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If you’re looking to invest in a flagship phone then you’ll no doubt be considering the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 or the iPhone 14 Pro, but which is better? Our helpful team at Gadget Cover has made the comparison much easier by putting together this quick guide to these great gadgets.

Samsung and Apple are two of the biggest rivals in the flagship smartphone market and regularly go head-to-head in best buy tables. So, when it comes to deciding between competing Samsung and Apple products, working out which will be right for you can be tricky.

But something every flagship device will need is the right insurance cover. So, if you’re looking for insurance for iPhone or Samsung handsets to protect your precious purchase then you’re in luck! The team at Gadget Cover have got the specialist knowledge to help.

Introducing the Z Fold 4 and iPhone 14 Pro

Foldables are a pretty big thing in the world of smartphones right now and currently a big differentiator between the two rival manufacturers. The Z Fold 4 is Samsung’s biggest foldable and, in our opinion, the best foldable on the UK market now.

On the outside of the Z Fold 4 you’ll find a small cover screen that’s great for answering messages, reviewing notifications and taking photos. And on the inside, you’ll find a tablet-sized display that’s perfect for multitasking.

Apple hasn’t entered the foldable market (yet) and is still focusing on its regular yearly round of iPhones. The iPhone 14 Pro is part of the latest range and is essentially a more powerful version of the iPhone 14.

With new features such as the so-called dynamic island, an always-on display and the latest A16 Bionic chip, the iPhone 14 Pro is at the top of many techy ‘best of 2022’ lists.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 versus iPhone 14 Pro – the ultimate tech spec stand-off

We’ve seen some amazing phones hit the market in 2022 and next year looks set to be even more exciting. But no matter how many new handsets come across our desks, one of our favourite things to do on launch day is to get hold of the specs and decide whether it’s time for an upgrade.

OK, so you might not have hours and hours to trawl through review sites. That’s why tech spec lists are a great place to start. They offer the quickest way to compare models and decide which is best for you.

Just like finding the right insurance for iPhone or Samsung models, you’ll want a clear run-down of what the latest products have to offer.

Before we dive deep into the details, let’s take a whistle-stop tour of the specs, looking at how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 measures up against the iPhone 14 Pro.

 

	Galaxy Z Fold 4	iPhone 14 Pro
Display size	Internal: 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex External: 6.2-inch HD Plus	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR all-screen OLED display
Display resolution	Internal: 2176 x 1812 pixels, 373ppi External: 2316 x 904 pixels	2556 x 1179 pixels, 460ppi
Refresh rate	120Hz	120Hz
Dimensions	Folded: 67.1 x 155.1 x 14.2mm (15.8mm with hinge) Unfolded: 130.1 x 155.1 x 6.3mm	71.5 x 147.5 x 7.85mm
Weight	263g	206g
Build	Gorilla Glass Victus+, Armour aluminium frame	Ceramic Shield front, textured matt glass back, stainless steel frame
Operating system	Android 12L	iOS 16
Camera	50 MP f/1.8 (main), 12 MP f/2.2 (ultra-wide), 10 MP f/2.4 (telephoto)	48 MP f/1.78 (main), 12 MP f/2.2 (ultra-wide), 12MP f/2.8 (telephoto)
Front-facing camera	4 MP f/1.8 (under display cover camera), 10 MP f/2.4 (front cover camera)	12 MP f/2.2
Video capture	Up to UHD 8K at 24fps	Up to 4K at 60fps
Processor	Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm), octa core	A16 Bionic chip, hexa-core
Graphics	Adreno 730	Apple GPU (5-core graphics)
RAM	12GB	6GB
Storage	256GB/512GB/1TB	128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery capacity	4,400 mAh	3,200 mAh
Charging	Fast charging: 25W Fast wireless charging: 15W	Fast charging: 20W Fast wireless charging: 15W
Fingerprint sensor	Side mounted	No
Face ID	Yes	Yes
Connector	USB-C	Lightning
5G	Yes	Yes
Water/dust resistance	IPX8 (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes)	IP68 (up to 6m for 30 minutes)
Colours	Grey Green, Phantom Black, Beige, Burgundy (Samsung.com exclusive)	Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple
Price	From £1,649 (256GB)	From £1,099 (128GB)

 

Diving deeper into the differences between the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and iPhone 14 Pro

So when you’ve got these two phones in front of you, how do they compare in terms of look, feel, performance and price? Let’s take a closer look.

Z Fold 4 v iPhone 14 Pro - Design

On first impressions, with its understated camera array and glass back panel, the Z Fold 4 is a good-looking phone with a premium feel in hand.

Compared to the previous Z Fold 3, the hinge has been slimmed down, the front display doesn’t seem as squashed, and it feels slightly less bulky than before.

