Samsung – Galaxy Z Fold3 5G 256GB – Phantom Green (AT&T)

It’s time to believe the hype – the Fold 3 is the phone to get. I absolutely love this thing. It’s allowed me to consolidate my phone and tablet into one device and carry them in my pocket with no problem. The screens are top-notch for just about anything – movies, gaming, even some light Office work.
The camera system is pretty solid though it isn’t the absolute best out there. Adding that, though, would likely have pushed this phone into the $2k territory. Still, most of my shots are pretty solid. I only run into issues when trying to take photos and movies in low light – lots of noise and blur with any motion.
The battery is fine – I can blow through a full charge in under a day but that makes sense since one device is now doing the work of two for me. Fast charging on this caps out at 25W wired and 10W wireless so be mindful of that if you’re planning to purchase a charging brick.
Despite a few minor complaints, I can’t recommend the Fold 3 enough for those looking to be on the cutting edge and/or want to consolidate some of the devices they own. I would recommend some kind of insurance/protection just in case – replacing a foldable screen if something goes wrong can’t be cheap. Otherwise, enjoy using this thing every day and prepare to reap in the abundant ooh’s and ahh’s when you flip this thing open.

Lets start by saying, this is a pretty good phone. I am going from a Note9 to this and it is interestingly good and different, but not perfect.
The good. Screens are excellent, sharp, bright even in direct sunlight. Fast, smooth processor, good battery life, good cameras, and a high cool factor.
The bad. It is slippery. Opening the device can be tricky and I have dropped (fortunately on a soft surface) twice, until I figured it is best to put a nail (if you have some) in between to pull it apart. Just be careful not to snag the screen protector with your nails. Mine has a good strong hinge but that makes it hard to open (see previous). It is thick, but what do you expect when they have basically hinged two phone together.
The ugly. NO PEN INPUT ON FRONT SCREEN.
Overall I like this phone, or at least I want to like this phone more than I do.
I find myself using the inner screen more that I thought, but not as much as I had hoped. I use the outer screen for most common phone tasks (viewing notifications, sending text messages, and to answer the phone.) You can answer the phone while on the inner screen, but you look like a total dweeb, and it is awkward to hold. With that said, I have large hands, so when its closed I find the phone small (not, thin mind you, but the screen and typing on the front screen, small). On the inside screen I do not use the split keyboard, the full screen keyboard works best for me and opening and closing the phone all the time is actually less desirable than I was hoping. So I spend a lot of time on the outer screen, more than I thought I would. If the outer screen had pen usability I might actually spend even more time on the outer screen.
The inner screen is pretty impressive. It is the same size (more or less) as an iPad mini and looks amazing. I love watching movies on this screen, reading emails, surfing the net and using some apps. The overall phone, web surfing, messaging functions on the bigger screen is fine. Some things that are better integrated to the bigger screen are more fun and interesting to use. But most apps are not adapted to the larger screen and are the same experience as on the Note9, just on a bigger screen.
The battery has lasted me a whole day of normal use (surfing, messaging, news updates, notifications, searches, some show watching, and some navigation). The only thing I can not figure out is: it only charges at 10W, no matter what I use or do. I have 25W inductive charging pads, 10w not 15w. I have 60W cables and wall adapter and no matter what I use, the phone shows the same charging time as the charging pads. Its probably something I have not activated, or setup properly, but I have yet to find a video or web site that can help.
The speakers are very good on this phone too. They are loud, they are clear and there are two of them. As long as they don’t change anything in future updates (as happened with the Note9) and lower the volume, I love the speakers and general sound.
Wifi is strong, no drop outs of any kind and work fast enough.
The 5G. I feel the 5G experience is the same as on my Note9. Sometimes the Note9 seems faster as it has less to render (I assume). Sometimes it works better. Faster loads, less lag. I live in the heart of AT&T’s 5G service area, so I was hoping for more consistency in 5G service.
The cameras are ok. The software used to process the images is actually really good and makes the images look better. but if you pixel peep, the cameras on the Note9 seem sharper and the 21 has a 108mp camera that they should have carried over to this phone. But over all it is good.
For the price (even with the discount and Best Buy had/has some good discounts) it is expensive for what you are actually getting. On paper it is a little faster, but not enough that you will actually notice. You get a bigger inner screen, which is very cool, but a smaller outer screen, which you will use more than you think. You get good battery life, but not better. You get good cameras, but not better.
To me a “flagship” phone should be better than any of its predecessors. This phone is different, and somewhat better, but not better enough for such a large price jump.
I am an early phone adopter so overall I like the phone, I am just not super impressed by the actual functions of the phone. I love the inner screen and that is about all I love. Which might be the point of this phone.

I had the z fold 3 since the release date which is over a month ago. Let me just say it’s no other phone like this in the world and I can’t wait for the z fold 4 next year to be released. Z fold 3 is a tablet that can fold into a phone. What more can I say!!! The display is gorgeous and smooth with it’s 120 variable refresh rate. Watching content on this phone is the best YouTub, Tic Tok, and HBO Max etc. The camera is good but not the best, along with battery life could be better but decent. Plus s pen support is a pleasure on this phone. Plus is waterproof. The last thing is this phone is a multitasking beast. The truth this phone/tablet is better than an iPad pro with it’s 5g, display, waterproof, and multitasking no tablet can touch the z fold!!!! Great job Samsung.

Amazing phone and very unique. You van use the smalll screen or unfold it and use the big screen. There are plenty of youtube videos to show you how to use the features. This pbone is a must have. The only downside if the phone gets warm of hot the battery drains somewhat quickly.