Don't you have time to read the complete analysis?Go directly to the Conclusions Section to know what I most liked by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

Samsung announced last year the Fold Galaxy, its first folding smartphone with a very powerful hardware and a screen that practically becomes a tablet when you open the device.Although such a large screen is an authentic joy, the fold galaxy is quite thick when it is closed and its price is not available to anyone.

This year, Samsung announced its second folding smartphone, Galaxy Z Flip, which offers a different approach.It has a much more compact size when it is closed, since its displayed screen is not so large, and has a hardware that, being very powerful, is not the last shout.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has an infinity flex adaptive AMOLED screen of 6.7 ″ with Full HD+resolution, Snapdragon 855+ processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, dual rear camera of 12MP (great angle)+12MP (ultra greatangular), 10MP front camera and 3 battery.300 mAh.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is on sale by 1.€ 500 with 128 GB on the Samsung website.However, you can find it at a cheaper price at Amazon Spain.

I have had the opportunity to try the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip thoroughly for just over a week and then I bring you my in -depth analysis.

Sections of the analysis

1. Diseño
2. Interior screen
3. Exterior screen
4. Hardware
5. Biometry
6. Battery
7. Software and applications
8. Multimedia
9. Cámaras
10. Llamadas
11. Precio
12. Conclusions

Design and construction

Accustomed to smartphones that hardly fit in their pocket, the galaxy z flip is extremely compact when it is closed.With dimensions of 87 x 74 x 17 mm, it has an appearance similar to that of a makeup polvera and fits perfectly in any bag or pocket (although it shows thicker).

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has an attractive crystal construction and is protected by Gorilla Glass 6 for greater durability and resistance.

In my my experience, the glass surface is quite delicate since in my unit there are small scratches next to the external screen.The unit I have received for analysis was not new, so I do not know how it has been treated by the previous one (or previous) person.

A small inconvenience of its design is that, being square, it is not easy to guess how you are sustaining it when you take it out of your pocket without looking at it.This makes, sometimes, you open the phone upside down or lower the volume when you really wanted to raise it while it is closed.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is available in Mirror Black (Black) and Mirror Purple (Purple) colors, both with mirror finishes.The choice of colors is not accidental since black is a classic and purple is a color much appreciated by women, one of the groups to which this smartphone is directed.

In the black model that I have analyzed, the footprints are not just marked on its surface but in the purple model that I used for a few hours a while ago they were quite visible.I would not mind seeing a matte finish model that would not get so dirty.

Samsung has incorporated a small (very small!) 1.1 ″ exter.

Next to the auxiliary screen is the Double Main Chamber and the Flash.It is possible to use the auxiliary screen as a preliminary view of the camera, in case we want to make a selfie with the main camera.

On the right side we find the ignition button, which integrates a fingerprint reader, and the volume button, which in my opinion is too high.To the left side, is the slot for a single SIM card, without the possibility of adding micro-SD card or second SIM card.

On the lower side we can see a USB connector and the main speaker, while the upper side is free of any element.

When opening it, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip displays a large 6 screen.7 ″ with a circular hole at the top for the front camera, as is customary in the last Samsung smartphones of high -end Samsung.

The large screen size and its elongated appearance makes it difficult to reach the top of the phone with one hand.Samsung improved the accessibility of the controls when it launched One UI and, as in the past, it incorporates a single -hand mode that allows to reduce the size of the screen and that this is stuck to one side.

The screen is surrounded by an aluminum frame somewhat thicker than the one we found on other Samsung flags and the flange is a bit high with respect to the screen so that, when the phone is closed, the two halves of the screen are not touched.

The frame is interrupted in the central area, where we find small pieces of plastic to the right and left in the fold area that prevent a slack under the screen by which dirt could enter when opening or closing the phone - nothing thatSee what we have seen on the Razr Moto.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hinge

Samsung states that inside the hinge there are microfiber.However, better be cautious.

If you wonder if it is possible to open the phone with one hand, my experience tells me no.I do not know if with time I would be able to develop a fingers skill to get it but, in principle, you need one hand to hold the phone and another to separate the two halves.However, it is possible to close it with one hand.

One of the functionalities offered by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is the possibility of "sitting" the phone on the table.The smartphone is designed for the screen to remain open by itself between 90 and 135 degrees, which allows it to open it in the form of "L" and place it on a flat surface, as if it were a laptop.

In this way, you will not have to support the phone again in a glass, a bottle or what you get on the table to take a selfie or make a video call.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is not water resistant, so be careful to clean it under the tap or, worse, that you fall to the bathtub or the pool.

Interior screen

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has an Infinity Flex Adaptive Amoled panel of 6.7 ″ that, unlike what we see on other flagships, is totally flat, without curvature to the sides.The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 6, just like outside.

The screen is not plastic as in the Fold Galaxy but Samsung has used an ultrafine crystal (UTG) that is supposedly more resistant.At first glance, no difference is noticeable but, if it is more resistant, welcome be.

As in the Fold Galaxy, the screen is covered by a protective plastic that extends to the screen frames so that the user cannot remove it and, in this way, damage the device.

Samsung warns users that they should not “press the screen or the front lens of the camera with a rigid or sharp object, such as a pen or the nail, otherwise, it can scratch or spoil them."It also warns that you should not“ display the device by pressing the screen with your finger, otherwise, the screen can scratch or spoil."

⚠️ Important: Don't think about putting a screen protector to Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.If you have to..This service is only valid for one year from the date of purchase.

In my experience, the downtown center fold goes more unnoticed in the galaxy z flip than in the Fold galaxy.I am not sure if this is because the use of glass instead of plastic has reduced the brand of the fold or, rather, that now the fold is transversal to the screen, instead of longitudinal, so it looks less.Possibly it is a combination of both.

