This review may be late, late better than never right? Here’s my review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G which received huge improvements, such as S Pen supports, the first under-display camera and also the first water-resistant foldable phone.

There aren’t many foldable phones out there that can go head-to-head against the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G. But first, here’s a quick glance at the device specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – Specifications

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
• 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM
• 256GB/512GB UFS 3.1 Storage
• 6.2-inch (2,268 x 832) 120Hz Refresh Rate 2X AMOLED CoverDisplay
• 7.6-inch (2,208 x 1,768) 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate 2X AMOLED 2X Main Display
• Rear Camera: 12MP f/1.8, 12MP f/2.2 123-degree Ultrawide, 12MP f/2.4 2x Telephoto
• Front Camera: 10MP f/2.2 + 4MP f/1.8 UDC
• 4,400 mAh Battery @ 25W Wired/15W Wireless Fast Charging

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – Design

Samsung has added a log of in the way of durability, including IPX8 water-resistant, which means it can submerge in water up to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes. The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is lavished with the toughest Corning Gorilla Glass Victusfor both the exterior and back cover. The triple rear is also armoured with Corning Gorilla Glass DX for greater protection and clarity.

It retained the book-like design and functionality with a more usable 6.2-inch CoverDisplay which now supports a 120Hz refresh rate similar to the inner 7.6-inch display. Worth noting, the UDC (Under Display Camera) isn’t what I expected as still have distorted-kind pixels when it’s in light colours.

The hinge is good where it holds its position to almost any degree with a good amount of resistance. This doesn’t make the device hard to open or close, which is pretty magical for me.

I do not have the Z Fold2 but I did compare it to the first-gen Z Fold, the evolves are significant and the all matte feels great in the hand and looks stunning except for fingerprint smudge.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – Display

There are 2 displays that I need to mention, the outer display is the one that you may use the most. At first, I did find the tall and slim aspect ratio is a kinda cramp when coming to typing and with the weird ratio I need to give up some screen real estate when streaming videos – but hey, why watch on a small screen when there’s a huge 7.6-inch inside.

After using it for a while, I noticed that the outer display isn’t that bad for everyday tasks and not forgetting the smooth 120Hz bright 2X AMOLED display. I would only unfold it when coming to serious work like replying to emails, editing photos or videos and of course video watching.

The 7.6-inch inner display is a near to a square ratio display at 11.2:9 which is great for productivity. Nothing changed in terms of resolution and the crease between the display, it’s still obvious to look and touch. It’s rated 29% brighter and uses lesser power compared to the Galaxy Z Flip2 5G. The UTG display is now protected with a film that Samsung claimed to offer 80% more durable compared to its previous model.

Although the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G supports S Pen, but there isn’t any built-in slot for the stylus like the Galaxy Note series. You’ve got two S Pen options, the S Pen Fold Edition and S Pen Pro. Both have a retractable tip that wouldn’t damage the display, whereas the S Pen Pro offers Bluetooth connectivity for supporting features like Air Gesture and other remote control capabilities. I do not have the S Pens to test so I couldn’t elaborate much about it.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – Performance

There’s no Samsung-made Exynos made processor for this regardless of which part of the world you’re located. Having a productivity-centric display, performance is crucial for this device and you won’t be disappointed in this department. With the 12GB of RAM and combo with the powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset, everything runs smoothly including gaming. This even allows it to run graphically intensive games like Genshin Impact, PUBG, COD and Asphalt 9 without a hiccup.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – Camera

There are a total of 5 cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, there are three primary cameras on the back, with all 12-megapixels for main, ultrawide and 2x telephoto. Left with a 10-megapixels front camera on the CoverDisplay and a 4-megapixels Under Display on the main camera.

It may not have the high megapixels counts but photos and videos quality ain’t outlying with current flagship smartphones. Great images are taken from smartphones not just relying on the camera sensor but also software and Image Signal Processor (ISP). The Qualcomm Spectra 580 from the Snapdragon 888 is one powerful image processor.

You be the judge on the photos taken with the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G has a similar downside with the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G which is battery life. The 4,400 mAh battery is offering around 4 to 5 hours of SOT with mixed usage of both the outer and inner displays. If I mainly just use the CoverDisplay, it could last me close to 6 hours of SOT but that defect the purpose of having a foldable phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G – Verdict

This may have been the third generation of foldable phones by Samsung, the incremental was a big leap especially the IPX8 water-resistant which I didn’t expect to be available on a foldable phone that soon.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is no longer a prototype or for early adopters, it’s the new mainstream phone for those who want a foldable big display phone.

You can own the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G in Malaysia with starting price of RM 6,699 for 12GB of RAM with 256GB storage or double up the storage for RM 7,099.