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If the idea of a phone with cool looks and cutting-edge tech gets your heart all of a flutter, then be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

Whet your appetite for this technological treat by reading through the latest tech specs for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, the stand-out features, the pros and cons of buying this phone and the best accessories to buy.

For multi phone insurance for modern technophiles, Gadget Cover works around the clock to ensure that all your tech is protected, no matter what life throws at it.

Contents

Chapter 1        Introducing the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Chapter 2        Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 – quick look

Chapter 3        In depth:  Design

Chapter 4        In depth: Display

Chapter 5        In depth: Software

Chapter 6        In depth:  Performance

Chapter 7        In depth: Camera

Chapter 8        In depth: Battery life and charging

Chapter 9        Weighing up the pros and cons of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

Chapter 10      Brilliant accessories perfect for your Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Introducing the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Launched in the UK at the tail-end of August, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is the South Korean tech firm’s latest all-singing, all-dancing, premier flippable offering for 2022. With a price tag of £999 for the 128GB version, this is a serious investment in a ‘fun’ phone definitely aimed at the younger crowd.

Samsung has certainly cornered the market when it comes to folding phones. Be aware, there are two main types of folding phones currently on the market.

The first type are ‘full’ foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold. These have all the benefits of a regular phone, but with the added advantage of an inner display that rivals tablets for screen real estate. As you would imagine, these are very desirable and far from cheap.

Alongside these are the more affordable but less common clamshell foldables (also called flippables). These fold up like old-school flip phones, offering flagship phone functionality but in a much more pocket-sized form than regular phones.

So, while the more ‘mature’ consumer is probably going to opt for the Galaxy Z Fold 4, there’s a lot to recommend the Galaxy Z Flip 4, too.

The Flip 4 is most certainly the best clamshell-style foldable phone to date and offers some distinct improvements on last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 3. While the changes are by no means revolutionary, you will find plenty to be happy about with a slimmer design, a bigger battery, improved durability, and a faster processor.

Already making an appearance in many tech-savvy top-buy lists, it’s certainly one of the phones to beat when it comes to folding smartphones. Check out this list from the gadget gurus over at TechRadar for other folding phones you might want to consider.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 – quick look

For those who know their way around tech specs, here’s an overview of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. If mobile phone jargon really isn’t your speciality, don’t worry, we’ll look in more detail at each of these features below.

• Starting price: £999
• Dimensions (folded): 71.9 x 84.9 x 15.9 - 17.1 mm (2.8 x 3.3 x 0.62 - 0.67 inches)
• Dimensions (unfolded): 71.9 x 165.2 x 6.9mm (2.8 x 6.5 x 0.27 inches)
• Weight: 187g (6.5 ounces)
• Build: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, Armour Aluminium frame
• Inner screen size: 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2640 x 1080 pixels, 425 ppi
• Inner screen refresh rate: 1-120Hz
• Inner screen brightness: Up to 1,200 nits (peak)
• Cover display: 1.9-inch Super AMOLED, 512 x 260 pixels, 302 ppi
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, Octa-core CPU, Adreno 730 GPU
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Front camera: 10MP selfie (f/2.4)
• Rear cameras: 12MP wide-angle (f/1.8), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2)
• Zoom: Up to 10x digital zoom
• Video recording: 4K UHD video recording up to 60 fps, 1080p FHD video recording up to 60 fps
• Battery: 3,700 mAh
• Battery life: 8 hours 33 minutes (with adaptive refresh rate on), 8 hours 57 minutes (running at 60Hz)
• Charging: 25W wired fast-charging, 5W wireless
• 5G: Yes
• Face ID: Yes
• Water resistance: IPX8 (submersion in up to 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes)
• Software: Android 12 with One UI 4.1
• Colours: Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, Blue. Also available through Samsung as a Bespoke Edition with other colours.

In depth: Design

The Flip 4 is definitely a continuation of the classic clamshell design we all know and love. And if you’ve already got to know the pocket-sized Flip 3 over the past year, then you probably won’t notice many changes here.

Just as the Fold 4 is strikingly similar to the Fold 3, Samsung has clearly opted for refinement rather than a wholescale redesign this year. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to interest the phone design geeks.

