After a long wait, the Samsung Unpacked event finally happened today, and just as it should be, Samsung announced its next-generation offerings. Smartphones that got unfolded in this event Include the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Sadly, we’ll have to bid goodbye to our good old Galaxy Note, as there wasn’t any trace of them.
Including these two, Samsung also announced its all-new Galaxy Watch 4 series, based on Google Wear OS. Along with that, we also got to see the Galaxy Buds 2 today. Continuing their partnership, Samsung also revealed the Thom Browne Limited Editions for every product announced today.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: Specifications
Unfolding the Galaxy Fold 3 first, let’s start with the cutting-edge displays. Like the previous Fold, this time also, there’s a cover display and a foldable display on the inner side. The latter measures 7.6″ diagonally and has a resolution of 1768 x 2208 pixels. It’s a Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz fast refresh rate and has a PET film on top for protection.
The 6.23″ Dynamic AMOLED display on the front end also has a refresh rate of 120Hz and Gorilla Glass Victus for protecting it. The resolution is capped at 816 x 2260 pixels. As speculated earlier, the inner display features an under-display selfie camera like the just-launched Mi Mix 4. Standard features include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and dual-stereo speakers.
Under the hood, we have Qualcomm’s flagship — Snapdragon 888 5G SoC. One can choose from 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB or 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage type. Software plays a significant role in a foldable phone, and even Samsung couldn’t stop praising itself. Long story short, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 runs on OneUI 3, based on Android 11.
Optics on the rear include a trio of 12MP sensors, with an ultra-wide and a 2X telephoto sensor. Both the primary and telephoto cameras support optical image stabilisation (OIS), whereas the ultra-wide lens has a field of view of 123-degrees. The cover display houses a 10MP selfie camera, and the USP — Samsung’s first Under-Display Selfie Camera on the inner side has a resolution of 4MP, which lies hidden when looked afar.
The Fold 3 packs a 4,400mAh battery, coupled with 25W Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging. There’s also support for wireless and reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 also comes with S-Pen support, a specialised one, though. Both the S-Pen Fold edition and S-Pen Pro have a rubber tip with a blunt end. The S-Pen Pro comes with Bluetooth connectivity and can be used with other S-Pen supported phones and tablets, including the Z Fold 3. This time, both the Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3 are IPX8 rated for water resistance.
Galaxy Z Flip 3: Specifications
The vertically folding 6.7″ FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display has a tall 22:9 aspect ratio. The refresh rate is still 120Hz, and there’s a generously sized display on the rear as well. The rear panel measures 1.9″ and has a resolution of 260×512 pixels. Like the Galaxy Fold 3, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 can perform free-hold or the ability to lock its orientation at any angle. The rear panel has Gorilla Glass Victus on top for protecting it.
Samsung offers the same processor on the Z Flip 3, i.e. the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G. The phone comes with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM as standard and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage on the base model. And yes, the Flip 3 also runs on OneUI 3 based on Android 11.
The camera setup on the rear is similar to the Galaxy Fold 3, the main difference being the lack of a 12MP 2X telephoto lens. That said, the specs read out a 12MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor with a 123-degree field of view. The selfie camera has a resolution of 10MP. One can use the rear cameras to capture selfies with the help of the cover display, which also acts as a viewfinder.
The Flip 3 packs in a 3,300mAh battery and supports 15W Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging. Along with that, it also supports wireless and reverse wireless charging as well. As said earlier, the Flip 3 is IPX8 rated. Other specs include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, dual-stereo speakers, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC above all. The chassis of both Galaxy Fold 3 and Flip 3 use Samsung’s Armour Alumunium.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 & Z Flip 3: Pricing and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 starts at $1,799.99 (roughly ₹1,33,600) for the base 12GB+256GB variant. Pricing for the 12GB+512GB variant is unknown. The phone will be available in Phantom Black, Phantom Green, and Phantom Silver colour options.
In contrast, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 starts at $999.99 (roughly ₹74,200) for the base 8GB+128GB variant. Pricing for the 8GB+256GB variant is unknown. The phone will be available in Cream, Green, Gray, Lavender, Phantom Black, Pink, and White colours. The Gray, Pink, and White colour options will be exclusive to the Samsung.com online store.
Pre-registration begins today, and buyers can enjoy a year of Samsung Care+ for free, which includes a one-time screen replacement as well. The phones will be available to buy from August 27, 2021.
India availability and exact pricing is still a mystery and should be thrown light upon very soon. However, pre-reservations of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3 have already started in India from the 7th of August, and reserving them now by paying ₹2,000 will fetch you a free Samsung Smart Tag and Risk-Free Purchase, which includes a 100% refund on cancellation.