Samsung - Galaxy Z Fold3 5G 256GB - Phantom Black (T-Mobile)

After trying many other types of smartphones and taking a long break from Android, my first Samsung device was the ill-fated Note 7. I was so impressed with that phone that despite the battery issues I preordered a Note 8 and later a Note 10. I have no real complaints for any of them, as each represented an excellent refinement of traditional hardware that offered the best smartphone experience available. That refinement is finally reaching the Z Fold line, with some caveats. Let's not pretend that this is the best smartphone experience available; it's the same energy as the Note, but applied to something entirely different, and that's really the point. Samsung has taken a concept most people would have said was completely impossible as recently as a few years ago and made it not just work, but work rather well, to the point that if you buy this instead of a normal smartphone you can rely on it. That is impressive all on its own, and echoes the push to big screens that Samsung led many years ago which shaped the modern smartphone landscape. So, why buy this phone? Rather unsurprisingly, if you find yourself doing anything that would benefit from more screen real estate but don't find it practical to have a tablet or laptop at hand, this makes a world of difference. This review is typed entirely on the Z Fold 3, much more comfortably than it could have been on my Note 10. Reading is also greatly improved, for both text and comics. It also offers a great deal more space to work with when drawing with an S Pen, and for playing games that benefit from the large square viewing area. It's also actually easier on the pocket than a Note 10 due to the tradeoff of width for thickness, and a little easier to use the left side if front screen one-handed due to its narrow profile. Why might you steer clear of this one? If you need all day batter from your phone with heavy use and no ability to charge, and can get by with the smaller screen (or use a supplementary device like a tablet or laptop) then there's little appeal, especially when you can afford to get a better phone and better tablet separately for lower cost. This is also not a great device for video content given the prevalence of wide-screen ratios, which means you end up with black margins that make the video worse than it would be on an ordinary phone. You also can't use the screen-off memo from the Note series with the front screen, only the inside screen, rendering that feature far less useful. No removable storage is also painful if you like to carry a lot of content on your phone, and the cameras are passable, not top-of-the-line. Bottom line: The Z Fold 3 is not a perfect device. I think more than anything else, I would have liked to have an included stylus and/or great battery life. But the quibbles are minor - the battery life isn't bad, and the stylus support is there albeit without onboard storage. The screen crease is still present, albeit inoffensive and usually unnoticed. And apps are still getting used to the form factor, which leads to some quirks. But that's about all I can say about the downsides - and again, for a fully functional device that can fold in half with the durability to be a daily driver, that is incredible. I highly recommend trying one of these to anyone who stands to benefit from the versatility of the inside screen more than they stand to lose from the compromises mentioned above. The Z Fold 3 easily earns 5 stars not because it is a perfect phone, but because it is a marvelous remaining of what a mobile device can be.