When you take a closer look at the phones side-by-side, you’ll notice the Flip 4 has flatter sides and offers some nice grip to an already ergonomically delightful design. Samsung has also worked hard to make the hinge slimmer and lighter, although there is still a noticeable hinge gap when the phone is closed.

There are slimmer bezels and the back glass and metal frame also contrast nicely to create a more refined design overall. While we love the Graphite, Bora Purple, Pink Gold, and Blue colourways, there’s also a bespoke edition available direct from Samsung that allows for more personalisation.

But even if you don’t go for a bespoke edition, Samsung has also produced a nice range of cases to complement the phone. Take a look at the Samsung Flip 4 accessories page for more gorgeous design details - we just love the Bora Purple Galaxy Buds2 Pro!

Unfortunately for fans of legacy tech, just like with the Flip 3, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack here. There’s also no microSD card slot either. Fortunately, if you are a heavy user Samsung has added a 512GB Flip 4 variant to the roster.

When it comes to the IP rating for the phone, the Flip 4 is water resistant and has an IPX8 rating. Which means it can withstand a full submersion in freshwater.

But if you’re thinking about taking it to the beach then it might be worth a rethink. Just like its bigger brother the Fold 4, the Flip 4 is still not dust resistant.

When you’re looking for multi phone insurance for you and your family, you’ll want a policy that covers your phone against liquid damage. However your phone gets submerged, you’ll want a multi phone insurance policy that will repair or replace your tech if needs be.

In depth: Display

Open up the Flip 4 and you’ll be met by a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 2640 x 1080 resolution, an adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and a 1200 nit peak brightness.

Sounds great, but it also sounds a bit familiar as it’s pretty much identical to the Flip 3’s display.

That said, does every new phone need to deliver stellar improvements on the previous model? The screen still looks great, especially when pumping out HDR visuals. And Samsung has done a good job at hiding the display crease, even if it is still too prominent for our liking.

The Flip 4 also continues to carry a small 1.9-inch, Super AMOLED cover display on the outside offering 512 x 260 resolution. This little panel is semi-customisable and perfect for displaying photos as your wallpaper.

It also provides a convenient peek at the time and date, weather, timers, contacts, notifications and music playback. But perhaps its best use is as a viewfinder for taking selfies using the two rear cameras found right next to it.

Having both a folding screen on the inside and a small screen on the outside means accidental damage can easily happen. If you have a multi phone insurance policy arranged through Gadget Cover, even minor screen cracks can be covered.

In depth: Software

While the Flip 4 ships with a heavily modified version of Android 12 as standard, that’s not the whole story. Having a folding display means there are lots of cool features exclusive to the Flip 4.

Flex Mode is probably the highlight of these, and will undoubtedly appeal to a younger crowd of content users and creators. When the Flip 4 is partially folded it splits the app you’re using, putting the main content on the upper half and additional options on the bottom half.

Many of the most popular apps including YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok work very well with this. It’s certainly something worth considering if you’re a keen content creator.

The Flip 4 also has some great widget options for the cover screen beyond the usual notifications, battery percentage, weather and time. You’ll have a lot of fun customising this little screen. 

And finally, don’t forget the Flip 4 enjoys Samsung’s top-tier update policy. So, your phone will get four years of platform updates and five years of security patches. It really is the best software support offered anywhere in the market.

Such a future-proofed phone means you can go longer before you’re in need of an upgrade. Or you can pass it on to a younger member of the family, safe in the knowledge that they’ll still get plenty of use out of it. Just make sure you’re covered by the right multi phone insurance policy to protect all your tech.

In depth: Performance

As you would expect from smartphone behemoth Samsung, when it comes to powerful performance there’s really not going to be a problem with the Flip 4. Coming with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, you won’t be disappointed with this powerful little phone.

Apps open quickly, menus scroll flawlessly and you’ll have no problems keeping up with even the most demanding of online gaming sessions. Yes, it would be nice to have more than the 8GB of RAM on offer, but for most users this is probably still enough.

But no matter how well engineered Samsung phones are, there’s still the possibility they could break down. So, make sure any multi phone insurance policy you have includes adequate breakdown cover.

In depth: Camera

In all honesty, if you’re looking for a camera phone to take the best photos around then you’re probably better off looking at flagship contenders such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the Google Pixel 6 Pro or perhaps Samsung’s very own Galaxy S22 Ultra.

