Don't flip out, but there's a new Z Flip on the way.
2019 was the breakout year for folding phones, with devices like the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X coming to market. But these were insanely expensive luxury items that only rich Android nerds would ever buy. Arguably, the 2020 Galaxy Z Flip first solved the foldable formula — it cost considerably less than the Fold and was more widely available at carriers.
Samsung followed up the same year with an upgraded Z Flip 5G, then released the Galaxy Z Fold 2, another opulent foldable that genuinely blew us away with its upgraded hinge, superpowered specs, and (unfortunately) budget-destroying price.
Now, Samsung has aligned its Fold and Flip brands, announcing at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked that it would release the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 on the same date — skipping past an official Galaxy Z Flip 2. While the Fold 3 is the more impressive machine, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is priced closer to a typical smartphone flagship, making it the foldable phone more Android fans will be able to afford. So let's dive into whether or not you should pre-order it.
Until we get our hands on a review unit, here's everything Samsung has revealed about the Galaxy Z Flip 3 price, release date, design, specs, S Pen compatibility, and more.
Don't flip out: you can pre-order it now
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
A compact foldable with impressive specs
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 improves on the Z Flip 5G with a revamped cover display, adding more space and more pixels per inch. It's also (alongside the Fold 3) the first water-resistant foldable phone, making it much more durable than before. Otherwise, the Flip 3 is fairly similar to the Z Flip 5G, but is selling at a much lower launch price.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3:
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Availability, price, and deals
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is available for pre-order worldwide right now from most major retail sites, including Samsung's own site. Available on all sites in four colors — Cream, Green, Lavender, or Phantom Black — the Galaxy Z Flip 3 also comes in Gray, Pink, or White if you buy it on samsung.com.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 costs $999.99 and will ship to homes on August 27. If you pre-order it between now and August 26, you'll receive a $150 Samsung credit for other samsung.com devices — such as the $250 Galaxy Watch 4. You can also trade in other Samsung devices for up to $500 off the foldable handset.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G is currently discounted to $1,200, while the non-5G version is hard to find these days. Out of all the best foldable phones today, you really won't find anything cheaper unless you find a used Moto Razr 5G, which we wouldn't recommend. Unless you want to nearly double the cost with the Z Fold 3, the Z Flip 3 is your best (sort-of) budget option.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Design
Much of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 design is rehashed from the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, including the 6.7-inch FHD+ inner display with centered hole-punch selfie cam, an outer cover cam next to the rear cameras, a side fingerprint sensor, and the returning Hideaway Hinge rated for 200,000 folds. Even their weights (183g) are identical, and their sizes only differ by a millimeter or so.
But built off of that solid design foundation are some significant improvements, making us hopeful it'll improve on some of the Galaxy Z Flip's biggest flaws.
First, it adds IPX8 water resistance, making it capable of withstanding light freshwater dunks and drips. It lacks official dust resistance found in other Samsung phones, but this is still a huge improvement over the original Z Flip, which had virtually no protections at all. The display also upgrades from Gorilla Glass 6 to Victus, increasing its fall damage protection.
Second, Samsung claims the Hideaway Hinge is "thinner and sleeker than ever before," with shorter bristles that should "help to repel dust and other particles." Even if it isn't truly dust-resistant, the Z Flip 3 won't be quite as delicate as its predecessors if you go caseless. Otherwise, we'd still recommend you fully protect it with one of the best Galaxy Z Flip 3 cases.
Third, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 moves the rear cameras to the side to make room for a 1.9-inch, 512x260 cover display — about 4X larger than the 1.1-inch, 300x112 original. Our reviewer called the original Cover Display "basically useless," too small to display much info and frequently timing out while you awaited notifications. With the extra real estate, Samsung has added Cover Screen widgets and wallpapers to make it both more helpful and prettier.
And finally, the quiet mono speaker on the Z Flip 3 has been replaced with stereo speakers for a more well-rounded sound.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Specs
Given that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 costs less than the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, it isn't surprising that the new phone's specs aren't too different. Frankly, it's great that Samsung didn't downgrade the Galaxy Z Flip 3 specs to achieve its price drop.
