The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is Samsung’s 2022 iteration of its clamshell hinge foldable phone. It’s marketed as a foldable for the fashion-minded, with its availability in a range of pastel colours.

But what does the phone offer to users? I spent some time with the device and this is what I found…

Galaxy Z Flip 4 features: How is it different?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 has many similarities to its predecessor, the Flip 3, with a few key changes.

This includes improvements to its durability, especially thanks to its aluminium frame. Samsung also says its main screen is stronger than ever, capable of withstanding over 200,000 folds.

The cover screen has also undergone a few improvements. It’s now easier to preview selfies taken with the main camera. There have also been software improvements for the cover screen, allowing you to do more and see more when it comes to notifications and settings.

But many of the other features of the phone are the same as its predecessor. Both phones include a FHD+ Super AMOLED display. The dual rear camera features two 12MP lenses, while the selfie camera features a 10MP lens.

Both phones also include 8GB of RAM. However, the Flip 4 includes a slightly bigger battery at 3700mAh, as opposed to the Flip 3’s 3300mAh battery.

You can see a summary of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 specs below:

• Cover display: 1.9-inch Super AMOLED (512 x 260 pixels) display
• Main display: 6.7-inch FHD+ (2640 x 1080 pixels) AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate
• Processor: 4nm octa-core processor
• Main camera: 12MP ultra-wide lens + 12MP wide-angle lens
• Selfie camera: 10MP
• Battery: 3700mAh battery
• RAM: 8GB
• On-board storage: 256GB

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 experience

Many of the benefits of the phone come from its foldable design. Thanks to the clamshell-style folding, you get a large screen that can still fit in your pocket. If you wear women’s clothing, which has tiny pockets (if any pockets at all), this is a major element in the device’s portability.

It fits comfortably in the hand, the fingerprint button is easily reachable, while the phone is light and compact.

The foldable format also helps to protect the screen from scratches, which makes you more comfortable storing the device in a bag with other items.

The cover screen is useful, allowing you to see any notifications you may miss from having the device folded closed. By adding widgets, you can also unlock more functionality, such as navigating through your Spotify playlist.

The cover screen is also customizable, allowing you to add a bit of your own personality to the device.

Despite its increased durability, there are still a few things you can’t do with the Flip 4, and foldable phones in general.

As it warns you when you first start the phone up, you shouldn’t press the screen with a hard object like your fingernail. The phone isn’t dust resistant. While it is water resistant, you shouldn’t immerse it in sea water or alcohol.

The magnets on the phone also mean that you should keep it away from credit cards, hotel room cards, and other devices that could be affected by magnets, including implantable medical devices. This would potentially affect the phone’s ability to be used by people with cochlear implants, insulin pumps, pacemakers, and other medical devices that will likely end up within 15cm of the phone.

The warnings that come with the phone mean that despite the increased durability, you still worry about what the phone will be exposed to. If you’re in a sandy or dusty environment, you have to worry about these particles entering the phone.

During a pandemic, when you might be more likely to clean your phone with alcohol, the phone’s resistance also poses a concern.

This means that phone’s form factor is both convenient, and somewhat of a drawback. If Samsung is able to achieve higher levels of liquid proofing and dust resistance, some of these drawbacks could be offset.

Galaxy Z Flip 4 camera

The form factor of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 also brings versatility to its camera. By folding the phone halfway, so that it forms a 90-degree angle (called Flex Mode), it is able to rest on its bottom half – acting as its own tripod.

This is great when you want to take selfies or other pictures while resting the phone on a surface like a table. It even lets you be more creative with the angles you use while taking pictures with the phone in your hand.

Like its predecessor, the Flip 4 takes great pictures. Combined with Samsung’s software, images come out bright and well-defined.

This won’t be the same experience as using the camera of Samsung’s ultra-premium devices like the S22 Ultra, but it’s great for social media uploads and casual usage.

Macro images in particular come out well, but you may struggle when trying to capture moving objects.

Performance and battery life

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 works well when it comes to daily performance. The software is fast and responsive, it can play games with reasonable performance. When using other apps, the phone switches modes easily to accommodate Flex Mode.

In a PCMark for Android test, the phone scored 14,188 for its work 3.0 test score. This puts it around the average performance level of the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

In terms of battery life, it can get you through a substantial portion of the day. However, you’re still likely looking at daily charging.

In its battery test in PCMark, the phone lasted 10 hours. This means it took 10 hours for the phone to drain from 100% to 20% when performing a range of tasks such as browsing, opening apps, and playing video.

While this isn’t the best battery life for a 2022 device, it’s decent enough to get you through the day.

Galaxy Z Flip 4 review verdict

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is another robust entry into Samsung’s foldable range. While I would have liked to see more changes between it and its predecessor, it still delivers a great experience with a versatile form factor.

If you’re looking to dip your toe into the foldable experience, the Flip 4 offers the perfect device that balances usability with versatility.

However, make sure you’re ready for some of the tradeoffs that come with the foldable experience, such as no dust resistance.