I recently had the chance to play with Samsung's two new phones, the Z Fold3 and Flip3, spending an hour poking, prodding, and bending the two new flagships. It's too early to form a final judgment ahead of our full review, but as a witness to the fast pace of change in the space and a reluctant convert to the concept, foldables have come a long way. Today, I think they've arrived. When it comes to hardware and build quality, foldables have reached mainstream — or, at least, Samsung's have.

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Galaxy Z Fold3

Physically, the $1,800 Z Fold3 is still a big phone, but that's by design. There's a bit of chunkiness to it when it's folded up, but the smaller footprint compared to modern flagships still makes it seem smaller in your pocket, even if it's actually thicker. And once you unfold it, every millimeter is appreciated in the big screen.

As before, it's 120Hz — smooth and stutter-free in the short time I used it, though the crease is still visible with certain content and, and it's a little lumpy and irregular if you look down the line at an angle. Both are more visible when the screen is bright and even, which shouldn't happen too often in practice. I maintain, it's no more or less annoying than, say, a really oily finger smudge down the middle of your current screen outside, but it might bother some folks more than others.

The new in-display camera is an interesting change, but it's not quite as seamless as I think some folks may have hoped. Samsung had to reduce the resolution in that area by 1/4, and it's a difference you spot on a bright screen immediately. And if it's black, the camera isn't hidden at all — you can see the camera and lens assembly easily. I think it isn't really any more or less obtrusive than a hole-punch camera cutout was, but those of you that were hoping it would be invisible are out of luck for now.

That in-display camera performs better than I expected as well, though we'll need to dive deeper into its performance before we can really suss out how it works in all circumstances. The lights behind me in the quite bright testing studio were a little hazy, and the muddiness of processing was visible in the results, but it was hardly the sort of foggy, misty experience some earlier concept devices had.

The screen also plays nice with both of Samsung's new S Pens, but they're not quite the same as prior models. Neither stows conveniently into the phone itself Note-style — you'll be holding on to this separately (and probably misplacing it), or you'll have to buy a case specifically for it. But if you're all-in on Samsung stuff, then the S Pen Pro with its multi-device support and cross-device copy/paste is likely to be your jam.

Scribbling in the few minutes we had, the S Pen didn't seem like it would scratch the new screen. Part of that comes down to their design and a tip that retracts if you push too hard, as if it were on a spring. The new tips are also a little more rounded and seem to make wider (but just as precise) contact with the display, which is stronger now.

Samsung's ultra-thin glass screen still isn't glass on the bits you're actually touching, but Samsung claims its new version is up to 80% more durable in part courtesy of a new PET surface layer, rather than TPU. As my own Galaxy Flip can attest to, the previous PET-based layer scratched up pretty easily — even a fingernail could deform it permanently, and just the grit and grime of day-to-day life that sneaks into a thumb's texture between hand-washings were enough to leave a fine pattern of scratches across mine in the direction I usually scroll. PET is hardly glass, but I'm actually confident it will make a difference. The screen is still protected from errant keys and intense wear by simple design, and I don't think any of us remember scratching up those old-style hard plastic screen protectors with our fingers.

Samsung's also touting general durability improvements, with both an IP rating and a new, stronger aluminum alloy. I'm not sure we needed new materials there, but every bit helps, and the tolerances between the hinge's components do seem even tighter this time around. Based on that IP rating, Samsung's only confident in its ability to withstand water, not dust, but the last year+ with the Flip (admittedly, off and on) already has me convinced that's not as big of a problem as it was with the first-gen Fold.

The Z Flip3 is a sophisticated piece of mechanical engineering

The hinge mechanism also seems just a little bit smoother. More importantly, the ramp in resistance from unfolded to folded seems more like a continuous curve. Admittedly, I was working from memory and couldn't use the Fold2 and Fold3 side-by-side, but Samsung continues to tune the action in a way that feels gratifying, in the same sort of way enthusiasts wax about the merits of specific mechanical keyboard switches. But it's not just satisfying in terms of tactile feedback; friction is also strong enough (while still keeping that smoothness) to stay open at convenient angles.

