Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Price, Features, And Release Date
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G was revealed with release date and price details this morning. At a Samsung Unpacked event, the company showed its newest foldable device with a book-style hinge. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (with or without the 5G, depending on who you ask), works with two displays, including one 6.2-inch standard display up front, and a main display inside which unfolds to a size of 7.6-inches.
Displays and Cameras
The front display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a 6.2-inch HD+ (2268 x 832) Dynamic AMOLED display (with an aspect ratio of 24.5:9.) It's a tall, thin panel with 387ppi (pixels per inch) and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (image refresh rate). This outside (front) display is interrupted by a camera hole (punch hole) in place for a 10MP, f/2.2, 80-degree FoV camera.
The inside panel (foldable panel) has been interrupted by a camera hole or notch in the past – now Samsung's employed under display camera tech. This under display camera is 4MP with f/1.8 aperture and an 80-degree FoV.
The display inside the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x Display. It is what Samsung calls an Infinity Flex Display with 2208 x 1768 pixels (374ppi) and it rolls with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (image refresh rate). This panel has a new sort of protective cover that's more resilient than in past iterations – but as it was in the past, users will need to have said cover replaced by Samsung (if replacement is needed).
The back of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a set of three cameras, each protected by Corning Gorilla Glass with DX. Each of the cameras is 12MP, but each has its own purpose with its own features. The Ultra Wide camera has F/2.2 aperture and a FoV of 123-degrees. The Wide-angle camera works with a FoV of 83-degrees, F/1.8, OIS, and Dual Pixel autofocus.
This device also has a telephoto camera with PDAF, F/2.4, OIS, a 45-degree FoV, Dual OIS, HDR10+ recording, and Tracking AF. This telephoto camera has 0.5 out and 2x in optical zoom as well as up to 10x digital zoom. The back-facing camera array also has an LED flash.
The cameras are effectively identical to the array (the back array) of cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. Improvements in camera power between devices are all software-based. On that note – there'll be a few features that'll launch with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 on the software side, but at present there does not seem to be any exclusivity for said features. All software features on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will almost certainly also be made available to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 over time.
What's different from Fold 2?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has IPX8 water resistance, a lighter, thinner body*, and a new protective film across its foldable display. With this protective film, Samsung says it'll be 80% more durable than past foldable devices. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has Gorilla Glass Victus on its outside panels, and Armor Aluminum throughout its body – Samsung says this aluminum is 10% stronger than in past foldables.
*The Z Fold 2 had a weight of 282g and a body that was 6.9mm thick at its thickest point. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a body that weighs 271g and is 6.4mm thick at its thickest point.
Inside, the display has no notch or punch hole for a camera. Instead, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 works with an under display camera. Samsung says this camera has AI image processing to make sure that resulting media capture is still good, despite having been captured through a display panel.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 works with S Pen support. Users will need to purchase the S Pen separate from the Fold 3, and the S Pen does not slot in the device like it would with a Galaxy Note. Samsung DOES have a set of official S Pen-holster cases available for the Galaxy Z Fold 3, and two different S Pen options.
One is called the S Pen Pro – this is the stylus that's meant to be "Galaxy Common", and ready to move between devices (with S Pen support). Also available is the S Pen Fold Edition – no Bluetooth, slightly shorter, and meant to be used on the Fold 3 exclusively. The S Pen Pro is compatible with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 Price and Release Date
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be available at launch in Phantom Black, Phantom Green, and Phantom Silver. Starting price for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is $1799.99. Users that purchase the device between August 11 and August 26, 2021, from Samsung (on pre-order) can get $200 Samsung Credit. Users who pre-order using the Shop Samsung app or through Samsung's main store webpage, and opt-in to a 3-year Samsung Care+ plan will also get a "discount on the total plan price" and will have "no monthly payment for the first 12 months." Samsung suggests that this 3-year plan is "cancellable at any time."
The (approximately) $1800 starting price is the price for the version with 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage (with UFS3.1). There'll also be a version with 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage (UFS3.1, too), and both versions work with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 pre-order date range starts on August 11, and the full final Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 release date is August 27, 2021.