The era of smart electronic products is overflowing. We already live using a lot of electronic devices, but tomorrow, next month, next year, we will meet new products once more. ‘Boni Hani’ is an experience device that aims to share the experience of using electronic devices as much as possible from the point of view of general consumers. We try to convey to our readers the novelty that we have seen, heard, and touched, without adding or subtracting.
After Samsung Electronics’ innovatively folded smartphone in half in 2019, it released its fourth ‘foldable smartphone’ series this year. Although there have been trials and errors over the past four years, efforts to popularize foldable phones through steady improvement are continuing.
So is this year’s new product. The Galaxy Z Flip/Fold 4 did not show any major ‘technical innovation’, but it left the impression that it erased the regrets of its predecessors little by little. I used Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 4 for three days.
Flip 4, battery improved, but…
In the case of the Galaxy Z Flip 4, there is little difference in design from its predecessor. Even if there is a difference in size, it is not noticeable because it is 1~2mm difference. In fact, it was a heavy burden for the previous work. The design of the Flip 3 was well received. Even loyal Apple users often replaced their smartphones because of the design. From the standpoint of Samsung Electronics, it would not have been easy to make a design change in the next generation of products.
The advantage of Flip’s ‘flex mode’ remains the same. Flex mode is a function that allows the user to unfold the product at an angle desired by the user. When sitting at a desk and placing the Flip 4 bent at 45 degrees, it acts as a table clock, and both hands are free when taking pictures with friends.
The ability to take portrait photos as well as general photos and videos on the front display was perfect for ‘selfie’. The ‘color’ of the photos taken with the 12 megapixel dual camera was also better than taking pictures with the 10 megapixel front camera.
However, the overall camera performance was a bit disappointing. The size of the image sensor increased without changing the number of pixels in this new Flip, and even compared to the iPhone 12 Pro released in 2020, it felt that the accuracy of night photography was insufficient.
How much is the battery performance that Galaxy fans expected the most from the Flip 4? The battery capacity of the Flip 4 is 3700 mAh (milliamperes). This is the same level as the general model of the flagship smartphone Galaxy S22 introduced earlier this year. Compared to the previous model, the capacity is increased by regarding 400mAh.
In fact, when I used it, I felt that the battery capacity was still insufficient. For the experience, I put a SIM in the Flip 4 for a day and used it as a ‘second phone’. The battery, which started at 100% at 8 am, decreased to 30% following 12 hours. All I had to do with the device was to do a little messenger and some functional tests.
After work, I used it continuously for regarding an hour to test the camera function, and it quickly dropped below 10%. If it wasn’t for a second phone, it would probably need to be charged once during the followingnoon. Charging started at 4% and reached 33% in regarding 30 minutes. It seems that it will take regarding 1 hour and 30 minutes to fully charge from 0%.
The heat issue also seemed to need improvement. After using the phone for regarding 30 minutes, the rear camera started to get hot.
Fold 4, the powerful multitasking
Unlike the Flip 4, which is regarding 4g heavier than its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 weighs regarding 8g less than its predecessor. However, it is by no means light due to its ‘weight class’, which weighs 263 g. It was still difficult to hold the screen in one hand and unfold it. Realistically, it was not easy to feel the difference in the 8g weight loss.
However, personally, in this Galaxy Z4 series, the improvement of the fold function was more noticeable than the flip. This is because of the role of ‘Task Bar’, which was created in collaboration with Microsoft. The task bar is a kind of menu bar at the bottom of the screen when Fold 4 is unfolded. It makes the screen of a smartphone similar to that of a PC.
In practice, it was quite useful. Calls, messages, Internet, notes, photos, and camera menus were placed on the task bar, so there was hardly any need to go to the home screen. By dragging the app into the screen, it was easily converted to a three-split screen. It was also easy to close. This means that ‘multitasking’, which was an advantage of the existing Fold product line, has been further strengthened.
Seeing that the multitasking function of the Fold product has improved over the years, I also had expectations that the Fold product line might absorb the demand for tablets.
The Fold 4 is often compared to Apple’s smallest tablet model, the iPad mini, but the actual screen size difference isn’t that big. The Fold 4 measures 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3mm when unfolded, while the latest iPad mini measures 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3mm. There is only a 4cm difference in length, but the rest are almost the same.
The under-display camera, which was introduced for the first time in the previous work, was also improved. Under display is a technology that applies display pixels over the camera hole. Samsung Electronics explains that in this new work, the visibility (shape and color easily recognizable) has been improved to further enhance the sense of immersion on the screen.
When I used the previous work, I felt that the pixels applied on the camera hole were visible and annoying, but the Fold 4 was not. When watching a video, it definitely felt more immersive than having a camera hole.
It is true that the Galaxy Z4 series lacks significant innovations. Customers who used to use the existing foldable phone may not be attractive enough to change the device. However, it is attractive enough for those who used a regular bar-type smartphone.
With the Galaxy Z4 series, Samsung Electronics is willing to take a step closer to the true popularization of foldable phones this year. Apple is criticized for “lack of innovation” whenever a new product is announced, but it records record-breaking sales every year. What regarding the results of Samsung Electronics’ 4th generation foldable phone, which focused on small improvements rather than big innovations?
