Used to Flip, now I Fold
I'm reviewing the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and here are some random thoughts after using it for 48 hours.
It took missing the initial signature-required delivery and two trips to a FedEx shipping center in my area to get it, but this week, I got my hands on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Samsung’s latest high-end folding phone. It arrived three days prior to today, August 26th, which is the day it and the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 formally launch.
Last year, I had my first experience with a foldable phone with the Z Flip 3, and I was impressed with how much I liked it. I was fascinated at the concept of my phone collapsing into a different form factor every time I slid it back into my pocket. From the utility of it to the - well - awesomeness of it, something about folding your phone is charming (unsurprisingly) futuristic.
The Z Fold 4 has given me all of those same emotions, but dialed up a few notches. The screen’s bigger, it feels more premium thanks to extra heft, the sides are shinier, and I can watch a movie on this thing without feeling cramped after 25 minutes.
I have a few early thoughts on my experience that are kinda random, so bear with me.
Clunk!
Closing the Galaxy Z Fold 4 when I’m done using it is frickin’ awesome. The “clunk!” sound it makes when the two edges of the device meet is priceless. It sounds satisfying, it feels satisfying, and it lets everyone know your phone is just a bit more special than theirs.
Not that you’ll be buying this phone for bragging rights, but it kind of comes with the package.
So. Much. Room.
The 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is probably the roomiest smartphone display you’ll ever use. The second you open the Z Fold 4, you almost never want to close it. Everything from apps to games to videos feels far more spacious and comfortable to look at compared to traditional phone screens, and it feels even bigger once you’ve used the 6.7-inch cover screen which remains a little too candy bar-like.
It’s a different experience that what the Z Flip line gives you which is only impressive when you flip it shut. The Z Fold is the opposite, impressing you when you fold it open.
Granted, this is my first time using a Galaxy Z Fold of any kind, so my impressions have been sweetened by the honeymoon period with the device. That being said, I have a hard time believing anyone who hasn’t used a foldable before wouldn’t be impressed with the display the Fold 4 gets you. It’s just that good.
Typing is tricky
The folding display on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a 21.6:18 aspect ratio, while the cover screen is 23.1:9. Those are two extremely odd aspect ratios for a phone screen, but that’s obviously nothing new for Samsung. It is, however, new for me, and I’m having a hard time getting acclimated with typing on them.
The cover screen, while wider than the display on the Z Fold 3, is still really slim, so the keyboard is significantly skinnier than most smartphones. This makes hitting individual letters pretty tricky, so you have to almost rely on swipe typing exclusively for accuracy’s sake.
Then there’s typing on the folding display, which feels as foreign as typing on an 11-inch iPad after you’ve spent years on an iPhone 4. Samsung lets you split the keyboard to make it easier to hit the keys with your thumbs, but there’s definitely some mental gymnastics involved in getting used to it. Two days deep, I’m still accidentally hitting a lot of the wrong keys when writing messages.
Lol, this is dumb
One more thing on the cover screen:
The S Pen case is also dumb
Speaking of dumb things, I really don’t like this silicon “case” Samsung has been throwing around as a freebie for those who preordered the Z Fold 4. It’s a similar case to las years S Pen case for the Fold 3 with an S Pen Fold Edition included, a slot to store it, and a two-piece bumper-style case that clips onto the device itself.
Here’s my issue: the slot for the S Pen is on the back, and adds a great deal of thickness to the Fold 4 (which is already really chunky on its own). On top of that, it’s hard to actually get the pen out - you basically have to keep the device closed, pull the pen out with a separate hand from the one you’re using to hold the phone, and then worry about opening the display that actually works with the pen.
It’s a lot less convenient than the S Pen is on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. I don’t think I have to wait until I write my review to say this: if you want a phone with a stylus and are debating between the Fold 4 and S22 Ultra, get the S22 Ultra. This folding phone is not designed well for that purpose.
Fast and smooth
On the brighter side of things, I’m delighted by how fast and smooth everything feels on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 which has proven to be great for performance and efficiency. I expect nothing less from it in the Fold 4, but I’ll obviously need more time to see how it performs over time.
By the way, I’d like to note that Samsung has done one hell of a job optimizing the One UI experience for the Fold 4’s unique hardware. Transitioning from the cover screen to the folding screen is seamless and headache-free. I’ve had zero app crashes, multitasking is a breeze, and the new taskbar further pushes productivity in an excellent direction.
Samsung Cameras™
I’m not ready to tell you whether the cameras make or break the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but I can tell you that they seem like nothing more than traditional Samsung cameras. The few samples I’ve taken are very saturated, HDR-soaked, and a bit over-exposed. I’ll be comparing photos to the iPhone 13 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro in my review, so stay tuned.
Very good speakers
One final thought: the speakers on this thing are very good. They offer a decent amount of bass and excellent clarity. I especially like how they’re positioned - sort of in the vein of the iPad Pro with one on the top edge and another on the bottom edge. They also get pretty loud, loud enough I’d say to fill a medium-sized room easily.
I’m looking at immediately after Labor Day to publish my full thoughts on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, so be sure to stay tuned. I’m sure I’ll be sharing more thoughts during my review processor Twitter, so if you wanna read those as I tweet them, be sure to follow me.
