After months of leaks and rumors, Samsung finally announced its second foldable phone: the Galaxy Z Flip. The announcement came alongside announcements for the new Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Buds+, at its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco.
Similar to the recently released Moto Razr reboot, the Z Flip features a clamshell design that allows the phone to fold in half for better portability, instead of expanding outwards to deliver additional screen real estate like the original Galaxy Fold.
The Z Flip is based around a flexible 6.7-inch AMOLED display with an extra-tall 22:9 aspect ratio. However, unlike previous foldable devices, the Z Flip’s screen is made out of a new kind of ultra-thin flexible glass, which should provide a significant upgrade in durability compared to phones like the Moto Razr and Galaxy Fold.
Additionally, to take better advantage of the Z Flip’s bendy screen, Samsung created a new Flex Mode that slightly alters the way certain apps like YouTube function when the fold is opened up halfway.
Elsewhere, the Z Flip has fairly competent specs including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of built-in storage. Unfortunately, because of the Z Flip’s more portable design, you won’t get a microSD card slot or a headphone jack.
In return, Samsung hopes to make up for the loss of those components by adding a small 1-inch cover display to the outside of the Z Flip’s body, which allows you to answer calls, compose selfies, or simply check texts and notifications without needing to open the phone.
Compared to the Galaxy S20, the Z Flip’s 3,300 mAh battery might seem a bit on the small side, but considering that the Z Flip also isn’t 5G-ready like the Galaxy S20, that’s probably fine. Honestly, as long as the Z Flip can surpass the lackluster battery life people have experienced on the Moto Razr thus far, it’ll be a win for Samsung.
Inside, the Z Flip sports a 10-MP punch-hole selfie cam (which Samsung claims is the first of its kind on a flexible screened device), while on the outside, you get two (not three like the Galaxy S20) cameras split between a 12-MP wide-angle cam and a 12-MP ultra-wide cam.
While we won’t be able to check out the Z Flip until after the event, Samsung’s second foldable phone potentially represents a big step forward when it comes to making devices like this more approachable to the average phone user. Not only is it the least expensive foldable phone yet, but the use of thin flexible glass instead of relying solely on plastic could also help prevent a lot of accidental damage. And with a hinge and screen that Samsung claims should last up to 200,000 folds, the Z Flips could have the best longevity of any bendy device yet too.
The Galaxy Z Flip will be available in three colors, Mirror Purple, Mirror Black, and depending on where you live, Mirror Gold. The Z Flip is expected to go on sale starting February 14th for $1,380.
Source: gizmodo.com
