Samsung's Galaxy Flip 4 was a cracker of a foldable smartphone that still holds its value pretty well

As the tech industry gets ready to see Samsung launch the Galaxy Flip 5 and the Galaxy Fold 5, and setting yet another benchmark as to how foldable devices ought to be in 2023, I can’t help but look back at the outgoing Galaxy Flip 4 and what a cracker of device it was.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Galaxy Flip 5 will be an even better phone - afterall, Samsung has had some pretty tough competition from smartphone makers like Oppo and Motorolla and the only way to stay relevant in today’s market is to bring meaningful upgrades with each product cycle. However, even after almost a year, the Galaxy Flip 4, remains to be a cracker of a phone, in every single way.

The design of the Galaxy Flip 4 in itself is a great conversation starter, particularly if you owned the Bora Purple variant. Not many people have adopted the return of foldable phones, mainly because of the price, perhaps. But people who have been using foldable devices for some time now will probably find it extremely difficult to return to slab, non-foldable devices.

Whether smartphone makers had planned this or not, foldable devices like the Galaxy Flip 4 were a huge blessing for women. Women’s clothing has a very fatal flaw - most of them don’t have any usable pockets. Even in their jeans and pantsuits, the pockets are designed just for the sake of it - rarely do they have any functional value.

My mom for example has been using a Galaxy Flip 4 for almost 6 months now and she swears that the compact like clamshell design of the Flip 4 just works seamlessly for her. She doesn’t need to carry her phone in her hand, she can simply slip it into the pockets of her blazer or her clutch bag and she is good to go. She says she loves it as much as her original Moto Razr from 2006 and her Nokia 6350, a flip phone that wasn’t available in India, which she had to get it sent over from the US. Coming from her, this is as high as praise can get.

Recently, the CEO of an up-and-coming smartphone company made some comments on the foldable concept as to how foldable devices are something that people don’t necessarily need but they are being pushed upon the consumers by smartphone makers.

While it is an interesting take, anyone who has spent a week with a foldable device would tell the CEO that he is wrong. Smartphone makers wouldn’t pump the sort of money they do to develop their own foldable displays and hinges, just to go for a fad. Foldable smartphones are set to become the mainstay, at least in the flagship category for some years now, in one way or the other.

And besides, I would rather have a phone that opens up and doubles the display size, or that folds away and can be tucked nicely away, over a phone that has glorified unicoloured disco lights, any day of the week.

The Galaxy Flip 4 particularly stands out among other flip phones because of its performance. Yes, it may not beat some of the more recent flip phones in synthetic benchmarks but it always performed better in real-life scenarios. That’s because the software was optimised really well. I have spent some time with a few flip phones from Oppo and Motorolla and both of them used to glitch out in a couple of scenarios. The new Moto Razr and the Razr+ has shown none of these issues, but because I am not reviewing them, I can’t say for sure just how good they are.

The Galaxy Flip 4, during my usage rarely glitched out in any way. Yes, there are a few issues with a couple of apps, mainly, because they are yet to be optimised. We’re looking at you Google for this one.

Even otherwise, The Galaxy Z Flip 4 delivers exceptional performance, all thanks to the powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. It ensures that apps open up instantly, menu scrolling is seamless, and gameplay is smoothie even with graphically intensive games. Although the phone may experience some heating during resource-heavy tasks like extended gaming or prolonged hotspot use, it never becomes uncomfortably hot to handle. Considering its slim design as a foldable phone, the Z Flip 4’s performance is truly impressive.

Alongside the standard set of Samsung features, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 also had some unique functionalities that are specific to its foldable form factor, with the most noteworthy one being the “Flex mode panel.” By enabling Flex mode for a particular app and opening it while the Z Flip 4 is propped upright, the app automatically moves to the top portion of the screen, leaving the bottom half available for a range of controls and interactions.

From the bottom half of the screen, users can conveniently access the notification panel, take screenshots, adjust brightness and volume settings, and utilize the lower part of the display as a trackpad for seamless navigation within the app displayed above. This innovative Flex mode offers a versatile and efficient way to interact with apps and multitask on the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Then, there are the cameras. The camera setup of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 may appear modest with its 12MP primary camera, 12MP ultrawide camera, and 10MP selfie camera, but it is a reliable package that should satisfy most users. Following the typical Samsung style, the photos taken directly from the Z Flip 4 exhibit bold and vibrant colors, though they might not always be entirely true-to-life. Nonetheless, these visually striking images are perfect for sharing on social media without requiring any additional editing. The phone also handles nighttime photography commendably.

The 10MP selfie camera performs adequately for self-portraits and video calls. However, most people who I know using the device generally lean towards the 12MP primary camera, thanks to the Z Flip 4’s folding design and cover screen.

Given these unique and practical use cases, some of the camera’s technical limitations become less bothersome. While it may not be the absolute best camera on the market, the Z Flip 4 produces attractive images, handles lowlight situations impressively, and offers distinctive shooting modes not found in other phones tested throughout the year.

All in all, The Galaxy Flip 4 was a cracker of phone when it was launched last year, and continues to be one. I wouldn’t be surprised if people actually go for the Flip 4, if Samsung or one of India’s e-commerce platforms decides to cut back on the prices when Samsung launched the Flip 5 series.