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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip announced: The foldable for the masses
Today at Galaxy Unpacked 2020, Samsung formally revealed the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, its second-ever foldable device. It launched the new smartphone alongside the family of Galaxy S20 devices as well as the new Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus.
Related: Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra are here: What you need to know
Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the company’s first foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip is smaller and cheaper. Rather than fold out from a smartphone into a tablet-sized display, the Galaxy Z Flip has a smartphone-sized display that folds in half. This creates a compact device you can easily take anywhere.
Below, you’ll find all the information we know for certain about Samsung’s latest foldable. Be sure to bookmark this page as we will update it with more information as Samsung reveals it!
Design
When the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is unfolded, you might mistake it for a “regular” smartphone. It has a 6.7-inch Infinity Flex display with a Dynamic AMOLED panel. There’s a very common punch-hole cutout at the top for a selfie camera. Other than it looking a little taller and thinner than most other devices, there’s not much to differentiate it from other phones of today.
However, when you fold the Galaxy Z Flip in half you can immediately tell this is something different altogether. When folded, the device becomes half as tall (but twice as thick). On the back of the device (or the front when it’s in its folded state), there is a 1.1-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display that gives you pertinent information: time, date, notifications, etc.
If a notification pops up on the small display, you can tap on it. This action will trigger the notification to open automatically when you unfold the phone. For example, you could get an Instagram notification on the small display, tap on it, and then when you unfold the device your Instagram app will be open and waiting for you.
Speaking of Instagram, Samsung’s marketing department is pushing the Galaxy Z Flip as “influencer ready.” The phone comes in multiple fun colorways and its ability to become more compact makes it perfect for travel bloggers. It also holds its position in multiple fold angles, making it perfect for hands-free selfies — no tripod needed.
If you want to take a traditional selfie, you can use the camera at the top of the unfolded display. However, you can also use the rear camera system to take a selfie while the device is folded shut. The secondary display will act as a full-color viewfinder during this type of photo.
However, buyers might be nervous about durability after the fiasco surrounding the Galaxy Fold. Samsung has addressed these concerns by covering the inner foldable display of the Galaxy Z Flip with ultrathin glass and then covering that glass with plastic. Theoretically, this should make it so any scratches of the plastic can be more easily repaired, as the glass will protect the fragile display underneath. We will need to put this through our own testing before we can make any claims on how well this method works, though.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip specs
If you’re hoping the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip will be like a foldable Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, we have some bad news: it most certainly is not that. While the phone has some great specs, it is not a specs beast like the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Instead, the Galaxy Z Flip is more like a 2019 flagship with a neat foldable trick.
Of course, the lack of maxed-out specs means it won’t push the $2,000 price tag of the Galaxy Fold. We’ll get to more on that in a bit.
Here are the official Samsung Galaxy Z Flip specs:
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip | |
|---|---|
Displays | Main: 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity Flex 2,636 x 1,080 resolution 21.9:9 aspect ratio 425ppi Secondary: 1.1-inch Super AMOLED 300 x 112 resolution 303ppi |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus |
RAM | 8GB |
Storage | 256GB UFS 3.0 internal No microSD card slot |
Battery | 3,300mAh Quick-charge up to 15W Qi wireless charging up to 9W |
Cameras | Rear cameras: - Wide-angle: 12MP dual pixel sensor, ƒ/ 1.8 aperture, Super Speed Dual Pixel AF, OIS, 1.4μm, 78-degree field-of-view - Ultra-wide: 12MP ultra-wide, ƒ/ 2.2 aperture, 1.12μm, 123-degree field-of-view Front camera: - 10MP dual pixel sensor, ƒ/ 2.4 aperture, 1.22μm, 80-degree field-of-view |
Sensors | Capacitive fingerprint sensor (side) Accelerometer Barometer Gyro sensor Geomagnetic sensor Hall sensor (digital, analog) Proximity sensor RGB Light sensor |
Network | Enhanced 2X2 MIMO, 5CA, LTE Cat.16 Up to 1.0Gbps Download LTE Cat.13 Up to 150Mbps Upload Up to 1.0Gbps Download / Up to 150Mbps Upload |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 256QAM Bluetooth 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou) |
Software | Android 10 Samsung One UI 2.0 |
Dimensions | Open: 167.9 x 73.6 x 7.2-6.9mm Closed: 167.9 x 73.6 x 17.3-15.4mm |
Weight | 183g |
Colors | Black, purple |
The presence of a dual-lens rear camera, side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Snapdragon 855 Plus, and a 3,300mAh battery make it clear that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is not prioritizing raw specs. Instead, Samsung appears to be going after general consumers here — people who might like the idea of a cool foldable phone but care more about price than specs.
Speaking of price, that’s where the Galaxy Z Flip gets interesting.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip price and availability
Samsung is cutting the price of the Galaxy Z Flip as compared to the Galaxy Fold by a significant margin. At launch, the Galaxy Z Flip will cost $1,380.
Pre-orders for the foldable smartphone will start this Friday, February 14 — Valentine’s Day. You’ll be able to buy the foldable phone directly from Samsung and other retailers, including Best Buy. Head here for all the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip pricing and availability details.
If you’re in the United States, you’ll also be able to buy it through your carrier, assuming you are on AT&T or Sprint. Availability at T-Mobile and Verizon isn’t confirmed yet.
Related: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip sold out in a single day in US
There will also be a Thom Browne variant of the Galaxy Z Flip. The device will feature Brown’s iconic red, white, and blue stripe design on a silver/gray chassis. This special edition will also come with matching accessories, including Galaxy Buds Plus, a Galaxy Watch Active 2, a case, and a gift box. Samsung will reveal more information about this product on February 12.
That’s everything we’ve learned so far about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Stay tuned for our hands-on post as well as our future full review!