Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: foldable, flagship, feminine?

«First, we invented the folding smartphone. Now, we’ve reimagined it,» the British voice in the official intro video of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip says. The Flexpai might have been first, but it was bad attempt at a foldable phone.

Billie Eilish's «Bad Guy» plays in the background as the intro video tells us how this phone breaks with the laws of physics. The Z Flip folds glass. This is followed by a perfume bottle to compare its sizes, a wallet, avocado on toast, YouTube comments and yoga.

My first impression: too much marketing blah and gender marketing for something that really is a piece of impressive technology. There’s no need to hide this.

Behind folded glass

Samsung learned its lessons from the Samsung Galaxy Fold debacle. What had happened? The first version of Samsung Galaxy Fold easily broke, as the hinge mechanism allowed dirt to get underneath the display. This damaged the display and the 2,000 franc phone was damaged for life. This problem was fixed with the release of the second version, which is available in Switzerland. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip takes things one step further. It will be available in Switzerland from 14 February 2020.

The small brushes inside the hinge mechanism are designed to prevent dust from damaging the foldable glass. Samsung calls this «the smallest ever» hinge mechanism. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt – there’s not enough comparable material on the global market to prove them wrong.

The Z Flip is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, i.e. a processor performance of up to 2.95 GHz with eight processor cores and 5G below 6GHz. Plus: 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal memory.

The camera system boasts:

• 12 megapixel wide-angle lens, f/1.8, optical image stabiliser
• 12 megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2

Samsung didn’t max things out here, probably to save space. When folded, the Flip measures 87.4 x 73.6 x 17.3 millimetres. It weighs 183 grams and features a 3300 mAh battery.

On the outside, there is a 1.1-inch display for notifications. Just like the main screen, it’s an AMOLED display.

The best out there?

In terms of specs, the Flip performs much better than the Motorola Razr. What about the price? In the USA – without value added tax, which varies from state to state – the Razr costs 1,499.99 dollars. The Flip, which boasts far better technology, is available for 1,380 dollars. While the Razr has average specs, the Samsung performs an aggressive entry in a market that is not yet one. Folding smartphones haven’t yet reached the popularity they will in the future.

The concept of folding phones still seems to be used by manufacturers to try out new ideas and shapes. This is a good thing. It's fun. Sure, there are silly devices such as the Royole Flexpai, also known as the Escobar 1, or models such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which proved what the new technology can do, but didn't feel suitable for the masses.

Slowly a certain readiness for mass production is showing. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Flip appeals to the masses. This is evident in the cool commercial with target group impact.

What’s interesting is the statement about the «folding glass». What material is it made of? Glass is generally known to be brittle, hard and stiff. So this material is probably not actual glass but a material that feels like glass. This is very promising. So far, the display of all folding phones I've held in my hands has felt cheap and awkward. Samsung doesn’t say more than «revolutionary flexible glass».

There’s only one thing left to say: let’s wait for the review. I’m looking forward to it.