With most of the contents, the brand is totally invisible if you observe the front screen.When you most show is when you observe the screen from an angle, as in the following example.

The fold does notice when dragging your finger on the screen.The central zone is not totally smooth but you notice a small undulation when passing its finger over the fold.By the way, speaking of folds, the water screen 200.000 folds, the same figure as the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which is equivalent to more than five years of use (100 folds per day).

The screen presents a screen ratio 22: 9 more elongated than normal.Most smartphones move around 20: 9 and only a few like the last Xperia match ratio 22: 9.

A more elongated screen ratio implies that the screen surface is lower compared to other smartphones with the same diagonal and a less elongated ratio.For example, the Samsung Galaxy S20+ with the same diagonal and ratio 20: 9 has an area of 109 mm², while the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has an area of 101 mm².

This ratio also implies that web pages are narrower and videos 16: 9 have thicker black to right to left.In return, movies in cinematographic format (usually 2.4: 1) They take better advantage of space.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip screen resolution is Full HD+ (2.636 x 1.080 pixels), an amount of high pixels that makes the pixel density 425 ppp.

While it is true that other high -end smartphones have Quad HD+ panels with higher resolutions, we do not miss more resolution.

In practice, the Full HD+ resolution is enough for a screen of this size since the pixels are indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Unlike Samsung's last bonds, the Galaxy Z Flip does not have an improved soda rate but stays in 60 Hz.

Focusing on the quality of the screen, the panel offers a range of colors that reaches 100% of the DCI-P3 color space, which is usually used in the film industry.

Samsung's screens have the Mobile Volume Color Certification 100% of VDE Germany, which means that this gamut covers at all levels of brightness.

Another advantages of the panel is that, according to Samsung, it can reach a maximum brightness of 1.100 nits, an extremely high value, and a contrast of 2.000.000: 1.The company does not give details about what conditions that brightness gets since in an OLED panel you can get a very high brightness by measuring a very small illuminated area.

Samsung also highlights the lowest blue light broad.According to some studies, the blue light makes you stay awake after having used the phone at night before going to sleep.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip screen supports HDR10+, the format that improves the dynamic range of the HDR standard and is mainly driven by Samsung itself.HDR10+ Compete with Dolby Vision, which is currently more widespread, and is currently only available on Amazon Prime Video while Dolby Vision is supported by Netflix, Amazon and others.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has an OLED panel, which uses the same Pentile matrix that Samsung has been using for a long time, with sub-power arranged in a rhombus pattern instead of being in rows.

Pentile Matrix Sub-Pixels of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Next, we are going to see the results of a set of tests performed with the Calman Ultimate Profession.

For a while now, Samsung offers only two screen modes: natural and intense.The natural mode is the one that reflects the colors more natural both in the standard SRGB gamut and in the widest Gamut DCI P3, while intense mode is designed to produce more vibrant colors although less realistic.

Most smartphones provide one or more color gamuts but these are fixed.However, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip offers automatic color management.This means that it automatically changes to the appropriate colors gamut by showing an image content that has an ICC profile within the wide color space supported by OLED screen, so that the images are seen with the right colors.This works, for example, in apps like Google Photos and Samsung Gallery.

In natural mode, loyalty is excellent since the average error by showing SRGB content turns out to be very low, 2.4 of (a value below 4 is considered excellent and above 9 is considered unacceptable), and the maximum error turns out to be 4 of a very small value.

The color temperature in the natural mode is 6.568ºK, quite close to the reference level of 6.500ºK, which implies a pure white color without any color dye.In this mode, the screen covers 100% of the SRGB color space.

Modo Natural: Fidelidad de color

Modo Natural: Gamut frente a sRGB

Modo Natural: Gamma

Modo Natural: Temperatura de color

SCRAM TEST RESULT IN NATURAL MODE

El modo Intenso aprovecha todo el gamut de color del panel OLED, por lo que ofrece una amplitud de colores impresionante.Now, if we activate this mode, we will notice that the colors are supersaturated since the vast majority of Android apps are created thinking that the screen has been calibrated for the Gamut SRGB.

That is why Samsung calls intense in this way.Although the colors are less precise, many people prefer to see more intense colors (although they are not faithful reality) than more turned off colors.This mode also has another important advantage and is that it is very useful when we use the phone in broad daylight since, under the sun, colors lose strength.

Due to the excess saturation of the colors we have commented on, the color loyalty of the intense mode with respect to the Gamut SRGB is lower.The average error turns out to be 5.8 of and the maximum error also turns out to be high, 13.1 of.

In this mode, the phone covers 100% of the DCI P3 color space and 147% of the SRGB color space.The color temperature is 7.071ºK, above the reference level of 6.500ºK, which implies a bluish tone that is appreciable in white background applications, such as the browser.

There is some tendency to manufacturers to make their screens tile since, instinctively, our brain associates warm colors to old things (like an old paper) and cold colors to modern things.

Luckily, Samsung has added a white adjustment called color balance that allows to alter the level of red, green and blue of the screen.In this way we can reduce the level of blue and get quite close to the ideal value of 6.500ºK.

Modo Intenso: Fidelidad de color

Modo Intenso: Gamut de color frente a DCI P3

Modo Intenso: Temperatura de color

Gamma

Screen test result in intense mode

The maximum brightness of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip with the automatic brightness deactivated is about 330 nits, but when activating the automatic brightness mode you have access to the high brightness mode (HBM) that has allowed me to measure a brightness of 714 nits under aintense light like sun.These tests have been carried out, as usual, with the totally blank screen.

If instead of showing the entire blank screen, we reduce the white surface to a rectangle that occupies 18% of the surface (the rest of black being), the brightness of the illuminated area shoots and reaches, in my tests, 980Nits (the maximum brightness of an OLED screen depends on the amount of pixels on).

