Galaxy Z Flip Review: The Small Smartphone Is Back – And It's Bigger Than Ever By MrMobile [Michael Fisher]

- Sponsored by HelloFresh, America's number one meal kit. This is Mr. Mobile. This is Mr. Mobile on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, and this is Mr. Mobile on the Galaxy S20 Ultra and the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

These aren't the phone's I'm reviewing in this video. They're here to help me make the point that, to paraphrase Jimmy McMillan, phones are too damn big. A few years back, you still had options if you wanted a powerful smartphone that fit comfortably in your pocket or handbag. Apple's iPhone SE packed most of the capabilities of a ninth generation iPhone into a chassis the size of the iPhone 5. And Sony's aptly named "Compact" line shrunk it's flagships down to boxes you could still fit in your pocket then.

But the iPhone SE is now four years old, and at least here in the States, few people even know that Sony makes phones at all. So what are those in search of a small but powerful smartphone to do? Well, like Devo says, when something's going wrong, you must flip it, flip it good. (rousing electronic music) Probably the most important requirement of a good compact phone is that it doesn't sacrifice much capability in the quest for portability. To me, the Samsung Flip passes that test. Because under the hood, it's basically last year's smartphone, more specifically, the Galaxy S10e.

Now, from one perspective, you'd be crazy to pay what Samsung is asking for this thing. I mean, there's a comma in the price tag. And if you think that way, well, maybe you'll unsubscribe and thumbs down when I say this, but personally, if it were between the Galaxy Z Flip and the S20 Ultra, I might pick the Z Flip. Yes, the added portability really is that important to me, and judging from the public reaction this phone has gotten, I'm not alone. Like the Motorola Razr, the Z Flip isn't about top-shelf specs, it's about being able to put it in a pocket and still have space for something else.

It's also about fitting it in smaller pockets, and, this is where it stands out from the competition, it's about using the foldable form factor for more. Frequent video callers will enjoy going mini-laptop style for Google Duo. Shutterbugs will appreciate that they don't need to buy a mini tripod, because the Z Flip can serve as its own. And you know, sometimes I just use the thing half folded because it's more comfortable, like when I'm hanging on the couch. When I need the full canvas, I just flip it into shape, shape it up, get it straight.

All right, I'll stop. Let's talk about how Samsung accomplishes this, because there are definite downsides. This folding screen and its hinge mean you've got no water or dust resistance. If you take this to the beach, you put it in a Ziploc bag. And despite the confidence the term "ultra thin glass" might convey about this display cover material, you only need to watch JerryRigEverything's durability test once to see that this screen is still more fragile than you'll get on a traditional phone.

You've also got that crease to put up with. As I've said many times since I adopted the Galaxy Fold as my daily driver, you get used to the way it looks but you never stop feeling it under your thumb. Actually, my bigger beef is with the glass used on the outside of the phone. It is robust. Nirave Gondhia dropped his own bathroom tile, David Imel dropped his onto hardwood three times, and mine has hit the deck the same amount.

And with the exception of minor scuffs, and Jaime Rivera who got a mystery scratch out of nowhere, the Z Flip is pretty robust. So why am I so down on the glass? Well, ask me why we've all been dropping these phones. Yep, this is the new holder of the crown for slippery-as-a-wet-bar-of-soap smartphone. It doesn't just wander off table tops, it's so slippery it can't even stay on my wireless chargers. Ditto for reverse wireless charging your watch or your buds.

The case in the box helps, and it's appreciated, but I shouldn't need to stick cheap feeling plastic on a phone this premium just to keep it from jumping off a table. Most of my other complaints are minor. While the speaker is loud, there's only one of them. I miss the dual drivers you get on the conventional phone. ♪ You must whip it ♪ - Watching video that's not CinemaScope is a little awkward on a screen this long.

And as much as I appreciate the apps that adapt their interface when the phone is folded, there are only like three of them. I want the clock to turn into a bed stand alarm clock. I want the calculator to reflow, you know? To be fair to Samsung, this is gonna be up to third-party developers. But that all depends on how many folding phones get sold. My biggest letdown of the Z Flip, and the reason I'd still buy it anyway, in just a minute.

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Come down here. It's ironic that the Z Flip's biggest problem is its smallest feature. This 1.1-inch cover display is just too tiny. Messages have to scroll so you can read them, and the screen times out before I can read the whole thing most of the time. You can interact with it, but the touch area is even smaller than the screen itself.

And if you get more than a handful of notifications, it basically just becomes useless. If you subscribed to the YouTube channel already, you'll have heard me say this twice before. The Galaxy Z Flip is a phone that demands a smartwatch. And if you haven't heard me say that before, please, subscribe. (rousing music) But let's go forward, move ahead.

See, if Samsung had put in a larger display, it wouldn't have been able to fit this big a battery. It gets me through the day with a small reserve by bedtime. And the cameras are plenty capable. I mean, I'm not saying the Z Flip can go toe-to-toe with a 2020 flagship. All things considered, I'd still prefer to shoot with a Pixel 4 or iPhone 11.

But with the exception of the selfie shooter still lacking a wide-angle lens, I don't feel like I'm missing so much with the Z Flip's cameras. We've come to the end of the video, folks, so it's time for me to sneak in one or two left over observations. Real quick, it's so fun to talk on a phone that can conform to your face. This fingerprint sensor is fast and I'm glad it's also the power button, and I wish that closing the Flip during a call automatically turned on the speakerphone. Your options are, hang up or just let the call continue on the earpiece, which makes no sense.

It's also time for me to crack that whip by reminding you that you can get a Galaxy S10e, remember, the feature equivalent to this phone, for 550 bucks. That means you're paying a premium of $830 to make it fold in half. If you're a practical person, that probably doesn't make a lot of sense, and I'm not gonna pretend that it does. But if you didn't tune out as soon as I dropped the price on you, maybe you're like me and you're tempted. Maybe you value a phone that gives you more room in your pockets or bag, one that gives you a choice of ergonomics depending on the use case.

Hell, maybe you just grew up loving turtle comms and Starfleet communicators. Whatever the case, if that's you, it's not too late to flip it, flip it good. (upbeat music) Folks, this review covers my experience after about six days. But with the category as new as foldables, I think it's important to cover these things long-term. That's why I've purchased a Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip, and I'm gonna be covering these and other foldables once a month in 2020, in a series I'm running with Android Central called "Life on a Folding Screen.

" Be sure you're subscribed to the Mr. Mobile on YouTube so you don't miss those videos, and follow me on Instagram and Twitter at the same handle for all the updates in between. Some footage from this video, captured using a 24-hour review sample from Samsung. But as always, Mr. Mobile does not produce paid reviews.

Samsung was given no early preview of this content, nor was it given copy approval rights. The company is seeing this for the first time right alongside you. Until next time, thanks for watching and stay mobile, my friends.

Source : MrMobile [Michael Fisher]