The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 have been supplied with a potentially valuable new battery protection feature.
Samsung’s latest foldable phones are in the wild, prompting reviewers and early adopters to delve into every hinged nook and flexible cranny. One useful feature that’s been picked up on by SamMobile is a battery preservation tool that’s never been seen on a Samsung phone before.
As part of the One UI 3.1.1 software refresh that comes with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 at launch, you’ll find a ‘Protect battery’ feature in the Settings menu. When active, this feature serves to limit the maximum charge level to 85%, rather than filling up to a full 100%.
This may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s believed that completely filling up a device’s battery serves to shorten its useful lifespan. And if you’re spending £1,599 on a device (in the case of the Galaxy Z Fold 3), you might just want it to last longer than a couple of years.
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Of course, if you do activate this option, you’re even more likely to have to plug in before bed time. In our Galaxy Z Flip 3 review, we observed that battery life was not a strong suit.
The flip-phone’s foldable gimmick hasn’t left much space for a strong battery, resulting in a smaller cell than we’d typically expect to see in a phone sporting a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display.
While this Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Battery protect feature is a first for Samsung’s phones, we have seen it before in Samsung’s tablet range. That says quite a lot about the hybrid nature of Samsung’s latest foldable experiments – particularly the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which resembles a compact tablet when fully unfurled.
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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.