The Z Flip3 is a sophisticated piece of mechanical engineering, with a design that I'm already convinced can make you more productive on the go. We're holding software impressions for later, but everything I liked about the Z Fold2 seems to have been improved, and the phone is that much more durable. Unless you're working construction or you're Max Weinbach, I think it should hold up.

Galaxy Z Flip3

All work and no play isn't just dull; it's boring. But the Z Flip3 is the ying to the Z Fold3's yang, making a foldable into something genuinely bubbly and fun — if you can think of a phone in those kinds of terms. While the tablet-like screen of the Z Flip3 gives you the space to do work and multitask, the Z Flip3 is more of a single-app device. Sure, you still have the same sorts of multitasking tools available to you, and the screen is taller than the average phone, but it's not the same experience, and it doesn't need to be.

I've been an unapologetic fan of my original Z Flip since I bought one for our review — and refused to return it, to the chagrin of the budgeting department. I went into that experience hating the idea of foldables and walked out a convert. The Z Flip3 builds on that entry experience, not just when it comes to a more accessible $1,000 price, but in terms of design. You don't have to re-learn how to use a big-screen phone with the Z Flip3. It's everything you already know, just with a hinge in the middle.

It might hit a lower price, but it's still a flagship, and that means a 120Hz display — a good one, to my eye. The cover screen isn't as fully featured as the one on the Z Fold3, but it is bigger than the prior model. It also has access to notifications, with much more content visible this time around, plus a handful of widgets for specific controls like music playback — I don't want to dig any deeper on any of that until our review goes up, but think of it as a basic screen-only wearable stuck on the outside of the phone, in terms of functionality.

...it was the Flip3 that left both David and myself "wow"-ing.

The industrial design has also been tweaked to better accommodate the new cover display with stylings almost reminiscent of the Pixel 2, and I think it's a very attractive look. The sort of cream-and-black panda and lavender models are clear standouts in my mind with the contrasting colors in their design, and it almost makes you upset to hide them. Still, the cases I played with were actually pretty "fun" in their own way as well, with bright colors and things like rings and straps to keep them secure — sort of like a built-in PopSocket, but not as thick or obnoxious. I think picking one up to protect the phone is an obvious buy, but they do make it a little thicker.

The phone might feel a little plumper than you're used to in-hand when it's closed-up, but since it sits lower in your pocket, it's not likely to be an issue in practice, and I suspect in our full review that it will still "feel" smaller than bigger devices, as it did before.

Again, this model makes use of a PET-topped display and a new, stronger aluminum alloy for the frame, paired with Victus glass on the back. While I think the Z Flip3 is less likely to be used with a stylus, since it's less productivity-oriented, it's also compatible with the new lineup.

While I was impressed with the Fold3, it was the Flip3 that left both David and myself "wow"-ing. In part, that came down to the price, but the intangible, ineffable, too-short-to-say-hereable experience of playing with one in rigidly controlled, sanitized circumstances was surprisingly fun, and it's been a long time since phones were fun — just ask Michael Fisher.


Sshhh — I made a folding phone fort while Samsung wasn't looking.

The biggest impediment to foldables right now, outside cost, is their perceived fragility. I think even last year's models were durable enough for careful folks, but objectively speaking, they were hardly as strong as the common slabphone. Today, that's still true, but based on how they felt, it seems like we've reached a level where you don't have to baby them.

I really do want to stress: This isn't our review. I used the two phones for an hour, tops. These are our initial thoughts, a near stream of consciousness of my first impressions of the two devices. Tune back in over the coming days and weeks as we'll have a real chance to put the phones through their paces. But, Samsung's serious about putting a folding phone in your pocket with these two models. While the Z Fold3 remains an expensive halo product, the added durability and IP rating make it more than an experiment — you can buy this, and it will probably last you until you upgrade with these changes with little risk unless you're a risky person.

The same goes for the Z Flip3, which almost feels like an even bigger winner from these changes when paired with its newly accessible just barely sub-$1,000 price tag. I've long held that that's a magic number that foldables had to cross to make sense. And paired with carrier promotions and the added durability, I feel confident in saying that folding phones are now, as of today, a mainstream option — though as to how good of an option they are will have to wait for our full reviews.