That said, the folding display attracts fingerprints and marks like a magnet and the phone itself is still one of the heaviest out there. Almost twice as thick as a regular phone, it feels pretty weighty when it’s in your pocket.

Personal views on the phone’s design are likely to be coloured by your own views on the size, hinge and folding display. If you love the thought of a foldable and can think of a use for that huge display, then you might think the extra bulk is a small price to pay.

With its flat edges, surgical-grade stainless steel frame, and textured matte glass back, when you first unpack the iPhone 14 Pro from its box you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve bought one of last year’s iPhone 13 Pro models by mistake. But take a closer look and there are at least a couple of important differences.

First off, owing to a number of camera upgrades, the camera module on the back of the iPhone has got noticeably larger. So, if you don’t want it to wobble around when you’re using it on a table or counter then you’ll want an iPhone 14 Pro case to help.

More importantly from a design aficionado perspective, the front of the iPhone now looks a lot different. The much-maligned ‘notch’ has finally been removed and replaced with a pill-shaped ‘dynamic island’ (something which we will cover later in this review).

As you would expect from Apple, the iPhone 14 Pro has a really high-quality look and feel. And is much less susceptible to unsightly fingerprints than Android phones like the Z Fold 4.

Z Fold 4 v iPhone 14 Pro - Display

The Z Fold 4 opens up to give a big and bright beast of a display with a smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and HDR10+. This gives a tablet-like experience and is perfect for games, movies and a whole lot more.

Unfortunately, the phone's biggest asset can also be its most frustrating drawback. We’re sorry to report there’s still a very noticeable crease across the main display. And fingerprints and other marks show up very easily on the thinner, more flexible material used to make the folding display.

But this doesn’t need to be a deal breaker. Shows and movies still look great and if you’re into image editing or reading, then you’ll probably have no complaints. And if you throw an S-Pen stylus into your shopping basket then it’s a real dream when it comes to note-making and a whole range of other useful tasks.

Don’t forget you’ve also got a more traditional 6.2-inch display on the cover itself. You really are spoilt for screen-space with the Z Fold 4.

The new iPhone 14 Pro continues the Apple trend of offering market-leading displays that are crisper, brighter and smoother than pretty much anything else on the market.

The iPhone 14 Pro's Super Retina XDR OLED display is seriously impressive and a joy to use, whether you’re editing movies, watching TV or deep into a gaming session.

And that’s before we’ve even mentioned this is Apple’s first always-on display, too. Yes, its Android competitors have had this for a while now, but it’s good to see Apple finally joining the party.

Of course, as we mentioned above, perhaps the most noticeable change is the addition of the all-new dynamic island. This pill-shaped cut-out houses the front-facing camera and Face ID sensors but it also contains a small display, which can change shape and size depending on how you use it.

While it’s still only early days, the dynamic island seems like a genuine innovation and very intuitive to use. Fans say it could be used for a wide range of purposes, from displaying notifications and timers to keeping track of sports scores or your takeaway order.

Whichever phone you choose, insurance for iPhone and Samsung handsets really needs to cover those expensive screens. Gadget Cover insurance also protects against minor screen cracks.

Z Fold 4 v iPhone 14 Pro - Cameras

As you would expect in a phone that basically uses the same camera system as the highly-regarded Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus, the Z Fold 4 is no slouch when it comes to camerawork.

The rear camera array contains a new 50MP main sensor that’s partnered by a 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto snapper with 3x optical zoom and 30x Space Zoom.

Meanwhile the front of the phone has a dual camera set-up including a 10MP front cover camera and an admittedly under-powered 4MP under-display camera. There are great night photography options and with Flex Mode engaged you can take photos hands-free.

You’ll have great fun exploring what all five of these camera sensors can do. Although ultimately the 4MP under-display camera is probably never going to be your first choice for great shots.

But it’s not just the camera system itself that’s useful when taking photos, that large display also comes into its own. When you’re in the Camera app, if you partially fold the screen, one half will display the photos you've just taken, allowing for quick and easy editing and shot selection.

When we’re talking about the best camera phones, Apple products are always going to be somewhere in the mix, and the iPhone 14 Pro is no exception. Camera upgrades in the 2022 edition of the iPhone include a brand new and much beefier 48MP quad pixel main sensor which offers you four-times the detail and even better low-light shots.

Apple's new 'Photonic Engine' tech has also been added to the iPhone14 range and offers an impressive layer of AI to boost Deep Fusion image processing even further. Promising to bring out even more detail in mid-to-low-light settings, Apple always delivers when it comes to innovations in smartphone photography.

For budding filmmakers and videographers there have also been significant improvements. The new Action Mode is fantastic for content creators who want to produce smooth, handheld videos while moving fast, almost like using a gimbal. Perfect for shooting action shots, sports and similar.

