Unfolding a new experience

Leaks and teases- that's all we had for more than a couple of months about the third installment of Samsung's foldable device-based Z series. And after much anticipation, just a few weeks back, I had the pleasure of playing around with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. Right after the global unveiling, Samsung was able to showcase the devices to a few of the top reviewers of the country. After fiddling with the devices for a couple of hours, here's my first impression:

Starting with Galaxy Z Flip3 5G: this is probably the device that most closely resembles the legacy Samsung flips. But once you unfold you snap back to reality thanks to its 6.7-inch edge to edge display with a crease in the middle. The form factor of the phone is more pocketable compared to the Galaxy Z Fold3, which is meant to offer a more 'tablet-kind-of-a-feel'. The phone is going to be globally available in Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, Cream, White, Pink, Grey colours. I personally adored the cream colour though our test unit came in Phantom Black.

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Caption Voters wait in queue at 56 No. Maju Khan Govt Primary School polling centre during the Gazipur city polls on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. Photo: Palash Khan

Voters wait in queue at 56 No. Maju Khan Govt Primary School polling centre during the Gazipur city polls on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. Photo: Palash Khan

The build of the phone is sturdy, the overall aesthetics are more compact and well-rounded. To me, one of the best and functional features of the device was its external 1.9-inch display that allows you to toggle a range of frequently used widgets. The purpose of this display is to refrain you from opening the display unless you really need to, and it serves that very purpose splendidly. The main display of the phone was butter-smooth thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate and AMOLED 2X display. The crease on the phone is not unnoticeable but with time we believe it will grow on you (at least that was the case for me). The phone is waterproof now with IPX 8 protection. Sadly, it does not have any dust protection- which is a bit worrying for active outdoor users. When partially unfolded, Flex mode kicks in where you get an app's interface split for consumption on the top and for interaction on the bottom.

The Galaxy Z Flip3's main camera stack: has 12MP main and ultra-wide rear cameras and a 10MP front camera. Interestingly, this flagship device does not have any optically zoomed camera on the stack. We tried out all the cameras and the photo quality, at a glance, seemed good. We, unfortunately, did not get enough time to try all the functions and features, but it seemed like a decent snapper. The front-facing camera seemed good too; especially when we tried taking selfies even in a relatively lowly illuminated corner.

Now the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G: this is a behemoth! I did not have the opportunity of encountering the previous version of the device; as a first-timer, it took me a bit of time to get used to the device. The primary display real estate of the phone is humongous- 7.6 inches. As mentioned on Flip, the crease is there but with the right kind of wallpaper, it will be almost unnoticeable to almost everyone. I loved opening multiple apps on the primary display as it offered plenty of space of running to apps smoothly. If you are into gaming, then this phone is perfect for you. The field of view is amazing if you love shooting or open world-based games. Even the racing simulators will certainly give you the vibe of playing on an actual tablet.

The primary (or internal as some might say) display of the phone is so awe-inspiring that you almost forget there is a thin 6.2-inch cover display too on the phone. One of the interesting bits of the display is the under-display camera of the phone. Though we are not seeing an under-display camera for the first time on a phone, this is certainly the first time on the Fold of Samsung. If no one is pointing it out, you will hardly notice the camera to be honest. The older version of the phone had a punch-hole camera which stuck out like a sore thumb. Speaking of the cameras, it has five. Though some might say the cameras are not the star of the device, with a steady hand you are bound to take some great snaps. The colour rendition on the folding screen is amazing and Samsung's software tries to keep the saturation and sharpness as much realistic as possible. The front camera serves its purpose of taking great selfies too.

Looking back to the past, I have to admit that Samsung has come a long way from the first-generation foldable device. They have heard the users, have taken their feedback seriously and with every iteration, the phones have gotten better- Z Fold3 is the very example of that. Z Flip3 is a newer entrant compared to the Folds, but it still has adopted the best from competing brands and is going to be a strong contender in the market. Both of the devices come with incredible specs and top-of-the-line processors, GPUs, memories, and RAMs. The only part Samsung might have cut some corners is in terms of battery and the camera. But that's just speculation as we could not take a deep dive and check those features out. Both the phones run on Android 11 with Samsung's One UI on top, a home-grown layer that I have grown fond of somewhat over the last couple of years of usage in my own Galaxy S20. Our review units had 3.1.1.

We have been informed by Samsung that both the devices are going to be available for pre-order from 1st September. The original price of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is Tk. 1,84,999/- whereas Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is priced at Tk. 1,09,999/-. However, smartphone users going for pre-order will be entitled to a number of benefits. Users pre-ordering Z Fold3 5G will get free Flip cover with S Pen, Galaxy Buds Pro (selected lucky winners), and Tk 1,00,000/- assured buyback during your next purchase with a minimal payment of Tk 5000/- only. On the other hand, users pre-ordering Z Flip3 5G will get free Galaxy Buds Pro or Tk.10,000/- cashback. In case of 1-year screen replacement facility, users can avail it for Tk. 13,500/- only for Z Fold3 5G (original amount Tk. 56,000/-) and Tk. 8,500/- only for Z Flip3 5G (original amount Tk. 36,000/-). Meanwhile, the users who will avail the exchange offer (selected devices only) in pre-order can enjoy up to Tk. 15,000/- bonus cashback on top of exchange value wherein City Bank's American Express and Standard Chartered customers can avail of the opportunity to pay the amount in 24 months with 0% EMI facility (Tk. 5,000/- cashback on payment).        

If you are a geek and if you think you need a device that is going to make a statement, then only handful device is available in the market and Samsung's these two devices are certainly worth considering.