Samsung’s Unpacked event has come and gone, but we now have all the information you could possibly want to know about the new Galaxy Z Fold 3.
If you want get a better idea of our first impressions of Samsung’s latest foldable flagship, then you can check out our Galaxy Z Fold 3 hands-on. For all the granular information including specs, price and how to buy – you’re already in the right place.
Samsung has tried to bring foldables into the mainstream with the Z Fold 3, but we still recommend reading as much info as you can before deciding to preorder or purchase the device as foldable phones are still very much part of a developing industry.
Colours
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes in three colors: black, green and silver.
Release Date
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 goes on sale on the same day as the company’s other foldable, the Z Flip 3: Friday 27 July. Pre-orders are available at the Samsung store.
Price
Prepare for your wallet to wince: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 starts at £1599.
Notably, that’s £200 less than the Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched at, but it still means that this is the most expensive Samsung phone of the year, making even the £1329 512GB Galaxy S21 Ultra look affordable.
Where to preorder the Z Fold 3
If you’re looking to be the first to get your hands on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3, there are a handful of sites you can visit.
The most obvious destination is Samsung’s own preorder page.
Here you’ll receive a bunch of freebies when you preorder the Z Fold 3, including one year of Samsung Care+, four months of YouTube Premium, a starter kit consisting of a flip case, an S Pen and a 25W Super Fast charger. You also have the option to trade in an old device for up to £600 off the device and you’ll receive 5% cashback if you place your order using Samsung Pay+.
You can choose to order the Z Fold 3 SIM-free for £1599 (£44.42/month) with 12/256GB or £1699 (£47.20/month) with 12/512GB or select a contract from networks including Vodafone, O2 and Three with prices ranging from £59 to £83/month depending on the package you go with.
You can also visit the following retailers to pre-order the Z Fold 3 on a contract:
Or head to these shops to get the device SIM-free:
Features
There are a few key selling points that Samsung is pushing on this generation of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, though it’s probably fair to say it’s a less significant design shift than last time around.
First of all, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports the S Pen for doodling and note taking. This is an optional accessory, and there’s no dock for it, which means you need to either get a case or be super careful about where you put it.
That’s a big change though, and the ability to draw on a tablet sized screen is something that even the MIA Galaxy Note line couldn’t offer.
Speaking of the tablet-sized internal screen, Samsung says that it’s 29% larger than last generation, and part of how it’s achieved this is with the company’s first under-screen camera. It’s only 4MP, so the jury’s out on how it will perform, but there’s still a second 10MP selfie camera on the front should it prove to be a dud.
Finally, as with the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung is going big on durability. S Pen taps and prods will be protected by a screen that Samsung says is 80% more durable, and it has Gorilla Glass Victus on the outside. For the first time on a foldable, Samsung also introduces IPX8 protection, meaning the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will survive being submerged in water with depths greater than one metre, though notably no dust protection is promised.
Are there any regional differences?
As far as we can tell, there aren’t any regional differences for versions of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. The 5nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 powers the phone no matter where you buy it, with no Exynos alternative for certain regions.
Both the cover screen and unfolded tablet panel are 120Hz numbers. The cover screen is a 6.2-inch OLED panel, with an HD+ resolution. When opened, you’re getting a 7.6-inch QXGA+ panel which promises 274 pixels per inch.
Joining the two front-facing cameras mentioned in the previous section is a triple-camera array on the back. These are all 12MP: one wide, one ultra wide and one telephoto lens.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: How good were the rumours?
Once again, the leakers got all the important details about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 bang on the money. Both the under-screen camera and S Pen support were leaked months ago, as was talk of IPX8 water protection.
All the key details, that is, except one: the price. Excitable early rumours pointed to possible price cuts of 20% for the foldable lines in order to push adoption. While the Galaxy Fold 3 is indeed £200 cheaper than the Galaxy Fold 2, that still only represents a price cut of 11%.
But even there, the rumour had a kernel of truth to it. Not only was there a generous price cut, but the Galaxy Z Flip actually exceeded the 20% drop, going from £1399 to £949 – a drop of 32%. Average the two and you come pretty close to the original 20% figure.
In short, Samsung will have to work a lot harder to keep a lid on leaks if it wants future Unpacked events to be full of surprises, rather than confirmation of what’s already out there.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
