The Foldable Phone That Finally Feels Ready for Everyone

Samsung’s latest foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, is a bold step toward making foldable phones mainstream. With a starting price of $999 (₹84,999), it’s not cheap, but it’s the most affordable foldable phone Samsung has ever made—and arguably the first one that feels ready for everyday users.

Sleeker, Smarter, and Stronger

The Z Flip3 isn’t just about flashy design; it’s also smarter and tougher than before. Samsung has added IPX8 water resistance, making it the first Flip to survive accidental splashes. It also comes with a 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a larger cover screen, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor under the hood.

That said, not everything has improved. The camera setup remains similar to the original Z Flip, meaning no telephoto lens and no autofocus on the ultrawide camera. Charging is still limited to 15W, and the 3,300mAh battery struggles to keep up with the power-hungry hardware.

Design: Where Fashion Meets Tech

The Z Flip3 5G is clearly built to turn heads. It’s available in seven color options, including Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream. Its compact, foldable design makes it one of the most pocketable smartphones you can buy—though maybe not ideal for tight jeans.

The new Hideaway Hinge feels sturdy and allows the phone to stay open at different angles—perfect for hands-free selfies or video calls. While there’s still a visible crease across the middle of the display, it’s easy to ignore after a few days of use.

Display: Bright, Smooth, and Beautiful

Samsung finally brought its high refresh rate magic to the Flip series. The 6.7-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel offers 120Hz refresh rate and up to 935 nits brightness, making it one of the brightest and smoothest foldable screens around.

Colors look vivid and sharp, and the display feels just as premium as Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S series. The outer cover display is now much more useful too—it shows notifications, widgets, and even doubles as a mini viewfinder for quick selfies.

Battery and Charging: Small but Manageable

At 3,300mAh, the Flip3’s battery is on the smaller side, and you’ll feel it. Expect around 10 hours of web browsing or 12 hours of video playback, which is below average for a flagship phone.

Charging is equally modest—15W wired and wireless charging support mean you’ll wait about 90 minutes for a full charge. It’s not ideal, but for light to moderate users, it’ll last a day.

Software: Foldable-Friendly One UI

Running on Android 11 with One UI 3.1.1, the Flip3 feels smooth and intuitive. Samsung has optimized the software for the foldable design—features like Flex Mode let you split apps between the top and bottom halves of the screen, and the cover display now supports notifications, widgets, and Samsung Pay gestures.

Performance: Flagship Power Inside

With the Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB RAM, and UFS 3.1 storage, performance is flagship-level. Apps launch fast, multitasking feels effortless, and even heavy games run smoothly. Unlike other Samsung phones, there’s no Exynos version here—everyone gets the faster Snapdragon chip.

Camera: Good Enough, But Not Great

The Z Flip3 keeps things simple with two 12MP rear cameras—a standard wide and an ultrawide lens—and a 10MP front camera. Photos look good in daylight, with Samsung’s usual punchy colors, but the lack of autofocus on the ultrawide and no telephoto lens are noticeable downsides.

Night shots are decent, but don’t expect Galaxy S21 Ultra-level detail. Still, using the cover screen as a viewfinder for main camera selfies is a clever and fun touch.

Verdict: Coolness Comes at a Cost

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G isn’t perfect—it has average battery life, slow charging, and a dated camera setup. But it’s also the most stylish and practical foldable phone yet. It’s water-resistant, compact, and packed with flagship-level performance.

At under $1,000, the Z Flip3 finally makes foldables feel attainable, not futuristic. If you value style, innovation, and that satisfying fold more than all-day battery life, this is the one to get.