Before we go further, I have to note this though: due to some oversight in our logistics arrangement during the Unpacked launch event at San Francisco, I only managed to have around 5 minutes of hands on time with the Galaxy Z Flip. It was rather disappointing but it was out of our control and of course, we try to make the best of it.
Back to the new phone, the first thing that I noticed about the Galaxy Z Flip is that its hinge felt more sturdy than the Galaxy Fold. This doesn’t come as a surprise though since Galaxy Z Flip can be poses at multiple angles which was unlike the Galaxy Fold that can only be fully opened or closed. Despite that, the hinge still felt pretty smooth and I don’t feel that I need a lot of force to make it work. The ability to pose the Galaxy Z Flip at multiple angle also led to the creation of Flip mode which Samsung co-developed with Google. Due to the time constraints that I mentioned earlier, I only managed to test the mode in the phone’s Camera app but nevertheless, I’m quite impressed to see the mode seamlessly activated once I put the phone into free-standing position.
As per what you might have expect from a Dynamic AMOLED display, the output from the Galaxy Z Flip’s 6.7-inch FHD+ screen output looks rather vivid and punchy although it is hard to ignore the thick bezel that surrounding it. Then again, the existence of the thick bezels seems to be justifiable though since I noticed that they act like dampeners to soften the motion when you closed the phone. Speaking about the display, you should by now have heard of the durability test that was done on the Galaxy Z Flip by Zack Nelson of JerryRigEverything. While I can’t bring myself to deep scratch a phone especially at a global launch event with so many other journalists in the line to see Galaxy Z Flip, the result from Zack’s test was enough to tell that you still need to exercise caution when using the device even though Samsung said that the screen was made from glass.
That brings us to the next observation: when the Galaxy Z Flip is closed, there is still some gap between the two parts of the phone which means that it quite possible for some dirt to get into it. So, if you owned one in the future, do make sure your pocket is clean and you might not want to put the Galaxy Z Flip together with your keys or coins. In general, the phone does look sleeker in real life and the mirror-like finish on its outer shell is certainly one of the contributing factor. However, it is also an obvious fingerprint magnet as well which can be a nuisance in a long run.
There are only so much I can tell from just 5-minute of hands on experience but for what its worth, the Galaxy Z Flip seems to be a more mature attempt at foldable form factor. In general, its hinge and body feel more durable but the screen is still quite fragile and lets not forget that the Galaxy Z Flip still command a hefty price tag of USD 1,380 which is around RM 5,816. At this moment, the pricing of Galaxy Z Flip for Malaysia is not yet known but we do hope it is much lower than that. As for its availability, there’s no official release for our market as well but since the phone already appeared in SIRIM, it is only a matter of time before Samsung’s next generation foldable phone make its debut in Malaysia.
