Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 buyer's guide: Everything you need to know

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in August 2022. Now in its fourth generation, the new Galaxy Z Flip is what you might call an iterative upgrade over the last clamshell foldable from the South Korean giant. Samsung had a great year with the Galaxy Z Flip 3, racking up record sales in the process, and the newer foldable phone comes with improvements in the form of an upgraded camera setup, a more powerful chipset, a larger battery, and some new software features. Are the changes enough to make it another success story for Samsung? Here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 at a glance

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 launched on August 10, at Samsung’s Unpacked conference alongside the larger Galaxy Z Fold 4. Like the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is available across all major markets where Samsung sells its phones, including the US, UK, regions across the rest of Europe, India, and more. We’ll talk more about pricing and availability in the subsequent sections. For now, let’s take a cursory look at the phone and all it brings to Samsung’s lineup.

Samsung’s new clamshell is a bit narrower and more pocket-friendly than its predecessor, and the company claims the phone’s 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED folding display is 45% stronger than that of the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

A Gorilla Glass Victus exterior and an Armor Aluminum frame add to the device’s durability. An IPX8 rating also ensures that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is protected against water, but it doesn’t get the dust protection that ratings like IP68 provides. Of course, all these attributes remain unchanged compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

When folded, you see a 1.9-inch AMOLED cover display that’ll show widgets. You’ll also be able to add video backgrounds and custom clock screen designs to the smaller screen. A pair of 12MP rear shooters and a 10MP selfie camera make a return this year too, but with a bit of an upgrade and new shooting modes.

The most significant changes come in the form of a newer chipset and a larger battery. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip and gets a 3,700mAh battery with faster charging.

With an unchanged starting MSRP of $999, Samsung is offering a pretty good foldable phone on the surface. Let’s dive deeper into the full spec sheet, features, and other upgrades.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 worth buying?

For starters, the clamshell form factor has many advantages over traditional book-style folding phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The biggest one is pocketability, thanks to the more compact footprint. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 aces that portable design with its slimmer hinge and straightened edges.

Besides that, the phone’s hardware seems largely unchanged compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Samsung promises a tougher display, but its specifications remain the same. You still get a 6.7-inch 120Hz display up front and a 1.9-inch screen with a 512 x 260 resolution. Unfortunately, the crease on the folding display is still very much visible. In our Galaxy Z Flip 4 review, we had no issues with the main display being too dim, and the tall, thin shape was easy to stretch a thumb across.

This year, however, the glass is upgraded to Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the external display and the rear glass panels. The Armor Aluminum frame also has a glossy finish compared to the previous model’s satin sheen.

Internal hardware upgrades include the new Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. The chipset is blazingly fast and gets multitasking done without a hitch, all while offering better sustained performance than the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 found in the Galaxy S22 series. So if you decide to buy the Galaxy Z Flip 4, know that you’ll get one of the best workhorses in the business.

Other upgrades on the phone include a top-end 512GB storage variant, up from the highest 256GB storage version of the Z Flip 3. The primary camera sensor has been reworked to capture more light, and Samsung has added new software tricks to make the shooting experience more exciting.

Add to that a bigger and faster-charging battery, numerous color and framing options, and long-term Android updates, and you see Samsung improving upon a winning formula without drastic changes.

We gave the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 top marks in our review simply because it takes a successful foundation and adds a new shine to it with all the aforementioned improvements. If you’re after a flip phone in 2023, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is worth your money. The phone doesn’t have too much competition in the foldable market. It doesn’t quite take on traditional $1,000 flagships that may offer better cameras, bigger batteries, and faster charging, but it’s definitely worth considering, given its unique, eye-catching form factor. Is it a good upgrade from the Galaxy Z Flip 3, though? We answer that in our Galaxy Z Flip 3 vs Galaxy Z Flip 4 comparison.

Samsung has also since launched the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s successor. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 brings some substantial upgrades that might make you question picking up the previous model. If you need help making that decision, our Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy Z Flip 5 deep dive may provide the answers you seek.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 specs

Overall, not a lot has changed for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 specs compared to the Z Flip 3, but there are some upgrades that you should watch out for.