I had been experimenting with changing my primary phone to Android from iPhone for some time, since I'd tried the Fold 2. The quality of life improvements make this phone so much better. First the good. To start, the hinge is just a bit more stiff and smooth, making the phone feel that much more sturdy and able to better hold positions. The front display matching the internal displays refresh rate makes the experience of moving between the two screens significantly less jarring (for me the Fold 2 produced a bit of motion sickness when switching between the two rapidly). S-Pen support is amazing, and one of the main features I had wanted on the Fold 2, so it's nice to see it here, even if the case that holds the S-Pen is less than stellar. Personally, I find the camera to be very good. Not quite the level of my iPhone 12 Pro Max, but they are still very good, especially the ability to take selfies with the main sensors. Honestly, last years Fold felt very snappy with its' Snapdragon 865 processor. and this one feels just as good (we've honestly reached a point that most phones on the market feel smooth no matter what processor or OS they're using. iOS and Android feel just as snappy.) A fun thing I've discovered, which probably won't appeal to a lot of people, is that I actually love the narrow but tall aspect ratio of the external screen. I have small hands and it feels nice to be able to reach across the screen more easily, and to me it's better that a "waterfall" display any day. The internal display feels much better since Samsung is using a better screen protector on the internal display. To me it feels smoother and more like glass. Also the addition of water resistance makes me feel like I can handle this phone less delicately than the Fold 2. They've made some great UI changes as well, especially with the multitasking, that are awesome, and make using multitasking on the device much more useful and intuitive. Now for the bad, which isn't too much. My overall biggest issue with this phone is the battery life. Compared to my iPhone or even last years' Fold 2, the battery life on this phone is middling. I've been testing it for almost a week and the results are just poor honestly. The first 2 days I'd averaged 3 - 4 hours of battery life. For the remaining few days I've had it, I'm able to get at max, 7 hours of battery with light use, but with my regular mix of YouTube, web browsing, texting, phone calls, and Spotify, basically all day, use, I average just about 6 hours of screen on time. Since I use wireless chargers at my desk for work and in my car, this isn't too much of an issue for me, but it falls well short of the 10+ hours of screen on time I could get on my iPhone, and 9+ hours I got on the Fold 2. Most of this testing was also with the front screen being used primarily, battery life may be lower once I start using the tablet internal screen more. I suspect a software patch may fix this issue, so it may improve in the future, also I know some say turning of 5G will improve the battery a lot, which in my testing it will, but is not a sacrifice I'm willing to make considering 5G in my areas of travel and home is extremely better and more reliable than LTE. (5G in my area is mid-band, which could affect the battery, but shouldn't to the degree I'm seeing. The battery is really the only thing holding me back from a full 5 star review, If I could give this phone 4.5 stars, I would. I would like to say also that I don't like Samsung's' preinstalled software keyboard (it has terrible auto correct which is very necessary on the external display), or their installation of apps that share the same function of Google's apps (this isn't really an issue since I've either hid the apps or uninstalled them, and now use SwiftKey.) One other minor issue is the "under display" selfie cam on the folding screen. It's so noticeable that they should've just kept the cutout, but the quality if okay, especially if you're just using it for Zoom and Teams like me. Overall, this is a solid phone, and for me it's replaced my iPhone and iPad. That pen support really cemented my decision. The phone feels solid and more durable than ever, and even at full price, I think this phone is worth it for those who want, honesty what the Note line used to be. A kind of do it all phone in your pocket. I will say though, this phone is definitely not for everyone, and for those, I think the Z Flip 3 will serve better, but if you want a tablet in you pocket, this is for you.

I bought this Fold 3 at a bargain prior to the release of the Fold 4. I was going to trade it for the Fold 4 but hesitated because there were only minor differences besides I had to pay the same amount as I paid for the Fold 3 which in the long run wouldn't save me that much. The front screen is slim but doable when you want basic phone access. People complain that texting is difficult because the keyboard is small but if you use the swipe texting it's actually easy besides you can unfold the phone and text with a larger screen. Both front and center screens are bright and sharp. People complain about the crease but once you use it it's fine. Battery life is fine. I mostly use this for reading the news and watching videos. The S-Pen works wonderfully when you want to write quick notes or reminders. Overall I'm satisfied with the performance of the Fold 3 and when I got it for $799 even more so.

nice best phone i had in a minute the fold part great idea had to find a really good gas tho

I've had the Fold for a little over a year. It has performed well. The only problem I'm having is the interior screen protector has started to bubble. This is not user replaceable and I'm having a little difficulty finding someone to repair it. I like everything else about the phone and would buy it again.

Fantastic device but need time getting used to the small battery capacity. Scaling could probably better, as for ex. YT content doesnt fill the screen, unless you zoom in but that cuts off content. Other apps as well. Overall though, it's a nice device. Display is really on the outside and inside.

Good phone. Very versatile. Only issues are sub flagship cameras but thats not what i prrsonally use it for. Beautiful screen. Fold on the larger display will be apparent but small price to pay for a foldable. Price could be better but still an excellent value in my opinion.

Once you go fold you never go back. Seriously this is a gamechanger, it is like having both a small handheld and mini-tablet in one. The screen quality is the best I have ever seen. I had an S20 Ultra. On paper, the S20 has better specs. In reality, the Fold is breathtaking so got the original as it is more petite and I liked that, plus double the storage which is important as no SD card. The small screen is useful and the bigger folding screen is incredible. Read reviews about all sorts of teething problems, but experienced none so far. Looking now at smartphones that do not fold makes me wonder why this technological evolution has taken so long. I would give this 10 stars if I could.