1520 euros. This is the price chosen by Samsung to market in our country Galaxy Z Flip, folding smartphone announced during the Unpacked event of 11 February 2020, in which the devices of the Galaxy S20 range were also unveiled. This is certainly a cost not for all budgets, but it is clear that Samsung's intent is, in the long term, to bring this type of product in an increasingly accessible price range. Just think of the fact that Galaxy Fold, the leaflet arrived in Italy in December 2019, costs 2050 euros.
In short, we have practically fallen by about 500 euros, arriving in the same range as the best iPhones. Seen in this light, the price quoted at the beginning takes on a completely different value, given that Galaxy Z Flip is, in fact, the least expensive folding smartphone from Samsung. In addition, the South Korean company has also made a good blow to the competition by announcing availability as early as February 14, 2020 and implementing a true top of the range hardware sector, as opposed to the one seen on Motorola's Razr. In short, in our view Samsung has hit its target with this announcement, but let's analyze in detail Galaxy Z Flip.
A top of the range that scares the competition
Being a new type of smartphone, the attention of enthusiasts is clearly directed mainly to the form factor and what can be done thanks to the latter. The technical characteristics therefore seem to have gone into the background, but in reality the South Korean company has taken a very important step. Galaxy Z Flip mounts indeed a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ octa-core processor operating at a maximum frequency of 2.9 GHz, flanked by an Adreno 640 GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal memory (not expandable).
We are talking about the first true folding smartphone in this price range that can compete with the top of the current range in terms of performance. In fact, Motorola RAZR, although costing 1599 euros in Italy, stops at a Snapdragon 710. In short, Galaxy Z Flip can not really say anything at a hardware level, given that it has a configuration similar to that of smartphones such as OnePlus 7T Pro and ROG Phone 2. Of course, the first devices with Snapdragon 865 are about to arrive, but we remind you that Galaxy Z Flip will be available from February 14th.
Another very important aspect to consider is autonomy. Galaxy Z Flip features 3300 mAh (two battery capacity). It might seem a value not the best if compared with what is offered by the classic smartphones on the market, but here we are talking about a leaflet with a "clamshell" design. This means that the physical space for a normal battery is simply not there and therefore other solutions must be found, such as the use of two batteries, to solve this problem.
The 3300 mAh of the Samsung fold are therefore a rather good value, since no one had ever managed to reach it with a device with this form factor (Motorola RAZR stops at 2510 mAh). Galaxy Z Flip also supports both 15W and 9W wireless charging. It will still take some time before we can break through the consumer market with folding smartphones, but if there is someone who has the technical skills to do it, that company is definitely Samsung.
Galaxy Z Flip also has some very interesting peculiar characteristics. In particular, the "rear" part of the smartphone, the one the user sees when the device is closed, houses a small 1.1-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 300 x 112 pixels and Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
The latter is positioned in the lower left, next to the LED flash and the 12MP dual camera (f / 1.8, Dual Pixel, OIS, zoom up to 8x) + 12MP (f / 2.2, wide angle, 123 degrees), and it is used to display information relating to the date, time, battery, calls and other basic notifications (for example, the content of an incoming message from Instagram). The dual camera records videos up to 4K / 60fps resolution. This is a rather interesting solution, since it allows you to answer calls and interact with your smartphone even when the latter is closed. Another innovative aspect is the possibility of positioning Galaxy Z Flip at 90 degrees on any surface. This allows, for example, to make video calls in comfort using the "front" 10MP (f / 2.4) camera.
About the inside of the device, we find a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED main panel with Full HD + resolution (2636 x 1080 pixels), 21.9: 9 aspect ratio, camera hole, HDR10 + support and Ultra-Thin Glass coating for scratch resistance.
The edges are not exactly the most contained, but on the other hand we are talking about a folding smartphone so it is also very important to create a structure that is solid and durable and that prevents the possible ingress of dust and dirt. From this point of view, Galaxy Z Flip seems to be very well built, thanks also to the "Premium" materials used. Even to the touch the feeling of solidity is palpable, especially in the hinge, less "creaky" than that seen on the Razr.
As for the software, Samsung has worked with Google to better adapt its One UI 2.1 based on Android 10 to the folding smartphone. There is therefore a Flex mode that allows a high degree of multitasking. Put simply, when you place Galaxy Z Flip at right angles, the screen is split into two parts, just as if there were two displays.
For example, you can watch a video on YouTube at the top of the screen while you are looking for others in the lower one and there is the possibility of opening two different applications.
In terms of connectivity, essentially nothing is missing: Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 / 5 GHz), NFC, Bluetooth 5.0 and USB Type-C port are in place. There is also a side fingerprint sensor, a double stereo speaker made in collaboration with AKG and unlocking with the face.
Supported SIMs are a nanoSIM and an eSIM. The dimensions of the smartphone are 167.3 x 73.6 x 7.2 mm when open and 87.4 x 73.6 x 17.3 mm when closed. The available colors are Mirror Purple and Mirror Black. Inside the sales package there are, in addition of course to the smartphone, the charging cable, a travel adapter, the pin for removing the SIM compartment, a USB connector (OTG), USB Type-C AKG earphones and a transparent case.
There is also a special version called Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition, which has a custom design from the well-known fashion brand and includes special editions of the new Galaxy Buds + earphones and the Galaxy Watch Active2 smartwatch. The price in this case is 2580 euros: pre-orders will open from February 14, 2020 and availability will start from March 6.
We remind you that instead the "basic variant" of Galaxy Z Flip will be available from February 14 at a price of 1520 euros.
