Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Announced With S-Pen Support and IPX8 Water Resistance

Samsung’s long-awaited foldable phones are finally here after a long streak of rumors and leaks. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has just become official at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, packing numerous upgrades over the last generation.

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Not only does it have a stronger display than before, but it is also the first foldable device to feature an under-screen selfie camera and a stylus. Thanks to that, the Z Fold 3 has an immersive full-screen display on the inside without any notches or punch-hole cutouts.

Design and Display

The primary display on the inside is a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1768 x 2208 pixels resolution. It has an “invisible” selfie camera, much like the ZTE Axon 30 and the Mi Mix 4. However, unlike the ZTE phones, Samsung’s implementation is not as good with the cutout above the selfie camera visible if you look at it closely.

Further, the display is also stronger than the Z Fold 2, which is why it is able to support the S Pen. However, it requires a special S Pen which has a soft retractable tip so it does not leave a mark on the display.

The secondary display on the outside is a 6.23-inch AMOLED panel with the same 120Hz refresh rate, but 816 x 2260 pixels resolution. It has a regular punch-hole selfie camera and a 25:9 aspect ratio.

The overall build quality has been improved with the Z Fold 3 getting an IPX8 water resistance rating, just like regular smartphones, in addition to a stronger aluminum frame. Do note, however, that it’s still quite prone to getting dust stuck inside the hinge so you’ll need to handle it with care.

Internals and Storage

The internals are graced by Qualcomm’s flagship SoC, the Snapdragon 888. This will be backed by up to 12GB RAM and 256GB or 512GB of built-in storage. There is no memory card slot for storage expansion, but it is unlikely that anyone will run out of 256GB/512GB memory too early.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will boot Android 11 out of the box but will be upgradable to Android 12 in the future. There will be Samsung’s One UI 3.5 on top which will make use of Split UI to adjust the content on your screen based on the orientation. Samsung is in talks with more Android app makers to introduce Split UI to more apps.

Multitasking has been improved with a sidebar that appears on the display no matter which app you have open, allowing you to quickly switch between multiple apps on the fly. The apps can also be resized and arranged however you like.

Cameras

The camera setup is not too different from before. The three camera lenses on the back are all 12MP shooters where the primary sensor is accompanied by an ultrawide and a telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom. The main camera can record 4K videos at 60 FPS and excellent low-light photos.

The under-display selfie camera is a 4MP shooter which should get the job done for video calls but shouldn’t be used for selfies as it’s quite low quality. The punch-hole selfie camera on the outer display is a 10MP unit and should suffice for selfies.

Battery and Pricing

The 4,400 mAh battery is split between two cells and has support for 25W wired charging and 11W wireless charging. There is also 4.5W reverse wireless charging if you want to use your device as a power bank.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be available in black, green, and white color options for $1800.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Specifications

• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
• CPU: Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
• GPU: Adreno 660
• OS: Android 11, One UI 3.5
• Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G
• Display:
  • Primary: 7.6″ Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X with 1768 x 2208 pixels resolution; 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10, 10-bit colors
  • Secondary: 6.23″ AMOLED with 816 x 2260 pixels resolution, 120Hz refresh rate
• Memory:
  • RAM: 12GB, 16GB
  • Internal: 256 GB, 512 GB UFS 3.1
  • Card slot: No
• Camera:
  • Rear (Triple): 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
    12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom
    12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 12mm (ultrawide), 1.12µm
  • Front: 4MP (under-screen), 10MP (punch-hole)
• Colors: Black, White, Green
• Fingerprint sensor: Side-mounted
• Battery: 4,400 mAh, 25W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
• Price: $1800