The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has been announced, with S-Pen support and IPX8 water resistance.

After months of rumours and leaks, Samsung's long-awaited foldable phones have finally arrived. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has just been unveiled at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event, with many improvements over the previous version.

It not only has a better display than before, but it is also the first foldable smartphone to have an under-screen selfie camera and a pen. As a result, the Z Fold 3 features an immersive full-screen display on the inside that is free of notches and punch-hole cuts.

Design and Display

The main display on the interior is a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a resolution of 1768 x 2208 pixels. Like the ZTE Axon 30 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4, it features an "invisible" selfie camera. However, unlike the ZTE phones, Samsung's solution is less than ideal, with a cutout above the selfie camera visible if you look carefully.

Furthermore, the display is stronger than the Z Fold 2, allowing it to support the S Pen. It does, however, need the use of a unique S Pen with a soft retractable tip that does not leave a mark on the display.

The secondary display on the exterior is a 6.23-inch AMOLED screen with the same 120Hz refresh rate but a resolution of 816 x 2260 pixels. It features a standard punch-hole selfie camera as well as a 25:9 aspect ratio.

The entire build quality has increased, with the Z Fold 3 receiving an IPX8 water-resistant certification, similar to that of normal smartphones, as well as a more robust aluminum frame. However, remember that it is still prone to having dust trapped within the hinge, so handle it with caution.

Internals and Storage

Qualcomm's top SoC, the Snapdragon 888, powers the internals. This will be backed by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. There is no memory card port for storage expansion, although the 256GB/512GB storage is unlikely to be depleted very quickly.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will come with Android 11, but it will be upgradeable to Android 12 in the future. On top of it will be Samsung's One UI 3.5, which will utilise Split UI to change the information on your screen depending on its angle. Samsung is in discussions with additional Android app developers about bringing Split UI to more applications.

Multitasking has been enhanced with a sidebar that displays on the display regardless of which programme is active, enabling you to move between several applications on the go. The applications may also be resized and organized in any way you like.

Cameras

The camera arrangement isn't all that different from previously. The three camera lenses on the rear are all 12MP cameras, with the primary sensor joined by an ultrawide and telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom. The primary camera can record 4K movies at 60 frames per second and take outstanding low-light pictures.

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 divided into two cells and supports 25W cable charging and 11W wireless charging. If you wish to use your smartphone as a power bank, 4.5W reverse wireless charging is also available. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be priced at $1800 and will be available in black, green, and white colours.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Full 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: 2GB, 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