Z Fold 4 v iPhone 14 Pro - Performance

As you would expect from a phone boasting 12GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, and up to 1TB of storage this is one powerful performer. Snappy, responsive and silky smooth to use, all that power makes it perfect for multi-taskers.

There's IPX8 water resistance and both the cover screen and the rear panel are made of Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, so should stand up to some punishment. And while the Z Fold 4 is not dust resistant it held up remarkably well in an online ‘torture test’ conducted by Zack from the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel.

The A16 Bionic chip is undoubtedly the most powerful smartphone chip in the world and is central to the latest iPhone's cutting-edge performance. Avid gamers and video editors will have more than enough power to play with on the iPhone 14 Pro. While the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 is narrowing the gap slightly on the Apple chip, it’s still way off the pace.  

The iPhone 14 Pro also carries some useful new safety features including crash detection and satellite connectivity for SOS messages. Although the latter hasn’t yet been rolled out in the UK and Europe yet.

Z Fold 4 v iPhone 14 Pro - Software

To make the most of that large folding screen the Z Fold 4 comes with the new Android 12L operating system on board. Designed especially for large-screen devices it makes multitasking both powerful and intuitive.

Software developments worth highlighting in the Z Fold 4 include a new fixed Taskbar at the bottom of the display, the ability to run up to three apps simultaneously on the same screen, and support for the S Pen Fold stylus.

One of the benefits of being able to run apps side by side is the ability to drag and drop. For example, say you have a recent holiday snap in the Gallery app, you can easily put it into an outgoing message in Gmail while also uploading it to your social media page.

The iPhone 14 Pro comes packaged with iOS 16 straight out of the box. We’ve said pretty much everything that needs to be said about this in our complete guide to the new iPhone update .

But something we didn’t mention is that while all compatible iPhones will have a similar experience using iOS 16, the iPhone 14 Pro will be different. This is because it has access to the dynamic island which really takes iOS 16 to the next level.

Z Fold 4 v iPhone 14 Pro - Battery

Despite being a big phone with two displays and potential for app multi-tasking, the Z Fold 4 doesn't offer a particularly large battery. If you’re a light to moderate user then it should be enough to get you through the day, certainly if you use the small outer display rather than opening up the larger one.

While the iPhone 14 Pro has an even smaller battery, the great power efficiency of Apple's A16 Bionic chip means that it doesn’t do too badly in tests.

Gadget reviewers take battery life testing very seriously. The team at Phone Arena have put both these phones through rigorous battery tests, the following scores were reached:

Z Fold 4 v iPhone 14 Pro - Price

There’s really no getting away from the fact that Samsung has really outdone itself with the Z Fold 4. But in few more striking ways than when it comes to the price tag.

According to Samsung, the current rather jaw-dropping prices for the Z Fold 4 are:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 (256GB): £1,649
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 (512GB): £1,769
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 (1TB): £2,019

But while it most certainly is an expensive phone, let’s be fair to Samsung – when it comes to the UK market, the Z Fold 4 is more or less in a class of its own. If you want a phone and tablet experience in one stunning package, then your choices are limited and you’ll need to dig deep.

On the other side of the smartphone divide lies Apple’s latest range of iPhones. Apple has priced the iPhone 14 Pro at:

• iPhone 14 Pro (128GB): £1,099
• iPhone 14 Pro (256GB): £1,209
• iPhone 14 Pro (512GB): £1,429
• iPhone 14 Pro (1TB): £1,649

If you want a larger display, then the iPhone 14 Pro Max versions of each of these models will cost you just £100 more. So, while it feels strange to say this about an Apple product, the iPhone 14 Pro certainly seems to be the more price-conscious option!

What’s the Gadget Cover verdict?

If you’re an iPhone fan, could the Z Fold 4 be the phone that makes you switch to Android? This is a big question to answer.

For those looking to get in on the folding revolution and don’t mind a hefty phone with a big price tag, the Z Fold 4 is probably the best foldable on the market right now. And there are many people who are making the choice to switch.

But on the other hand, with its incredible cameras, beautiful display and powerful performance, the iPhone 14 Pro pretty much outshines everything else around. And with such a big difference in price, you could even have enough to spare to buy yourself a separate iPad! Just make sure you have gadget insurance to complement your insurance for iPhones.

Find insurance for iPhones, Samsungs and more at Gadget Cover

You’ve made your choice! Congratulations! Now it’s just a matter of protecting your tech. We can find you instant insurance for iPhone and Samsung models at Gadget Cover.

Our policies can protect against common problems such as accidental damage, liquid damage, theft, breakdown and unauthorised usage. Our Gold, Silver or bronze covers provide our customers with a choice of options. Just select what cover suits you best and only pay for the cover you need. 

Insurance for iPhone handsets needn’t break the bank. Get a quote from Gadget Cover today.