Samsung states that 1 can be reached.100 nits but probably that requires reducing the illuminated area to a size too small to be measured with the colorimeter I have used.

In this comparative graph we reflect the maximum brightness value with the 100% white screen, since it is the usual way of measuring and comparing the brightness of a screen.

The maximum brightness value with the 100% illuminated screen is high, although it is surpassed by some other high -end smartphones.In any case, such a high brightness ensures that you can see the screen in any situation, even down the street under the sunlight.

The black color is very deep, to the point that the colorimeter has been unable to measure any brightness level.This means that blacks are really black and the contrast is, theoretically, infinite (according to Samsung, it is 2.000.000: 1).An advantage of such a deep black color is that, seeing a movie, the black stripes around the image look completely black.In addition, black pixels do not consume battery, so the dark mode of Android 10 makes a lot of sense on OLED screens.

OLED screens have a peculiar behavior when observed from an angle.On the one hand, light emitters are closer to the surface, and this makes the contrast and brightness less when we move with respect to the center, but on the other hand the Pentile matrix causes the colors to be distorted.

In the case of the Galaxy Z Flip, the vision angles are wide and the colors are not barely altered by observing the screen from an angle.Now, the screen fold is much more visible when you observe the screen from an angle.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip screen has the Always On Display (always active screen) that makes the phone show the time (with several clock designs available) and the date when the phone is blocked, together with notifications icons withcolors and contact information (for example, your phone number or e-mail address).The brightness level of the screen elements is adjusted based on ambient light.

It is possible to configure that the Always On Display screen is active at all times, only for 10 seconds when we touch the screen or between certain hours.It is also possible to control music reproduction from that screen.

Now, taking into account that most of the time the phone is closed as long as you do not use it, the Always On Display screen does not have a great utility except that you leave the phone deployed on the table.

In addition to the reduction of blue light that we have already talked about, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has a blue light filter functionality that reduces eye fatigue by limiting the amount of blue light emitted by the screen.It is possible to establish a schedule for when you want to use the filter or configure that it is activated from dusk at dawn.

Samsung also allows you to adjust the dark mode to activate dusk at dawn or at certain times.This dark mode can also be activated at the bottom of the screen in an optional way.

Exterior screen

Outside, we find a small super amoled screen of 1.1 ″ and resolution 112 x 300 pixels.This tiny screen shows time, date and connectivity information, as well as a red point when there are pending notifications.

The outer screen always remains off (except when it is loading) and only shows information when making a double touch on it or pressing the ignition button.I do not understand why Samsung has not included the Always On Display functionality on the outer screen since, with such a small size, its battery consumption should be minimal.

If you drag your finger on the screen to the right, information about each notification is shown and, if you click on one of them, when the phone opens the notification app directly.As you can imagine, given the size of the screen, the information shown is minimal and this is its main limitation for me since it forces to open the phone often.

If you drag the screen on the left, you access music playback controls.

When you receive an incoming call, the screen shows who is calling and, if you answer the call from there, the phone changes to the speaker mode or the Bluetooth connection.

This screen also allows, without opening the phone, taking a selfie with one of the two rear cameras.

To take a selfie using the auxiliary screen, just press the ignition button twice.The auxiliary screen shows the image captured by the camera and, by pressing the volume button, the photo is captured (we can also start a countdown showing the palm of the hand).To commute between the two cameras, it is enough to play the auxiliary screen.

The small auxiliary screen does not allow you to see much detail of your face (not even its elongated ratio coincides with that of the captured photo), so in practice it is not especially useful and most likely you end up opening the phone to use the camera inside.However, it can be useful for selfies at night, since the outer cameras offer much better quality than the interior.

An aspect that I do not understand is why Samsung has limited that the photographs taken by the outer screen are captured with a square appearance (1: 1), instead of with the usual appearance.

Hardware and performance

While Samsung's high -end smartphones arrive in two variants, one with Snapdragon chip of Qualcomm and another with Samsung exyn chip, the Galaxy Z Flip is only marketed in a variant with Qualcomm chip, which will rejoice many users.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip arrives with a Snapdragon 855 Plus processor that was announced in mid -July and is an improved version of the Snapdragon 855.It is not the most powerful chip of Qualcomm since this honor falls on the Snapdragon 865.

The Snapdragon 855 Plus integrates a very high performance core that runs up to 2.96 GHz (compared to 2.84 GHz of 855) and three other high-performance nuclei ARM Cortex-A76, which can reach 2.42 GHz.

These are complemented with four Cortex-A55 low-energy nuclei that reach 1.8 GHz.

Snapdragon 855 Plus also integrates the modem X24 LT.20 and upload rates of up to 316 Mbps.

Snapdragon 855 Plus can also be configured with modem X50 5G to offer 5G connectivity, but Samsung does not offer this option.

The DSP Hexagon 690 incorporates a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with dedicated tension cores that can execute up to 7 billion operations per second along with the CPU and the GPU.

The Snapdragon 855 Plus has an ISP Spectra 380, the first chip that incorporates an artificial vision engine (CV-ISP) capable of performing depth calculations in videos at a speed of up to 60 fps.

The integrated memory controller admits up to 16 GB of LPDDR4X RAM (4 x 16 bits).Finally, like the Snapdragon 855, the Snapdragon 855 Plus integrates an adren 640 graphic chip that now has a higher decreloj frequency and should offer 15% more performance with respect to its predecessor.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has 8 GB of RAM, an amount that should be sufficient to maintain good applications in memory, although other flagships exceed this figure.

I have submitted to the Galaxy Z Flip to some performance tests to see how it behaves in front of other high -end phones, and then the results are included in each test.Samsung offers a high performance mode that provides a higher speed but, for the tests, I have used the optimized mode that is the one that is configured by default.

In the Benchmark Antutu V8, it has given a result of 448.783 points, a very high score although below the flagships this year with chip Snapdragon 865 or exynos 990.

