- A portion of this video is sponsored by LastPass.
If you'd told me that by the summer of 2020,
the new motorola razr would be all but gone
from the public consciousness while its Samsung look-alike
would be winning hearts and minds, well, I'd have said
that's about as likely as Microsoft trying to buy TikTok.
But the razr's early quality control issues
and Verizon exclusivity conspired
to compound a competitive edge
that Samsung already enjoyed.
By most metrics that matter,
the Galaxy Z Flip is just the better phone.
And over the past few months, I've seen more
and more of my early adopter friends snap it up.
Not wanting to rest on its laurels,
Samsung recently updated the Z Flip with 5G, new Silicon,
and the new paint job whose close resemblance
to that of a 24th century tricorder
has absolutely nothing to do
with me dropping 1500 strips of latinum on it.
I've carried that new model for about a week
and the earlier one for six months.
So on this episode of Into the Fold,
we'll answer the twin questions of how well it's aged
and how it became the Goldilocks foldable.
(upbeat music)
Let's hit the 5G model first, huh?
I wasn't wild about this color initially,
but there is a plus side to this new finish.
It's matte instead of glossy,
which means that not only is it impervious to fingerprints,
it also lacks the death wish of the prior model,
which would practically leap from any surface
that wasn't perfectly level.
Yeah, check out this very scientific tilt test
to see what I mean.
On your mark, get set, go.
Oh!
Doesn't get any more definitive than that.
That finish even covers the outer display
whose pixels pick up a minor frosted glow as a result.
And while the phone's edges maintained their glossy finish,
Samsung has gone to the trouble of pulling
some of the exterior color onto the inner rails.
A nice detail that goes a long way
toward minimizing the screen's apparent bezel.
The display itself now features
a factory-applied screen protector.
I hate its cheap rubbery feel under the thumb
and it holds onto fingerprints
as readily as the exterior finish shrugs them off,
but I've decided to leave it in place for now
for reasons that by the end of this video will become clear.
Now let's talk about just how unnecessary this version
of the phone is.
Folks, I never in six months felt
that the first Galaxy Flip was underpowered
with its Snapdragon 855+,
So the addition of the 865+ has made absolutely
no difference to me.
Near as I can tell, it's only here to enable 5G,
which also doesn't really matter.
No flavor of 5G is gonna make much of a difference
to your day-to-day until it reaches maturity.
So with the two principles selling points
of the newer model basically eliminated,
I'd say if you're interested in the Z Flip,
you're better served by buying the launch model
I purchased back in February.
How has that older one held up over the past half a year?
Well, on the durability front,
there's almost nothing but good news,
which I'll share at the end of the video.
But the six months have compounded
some of the annoyances I pointed out at launch.
Take the tiny cover display.
I knew it was never gonna get bigger,
but I thought software updates
might at least temper its annoyances.
It still times out before letting me read
a whole text message,
I still can't customize it in any way,
and it still doesn't tell me my signal strength,
which for me is just as important as a battery meter.
The Z Flip is still very much a phone
that demands a smartwatch.
And we're in the same boat when it comes to the flex mode.
Don't get me wrong, it's very cool
that you can split YouTube, Camera, Gallery,
or Duo across the top and bottom halves,
but six months later, YouTube, Camera, Gallery,
and Duo are still the only apps that you can so split.
I've taken a using it in what I call faux flex mode
where the app is still full screen,
but I bend the phone anyway,
and you know, actually this is surprisingly handy.
Being able to prop the screen at an angle
so I can track an inbound food delivery,
or keep an eye on notifications while doing other work,
or just bend it to the contour of my face
when I'm on the phone.
And while I don't often use it as a tripod
because I carry a mobile tripod anyway,
it is handy if you don't,
as Isa Rodriguez demonstrates here.
That leaves camera, battery,
and finishing up our convo on durability.
All of which we'll get to after a quick word
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Let's get back to the video.
As far as the battery is concerned, folks,
there's nothing new to report here.
The Z Flip is still a one-day smartphone if you're careful.
