There’s a stronger coating over the ultra-thin glass display Gorilla Glass Victus on the outside and tougher ‘Armor’ aluminium around the sides. To try and up the Z Flip 3’s durability, Samsung has changed a number of things. I’ve been using the Z Flip 3 solidly as my main phone for over a week now, which is enough to give a general overview but not enough time to see if it can survive over a long 24-month contract. Since Samsung’s first Fold device was heavily delayed after durability issues, the strength and long-term viability of these devices had been called into question. This takes the Flip 3 out of the luxury market and makes it far more accessible to those who would typically spend big on an iPhone. However, it’s not too dissimilar to phones such as the iPhone 12 Pro or Galaxy S21 Plus. The sub £1000/$1000 price point is still, of course, very expensive. This bevvy of changes makes for a far better phone. Samsung hasn’t made any particularly sweeping changes for the third iteration of its modern clamshell phone, instead tweaking and tuning lots of smaller bits. It’s now IPX8 rated for water resistance.The improved outer display is useful now.

While I don’t think it quite takes foldables into the mainstream (that could happen in 2022), it’s certainly the easiest device like this to recommend to the mainstream audience. It’s also the most fun I’ve had reviewing a phone all year. While the Z Fold 3 might get the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ due to its futuristic look, the retro charm of the Z Flip 3 surely gives it the tag as the most unique phone of 2021. It has taken a couple of attempts, but Samsung’s latest line of foldable phones finally have a clear reason to exist. With the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung has finally made a foldable clamshell phone that can be taken seriously.

Galaxy z flip 3