I've been using the Galaxy Z Flip 4, the latest in Samsung's foldable flip phone series, for around two weeks as I write this. I wasn't going to review the device as I wouldn't get a unit on time here in India, but Samsung was still kind enough to send me one to try it out, and man, am I glad it did, because this phone is nearly perfect for a foldable series that's only been on the market for three years.
I've prefered the Galaxy Z Flip line over the Galaxy Z Fold series since day one as I prefer a regular phone that folds instead of a phone that turns into a tablet. But it has limitations that have kept me from spending money on one (despite the surprisingly attractive price tag) and using any of our Galaxy Z Flip review units for more than a few weeks.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is just too damn good
The lack of a zoom camera is one of those limitations, and the other has been the considerably small battery and slow charging that we found on the first two Galaxy Z Flip models (or three models, if we count the Z Flip 5G separately). Well, the Z Flip 4 doesn't have a zoom camera, either, but Samsung has thankfully addressed both battery life and battery charging speed, making it nearly perfect.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 pretty much has it all you expect from a Samsung flagship, including surprisingly great battery life despite a battery capacity that's still not all that high (I assume a major contribution here is from the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor). And the Z Flip 4 has got more and more folks interested in the lineup, including my boss Danny, who's been team Galaxy Fold since the beginning.
In fact, I also got asked about it by my colleague and SamMobile co-founder Daniel, and I just couldn't stop singing its praises. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is really special, and it's the first Samsung foldable that I've started recommending to anyone who asks if it's worth it. Again, it's not a phone for anyone who wants a full-featured flagship camera experience, but for anyone else, it's excellent.
I do understand that there are still some things that need work. The plastic foldable screen continues to be a liability waiting to happen, but bendable glass for phones is still mostly a pipe dream so the plastic screen is something we will have to make do with for a few more years. Samsung also needs to work on making the crease on its foldable displays less prominent. I think the Z Flip 4's crease is less prominent than the Z Flip 3's, but that might just be a placebo effect as I don't have a Z Flip 3 to compare them side by side.
All that said, if you want to know if you should get a Galaxy Z Flip 4, I'd say the answer is yes as long as you're okay with not having a zoom camera on the rear. You could wait until next year to see what further improvements Samsung makes to the Galaxy Z Flip series, but if waiting isn't your thing, just go out and buy this phone.
And if foldables aren't your thing and you're shopping in a similar price segment, there's always the Galaxy S22 or Galaxy S22+ to fall back on, although I'd recommend only buying the Snapdragon variant. Or rather, have a little patience and wait to see what the Galaxy S23 series will bring to the table next year. We're merely 4-5 months away from the Galaxy S23's launch and you wouldn't want to have buyer's remorse just a few months later by opting for the S22 or S22+ right now (unless you get an excellent discount).