September 7th
It’s official: Apple’s hosting another event. This time, it’s scheduled for the 7th of September (that’s a Wednesday, which is a little odd for Apple but not uncommon) at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. This will be the company’s first in-person event hosted at the Steve Jobs Theater since the iPhone 11 launch in September 2019.
I covered everything we’re expecting at the show in an article a couple of days ago, but it’s worth repeating here.
iPhone 14
That’s going too be the primary focus for this event, the iPhone. Apple will take the wraps off its new iPhone 14 series which is expected to offer 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen sizes, with the 5.4-inch Mini line being discontinued. It’s unclear what the regular iPhone 14 will be called in the 6.7-inch size, but some speculate it’ll be “iPhone 14 Max” to keep it in line with the 6.7-inch Pro model.
The iPhone 14 line is expected to look a. lot like the iPhone 13 with flat edges and screens, while the iPhone 14 Pro series is rumored to finally drop the notch and adopt hole-punch cutouts for the selfie camera and Face ID sensors. The 14 Pro will also get the next-gen A16 processor, while the regular 14 models are said to keep the A15 from last year. In addition, Apple’s ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate is expected to remain exclusive to the Pro line.
The cameras on the iPhone 14 line will see some upgrades, primarily in their design. Rumor has it Apple will get rid of the camera bump on this year’s iPhone line and instead fit each sensor into the main body of the phone, thereby making the devices slightly thicker. While it’s likely the 12MP sensors on the back of the iPhone 14 and 14 Max will be better than what was on the iPhone 13, it’s the 14 Pro and Pro Max that will see the biggest improvements thanks to a new 48MP main lens. This should help to capture much more detail, natural bokeh, light, and more. The selfie shooter on each new iPhone is also expected to be upgraded with autofocus.
Better battery life, an always-on display, and Wi-Fi 6E are also expected to make it to this year’s iPhones.
Apple is also expected to reveal a new line of Apple Watches during this event. The new Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to retain a virtually identical design to the Series 7, complete with (likely) the same chip and display sizes. To make it feel like a new watch, Apple will add a body temperature sensor, which could be used to let you know if you have a fever.
Apple Watch Series 8
There’s also a new Apple Watch “Pro” model on the horizon. Much like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, this new Apple Watch will be geared to those who go hard outdoors. It’ll sport a stronger body made of titanium, a larger display than the 45mm Series 8’s, a bigger battery, and additional fitness features.
A new Apple Watch SE is also in the cards which will offer better performance than the current model, but the same design and case options in 40mm and 44mm sizes.
AirPods Pro 2
In addition, Apple is rumored to introduce new second-gen AirPods Pro with lossless audio support and a new charging case that makes a sound if you lose it. Considering how sporadic Apple’s AirPods announcements typically are, it’s hard to say whether this will be the event we get the new Pro model. Right now, it seems likely they’re in the cards, but anything could change leading up to September 7th.
Other stuff
There’s a lot of Apple rumors going into the fall, with new iPad Pro models, a refreshed entry-level iPad, new MacBooks, and more all on the horizon. It’s unlikely any of this will be unveiled during the “Far Out” keynote, but you never know.
During the show, I’ll be hosting a liveblog on Matridox.com you can follow along to. I’m also gonna be tweeting a lot and sharing some takes with my fellow tech nerds. The four-month-long Techtember/Techtober marathon of new gadgets is just beginning.
More stories
T-Mobile and SpaceX’s new partnership will kill dead zones once and for all: The Uncarrier and Elon Musk’s space conglomerate have announced a new partnership that will let the carrier use lower-Earth orbit satellites to project its mid-band spectrum across the entire United States. This will blanket the country in coverage, so wherever you have a clear view of the sky, you’ll have some sort of connection, even in spots where you traditionally don’t have reception. Nothing will come from this partnership until the end of next year when this new bandwidth will roll out to certain users in certain areas, and you’ll be limited to SMS testing at first. (Eli Blumenthal / CNET)
MoviePass is coming back: It’s quite literally the company that refuses to die. MoviePass’ original owner and co-founder Stacy Spikes has confirmed he’s bringing the brand back after it collapsed back in 2019. It’ll have a new pricing structure and a credit-based system for buying movie tickets. It’s a far cry from what MoviePass used to be, so it’ll be interesting to see if the brand is able to resonate as well as it once did. (Matridox)
iPadOS 16 is delayed: To the surprise of no one, Apple is delaying the release of iPadOS 16 until after iOS 16 is released. The company claims it’s doing this because of the freedom having a separate OS for the iPad gives them, but it’s abundantly clear that all of the bugs and system instabilities currently in iPadOS 16 need more time to be worked on. Apple even released the first iPadOS 16.1 beta this week, which will replace iPadOS 16.0 as the first version of the new system that gets released. (Matridox)
I have a lot of unopened packages at my desk for devices I’m gonna review, but one I was incredibly amped to bust open was the box for my Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. I’ve been using them in conjunction with my Z Fold 4, and in my early testing, they’re nothing short of impressive.
Everything from the fit in your ear to the way they sound, these earbuds can undoubtedly be contenders for the best wireless earbuds of the year. Any song I throw at these things - whether it be “Vinyl Days” by Logic or “For Your Love” by The Yardbirds and Eric Clapton - sounds full with punchy bass, vibrant highs, and well-balanced mids.
Of course, I’ll have more to say in my full review, but just know that I am absolutely loving these buds.