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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 First Impressions
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 First Impressions

by Aiman MaulanaSeptember 7, 2021
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As many of you may know by now, Samsung recently launched a couple of new foldable smartphones. In this particular case, we got our hands on the main event, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3. While the review will still take some time to complete, we are going to share our first impressions of the new device in the meantime.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 First Impressions

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 First Impressions

Just like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 presents the idea of having a tablet and a smartphone as a singular device. You can have it folded to be as wieldy as your average smartphone and unfold it to have a much bigger screen size, like a tablet. This device comes in a similar black box as its predecessor, albeit thinner. Inside, you can find the following items:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 First Impressions

  • USB-C to USB-C cable
  • User guide
  • Warranty card
  • SIM Ejector tool
  • The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 itself

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 First Impressions

For our review unit, we received the Phantom Black color variant. You have a clean matte black finish that isn’t susceptible to fingerprints and smudges. As you can see, it has a triple-camera system in the rear. The sides are metallic and as you can see, it has a smaller outer display with a much larger inner display. It has undergone significant improvements in terms of durability.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 uses a 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and S Pen support for the unfolded display, which is also where the under-display camera can be found. As for the outer display, you have a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, which has been upgraded from Super AMOLED and also has 120Hz refresh rate when compared to its predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 First Impressions

Based on initial usage, the performance is what I would describe as high-tier given the immense power of the Snapdragon 888. Added together by its amazing stereo speakers, you can get an immersive multimedia experience with it. If you want a more private experience, you’ll need to use either a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter or a wireless audio solution.

As far as UI goes, there is one notable improvement that I’ve noticed thus far. Previously, the large display will display everything a regular smartphone would but much larger. For a number of apps, it will display as if you have two smartphone screens side-by-side. This is especially helpful when I go through my emails and to my understanding, more apps will begin to support this type of view.

For additional reference, our review unit of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 is running on Android 11 with the One UI 3.1.1 skin.

Specifications

CPU: Snapdragon 888 (1 x Kryo 680 @ 2.84 GHz + 3 x Kryo 680 @ 2.42 GHz + 4 x Kryo 680 @ 1.8 GHz), 5nm
GPU: Adreno 660
RAM: 12GB
Display: Main Screen

7.6″ QXGA+ (2208 x 1768), Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display, 374ppi, S Pen support, HDR10+, 120Hz, New Protective Film, Redesigned Layer Structure (80% more durable)

Cover Display

6.2″ HD+ (2268 x 832) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, 387ppi, 120Hz Corning Gorilla Glass Victus

Storage: 256GB / 512GB UFS 3.1 (not expandable)
Camera: Main Camera(s)

12MP f/1.8 wide angle camera with Dual Pixel AF,
12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera,
12MP f/2.4 telephoto camera with OIS 2X Zoom,
Super Clear Glass with Gorilla Glass with DX

Cover Camera

10MP f/2.2 wide-angle camera

Under Display Camera

4MP f/1.8 wide-angle camera

OS: Android 11, One UI 3.1
Audio: Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot Bluetooth 5.2 5G Band: SA/NSA/Sub6 LTE-A (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps
SIM: Hybrid Sim (NanoSIM and eSIM)
Battery: Li-Po 4400 mAh (non-removable) dual battery 25W Fast charging, 11W wireless charging
Dimensions: Unfolded

158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 mm

Folded

158.2 x 67.1 x 14.4~16 mm

Weight: 271g
Ingress protection: IPX8
Colors: Phantom Green, Phantom Black, and Phantom Silver

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 First Impressions

For now, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 is in the middle of benchmark tests. I’ll be publishing my review of it as soon as I’m done with my testing so stay tuned for that.

Want to check out the Galaxy Z Flip3 instead? Check out our first impressions of it by clicking right here.

About The Author
Aiman Maulana
Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. YouTuber, video editor, tech head, and a wizard of gaming. What's up? :)

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