The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is a Goldilocks of a smartphone that combines powerful hardware and a smooth foldable 120Hz main display into a fashionably slick and compact form design.

IPX8 water resistance

Battery life could be better

I love funky smartphone devices. I was a huge slider fan with the Palm Pre. I still enjoy the feel of an old-school QWERTY from BlackBerry. So, when Samsung started the folding movement I’ve been intrigued from day one. I recently got a chance to review the Galaxy Fold 3 and came away impressed.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 has a powerful processor and an elegant folding design, but its portability and style come at the cost of battery life.

Flagship-level application performance, Good front-facing camera, Beautifully designed, Waterproof

Shorter battery life than other flagships, Primary cameras are just OK

Less is more with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G ($999.99), a powerful flagship phone that trades battery life for portability and style. Now in its third generation, Samsung's flexible-screen phone is now mature enough for mainstream buyers. The biggest question is whether you're willing to pay a steep price for a phone that subtly discourages you from using it. The Editors' Choice–winning Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ($1,199.99) remains the best Android flagship if you want a phone you can use intensively all day, but the Flip3 is worth considering if you want to enjoy the world around you and spend less time staring at the screen.Making the Pivot The Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Galaxy Z Flip3 make up the third generation of Samsung's folding phones. (There was no Flip2; it was called the Flip 5G.) The redesign is more radical with the Flip than the Fold. The major change is a much larger exterior display, taking up the bottom half of the closed phone. At 1.9 inches and 512 by 260 pixels,...

The Galaxy Z Flip3 has a powerful processor and an elegant folding design, but its portability and style come at the cost of battery life.

Flagship-level application performance; Good front-facing camera; Beautifully designed; Waterproof

Shorter battery life than other flagships; Primary cameras are just OK

With a $999 starting price, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is an "affordable" foldable, with a 6.7-inch FHD+ inner display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The outer display is four times bigger and more durable than its predecessor, but the 3,300 mAh battery has us worried about the Flip 3’s longevity.

More affordable, Enhanced durability, Bigger cover display, 120Hz refresh rate on inner display, IPX8 water resistance

Terrible battery life, Slow charging, No telephoto lens, Crease is still noticeable

Although not a giant leap forward compared to its predecessor, the Z Flip 3 is a much more fluidly designed device, with that front screen now beautifully integrated. It's the best flip phone we've seen to date (sorry Moto Razr) - and with a price tag to tackle 'normal' flagships head-on, it'll certainly turn some minds around, despite a few inevitable compromises that are part and parcel of a foldable device.

Larger front screen is much better looking and more neatly integrated; The tidiest flip phone design of any maker to date; Plenty of power and sturdy software;

Largely similar to predecessor; Screen coating is unavoidably reflective and ongoing 'crease' issues remain; No under panel camera (UPC) - as seen in Z Fold 3;

Samsung has finally made the cost less than astronomical, finally infused a bit of actual style. So will people who aren’t die-hard nerds, crypto-mining rich kids, ultra-early adopters — and other types most people hope not to sit next to at a dinner party – actually buy one? Honestly? No idea, but the intelligent design touches, the cute factor, and that you can spend the exact same amount on a normal flagship phone give the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 the best chance to break through of any bendy phone to date.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is probably the best clamshell foldable phone out there right now - not that that says much with the limited competition - though it doesn’t present any major changes to its predecessor. It has a sturdy design and good-looking screen, though the cameras aren’t great and the battery is fairly small. Some slight tweaks and a slightly lower price might win over those who were on the fence about such phones before.

Just ‘expensive’, not ‘very expensive’; Flip design feels durable;

Still feels wide in the hand; Cameras aren’t fantastic

Samsung's new foldables are formidable thanks to improved mechanics and refined designs....