If you're veryonline,?????? ??? ??????? ???????? ????????? it's likely you've seen Samsung's new Z Flip 3 pop up on your social feeds. And for a split second, you might've even stopped scrolling and thought about purchasing one of these flippy bois.
While I'd love to tell you whether or not you should buy it, I can't yet. It's only been a few days since Samsung sent me my review unit. But having used the original Z Flip for a short 24 hours back in 2020, I can tell you about some of the notable changes Samsung made to its third-generation foldable.
Here are five things to know about Samsung's Z Flip 3:
1. It's built for even the clumsiest of people
I'd really like to see someone drop a Flip 3 from a rooftop. Credit: Brenda stolyar / mashable Sure, the Z Flip series doesn't have as troubled of a past as the original Z Fold did in terms of durability. But that didn't stop Samsung from coating the Flip 3 in as much protective material as possible.
The outside of the phone is made up of "Armor Aluminum," which Samsung claims is its strongest aluminum ever on a Galaxy smartphone. The cover display also features a layer of Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus — which is Corning's strongest glass ever. The main display, on the other hand, is made up of the company's Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) plus a few additional protective layers of plastic.
Are you spotting a pattern here? Because, same. And, to top it all off, it's also IPX8 rated. In plain English, that means you can safely take the phone out in the rain and submerge it in water (5 feet for up to 30 minutes, to be exact).
2) Adorable animals greet you on the cover display
A CUTE LIL BUNNY. Credit: brenda stolyar / mashable The Z Flip 3's bigger cover display is already one of my favorite upgrades. The increase from 1.1-inches to 1.9-inches makes a huge difference. You can now see more notifications at once and add useful widgets (like weather, timer, alarms, and today's schedule).
But the best part about it is the new animated clock. You'll have the choice between animals or blob-like formations with eyeballs — both of which change whenever you tap on the cover screen.
Said blob-like formation with eyeballs Credit: screenshot / samsung It'll definitely eat up your battery life, but the animations are so freakin' cute I don't even mind it. (I can happily sit here and tap on the display all day.)
3) There's an even smoother scrolling experience
A standard for flagships at this point. Credit: brenda stolyar / mashable As with every Samsung flagship nowadays, the Fold 3 features a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling. It's adaptive though, so it'll help to save battery life and only kick in when you actually need a high refresh rate. But you also have the option to go back down to 60Hz via settings.
4) Say goodbye to metallic colors and hello to muted tones
I miss the metallic colors, though. Credit: brenda stolyar / mashable I'm sad that Samsung basically teasedus with those stunning metallic colors (like mirror purple and mirror gold) on the first-generation Z Flip and then decided not to offer them this year. The Z Flip 3 instead comes in more muted colors including cream, green, lavender, and phantom black.
Samsung sent me the cream-colored Z Flip 3 and I... kinda like it? It's a color that's weirdly soothing and also easy on the eyes.
Still, I would've much preferred waving around a flashy, reflective clamshell phone in public solely for the purpose of attracting unnecessary attention.
5) It has a far more attractive price tag
Your wallet will hurt a little less when purchasing this one. Credit: brenda stolyar / mashable Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which is only $200 less than the Z Fold 2, the Z Flip 3 is $450 cheaperthan its predecessor. Still, it'll cost you about $1,000 for a base model, but hey, that's better than before.
Again, whether or not the Z Flip 3 will actually be worth the investment remains to be seen. So be sure to check back soon for a full review.
UPDATE: Aug. 16, 2021, 9:14 p.m. EDT This article was updated to clarify the Z Flip 3's cover display is made of Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus. The main display consists of Samsung's Ultra Thin Glass.
Topics Samsung