In the Benchmark Geekbench 5 focused on processor performance, it has achieved 745/2.546 points in the mono/multi-nucleus tests, which are excellent results although, again, not as high as other rivals.

In the general performance test PCMark 2.0, has obtained a very good score of 9.831 points.

In the storage section, the phone obtains good results in the Andobench tests of reading and writing speed since it has EUFS 3 storage.0.

In the CPU Throttling test that measures the CPU performance drop after 15 minutes of sustained load, the phone has obtained an excellent result since the performance falls only 11% in that period.This means that performance by executing very demanding apps (such as games) will not be very affected by long games.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has obtained excellent performance results, although it is surpassed by the new flagships that have come to the market this year with Snapdragon 865 chips from Qualcomm or Samsung 990 990.

In the day to day, the Samsung One UI interface moves quickly and I have not noticed signs of Lag.Popular applications such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix or Google Maps move with the speed that can be expected from a flagship flake.

Nor have I had problems with multi-tarea, since with its 8 GB of RAM it is capable of maintain.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip moves the most demanding games ease

When analyzing the graphic power, we start with the 3DMark Slingshot test, where the phone has obtained good results.

In the GFXBENCH test with traditional APIs, the phone has achieved high results, although not as much as other smartphones.

In GFXBENCH tests based on low -level and high efficiency modern APIs (metal/OpenGL and Vulkan), achieve high results.

In the graphic performance tests, the GPU has obtained good results in the benchmarks although we must take into account that the screen has a Full HD+resolution, so it is favored in the tests that are performed at the resolution of the screen in front ofOther smartphones in which the tests are performed in Quad HD+.

To check the real graphic performance in 3D games, I have tried three demanding 3D titles - Asphalt 9, Dead Effect 2 and Call of Duty Mobile - and, in all of them, the game experience has been very good.

Using the GameBENCH software, I have been able to measure various performance parameters in these games in real games.

👉 Do you know GameBENCH PRO?GameBENCH PRO is the leading industry tool to measure games performance on Android and iOS smartphones.If you want to know more, you can visit your website.

In the three games a stable rate of 30 or 60 fps is obtained, without fragment losses, even in Call of Duty Mobile with high graphic quality mode.

Real results after playing several games at three demanding titles

High -end smartphones usually heat up quite under high load situations, such as when playing demanding 3D titles.In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, I have measured temperatures on the telephone surface of about 38ºC through the central rear area, which is not upset.

What I have noticed is that the phone is heated much more than usual after using the camera for a long period of time or if you do a lot of multitasking.In some cases I have measured about 41ºC after taking a series of photographs.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is marketed in Spain in a single 256 GB storage variant, of which they are free around 220 GB.This storage is very fast since it is EUFS 3 type.0 (today there are still no smartphones in the market with EUFS 3 storage.1)

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Z Flip does not admit the use of micro-SD cards, so you cannot expand storage capacity.In any case, with 256gb you should not have a problem.

The USB-C port is USB 2 type.0, so file transfer is slower than on other flagships.

It is compatible with OTG, so you can connect a USB-C key and access it as if it were external storage.It also supports Displayport on USB-C with an HDMI adapter.

As for connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip supports Wifi 802.11 A/B/G/N/AC IN THE BANDS OF 2.4 and 5 GHz but is not compatible with Wi -Fi 6, the new standard for Wi -Fi networks that not only increases speed but is especially thought to connect a large number of devices at the same time without harming performance.

In terms of cell connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is only marketed in 4G version, although other Samsung flagships have 5G connectivity.

Samsung includes a single SIM card slot but offers support for ESIM, so you can use the dual SIM functionality by combining Nanosim + Esim.

In the tests that I have performed, the network speed by Wi-Fi and Cellular have been satisfactory.The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has reached 377 Mbps down and 108 Mbps in Wi-Fi with a 1 Gbps connection.In the cell connectivity test, I have measured speeds of around 6 Mbps down and 6 Mbps of ascent in an area without very good coverage.

The galaxy z flip is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0, ANT+, NFC, and several positioning systems (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou).

En el apartado de «ausencias", cabe destacar que no incorpora radio FM, lo cual algunos usuarios lo encontrarán como una limitación, ni tampoco emisor de infrarrojos.

Biometry

While Samsung's high -end smartphones incorporate a footprint reader integrated screen on the screen itself, Samsung has chosen to include a traditional footprint reader in the ignition button.

This reader allows you to unlock the phone when placing the finger on the ignition button, without it being necessary to press the ignition button.However, I would have preferred to find a reader on the screen itself since the thumb is closer to the lower half of the screen than the ignition button when opening the phone.

In the tests that I have carried out, the footprint reader has worked well whenever you place the central area of the finger on the sensor area, since if you place it slightly tilted, it does not work or takes longer to recognize.Unlocking speed is very fast, as usual in this type of readers.

Dactillar fingerprint recognition of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Samsung has also included a facial recognition system that uses a 2D image, so it is not as safe as the 3D recognition of the iPhone or certain Android smartphones.In any case, in my tests I have not been able to deceive the system with a photograph of my face even in the fastest recognition mode that reduces security.

Samsung allows you to have assets at the same time the recognition of footprint and face, so we can use at all times the one that suits us most.Facial recognition will be activated as soon as the phone opens, so it is more comfortable than placing on your finger reader.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip arrives with a 3 battery.300 mAh divided into two cells, a superior of 930 mAh and a lower 2.370 mAh.On paper, this capacity seems somewhat scarce taking into account that it has a 6.7 ″ screen.

To check the autonomy, I have carried out the battery test of the well -known PCMark Work 2.0.

Given the importance of the screen consumption, it is important.