However, if your needs are slightly less discerning, the Flip 4 has a solid camera package and does a good job at taking some great-looking snaps. The Flip 4 offers a rich colour palette, handles low light situations well, and comes with some really unique shooting modes.

Many globe-trotters swear by their mobile phone to take the best holiday snaps possible. If you decide to take your Flip 4 abroad on your next trip, remember to check if your insurance covers use of your gadget anywhere in the world.

And if you’re taking more than one phone along, make sure you have the right multi phone insurance arranged through us.

In depth: Battery life and charging

When it comes to battery life and charging, the Flip 4 has some decent upgrades compared to its predecessors in the Flip range. With a bigger 3,700mAh battery and faster 25W charging, reviewers have praised Samsung for dealing with two of the main weaknesses of previous Flips.

Laptop Mag, in particular, was full of praise for the fact that Samsung’s claim that the Flip 4 offers three more hours of battery life than the Flip 3 weren’t far off target. Its tests showed that the Flip 4 ran for 8 hours and 33 minutes on default settings compared to the Flip 3’s 5 hours and 43 minutes.

And while the Flip 4 pretty much maxes out at a single day of use, at least Samsung has also bumped up wired charging speeds from 15W to 25W. Digital Trends found that this took the Flip 4 from 5% remaining to a full battery recharge in an hour and 16 minutes. 

Weighing up the pros and cons of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

If you’re in the market for a flippable phone, then the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is undoubtedly the best on the market today. It gives you refined styling, a good-looking display, a powerful processor, decent camera tech, a bigger battery, and faster charging speeds.

But are you still undecided? And is it really worth the money? Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons.

Pros of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

• Cool clam-shell design refreshed from last year.
• Much better battery life.
• Faster charging.
• Smaller and lighter hinge.
• Improved durability.
• Affordable price compared to ‘full’ foldable phones.
• Great performance from the top-of-the-range processor.
• Camera night mode produces impressive results.
• High level water resistance.
• Software updates should future proof for years to come.
• It’s a lot of fun.

Cons of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

• Still a pricey phone.
• Minimal camera upgrades compared to last year’s model.
• Display crease is still noticeable.
• No dust resistance.
• If you can get last year’s Flip 3 at a discount then it could be worth considering.

This is a seriously fun phone to own, but if a close family member wants to have a go, you’ll need to protect your latest purchase from any damage.

To save any arguments, make sure family cover is also included as part of any multi phone insurance policy. And your excess is set at the right level.

Brilliant accessories perfect for your Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

We take our mobile phones pretty much wherever we go and they are an increasingly essential part of everyday life. In fact, six in 10 people say they couldn’t cope more than a day without their phone.

And adding accessories to your mobile can make them even more useful!

When you get a new Flip 4, consider snapping up these extras while you’re at it.

• Silicon cover with strap
  The best way to keep your stunning flippable phone in great condition is to buy a cover. These covers from Samsung come with an additional strap or ring so you can hold it securely.
• Screen protector
  Android Central has a rundown of the best Flip 4 screen protectors available now.
• 25W power adapter
  You won’t get one in the Flip 4 box so you’ll need to buy one separately if you want Super Fast Charging.
• Power bank
  As we’ve said, the Flip 4 doesn’t have the largest battery on the market. This can be a real problem if you’re using the camera a lot and are far from a powerpoint. A power bank will keep you well topped up.
• Galaxy Buds2Pro
  With no headphone jack, it’s time to invest in some wireless headphones. We love the Bora Purple colour but you can also go for Graphite or White. These feature active noise cancellation.
• 15W Wireless Charger Duo
  If you want to wirelessly charge your Flip 4 and your headphones at the same time then you’ll want this useful charger.
• Multi phone insurance
  Okay, it might not be an accessory but it’s certainly something you’ll want to buy at the same time.

If you buy any of these smartphone accessories then check whether they’re covered by your multi phone insurance policy. If they’re lost, stolen or damaged at the same time as your other gadgets, then you might get them replaced.

So that’s the ultimate guide to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. But remember, with technology changing all the time there are always possible tweaks that might need to be made to this guide. Who knows what Samsung might have in store for the next edition of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip!

If you’ve bought a Flip 4 recently and discover something interesting, we’d love to hear from you. Let us know your tips and tricks.