My first handphone at 13 was a flip phone—back when it was the goal to own the smallest phone possible, and it was cool to be able to snap your phone shut after a call like the new Samsung foldable. Well, it was only cool until you broke the phone in half because you were doing too much with it.
Fast forward to today—I’ve been an avid user and fan of the bulky bar smartphone that’s been the hot commodity for over a decade now. When Samsung sent over their brand new Galaxy Z Flip4 for me to try out, I was a little skeptical. A foldable phone in 2022? Who asked for this? Nevertheless, I decided to give it a shot because why not, right?
I gave the phone a solid chance—seven whole days—to see what all the noise was about. I’m here to report that I may have actually fallen heavily in like with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. Here’s why.
Battery life
Rumour has it that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold has terrible battery life, but after using the Galaxy Z Flip4 – it has instantly knocked that notion out of the park. As an editor, I’m literally on phone from the time I wake up at 7AM until I go to bed at around midnight. Between emails, text messages, social media scrolling, phone calls, Google, playing music, and using Waze, I didn’t have to charge my phone until bedtime.
Over the weekend, I took the Galaxy Z Flip4 off the charger on Saturday morning and didn’t have to charge it until Sunday night. Even then, the battery level was at 32 per cent! Samsung really changed the game when they fitted the device with a 3,700 mAh dual cell battery, slightly larger than its predecessor. Super Fast Charging capabilities also got the phone to a full charge in under an hour.
Photo And Video Quality
Samsung stepped up to the plate and raised the bar with the Galaxy Z Flip4 phone. 12MP wide and ultra-wide lenses on the back camera, and a 10MP front camera made for crystal clear pictures and videos, but the phone’s nighttime photography capabilities really made it stand out. My selfies came out great all thanks to the blur effect on portrait mode. Group pics were also a breeze because we didn’t have to bother anyone to help take pics as the Galaxy Z Flip4 is able to stand by itself in flex mode.
Multitasking Capabilities
I had to take a Google Meet video call while on the go. I took the call in flex mode, and that allowed me to pull up the notes app and jot stuff down at the same time! I could also pull up various Google sheets and slides during my meeting without moving away from the video call. At this point I was wondering if I should even bother with my bar smartphone anymore. The phone runs on the Android 12 operating system and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, allowing all activity to run simultaneously without a hitch.
Size Matters
I didn’t realise how cumbersome the bar smartphone is size-wise until I started using the Galaxy Z Flip4. Being able to fold the phone in half from its 6.7-inch length and pop it into my tiny handbag was definitely a game-changer! I had more space for my cardholder, my lipstick, lip balm, a face mask, car keys, and also a mini perfume bottle. I’d have to hold my bar smartphone in my hand because I didn’t want to stuff my little bag and risk busting the clasp or zipper. Also, there were times when I could just pop the 183g Galaxy Z Flip4 in the back pocket of my jeans without worrying about it falling out or being picked by someone.
Head-turner
I was using the bora purple Galaxy Z Flip4 (it comes in three other colours, while the bespoke edition allows for 75 more colour combinations), and it definitely caught people’s eyes whenever I pulled it out. Everybody was quick to ask what it was, and was truly amazed when I explained the phone to them. Flex mode was everybody’s favourite feature.
At the end of seven days, I returned the Galaxy Z Flip4 albeit begrudgingly. I must say that my interest has definitely been piqued, and I’m definitely thinking about jumping the fence into foldable smartphone territory. Will I make the switch permanently? Stay tuned to find out.