Otherwise, the results can be very affected by the brightness level of the screen of each smartphone and, therefore, are not comparable.We comment this here because not all analyzes take this into account and obtain values in this test that are useless since they are not comparable.

PCMark Work 2.0 tests the autonomy of the terminal when performing a mixture of daily and demanding tasks since the test simulates navigation by web pages, text writing and image insertion, the application of filters to photographs, the edition of videos and the data manipulation.

In the test I have obtained a result of 8 hours and 33 minutes, which is not especially good value if we compare it with other high -end smartphones.

In practice, the autonomy of the Galaxy Z Flip is correct and you could get a bit right at the end of the day you make intense use of the phone.

In any case, if you want to extend the autonomy of your device, you will be happy to know that Samsung incorporates, in addition to the default and high performance mode, two energy savings modes: medium and maximum.

The Middle Energy Savings Mode limits the maximum yield of the 70%CPU, reduces the maximum brightness to 90%, restricts the use of networks and location in the background and deactivates the display on display screen.

In the maximum energy savings mode, in addition to all of the above, the number of applications we can use is limited, the dark mode is activated and the use of biometric functionalities is restricted.

Samsung has added an option called adaptable energy savings, which establishes the performance mode depending on your use patterns to save energy when you do not need it.However, we do not know how it works since the explanation of this mode is very scarce.

Samsung also allows you to individually select those applications that we do not want to consume battery when they are not being used.

Battery and energy savings options

Samsung has also incorporated an option that allows you to put apps in an inactive mode that have been used for a while.These applications are not executed in the background, so they may not receive updates or send notifications.We can manually choose those apps that are never inactive, as well as those that should always be in an inactive mode.

The Galaxy Z Flip offers a 15W fast charge charging, which is not especially fast if we compare it with other flagships of the company.

In my tests, the full loading process of the Galaxy Z Flip has taken a total of 1 hour and 38 minutes.As we can see in the graph, the load is faster to 85 percent and slightly slows down at the end.In 30 minutes, 40 percent of the battery are loaded.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip load process

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip supports the WPC wireless load standards (QI) and PMA, which allow loading the phone without using cable to a maximum of 9W of power.Other Samsung flagships already reach a 15W power.

Samsung has included the Wireless Powershare functionality that allows you to use the galaxy z flip as a wireless load base to load other smartphones, headphones or other devices that admit this type of load.The inconvenience of this load is that it is quite slow and not too efficient (energy is lost in the transmission process).

Software and applications

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip run one ui 2.1 on Android 10.Since this software layer is the same as that of the Galaxy S20+ that we analyzed a few weeks ago, we invite you to have the software section of our Galaxy S20+ analysis instead of repeating it entirely here.

As a novelty, Samsung has entered the Flex mode through which some apps modify its interface when the screen bends in half to show the important content at the top and controls or other information at the bottom.

At the moment there are not many apps that support this mode, but those of camera and Google Duo do do it, so you can take photographs (for example, selfies or photographs at intervals) or perform video calls with the phone supported.

The gallery also offers this mode, but it is not especially useful.You can drag your finger to the right and left at the bottom to pass in photo, but you cannot make the gesture of clamp to expand but you must do it in the photograph itself.

Multimedia

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has a single speaker at the bottom, so it does not offer stereo sound like other smartphones that have a second speaker at the top.

Its position next to the USB type-C connector is not the best since it is possible to accidentally cover the speaker when holding the phone horizontally, for example while we play or see a video.

The sound of the galaxy z Flip speaker is pleasant, but is far from the sound quality we find in other high -end smartphones.

To the maximum volume, the sound is heard without distortion and, although some phones get a higher volume, it is enough to watch videos or listen to podcasts in an environment that is not too loud.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is compatible with Surround Sound Dolby Atmos, which you can enjoy with both headphones and the speakers of the phone itself.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is compatible with 32 -bit UHQ audio, and also supports PCM up to 32 bits.

In addition, it has the Bluetooth dual audio functionality that allows you to play music in two Bluetooth speakers at the same time, which can be useful if we have more than one speaker or bluetooth headphones.Now, the speakers do not necessarily sound in perfect synchrony, so it is more thought for situations in which the speakers are separated - for example, one in each room - or headphones are used.

Samsung has incorporated some interesting sound functions such as Adapt Sound to calibrate the sound emitted through the headphones to the frequency response of our ear.Samsung incorporates an equalizer and an UHQ optimizer function that improves the sound resolution of music and videos.

Another interesting option is independent application, which allows you to reproduce the sound of an application on another audio device.In this way we can make an app like Spotify reproduce the sound by a Bluetooth speaker while the rest of the sounds continue to sound on the phone.

Sonido

Sonido

Sonido

Sonido

Samsung has added a functionality called Music Share that allows your friends to play music on your Bluetooth speaker just connect to your Bluetooth smartphone.In this way, it is not necessary for you to disconnect from your car speaker so that your friend can connect.Now, for this to work, your friend's smartphone must run android 10.

As usual in high -end smartphones, Samsung has chosen to remove the 3 -headed connector from 3.5 mm., probably to leave the battery more space.This means that you will have to resort to Bluetooth or USB-C headphones, or use a USB-C adapter to 3.5 mm.

In the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip box, we find AKG by Harman headphones with USB-C connector that sound much better than headphones that include other manufacturers.

Samsung has chosen not to incorporate its own music player but has resorted to YT Music, the Google player.We can also download Samsung Music app by the Galaxy Apps store, which has an attractive design and is integrated with the rest of Samsung's services and applications.

The gallery application is used to display the photos and videos stored on the phone, as well as to edit the images through various integrated features.

The app has four eyelashes at the bottom: images, albums, stories and shared.This last tab allows your friends and family to see the images and videos you share on their phones, televisions, refrigerators and any other device connected to their Samsung accounts.