It won't die before dinner, like my razr sometimes does,
but neither will it last through my midnight Kindle session
like the fold can.
Oh, and in my week-long testing,
the 5G model has been no different in this regard,
which is a relief and a surprise.
The 5G model does bring the new version of One UI though,
which affects camera processing in areas like night mode,
not always for the better.
But ultimately as Max Weinbach pointed out,
it doesn't matter much.
This phone isn't a camera-forward device,
it just needs to be good enough for Instagram
and casual shooting, and it more than fits that bill.
The only thing I routinely miss is a telephoto lens,
but that omission is more than made up for
by the excellent ultrawide.
Finally, the evergreen question when it comes to foldables:
How durable is it?
Well, this phone has created arguments
both for and against foldables.
On the against side,
one of Max Weinbach's five, yes, five Z Flips,
has developed a cluster of dead pixels
near the hinge for no reason.
And fellow YouTuber Innolso's Z Flip
developed a dead pixel after an unfortunate run in
with a pair of pliers.
I'll link his video below.
On the for foldable side,
maybe you're familiar with Quinn Nelson,
aka SnazzyQ on Twitter.
I asked Quinn why he bought a Z Flip,
why he chose it over some other foldable,
and why he treats him the way he does.
This is what he had to say.
- All right, you got me.
I purchased the Galaxy Z flip
because it was shiny and new.
But I really found myself to love this form factor
because while volumetrically it's the same
as any other smartphone,
I find it much more easy to pocket and put inside of bags.
This square size comes in handy.
As for why I abuse it, well I want it to dispel the rumor
that these phones were fragile
because I felt that they weren't at least initially.
Since then, I've actually found them
to be maybe perhaps even more durable
than your average smartphone.
These things really are tough.
- Thanks Quinn.
While I haven't had the heart to abuse my Z Flip,
I have made a point of treating it like a normal phone.
So I carry it naked with no case.
I wipe its screen off on my shirt
when it gets dirty, nothing special.
And when I'm in a rush,
I sometimes toss it into pockets
or bag bays with other items.
And on top of that, I usually flip it open
with one hand Admiral Kirk style.
And as of yet, there's no cracking or creaking,
no deformations or damage.
The only signs of wear are a few scratches on the display
where I presume a thumbnail dug in on one of my openings.
On the whole, it held up wonderfully.
The Galaxy Z Flip launched amid a sea of uncertainty
surrounding foldable smartphones,
and six months later it's emerged
as the most accessible of every one launched to date.
As my friend Russell Holly put it,
it's unique compared to any other phone he's likely to use.
And it's also one of the few phones
that can become truly small on demand.
And save your tweets.
The argument that it's added Z depth somehow counteract
its reduced height when closed does not hold water.
Use one and you'll see what I mean.
It's still too expensive for most folks but with phones
like the Galaxy Note20 Ultra costing just as much,
there's nothing wrong with deciding
that you'd rather pony up that premium
for a unique design that's fun to use,
rather than pure power or productivity.
And because it's high time I stopped talking.
I think the quote of the day has to go
to Ryne Hagar at Android Police
who bought his Z Flip to review and to
"Prove that foldables were stupid.
It turns out they are actually the future."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
This video was produced following six months
with the Galaxy Z Flip
and a little over a week with the Z Flip 5G.
Both were purchased from Samsung,
which was given no copy approval rights
or early preview of this content
but was asked to provide comment
on some of the issues I pointed out.
I'll drop those comments here if the company responds.
And folks, a quick note on my usage,
I daily drive the Galaxy Fold
and use the Z Flip on weekends and weeknights,
which I alternate with the motorola razr.
What that means is that my devices don't have
as much usage as a true single daily driver user does.
There's not much I can do about that, I'm just one guy,
but I wanted you to know.
Check out the other episodes of Into the Fold on YouTube
and please subscribe to theMrMobile
so you don't miss my forthcoming coverage
on the Galaxy Z Fold2 coming soon.
Until next time, thanks for watching,
and if you can't stay home, then at least stay safe
and remember to wear a mask
while you stay mobile, my friends.