Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: Is it worth the $1799 price tag

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: Over the years, Samsung has gotten better with the technology of its foldable smartphones. The newly released Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is sitting in the midst of other foldable phones. Meaning Samsung is no longer monopolizing the foldable market and competition in that space is getting tougher.

There is the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 which prides itself as the thinnest foldable phone, there is the OPPO Find N which is the most compact foldable phone, and there is the vivo X Fold which is the best camera foldable phone. Although all the foldable phones mentioned above have their own unique feature, none is as productive as the Galaxy Z Fold 4. There are two unique features that make the Galaxy Z Fold 4 the favorite.

But is being a favorite enough reason why you should pay a hefty $1799 for a device? In this Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review, I’ll be sharing with you my experience with the phone thus far. And also share with you why this device is worthy to be the best foldable phone of 2022.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review

Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: Display, Design, and Durability

The display of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is not only bright but also very colorful and fast. Its inner display is a 7.6-inches Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X. This display supports 120Hz, HDR10+, and has a peak brightness of 1200 nits. Galaxy Z Fold 4 also has a 6.2-inches Dynamic AMOLED 2X outer display with support for a 120Hz, HDR10+, and is protected by a Gorilla Glass Victus+.

Aside from the bright, fast, and colorful display, the design of the device is also very impressive. It has very strong hinges that can hold the foldable screen ibn also any angle. The inner screen uses an under-display camera tech while there is a punch hole on the outer screen. The rear has a simple triple rear camera setup and the device looks really neat and beautiful.

The device is quite heavy and relatively big to hold or fit in a pocket when it’s folded. It weighs about 263g (9.28 oz) and its dimension when folded and unfolded are 155.1 x 67.1 x 14.2-15.8 mm and 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3 mm. It is about 15.8mm thick when it’s folded making it a relatively big device. But, when folded, it’ll fit in your bag without issues but you’ll notice its weight.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is one of the most durable foldable phones on the market right now. It is made of a Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+) (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), and an aluminum frame. It’s also IPX8 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) and features an Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance. Holding the phone feels very premium and the build is very solid.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: Chipset and Performance

The chipset inside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. This is a 5G chipset that has an octa-core CPU with one Cortex-X2 prime core, three Cortex-A710 big cores, and 4 Cortex-A510 small cores. This CPU is paired with the powerful Adreno 730 GPU. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset is not only powerful but also very power efficient.

Playing games and doing graphics-intensive tasks are very easy on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. There are no lags and no frequent throttling even when playing graphics-intensive games using the highest graphic settings. The big screen gives you a wider view of games and makes playing games even more enjoyable.

Another interesting thing about the chipset is that it does not get heated up easily. It can maintain optimum frame rates for a long time. Samsung also included an option in the settings to set adjust the chipset and get the best battery life and performance from the device. The device does not get HOT under heavy use and the smooth 120Hz adds to the joy of using the chipset.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: Camera

Although the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is not seen as a camera phone, it’s surprisingly good when it comes to taking photos and recording videos. This is because Samsung is using different camera sensors and a new ISP (from the one used in the Galaxy Z Fold 3).

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has three rear cameras and two front cameras (one on the inner screen and the other on the outer screen). It has a 50MP primary camera that has Dual Pixel PDAF and OIS features, a 10MP telephoto lens that can do 3x optical zoom with an OIS feature, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens on the rear. The inner display has a 4MP front camera placed under the screen and the outer display has a 10MP camera placed in a punch hole.

The quality of photos and video from the 50MP primary camera is really good. Its portrait mode, night mode, and its ability to balance white are really impressive. The photos from the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are bright, sharp, and true to life. You can record videos in 4K resolution using the cameras of the device.

But, the 4MP under-display camera is below average. The quality of photos and videos from the 4MP camera is just manageable. For selfies, I’ll advise you to use the 10MP camera on the outer display but you’re stuck with the 4MP under-display camera when making video conferencing. This is why the vivo X Fold still remains the foldable phone with the best camera setup.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: RAM, Storage, and Software

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with 12GB RAM that is paired with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of internal storage. There is no space for storage expansion via a microSD card slot. The 256GB base model has enough storage but you can throw in an extra $200 to get the 512GB storage version.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 boots One UI 4.1.1 based on Android 12L out of the box. This phone will be getting four years of major software updates and five years of monthly security patches. You can download apps and games from the Google Play Store. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has the best software and user experience in a foldable phone.

Multitasking is fun and the interface is now designed to look more like a PC. There is a taskbar beneath the screen that allows you easily switch between apps. You can also up to four different apps on the main screen and the animation is now smoother.

Samsung has worked with various apps to integrate its new FLEX MODE. This way, almost every app you download on your Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be able to use this mode. Apps like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc will now allow you to enjoy the FLEX MODE. You can set your Galaxy Z Fold 4 as a mini laptop on your bed and use one-half of the screen to watch videos or do video conferencing.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: Battery, Charging, and sensors

Powering the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a 4,400mAh battery with support for 25W wired fast charging. You can charge the battery from 0 to 100% in about 60 minutes. It has support for a 15W wireless charge and 4.5W reverse wireless charging technology.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and Face Unlock. Other sensors are Bixby natural language commands and dictation, Samsung DeX (desktop experience support), Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified), and Ultra Wideband (UWB) support.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: Price

The starting price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is $1799 for the base model with 12GB RAM + 256GB storage. The models with 12GB RAM + 512GB and 12GB RAM + 1TB are priced at $1,999 and $2,199 respectively.

Buy Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

Galaxy Z Fold 4	Price
Buy on Amazon	$1,799
Buy on Amazon(UK)	£1,649

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review: Conclusion

So is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 worth the $1799 price tag? The short and simple answer is YES. From this Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review, you can see that the device is one of the best foldable phones you can buy in 2022.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is productive (S PEN support), has a powerful chipset, good rear cameras, nice battery life, an awesome display, durable, and a good software experience. But the 4MP front camera is poor and just like every other foldable phone, it’s expensive. Two features that are only unique to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are Stylus Support ( S PEN) and IPX8 water resistance. These are the features you won’t get in any other foldable phones in 2022.