One of the novelties that this app incorporates is the possibility of grouping similar photographs of the same object (up to 100 shots in the same day) in the gallery for greater cleaning.In this way you will not see so many repeated photographs if you have taken more than one photo of the same object.

Galería

Galería

Galería

Galería

The reproduction of videos stored on the phone is good thanks to its excellent screen that, as we have commented, offers deep blacks and a high shine.I have tried to play 4K videos codified both with H.264 as with the most modern codec hevc, and the phone has been able to reproduce them without problem.

Of course, we can also enjoy streaming services video such as Netflix, HBO or Amazon Prime Video.In addition, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has the Widevine L1 library, so it is possible to see content of these HD streaming services without problems.

Finally, on YouTube and Netflix we can enjoy content not only in high resolution but also in HDR format.

Photography and video

Samsung has incorporated two main cameras in the back of the Galaxy Z Flip:

Unlike other high -end smartphones, we do not find a teleobjective camera or a depth camera for the capture of images with bokeh effect or augmented reality applications.

Next, we can see the same scenes captured by the main camera (great angle) and the ultra -angle camera.The difference in perspective between both lenses is abysmal.

Cámara ultra gran angular

Cámara estándar gran angular

Cámara ultra gran angular

Cámara estándar gran angular

Cámara ultra gran angular

Cámara estándar gran angular

The camera app is not limited to taking pictures but suggests modifying the frame in certain captures.However, if you are a photographer with some experiences, you will probably want to disable these tips since they are at odds with creativity.

On other occasions, the camera app suggests that you use a particular camera.This occurs, for example, when photographing landscapes, since a message usually appears that encourages use the ultra -angle camera.

The camera app shows several main firing modes - single capture, photo and video - but offers additional modes: Pro, panoramic, food, night, dynamic approach, dynamic video, professional video, superlenta, slow camera and fast camera.

As a novelty, the fast camera mode now includes a special night mode of a nightly thought to record the passage of cars at night. Dado que es necesario que el teléfono permanezca inmóvil durante la captura en este modo, resulta muy útil apoyar el teléfono sobre una superficie y plegar la pantalla en forma de «L".

A curious functionality is the activation of the previous view on the external screen when you are going to take a photograph.In this way, if you are going to take a portrait, the photographed person can see how the photo will look (if it has a very good view since the external screen is very small).

When capturing photos, we can apply existing filters as well as create our own filters from photos that we have taken and save them to use them in the future.In the latter case, it gives me the feeling that what it does is apply a filter of the predominant color of the photo we have chosen.

When analyzing the image quality, we start with the ultra wide angle camera, which allows you to take very spectacular photographs thanks to the fact that it captures many more elements than normally fit in a photograph.

Although ultra -angle cameras distort at the ends, Samsung has done a good job to reduce such distortion and that straight lines are not curved.The main limitation of this chamber is that it does not have optical stabilization and its opening is somewhat limited, so it is not indicated to take photographs in low light situations.

Photographs taken with the Ultra wide angle camera

On the other hand, the main angular camera is the one that is usually used to take photographs and, therefore, the one you will use most times.

Samsung has opted for a 12MP sensor and a f/1 lens.8 that is not as luminous as we would like.Other smartphones have lenses with broader openings such as the Oppo Find X2 Pro and the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro with its f/1 lens.7, or the huawei mate 30 pro with its lens f/1.6.

The resolution of the wide angle chamber is also below what we see in other smartphones that use 64 or even 108 MP sensors.These great resolution sensors make use of Pixel Binning functionality to combine several pixels in one and reduce noise.

Next, we can see some photographs taken with the standard camera.In general, the camera does a good job when preserving the details and maintaining a good color in good light conditions.

However, image quality is not up to what we see on other flagships when light is scarce since Samsung is forced to use a fairly aggressive noise reduction algorithm that makes it lose a lot of sharpness in the image.

Photographs taken with the main camera

Samsung has incorporated a scenes optimization system through AI that optimizes capture parameters based on what we are photographing: food, flowers, buildings, etc..

This mode can be easily deactivated while we take photography but not after.In many cases, the adjustment is to increase the saturation of colors so that the object looks more alive but, luckily, the effect is not too exaggerated.

Next, we can see some photographs taken without and with the scenes optimization system.

Optimizador OFF

Optimizador ON

Optimizador OFF

Optimizador ON

Optimizador OFF

Optimizador ON

Scenes optimization operation examples

Samsung also offers a night mode that increases light in dark scenes by capturing and subsequent fusion of several images with different exhibitions.However, it is not as comfortable as in iPhone 11, which is automatically activated when necessary, since in the galaxy z flip it is necessary to activate it manually.

This mode takes a little longer to record the image and the result is quite striking.The dark scenes seem to have been taken with much more light and, in addition, they look more clear.

Here are some examples of the night mode.

Sin modo noche

Con modo noche

Sin modo noche

Con modo noche

Night mode operation examples

If you are an expert user, you will be happy to know that Samsung includes a PRO mode that allows you to adjust parameters such as ISO sensitivity, the focus point, white balance, exposure time and more.We can also save the images in JPEG and RAW format for later edition.

Although the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip does not have a depth camera, it is possible to take portraits with bokeh effect using software processing choosing the photographs option with “dynamic approach”.

The ideal lens to take a portrait is that with a focal distance of about 50 mm, which is equivalent to a 2x zoom.Since the Galaxy Z Flip does not have a teleobjective camera, the portraits are taken with the main angular camera, so if you intend to get a close -up of the face, the face will look something deformed, as if it were captured by a lens fish eye.

Next, we can see some examples of photography taken with and without dynamic approach.As we can see, the Galaxy S20 Z Flip does an excellent job when separating the person from the bottom of the image, even in the hair area.

" Fotografías originales: Normal y Desenfoque

" Fotografías originales: Normal y Desenfoque

Next, we can see some more examples of photographs taken with the dynamic approach mode.

