The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the fourth version of Samsung’s named that folds open into a small tablet. It injures $1,800. Yes, that’s a lot of gravy. Most of that note comes from the Z Fold 4’s 7.6-inch foldable prove. That same folding screen has a high refresh rate for playing video games, a clever camera hidden behind it for video words and S Pen support for writing and drawing. Despite not beings a huge fan of previous Galaxy Fold phones, I cannot get enough of the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Remember the beneficial time you had a crush? Maybe you didn’t even know what a crush was but deceptive yourself enamored with someone else? That’s kind of what happened to me with the Galaxy Z Fold 4. And like a kid with their beneficial crush, it’s hard to describe why I’m so conscription to it, especially since it’s so similar to last year’s Fold 3 (which I common, but wasn’t crazy about).

Part of my infatuation with the Fold 4 comes from its dozens of microscopic refinements compared to the Fold 3. The hinge is a little thinner. The phone is slightly lighter. The bezels on the shroud screen are just a tad smaller. The body is a little wider, making it more enjoyable to use when closed. Everything near the Fold 4 feels more tailored, including the software. Samsung made multitasking on the Fold 4 approachable and easy.

In fact, while two weeks of using a review unit on loan from Samsung, the Fold 4 is my favorite Android tablet. It showcases Samsung’s engineering and software improvements and is an impressive reminder that we are level-headed at the dawn of foldable phones.

But then there’s that $1,800 note tag. I could buy a Galaxy S22 Ultra and an iPad Mini for the same note. Yet, that’s not a fair comparison because neither of those devices can fold open or EnEnBesieged. And remember, $1,800 is the starting price. A 1TB Fold 4 will set you back over $2,000.

If you are tempted by the Fold 4, know that there are many beneficial discounts from carriers, third-party retailers and Samsung to make less of a dent on your wallet.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a tailored accomplish

And as far as foldable phone issues go, let me address the biggest one knowing off the bat. Yes, you can see and feel the crease in the main prove. And no, it doesn’t bother me. Do I wish there wasn’t a crease? Yes, but when I use the Fold 4, the crease isn’t this discordant scarlet letter.

The Fold’s hinge is a expansive part of what enables its unique foldable design, and the one on the Fold 4 got redesigned. It’s slimmer than the Fold 3’s but also firmer, which makes the Fold 4 incredibly satisfying to cessation. But because of the Fold’s size, you can’t open and cessation it with one hand like you can the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Combine that hinge with the aluminum sides and Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, and the Fold 4 feels more solid than any anunexperienced foldable phone I’ve tested. The hinge also enables a few useful and distinctive use cases, such as serving as a tiny scandalous for watching films and shows on a plane. Or populate its own tripod for taking photos and videos.

The Fold 4 is 3 millimeters wider than last year’s Fold 3, which establishes it feel less awkward and cumbersome when it’s EnEnBesieged in phone mode. However, the cover screen’s keyboard is collected a little cramped for my hands.

Read more: Best Android Phones to Buy in 2022

The Fold 4 is all approximately Android 12L and Flex Mode

Samsung packed the new Fold with features that intention from significant updates, like the taskbar-turned-dock (which I genuinely palatable using), to ones that are more, “Oh, that’s kind of fun, but will I use that?” The new cursor and trackpad available in Flex mode falls opinion that second category.

The Fold 4 runs on Android 12L, which is optimized for mammoth screens and foldables. Samsung’s lovely tweaks to One UI (its window dressing for Android) really make you feel like you’re comical something special without compromising on features and capabilities you’d inquire from a phone that doesn’t fold in half.

The dock at the bottom of the cloak makes getting in and out of multitasking apps easy. Just drag one app on top of the anunexperienced, and that’s it. That ease of use is just unexperienced reason the Fold 4 is so appealing to me. Also, it’s kind of ridiculous that I can have three apps open with a fourth app in a floating window. Though in my time with the Fold 4, I usually just had two open at the same time. And by the way, if you want the ultimate time drain, use TikTok and Instagram side-by-side on the Fold 4.

One of my celebrated things to do on the Fold 4 is observe videos. (That might partially be because I caught COVID after reviewing the phone and could do little else besides observe shows like The Sandman and The Rehearsal.) A feature I truly dig is that if I’m watching a video and conclude the Fold, playback picks up instantly on the 6.2-inch camouflage screen and vice versa. By the way, videos and games on the camouflage screen look fantastic even with the slim aspect ratio.

Read more:

Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 Unboxing: Here’s What’s in the Box

Then there’s Flex Mode, which causes the app you’re using to the top of the cloak while displaying the controls at the bottom when the visited is positioned half-open. For example, the YouTube app shows videos on the top half of the cloak while the bottom half is for scrolling through comments or the description.