What reviewers are saying about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

Our Executive Editor Kris Carlon also spent some time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. He was largely happy with what’s on offer, even though he again notes not much changed.

Kris observed that the folding display has a less noticeable crease this year. It hasn’t completely disappeared, though. The hinge is also visibly less bulky compared to the Z Flip 3 (pictured below), and that’s another plus in favor of the phone’s design.

That said, Kris notes that almost all changes on the Z Flip 4 are on the inside. We’ve listed those out for you in the sections above, so we won’t go into them again.

In his full review of the phone, Android Authority‘s Ryan Haines appreciated the Galaxy Z Flip 4 for its improved battery life, more useful cover display, efficient performance, solid primary camera, and Samsung’s long-term update support.

He said, “There’s no doubt that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will keep Samsung’s dominance in the foldable market rolling for at least another year.” You can read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review here.

Let’s take a look at what other reviewers thought about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4:

• Allison Johnson (The Verge): Allison felt that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is refined and lovely to use, but not quite finished. The publication gave the phone positive ratings for its compact form factor, battery life, and camera. However, the reviewer also felt that the phone could have done with a telephoto camera and a more usable cover display.
• Patrick Holland (Cnet): Patrick concurred with what almost all reviews are saying about the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It’s fun to use and all the upgrades are impressive. However, it’s like old wine in a new bottle. He called the Z Flip 4 “more of the same.” He wasn’t very impressed with the primary and ultrawide cameras, deeming them average at best. He also didn’t make it through the day without having to charge the device and noted that the phone is still too pricey.
• Joe Maring (Digital Trends): Joe said that the Flip 4 isn’t a revolutionary upgrade over its predecessor, but it stands tall as one of the best folding phones of 2022. Like Patrick, his experience with the phone’s battery life wasn’t great. He also felt the cover screen is lacking in functionality.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 camera good?

The cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 are pretty much the same as the previous year’s, with some minor tweaks. You get dual 12MP main cameras and a 10MP selfie shooter.

Samsung says the primary 12MP sensor is now 65% brighter with 1.8-micron pixels. Our reviewer Ryan noted that the new sensor improves low-light performance, especially when compared directly to the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

He added that the primary camera setup delivers impressive results. Details are excellent, and so are highlights and shadows. Both portrait and night mode photos turned out to be great. You can see some of the images Ryan clicked from the phone’s rear cameras below.

The selfie shooter comes with some cool tricks. You can snap selfies in Portrait Mode, see a preview on the cover screen, and change the aspect ratio when using Quick Shot. That said, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 selfies are almost identical to those from the Galaxy S22 series or even the Galaxy S21 series before it.

Samsung is also flexing its “FlexCam” feature, which utilizes the Flip 4’s cameras when the phone is half closed. This lets you place your phone on a surface and shoot images or videos hands-free. Samsung says you can now start video recording in Quick Shot mode and seamlessly switch to Flex mode to continue recording hands-free without stopping the video.

Elsewhere, better AI processing and Stereo Depth mapping promise to enhance details in photos. The camera also automatically switches to Night Portrait mode in low light.

We believe the camera capabilities of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 are pretty good, even if not amazing. It won’t be competing with the very best camera phones, but detail is good, as is dynamic range and color reproduction. Portrait Mode worked fantastically, and Night Mode was pretty good.

How is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4’s battery life?

The battery inside the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is bigger than the Galaxy Z Flip 3 — 3,700mAh vs 3,300mAh, respectively. It also supports faster 25W charging, although you’ll have to buy a USB PD PPS charger separately for top power. The Galaxy Z Flip 3’s 15W wired charging took about one hour and 40 minutes to charge the phone 100%. In our testing, we found that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 can charge faster. It takes about 75 minutes to fuel up using a 25W charger.

