The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is currently our favorite clamshell foldable phone - partly because of its own merits, but also because of the lack of meaningful competition - but if Apple's rumored iPhone Flip arrives, Samsung could be snatching the crown. Is.
While Samsung has gained a foothold in the foldable phone race, we're expecting big things from Apple's debut.
When the iPhone Flip is released, it will be a well-designed phone with state-of-the-art features that make it a competitive handset - perhaps even one that can compete with other companies' offerings.
We haven't heard much about the device yet, but there are a few features we'd like to see in the iPhone Flip if Apple is going to beat Samsung with the title of "best clamshell foldable."
1. A crease that isn't too obvious
The crease is one of our biggest complaints about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 - and all of Samsung's foldable phones.
The crease is a natural feature of foldable phones as it is where the display folds and there is usually a visible ridge in the screen.
Samsung's foldables, on the other hand, have far more obvious creases than rivals, which you can easily notice when you swipe your finger across the screen - a task you can do a lot on a smartphone.
We've noticed this the most when testing other foldables, and it makes them a lot more fun to use. So, if Apple wants the iPhone Flip to have a better user interface than Samsung's foldable, it will have to figure out a way to hide the creases compared to Samsung.
2. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Three cameras on the back of the vehicle
When a smartphone has multiple rear cameras, the different lenses that each one uses provide photographic versatility – for example, the iPhone 13 Pro has an ultra-wide, main, and telephoto combination for a range of zoom options. it happens.
If the iPhone Flip gets the same cameras as the 13 Pro, it will already outperform the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which only has two cameras. We found the Flip to be fine for casual photography, thanks to its main and ultra-wide snapper, but if you're spending a lot of money on the Flexor, you'll want more than that.
Apple will make the iPhone Flip more versatile for photography than Samsung, adding a stronger array of rear cameras.
3. A Useful Outdoor Display
Apart from the internal display, every clamshell foldable phone we have seen has a smaller external display.
Its purpose varies by phone, but it usually serves to display notifications, music controls, time, and remaining battery life.
However, as we mentioned in our review of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the external display isn't particularly useful. We used it occasionally, but it didn't change how we used our phones: We still checked notifications and scrolled through music apps looking for new music.
Samsung needs to provide more functionality to this external display, either by making it bigger so that it can legally be used for complex tasks, or by expanding the number of apps and widgets it can use.
4. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 A battery that can last longer
Another problem we found with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 - and for that matter, the Motorola Razr, another clamshell foldable - was that its battery life was too short, and we had to charge it as much as we wanted.
This is understandable in part because the clamshell's small body leaves little room for a large battery. However, there are other ways to extend the battery life of a smartphone.
We've seen Apple's software optimizations improve in recent years so that even though its phones have smaller batteries, they last longer between charges.
If it does the same for the iPhone Flip, we could be looking at a phone that can easily take a full day of use while beating Samsung's counterpart in terms of battery life.
5. A wide range of bend characteristics
We have seen some clamshell foldable phones with special mods or tools that only work when the device is half off.
Clamshell phones are a good example of this; You can open the device at a right angle, with one side resting on the surface and the other pointing up; If you need a stable surface, it can be used as a convenient way to take photographs.
However, the number of flex features we've seen in foldables are limited, and they mostly revolve around the applications of the front and rear cameras at various stages of folding.
If Apple comes up with additional things that we could have done when flexing the device, it would provide useful features that are not available to Samsung phone users, and it could give it the upper hand.