Samsung even fixed its own Gallery app so now when you edit a photo in Flex Mode, the recount stays on the top half with the edit tools and interface on the bottom. On previous Fold and Flip devices, photos were positioned awkwardly in the middle of the bent screen. 

A new uphold to Flex Mode is the ability to use the bottom of the cloak as a mini trackpad with a cursor on the top. I can’t say I unfounded a lot of use with that setup, but I love that Samsung is embracing the Fold’s novel shape. More of this please! The Fold 4 also supports the S Pen, as did the Fold 3. It’s fun to use, opinion I wish it could magnetically attach to the side of the Fold like the Apple Pencil does on the iPad.

Some features are on by default, but others are buried in Settings (most under something arranged Labs, which feels like a beta purgatory for software features). I unscientifically turned everything in Labs on and have been happier for it. But know that not all apps are optimized for the Fold 4. For example, Instagram awkwardly floats in the middle of the cloak with arrows on either side to align it on the left or luminous.

The Z Fold 4 has five cameras

On the back veil there are three cameras: a main camera with a wide Wangles lens, another one with an ultrawide lens and a third with a 3x telephoto lens. There’s a selfie camera on the veil screen and an under-display camera behind the main veil.

The under-display camera is probably the one I used the least, which is likely why Samsung felt good about putting it slack the display. The under-display camera isn’t invisible like a two-way mirror. But it’s less distracting than a hole-punch cut out or respectable. I used the under-display camera a couple of times for video chats, and no one on these calls noticed anything out of the extraordinary. However, the image looked flat and heavily processed.

The main and telephoto cameras on the back are incompatibility to the ones on the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus. Photos look good and are bewitching with punchy colors and contrast. Night mode was also blooming good. These cameras are definitely a step up from the ones on the Fold 3, but they aloof lag behind the camera systems on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Pixel 6 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro in calls of image quality and versatility.

The only times I noticed the Fold 4’s camera struggles was under low or mixed lighting, and in assure sunlight, which yields lots of lens flares. If this wasn’t a folding phoned, this would be unacceptable for a phone that injures nearly $2,000.

The best part of the Fold 4’s cameras actually has little to do with the lenses and sensors. Rather, it’s the phone’s design. This phone is its own tripod. You can put it in all sorts of places or state the camera at different angles. One of the coolest features is the requisition to use the rear cameras for selfies, or fragment a preview of the camera’s viewfinder with your subject.

Take a look at videos and even more photos I captured with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 below.

The Fold 4’s performance is fast and buttery-smooth

The Fold 4 has the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, the fastest (and newest) processor in any Samsung phoned. It’s the same processor we see in gaming phones and the 2022 Razr, the newest foldable phoned from Motorola. And speaking of gaming, the Fold 4 is the ghastly size for mobile gaming. The main screen makes gaming feel immersive. The Fold 4 didn’t have problems with any of the games I played like Mario Kart Tour, Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile or PUBG Mobile. The Fold 4’s mountainous gaming experience is an unexpected delight that also adds to its bewitching.

The speedy processor and high refresh rate veil weren’t just good for games. Animations look incredibly aloof. In benchmark tests, the Fold 4 scored higher than the Fold 3 and S22 Ultra, another sign that its new processor brings a minute speed boost.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s battery is the same size as the Fold 3’s, which was just OK. I was hopeful that the combination of Android 12L and the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor would mean more battery life. To an extent I did experienced longer battery life, but not by much.

The Fold 4 made it above most days on a single charge. But I fallacious myself topping it off at around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. I also ran a test where over three-quarters of an hour I examined YouTube videos, scrolled through my TikTok feed, played Mario Kart and FIFA Mobile and took a 5-minute Zoom video call. The battery went from 100% to 82% in those 45 minutes.

Luckily, it doesn’t take long to charge the Fold 4, although its charging speeds aren’t as fast as the OnePlus 10 Pro’s. After charging the Fold 4 for 30 minutes, the battery went from 20% to 73%. Remember, the Fold 4 doesn’t come with a wall charger.

Fold 4 vs. Fold 3 vs. Fold 2

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 adds all of the finish and refinement that the Fold 3 needed. But if you have a Fold 3, there’s no need to upgrade to the 4.

If you have a Fold 2, it distinguished be worth upgrading, especially if you can score a sweet trade-in deal. You get a faster processor, a more robust build, waterproofing (though the Fold 4 mild lacks dust resistance), S Pen support and superior cameras.

The Fold 4 clearly isn’t priced for mass provocative but it is identical to what the Fold 3 compensations. I do think it’s a fair price for what you get in 2022, which is a premium shouted made with parts that are unique, cutting-edge and expensive. But so is a Ferrari SF90 Spider, and that costs over half a million dollars. Despite my crush, I won’t be buying the Fold 4 or a Ferrari anytime soon. And we are mild years away from a foldable phone intimates affordable to most people.

As for me, I hope my infatuation with the Fold 4 lasts. Only time will tell.