zoom and adjust windows more precisely than you can with your fingers, dramatically speeding up the efficiency of using multiple windows simultaneously on the screen.

In this sense, the experience of using the Galaxy Z Fold 3 with the S-Pen wins many points, but it would have won many more if both the pencil and the smartphone had magnetic areas to leave the pencil at hand while not in use.

Yes, the Flip Cover does have a receptacle for the S-Pen which may be suitable for carrying, but it is located on the back and out of sight of the user, making the first instinct when you have already been using it to be look for it next to the smartphone.

In short, both accessories provide advantages to the user experience, although not to the same extent. In the case of the S-Pen, the improvement is more noticeable, improving precision when interacting with the screen and providing that intuitive touch that handwriting provides.

However, Samsung has lacked that integration that we saw in models like the Samsung Galaxy Note, where the S-Pen was literally an extension of the smartphone.

The protective Flip Cover case is useful to compensate for that lack of S-Pen integration that we mentioned, providing a support to transport the digital pen safely while protecting the smartphone, but it has not been Samsung's most brilliant design and has room for improvement.