Folding smartphone: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G with a new external display in the test

Clip, click, click, click – opening and closing the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G has something meditative about it. The folding mechanism, which divides the cell phone in half and hides the flexible display on the inside, looks stable, the heavy clicking when closing the Flip3 is reminiscent of old flip cell phones from the nineties. With the promise that the hinge and display of the folding smartphone would survive opening and closing at least 200,000 times, Samsung is trying to take away customers’ fear of the still new and fragile device category.

Even with Samsung fans, who on average open their Flip3 a hundred times a day, that would still be almost five and a half years – Android smartphones are rarely used that long. The folding smartphone is also protected against fresh water and can withstand half-hour immersion at a depth of one and a half meters. Dust and dirt particles that penetrate the display and cause damage can be dangerous.

When folded, the Flip3 is thicker than a normal smartphone, but so compact that it disappears quickly into any trouser or jacket pocket, no matter how small. When open, it is seven millimeters thin and the camera does not protrude from the housing. In contrast to the large Galaxy Z Fold3 (test), you almost always have to open the Flip3 when you want to use it. The external display has grown compared to its predecessor, but with a diagonal of 1.9 inches it is still tiny. More than reading the time, checking notifications, controlling music or taking a look at the weather forecast is not possible.