I have been using Samsung Galaxy smartphones since middle school. I grew up with Android and I can’t afford Apple products, so I’m a die-hard fan. When Samsung came out with a flip smartphone a couple of years ago, I was hesitant. If phones were meant to be folded, why were we using bricks for the past decade?
At the beginning of August, my Samsung Galaxy S10e started to slow down. As someone that uses their phone 24/7 for social media for personal and client accounts, I needed a powerful phone that could handle everything I threw at it. After two years, it just couldn’t keep up and I knew I had to upgrade. Around the same time, I started to see advertisements for the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. I also saw that T-Mobile, my cell phone service carrier, was offering a trade-in program for the new flip phone.
I was mesmerized by the idea of a flip smartphone and my S10e needed to retire. I went into T-Mobile and found out that my mother and I could get the Samsung Z Flip 3 for FREE if we traded our old phones in. It seemed too good to be true. This flip phone costs $999. And they will give us the phones for free if we trade our old ones in? Despite my suspensions, I needed a new phone desperately and as a broke college student, I wasn’t willing to spend a thousand dollars on a new phone. So, I went ahead and traded the phone in, and got my new flip phone.
After using the Z Flip 3 for three months, I have learned things I like and don’t like. Here are the pros and cons to the new touchscreen flip phone everyone is talking about.
Pros:
- The selfie camera: As you will read below, the back camera isn’t anything to applaud, but the selfie camera is another story. My selfies look better on my new phone than on my old one, but it doesn’t make up for the back camera.
- Similar features to the S10e: I appreciate that Samsung kept the fingerprint scanner for unlocking your phone and the same basic settings on the phone. I don’t like change, so I was pleased to find that the phone functions the same in relation to apps, settings, and software in general.
- The cool factor: If I’m being honest, the best part about having this phone is people’s reactions when I flip open my phone and it looks like a regular smartphone.
Cons:
- The back camera quality: I haven’t had a problem with Samsung’s camera quality in the past. I know iPhones are known for their amazing cameras, but I couldn’t justify the price for a slightly better camera. Sadly, the back camera on the Z FLip 3 is grainy and pixelated in certain lighting. I recently went to an NBA game and attempted to take photos of the arena. Here is the difference:
iPhone 13 Max
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
- One of the main functions I use my phone for is photos. So I’m extremely disappointed that the back camera pales in comparison so starkly to the newest iPhone. My friends have had to take pictures for me and then send them to me. I can’t live that way forever!
- The battery: Another extremely important aspect of a smartphone is the battery. Sadly, Samsung fell short again with the battery. I have to carry a portable charger everywhere I go. I believe the battery was impacted by the folding aspect of the phone. Samsung had to make a battery that would fit in one-half of the phone, which is limited space. I will say that almost all smartphones have battery issues as we use them way too much.
- No headphone jack: The major smartphone brands got rid of the headphone jack in the last couple of years and it’s one of the biggest mistakes they have ever made. I now have to buy converters and use Bluetooth headphones if I want to listen to music and charge my phone, or I have to use a splitter. The headphone jack takes so little space, why would they remove it? If you figure it out, let me know., Meanwhile, I will continue to complain.
- The price: My last phone, the S10e, was sold at $699. My mother and I got them to buy one get one, at $350 each. That was a reasonable price to pay we desperately needed new phones. As I said before, I found it odd that T-Mobile and other wireless carriers were offering this $999 cell phone for free with a trade-in. One thing I can say for certain is: THIS PHONE IS NOT WORTH $999. With a low-quality back camera, a poor battery, and the absence of a headphone jack, the most I would pay for this phone is $350.
Overall, I would say the main reason to get this phone is if you need an upgrade and your cell phone is offering it for free. Please do not pay $999 for this phone. You will be disappointed in the camera and battery quality. I will probably have this phone for the next two years, and I’m not looking forward to having my friends take all the photos at every outing. But, my other phone wouldn’t have lasted much longer, so I guess I will live with it.