The Flip 4 also has what Samsung calls “Fast Wireless Charging 2.0” on board. It’s an improvement over the 10W charging on the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which was unbearably slow. With the wireless charging upgrade, the Z Flip 4 takes somewhere around 90-100 minutes to reach a 100% charge. It may seem long, but it’s good enough if you’re not in a hurry.

Lastly, the phone supports reverse wireless charging for topping up accessories, like the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro or Galaxy Watch 5.

Overall, while the battery and charging specs of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 are still not flagship-level, they are definitely an improvement over the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Ryan noted in his review that the Z Flip 4’s battery no longer feels like a liability. Overall, he averaged between four and five hours of screen-on time throughout his time with the phone.

How is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4’s performance?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 houses the powerful Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. The new SoC improves upon the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with better sustained performance and improved efficiency. Our reviewer had no trouble getting day-to-day tasks done. The phone did warm up a bit with the prolonged use of GPS navigation, but it’s still not as drastic as the phones running the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Paired with the chip is 8GB of RAM, which is enough for you to cruise through the day. The phone warms up while playing games for a long time. The performance also slows down a bit, and you’re bound to drain the battery in a hurry. So if you’re an avid gamer, you might not get the best results during those long gaming sessions.

Benchmarks show that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 outperforms its predecessor. It also left the OnePlus 10T behind, even though the phone has similar hardware.

Software and updates

Samsung is the king of software updates right now and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will get the same love Samsung gives to most of its premium phones. The device will see four major Android updates and five years of security patches. That means you’re all set at least till Android 16.

The phone will ship with One UI 4.1.1 out of the box, but since One UI 5 is already out for public testing, the device should get the new software soon after Google releases the final version of Android 13.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 vs Galaxy Z Flip 4: What’s new?

There are very few differences between the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. You can see the table below comparing the specifications of the two models.

What are some good Galaxy Z Fold 4 alternatives?

If you’re looking for a foldable phone with a clamshell design, you are mostly stuck with Samsung, especially in the United States. The brand reigns supreme when it comes to foldable phones worldwide as well.

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 ($1799 at Amazon): This expensive foldable phone has all the bells and whistles Samsung has to offer. Owing to its swifter chipset, brighter inner screen, and improved hinge, it’s Samsung’s new foldable benchmark. It’s much, much pricier than the Z Flip series, though.
• Google Pixel Fold ($1799 at Amazon): If you’re not set on a Samsung foldable, the Google Pixel Fold is an amazing device that folds out to become a small tablet. It’s just as expensive as the Galaxy Z Fold, but comes with the best Google has to offer. Check out our hands-on with the Pixel Fold to learn more about it.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 ($624.97 at Amazon): Last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 is still a good phone to pick up, especially with its revised price. The phone is fast enough to take on 2022 flagships. Since not much has changed on this generation’s clamshell and some newer software features have also made it to the older model, you can always pick it up instead of the Flip 4.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 ($999.99 at Samsung): Samsung’s new foldable phone brings a larger cover display (now called the Flex Window), an upgraded chipset, and more base storage than its older sibling. It’s the new gold standard for Samsung’s flip phones.
• Motorola Razr Plus ($699.99 at Amazon): Motorola really stepped things up in 2023, offering what we believe could be among the best flip phones of 2023, if not the best. The Motorola Razr Plus has a great design, pretty capable specs, a large exterior display that’s actually usable, and a very competitive price point. Check out our hands-on with the Motorola Razr Plus for more details.

Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 (8/128GB): $999 / £999
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 (8/256GB): $1,059 / £1,059
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 (8/512GB): $1,179 / £1,199

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is available through Samsung.com, Samsung Experience Store, and major carriers and retailers. It costs $999 for the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. It’s the same as what Samsung charged for the Flip 3 last year. You also have the option of buying additional 256GB and 512GB storage versions of the phone.

There are new colorways this time: Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, and Blue for the exterior panels and black, silver, and gold for the frame. Samsung will also offer Bespoke Edition options with up to 75 different combinations of frame and front and back panels.

Now that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is here, you can likely find the Galaxy Z Flip 4 for a little less.

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