Hey hey everyone, I hope you are doing great!
After having the brand new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 for over a week, I wanted to share my experience and thoughts on the latest foldable, which is my first of it's kind. For those that have read my previous reviews on the Buds2 Pro and the Watch5 Pro may know, I was fortunate enough to attend Samsung's Unpacked event live in NYC and got first hands on with this new device.
*Please note, I paid for this device myself and my review is my honest thoughts and opinion on the device.
Galaxy Z Fold4 - MORE SCREEN, MORE DOING
To start, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is now on sale and can be purchased directly from Samsung here: https://howl.me/chQkoHHyWFO. The price of the Fold4 is a bit high at $1799.99 but can be purchased as low as $899.99 with eligible trade-in.
Some noteworthy specs of the Galaxy Z Fold4:
- 4,400 mAh battery
- 7.6” QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate6.2” HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate
- Comes with Android 12L/OneUI 4.1.1 (Optimized for Tablets/Foldables)
- New Taskbar dock for easy app switching/multi tasking (thanks to Android 12L)
- The only IPX8 water-resistant foldable series
Originally, I hadn't planned to purchase the Fold4 as the price was a bit out of my comfort zone. Not only that, I also own an S22 Ultra so I didn't feel right making that purchase. I ended up going to my local Best Buy on launch day and found that they were offering enhanced trade-in values for phones and I happened to have some spare's so I went for it. On top of that, I had a few Best Buy gift cards so it worked out.
Right as I unboxed my new Fold4 (I got the 256GB Graygreen model for those that are curious), I knew I was in for a premium experience. As many already know, in the box you're greeted with the device itself. Other than that, all you get is the setup guides, sim eject tool and the charging cable. Setting up the device was exciting, especially because this is my first Fold. Once I got it configured to my liking, I really put it up to the test. Battery life in general so far has been great. At the end of the day, I still have about 30% charge left and with mid to heavy usage, I think that's great considering I spend most of my time on the inside screen.
My favorite part of the device is the app continuity. Having dual displays, being able to unfold to a bigger screen to continue where I left off is a game changer. While the outside display looks and works great at 6.2", jumping into the 7.6" inside display is a sorcery of itself.
Next for me was the camera. I began by taking photos, not only on auto mode but also in RAW format using Expert RAW. I was especially blown away with how great the camera works in dark environments. Speaking of camera's, the Fold4 comes equip with a total of 5 of them. While they all shine, I really got to say, they made major improvements with the UDC (Under Display Camera) as there are many times I am watching videos on YouTube or playing games and forget that there is even a camera there! My favorite thing to do is take a family photo using flex mode.
When it comes to the software, Samsung's partnership with Google really took off for the best. Together, they were able to implement Google's Android 12L onto the new Fold and Flip, improving the entire experience. New to Android 12L is the Taskbar for large foldables and tablets. The new taskbar helps with switching between apps and makes multitasking even faster and better than before.
In my opinion, Samsung did a great job with the Galaxy Z Fold4. They truly have brought the world innovations unlike no other and shape the future of technology. I would recommend this device to people such as myself who are tech enthusiasts, run businesses or who enjoy gaming and watching videos. That aside, in all honesty, if you're coming from an S22 Ultra or a Galaxy Z Fold3, I'd have to say to hold off on your purchase as those two devices are already great enough, for now unless you get yourself a great deal.
Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think or if you have any questions for me.
Take care.
Hopefully Apple will #GetTheMessage and add RCS support for non iMessage threads.
