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Samsung today announced the latest entrants in its Galaxy Z series of foldables, taking the wraps off the Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Z Flip3, bringing a bunch of improvements to the popular lineup. The larger of the two foldable phones includes many firsts for the device, such as the firm’s first under-display camera, S Pen support. Meanwhile, the Z Flip3 adds a larger cover display, among a bunch of other improvements. Both devices will for the first time also sport IPX8 water and dust resistance rating.
The Z Fold3 brings with it an improved inner display that the firm says is 29% brighter while consuming less energy. Both the cover and inner screens now sport a 120Hz refresh rate, making the experience consistent across displays. The firm is also touting the reliability improvements made to the device, in addition to the benefits brought about by the under-display camera technology that enhances the viewing experience. The triple camera array is close to unchanged on the device, with the telephoto lens now sporting optical image stabilization.
Another interesting addition, as mentioned earlier, is the support for the S Pen. The company has introduced two new S Pen styluses that are built specifically for the Z Fold3 called S Pen Fold Edition and S Pen Pro. The pens house a "specially engineered retractable Pro tip with force limit technology" to avoid damaging the display. The addition of support for the S Pen comes as an additional selling point for those who were looking for a new Galaxy Note device, which the company will not be releasing this year.
As for the Z Flip3, the cover display is now "four times larger", letting users see notifications, use the screen as a viewfinder, and more. Support for features such as Samsung Pay is also built into the display, the firm adds. There are dual cameras on the front of the display and the phone misses out on an under-display camera on the main screen, making do with a punch-hole housing. The inner display now is also a 120Hz unit, bringing a smoother experience and in line with the Z Fold3. The device also features stereo speakers for improved audio, which the phone maker says is great for entertainment consumption.
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As part of the announcement, the company also showed off the various multitasking and split-screen styled advantages brought by the devices as well. This includes the Flex Mode for the Z Flip3 that allows for easier video viewing and photography features and split views in the Z Fold3 that makes better use of the screen real estate to allow for more content to be shown and interacted with, within the inner display.
The South Korean giant also boasted of the ease of using the outer display on the larger of the two devices, thanks to the narrower aspect ratio. It also showed off improvements to One UI 3 being made for the foldable, such as the addition of the ability to pin the edge panel to the home screen in the form of a taskbar, and more.
As for specs, the devices come with top-of-the-line internals such as a Snapdragon 888 SoC, along with 12GB of RAM on the Z Fold3 and 8GB on the Z Flip 3. While the Z Flip3 starts with 128GB of internal storage, the Z Fold3 bumps that up to 256GB. You can read the entire spec sheet here. The Z Fold3 is available in Phantom Black, Phantom Green, Phantom Silver, while the Z Flip3 ships in Gray, White, Pink, Cream, Green, Lavender, and Phantom Black, with the black being exclusive to Samsung"s website.
The Galaxy Z Fold3 starts at an asking price of $1799.99 and the Z Flip3 starts at $999.99, falling below the $1,000 mark for the first time. Both devices can be pre-ordered today in the U.S., Europe, and Korea, and will become available on August 27. Availability in additional regions will be announced later.