As we mentioned, the new Samsung Flip is about the same size and weight as last year's phone, with its Infinity Flex display the same 6.7 inches as before. It sports an identical 12MP F2.2 ultra-wide camera, wide 12MP F1.8 camera, and 10MP F2.2 selfie cam as before. It has a matching 8GB of RAM, while the base storage does downgrade to 128GB unless you upgrade back to 256GB.
We liked (but weren't blown away by) the camera quality on the Z Flip 5G, especially for night photography. Despite its flagship price, the Z Flip 3 likely will continue to provide serviceable photos but not match up against the best Android camera phones. But that isn't a deal-breaker.
We're more concerned that it has the same 3,300mAh battery as the original Flip. In our tests, it technically lasted all day but really only endured about 5 hours of full usage on a charge. Recognizing that it's hard to fit a large battery in a compact flip phone, we'd have hoped for a slight improvement in this area.
But we won't be greedy. This phone not only reduces the list price while maintaining the same specs, it even improves on its predecessor in a couple of areas.
The 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED inner display has the same 425ppi as before, but improves from 60Hz to a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. As previously mentioned, the much-larger cover display is a serious perk. And although Samsung didn't confirm this, we believe the Z Flip 3 will have a Snapdragon 888 chipset, giving it a computing boost over the 865.
| Category | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 |
|---|---|
| Processor | 5nm 64-bit Octa-core processor with 2.84GHz max clock speed Possibly Snapdragon 888 |
| Memory | 8GB RAM |
| Storage | 128GB–256GB SSD |
| Battery | 3,300 mAh |
| Cameras | 12MP Ultra-wide (F2.2) 12MP wide (F1.8) 10MP selfie (F2.4) |
| Charging | 15W fast charging 10W wireless 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Inner display | 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED (22:9) 2640 x 1080 (425ppi) 120Hz |
| Cover display | 1.9-inch Super AMOLED display 260 x 512 (302ppi) |
| Size & weight | Folded: 72.2 x 86.4 x 17.1mm Unfolded: 72.2 x 166.0 x 6.9mm Weight: 183g |
| Water resistance | IPX8 |
| 5G | Sub-6, mmWave |
| Operating System | Android 11 |
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 FAQ
Will the Galaxy Z Flip 3 be 5G-enabled?
Yes, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 will support both Sub-6 and mmWave 5G networks. Which networks the phone can access will depend on your carrier, however. Check out our guides on the best carriers for 5G or 5G terms explained for more information.
Will the Galaxy Z Flip 3 support the S Pen?
No, unfortunately. Samsung made it very clear in its press materials that only the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will support the new S Pen Pro or S Pen Fold Edition. Attempting to use one on the Z Flip could very well damage the display.
Which Galaxy Z foldable should you buy?
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a truly impressive piece of hardware. Compared to the Z Flip 3, it has a larger 7.6-inch main display with better resolution, plus a massive 6.2-inch cover display; it supports and comes with the S Pen; it adds a 12MP telephoto lens and an under-display selfie camera; has a much larger battery and 4 extra gigs of RAM; and has proper multi-window support for multiple apps running at once.
What's the downside? You could nearly buy two Galaxy Z Flip 3s (an expensive phone already) for the price of one Galaxy Z Fold 3. Unless you have money to spare, want to use the Fold as a daily computing device, or are a proper Android enthusiast, the Fold 3 probably isn't for you. The Flip 3, meanwhile, falls within the proper range for what a 2021 smartphone should cost.
While you should at least consider the Fold 3 as an option, you have no reason to buy the Galaxy Z Flip 5G instead, now that the Flip 3 is available. Why buy the old 5G when you can get water resistance, a functioning cover display, faster Snapdragon chipset, and double the refresh rate for less money? The only downgrade we spotted is the 128GB of base storage, and you can upgrade easily to 256GB.
Stick one in your pocket
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
The first $1,000 foldable phone
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is designed to bring foldable phones to the masses, thanks to its pretty reasonable price. It upgrades the far-too-small Cover Display of the original Z Flip, improves the camera quality, and adds IPX8 water resistance to better protect your phone.
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