Photographs taken in dynamic approach mode

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip allows you to adjust the racing degree of the background a posteriori, as well as apply artistic to the background such as creating a turn / zoom effect or dyeing it in black and white.

Next, we can see several of these effects applied to a portrait:

Original

Efecto Círculo grande

Efecto artístico (corazones)

Efecto Girar

Efecto Zoom

Efecto Área de color

Artistic effects that can be applied to portraits

As a curiosity, the dynamic blur can not only apply people but also to objects, as we can see in this example.

Sin desenfoque

Con desenfoque

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is able to record video up to 4K resolution (3840 × 2160) at 60 fps but it is not possible to record 8K video like the last Samsung flags.Electronic video stabilization and HDR10+ format recording are available for resolutions up to 4K at 30 fps but not at 4k at 60 fps.

During recording in 4K to 30/60FPS resolution or full HD at 60FPS, AF functions are not available (keeping the camera focused on the selected subject even if it moves) or video effects.

We also find a new recording mode called Profession.It is possible to change from the front camera to the rear while being recorded to obtain a unique video with the recording of both shots.

Next, we can see some examples of videos recorded in resolution [email protect] and [email protects] for the day.In all cases the image quality is very good.

Videos recorded by the day in [email protect] and [email protects]

I have also recorded some videos at night, in conditions of little lighting, to resolutions [email protect] and [email protect] in both cases, the image shows enough noise.

Videos recorded at night in [email protect] and [email protects]

When recording video, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip offers a super stabilization mode that is only available in Full HD resolution at 30 fps and always uses the Ultra Angular Chamber.This mode produces a very stable image, although due to the characteristics of the ultra -angle chamber it is only useful in good lighting conditions.

In order to reduce the space occupied by videos, Samsung allows you to use the Hevc format (H.265) high efficiency that reduces the space occupied by video but you can have compatibility problems when reproducing it on another device.

Another interesting functionality of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is that it allows you to record dynamic video, that is, record video with the unemployed background, as if we were applying the dynamic approach mode to the video.

Next, you can see the result of recording a dynamic video that, although not perfect, looks pretty good to be an applied effect in real time.

Samsung has included a functionality called the unique take -of -mind.

The camera will capture a small movie, some gif and some photos with all the cameras.Then he presents them all in a collage where you can choose your favorites.In my opinion, it is more a curiosity than something really useful.

The front camera of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip consists of a 10MP camera without automatic approach and F/2 opening.4.

Una de las ventajas de la pantalla plegable del Samsung Galaxy Z Flip es que se puede doblar en forma de «L" y apoyarlo sobre una mesa (o cualquier otra superficie) para tomar un selfie.In that case, it is enough to show the palm of the hand to the camera to start a countdown before the capture of the selfie.

The camera offers two shooting modes: normal and wide angle.The second way is useful if you want to make a selfie in which two people appear since the field of vision is superior.Below we can see an example of two selfies taken in both modes.

Selfie normal

Selfie gran angular

Next, we can see some selfies captured with the Galaxy Z Flip camera, which offer excellent image quality without excessive overexposing the background even in high contrast situations.

Selfies taken with the front camera of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

The front camera offers a dynamic approach that can blur the background to produce the bokeh effect.

Next, we can see some examples of selfies taken with this functionality where we can appreciate that the effect does not look too well since the subject's cut in front of the bottom in the hair area is noticeable.

Voice calls

In the tests that I have performed the quality of the voice is correct and we have been able to maintain perfectly conversations in moderately noisy environments without difficulties.

The Samsung and telephone contact application adequately comply with their mission.If we open the details of a contact, all possible ways to contact him are shown, even through third -party applications such as WhatsApp.

Interesting functionality is that you can make a call quickly dragging your finger from left to right on the name of a contact.If you drag it in the opposite direction you send a text message.

Price and competitors

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has a fairly high price, as expected since folding screen technology is still quite expensive.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is on sale on the Samsung website by 1.€ 500 but you can find it at a more tight price at Amazon Spain,

If we look at other smartphones with folding screens, we have only a few options.

First, we have the Samsung Galaxy Fold (2.€ 020 on the Samsung website) with Dynamic Amoled 7.3 ″, Snapdragon 855 processor, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, 12MP triple rear camera (angular) + 12MP (teleobjective) + 16MP (ultra wide angle), 10MP front camera (great angle) + 8MP (ultra great angle) and 4 battery.380 mAh

If you are looking for something more compact like the galaxy z flip, you also have the Razr motorcycle (1.€ 599) with 6 P-Osed folding screen.2 ″, Snapdragon 710, 6GB processor, 128GB of storage, 16MP main camera, 5MP front camera and 2 battery of 2.510 mAh.You should keep in mind that it does not include slot for SIM but requires the use of ESIM.

Finally, Huawei has launched this year in Spain the huawei mate xs (2.€ 599), your first folding smartphone.It has an 8 ″ folding screen (as well as a 6.6 ″ main screen and a 6.4 ″ secondary) + 16MP (ultra wide angle) + 8MP (teleobjective) + tof and 4 battery.500 mAh.

Huawei Mate XS

Conclusions

Folding screens have arrived as a breath of fresh air to an industry that, year after year, has seen how the screens grew in size and, consequently, so did the dimensions of the smartphones to unimaginable points a few years ago a few years ago.

Samsung has two folding smartphones in its catalog, although these are two very different models.Unlike the Fold Galaxy, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip does not seek.

Like the old Concha smartphones of a couple of decades ago, the Galaxy Z Flip hides its screen when it is closed and only exposes a small 1.1 ″ auxiliary screen that shows basic information such as the time, date, battery and somepending notification icons.

I would have liked to see a slightly larger auxiliary screen since it is not even possible to see the text of a WhatsApp notification or the total number of pending notifications.

