The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is the latest premium foldable smartphone from Samsung featuring a foldable design, top-notch AMOLED displays, and class-leading internals.
Apart from being a foldable device, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is also a very capable flagship, offering excellent performance, an impressive camera set, and more. It’s a great device for those who love consuming content, thanks in part to its dynamic AMOLED displays, but the question is — is a foldable phone for you?
In this review, we’re going to explore what’s it like to have a foldable phone and see if the Galaxy Z Fold4 is for you. Let’s dive in.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 specs
- Display: 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display, 2176 x 1812, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate, 21.6:18 Aspect Ratio
- Cover Display: 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED Display, 2316 x 904, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate, 23.1:9 Aspect Ratio, Gorilla Glass Victus
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
- RAM: 12GB RAM
- Storage: 128GB / 256GB / 1TB Storage
- Rear Cameras: 50MP Main (Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/1.8) + 12MP Ultra-wide (123-degree FOV, f/2.2) + 10MP Telephoto (PDAF, f/2.4)
- Front/Cover Camera: 10MP Selfie Camera
- Under Display Camera: 4MP Camera
- Network: 5G, 4G LTE, Dual SIM
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 Dual Band, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
- Others: Side Fingerprint Scanner, USB-C, IPX8 Certification, Samsung Knox, Samsung Knox Vault
- OS: One UI 4.1.1, Android 12
- Colors: Phantom Black, Gray Green, Beige (Samsung.com Exclusive)
- Battery: 4,400mAh Battery
Design & Display
There is no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is a premium flagship through and through. It has a great build with a sturdy metal and glass construction.
On the hand, it is really solid, exactly how you expect a sub-100k device to feel like. And while it does feel substantial, you do get the sense that it might not hold up when it’s dropped. So I advise you to get a good case for this if you decide to get one.
The foldable has two AMOLED displays — the cover display measures 6.2-inches with an HD+ 2316 x 904 resolution, a tall 23:19 aspect ratio, and a 10MP front-facing camera, all protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. While the inside display measures 7.6-inches with a QXGA+ 2176 x 1812 resolution, an almost square 21.6:18 aspect ratio, and an under-display front camera with a 4MP sensor. Both displays have a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes the whole UI experience really smooth and responsive, and an outstanding 1,000 nits of brightness for better readability under sunlight.
As expected, the displays are excellent with deep blacks and punchy colors. The inside display, in particular, is really impressive. It has a QXGA 2176×1812 resolution and a sharp 373 ppi. It has a soft feeling since it’s not made of glass, but it does feel sturdy and looks to be resistant to scratches. The display also supports the S Pen stylus, by the way, which you have to buy separately.
The Galaxy Z Fold4 has two speakers — each with its own grill. The USB-C port and primary microphone are at the bottom. There are three more microphones at the top.
The volume rocker and the fingerprint scanner/power button are on the right side. The fingerprint scanner is fast and responsive. The SIM tray is on the left.
At the back, you have that beautiful smoked glass back panel with a smooth touch. The camera island is on the thick side, so it adds to the chunkiness of the phone when closed.
When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold4 measures 155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8mm with a thickness of roughly two smartphones. When open, it measures 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3mm. The device is slightly heavier than most other flagships at 263 g.
Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 has several cameras at its disposal. At the back, it has a 50MP primary camera with dual pixel autofocus and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP Telephoto. On the front cover, there’s a 10MP selfie shooter. And on the inside display, there’s another 4MP camera underneath the screen itself.
You can take photos with the phone either folded, half way open, or all the way open. I took photos with the phone all the way open and it does feel like I’m using a tablet, so keep this in mind if it bothers you.
As expected, images taken by the phone are excellent with good sharpness, detail, and accurate colors. Exposure is well-controlled with good dynamic range.
In Portrait Mode where you get blurred-out backgrounds, the edge detection struggles a bit with hair. But the background blurring looks good and creamy.
Night Mode performance is the same as what you normally would expect from other Samsung flagships. The details and colors are decent. The same goes for selfies in low light where the screen lights up your face to get more light in.
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Selfies with the front camera on the cover screen are good. You get ample details and the colors are pleasant.
The under-display selfie camera on the inside has a 4MP sensor. It’s barely noticeable but you can definitely see it if you try. Selfies using this camera are underwhelming, but it’s there when you need it. It’s best to just use the selfie camera on the cover to get the best results.
Check out the camera samples below.
Low Light
Zoom
Ultra-wide
Selfie
Performance
As a daily driver, I always feared accidentally dropping the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. It is expensive, and my review unit didn’t come with a case. The phone is also awkward to put in my pants pocket because of how thick it is, so I usually carry it in a small sling bag when I’m out.
Throughout the review, I used the cover display mainly for calls and messaging and the occasional notification checking. You can still watch a video this way if you like. But I’d rather use the inside display for this purpose.
The best part of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is obviously the inside display. The screen is excellent for consuming content. Videos from streaming platforms YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video look great. It supports HDR as well if you’re streaming plan offers it. Moreover, the speakers sound good. Bass is a little weak, but its loud, clear, and not tinny.
And if you’re wondering about the crease on the screen, don’t. It’s there for sure, but it’s hardly noticeable (if not at all) when your watching or looking at it straight on. And it’s something that’s easy to get used to that at one point you’ll forget its even there.
The handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. Our review unit has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There’s no expansion card slot, but the included storage is enough for most people.
The phone runs on One UI 4.1.1 based on Android 12. The UI is perfectly suited and adapted to run on the foldable device. The Samsung keyboard, for example, is split in the middle to be within easier reach for convenient two-hand typing. During the review, I installed Google’s GBoard, which doesn’t offer the split layout, so you’ll just end up with a huge onscreen keyboard.
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The foldable can run any app or game with fast loading times. One thing though is that not all apps and games are compatible with such a large display. In Instagram, for example, photos and videos that are not in the square format will get cut off at the top and bottom. The same goes for Instagram Reels.
Meanwhile, in some games such as Genshin Impact and Dead by Daylight, you’ll notice that the UI and controls are cramped. While in others (Call of Duty Mobile in particular), I foundthe gaming experience to be great.
Fortunately, there are no such issues when watching YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video though. You’ll just get black bars at the top and bottom of the video because of the almost square aspect ratio.
Battery life is excellent. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4’s 4400mAh capacity can last a whole workday with mixed usage on adaptive refresh rate of streaming videos on YouTube and Netflix, social media use, web browsing, and Apple Music playback with a Bluetooth TWS. I used mostly the inside display during this time, with slight usage of the outer display for checking messages and other notifications.
As for charging, 30 minutes will give you around 50 percent. While charging to full takes around 75 minutes. It also supports fast charging and wireless charging, and Wireless PowerShare which will allow you to quickly top up compatible devices.
Final Thoughts
Not going to lie, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is a great device. It ticks almost all the boxes of what makes a great flagship smartphone. It has powerful internals, a great inside display, and offers a new level of flexibility when it comes to consuming content without going into tablets.
That being said, I feel that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is not for everyone. It’s hefty and chunky (when closed), and how much value you’ll get from it will largely depend on how you use your phone.
Still, it does beat having two separate devices — a tablet and a phone — for when you need one or the other.
Price and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is available in the Philippines. Prices are as follows:
| Item | Price |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 12GB + 128GB | Php 98,990 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 12GB + 256GB | Php 105,990 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 12GB + 1TB (Samsung.com exclusive) | Php 119,990 |
You can also get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is also under local telcos, such as with Smart’s Signature plans.