Although the auxiliary screen is OLED, Samsung does not offer the possibility of always on, which also reduces its usefulness in my opinion.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is available in two colors, black and purple, both with a glass finish protected by Gorilla Glass 6.In the unit that I have tried, some small scratches on the surface are noticed, so it is convenient to be careful.

Samsung has incorporated the fingerprint reader on a side of the phone and, to tell the truth, the unlocking is quite comfortable and quickly occurs to the first attempt if you put your finger well in the reading area.

Once we open the smartphone, a large 6 -screen is displayed.7 ″ with a hole at the top to house the front camera.The screen has a rather elongated ratio, 22: 9, so the surface is not as large as other smartphones with the same diagonal but a more bitter ratio.

Around the screen we find a slightly high flange so that, when closing the phone, the two halves of the screen do not touch.The Galaxy Z Flip screen is not plastic such as the Fold Galaxy but uses an ultrafine glass technology called UTG (Ultra Thin Glass) that is more pleasant to touch and, supposedly, is also more resistant.

In the area where the screen bends in half is the fold.This fold is invisible when you watch the phone in front but it is seen if you turn it sufficiently in any of the addresses.In practice, it is not annoying although it is true that by dragging the finger above you can see a small valley to the touch that is a bit strange.

The screen has Full HD+resolution, which with a 425 ppp pixel density is more than enough.This is a panel with a large color gamut with HDR10+ content and offers excellent color fidelity in the natural mode and a good maximum level of brightness.

It offers always active screen functionality although, being normally hidden, it is not very useful.What we do not find is a high 90 Hz or more soda rate, as has been fashionable in other high -end smartphones.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has high -end hardware specifications but without competing in front of the 2020 flagships. En su interior encontramos un procesador Snapdragon 855+, 8GB de RAM y 256GB de almacenamiento UF" 3.0.

The phone performance is excellent and, although it does not carry the most powerful Qualcomm processor, I would be surprised that you would notice the difference.All demanding apps and 3D games that I have tried have moved very quickly, without stops or any LAG sign.

As for connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip supports Wifi 802.11 A/B/G/N/AC and Bluetooth 5, but is not compatible with the new Wi-Fi 6 standard (802.11ax).

Nor do we have 5G connectivity in this model, but we must settle for a conventional LTE/4G connection.

Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip only has space for a SIM, so we can only use the dual sim if we use an esim.Nor can we expand the storage in case we are short.

Samsung has endowed the galaxy z flip with a 3 battery.300 mAh that, at first glance, can be somewhat scarce for such a large screen.In practice, it offers correct autonomy, although it is surpassed by other flagships.

Samsung has incorporated a 15W quick charging system by cable, which is not the fastest we have seen.The full loading process has about 1 hour and 40 minutes.It also has wireless load, in case you prefer to load it without cable.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has a single speaker located in the lower part of the smartphone, next to the USB-C connector, so it is easy to cover it with the hand inadvertently.The sound is relatively powerful but cannot compete in auditory experience with other smartphones with stereo speakers.

In the absences section we must cite the 3 -headphone connector.5mm, which has been eliminated as usual in high -end smartphones

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip arrives with Android 10 foot and, above, the Samsung One UI 2 customization layer.1 that seeks to simplify the use of the smartphone and make the most used buttons and controls more accessible.

The Samung Galaxy Z Flip has a large number of software features above Android such as gesture control, energy savings modes, the safe folder, dual messaging, game tools, Edge panels, Samsung Pass, SamsungPay, Quick Share, Music Share or the Bixby Virtual Assistant.

Samsung has incorporated two cameras in the rear of the Galaxy Z Flip that allow you to take captures in ultra wide angle (12MP F/2.2) and wide angle (12MP f/1.8).We miss a teleobmic camera, which is usually common in any high -end smartphones, and a depth sensor.

The ultra -angular chamber offers a good image quality in good light conditions, but it is not a camera designed for night photos due to its limited opening and absence of optical stabilization.

As for the main chamber (great angle) it is able to capture good images in conditions of good light but, when the light is scarce, the images lose quite a sharpness.The result is perfectly usable but, again, it is behind other flagships, including those of the brand itself.

Samsung has added a functionality called scenes optimization that, through AI, detects a scene such as food, vegetation or other scene and applies certain adjustments automatically, normally related to color saturation.

We also find a night mode that increases the brightness of the scene as if we were taking a long exposure photograph, but without risk of moving.

The photograph takes longer to capture but the result is quite good, increasing the sharpness and reducing the noise. La ventaja es que podemos doblar el Galaxy Z Flip en forma de «L" y apoyarlo para tomar esta fotografía sin riesgo de que salga movida.

Y por supuesto, no puede faltar un modo «retrato" llamado Enfoque Dinámico que permite desenfocar el fondo de una fotografía (incluso a posteriori) para simular el conocido efecto bokeh, y el resultado es bastante bueno.

The front camera of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has a 10MP and Opening sensor F/2.4, and allows you to take individual selfies or group selfies with a broader viewing angle.Image quality is good and it is even possible to take selfies with a uncovered background.

The rear camera is able to record video in 4K resolution at 30/60FPS as well as lower resolutions, but not 8K as some recent smartphones.

In the videos that I have recorded, the image quality has been good in all the ways, although those captured at night have a lot of noise.Samsung offers a super stabilization mode but is only available at [email protects]

In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a great choice if you attract the idea of a folding screen that occupies little space when it is closed.The rest of its characteristics, even being high range, are somewhat below what other lower price flags offer, so you should think well if you compensate for what you value most.

The best:

Note: Elsamsung Galaxy Z Flip has kindly ceded by Samsung Spain for the realization of this analysis.

If you liked the analysis, share the article on your social networks.You can also press this button: tweet