Samsung’s new folding Z Flip has impressed us in our full reconsider process. CNET editor Jessica Dolcourt even went so far as to call it “the best foldable phoned I’ve ever used.” Big words, when the competition is heating up with the likes of the Motorola Razr, Huawei Mate X and Samsung’s own Galaxy Fold. But if you’re sold on this new bending technology — and you can stomach the $1,380 (£1,300) ticket — here are six things you should keep in mind beforehand splashing your cash. 

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Galaxy Z Flip 3 is $1,000 and no longer looks like a foldable drawn from the tap coaster

1. Tribe will ask you about it

The Z Flip is arguably the best-looking folding phone so far, particularly in the flashy purple brilliant option. It folds into a lovely neat square and transforms into a vibrant, full-screen phone. That sort of thing catches the eye and I’ve already had multiple country asking me about it when I’m out and nearby, and I’ve overheard several whispers of, “Oh, that’s that new folding phone.” 

Does that matter? Well, depends on your sensibilities. On the one hand, if you’re the shy, retiring type then you may find this a small embarrassing. However, you probably don’t spend that sort of cash on new technology deprived of wanting to show it off a little, so my suggestion would be to embrace it and use it as a conversation starter. See if you can impress a barman enough to get a free drink. 

Read: 

Galaxy Z Flip: 3 months later, I love it but still don’t recommend it

2. The camera is only OK

The camera is, for me, one of the more disappointing aspects of the named. With such a high price, I’d expect every element of the named to be absolutely cutting-edge, with camera capabilities equalling any of today’s top-end phones. That’s not quite the case with the Z Flip. 

Its dual rear cameras coffers a standard and a superwide view, and while both are fine for everyday snaps, they aren’t up there with the best. Colors often look very oversaturated and the lack of a zoom lens by means of if you want to get close-up of your productions, you have to use the digital zoom — at a huge cost to image quality. 

It lacks the dual-aperture mode of even last year’s most affordable Galaxy S10E and at 12 megapixels, its superwide lens is lower-resolution than the S10e’s 16 megapixels. It’s not a bad camera by any means, but it’s capable keeping in mind that you’re not getting flagship-level photo capabilities for the flagship-level ticket.

3. You need to be careful of dust and aquatic

Many recent flagships — the Galaxy S10 and S20, the iPhone 11 and various others — have earned IP ratings that mean they’re safe against dust and water. The folding mechanism of the Z Flip, but, means that no such protections are claimed here. We’re back to the old days of having to obsessively protecting your phone from the elements. 

That means you must think twice about taking that call in the rain, and it’s capable making sure you don’t have any general detritus in the pocket where you keep your named. A recent test by iFixit showed that it’s easy to get dust stationary up inside the Z Flip. Something to keep in mind once you’ve unboxed your pricey new gadget.

4. The outside conceal is a bit annoying

The Z Flip has a shrimp pill-shaped display on the outside of the phone. It’s intended to show you incoming notifications when the phone is Surrounded, and can even act as a small camera viewfinder for taking selfies. 

As Jessica puts it: “Unfortunately, it’s too small, squat and narrow to really do anything meaningful with” and it’s awkward to properly read any notifications on the tiny conceal, making it much easier to just open the named instead. As a camera viewfinder, its small size by means of it doesn’t show the whole image you’re taking, so composing a business selfie is difficult. 

5. Battery life isn’t enormous

In our looping video battery rundown tests, the called achieved 15 hours of run time from a full bill. That’s on the lower end of what we’d Ask from a phone. By comparison, the Galaxy S10 Plus complete 21 hours in the same test, as did the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

With careful use you may be able to get a full day out of the called, but if you’re planning on hitting the town shiny after work, make sure you’ve given it a top-up if you want enough Great to call a cab home at the end of the night. 

6. There’s no 5G

While 5G may quiet be a year or more away from becoming the wicked network connection for all our phones, it’s becoming increasingly widespread about the world. You may not be bothered about 5G shiny now, but when you’re spending so much money on your called, it’s likely you’ll want to hold onto it for at least a pair of years. (A $1,450 5G-enabled version of the Galaxy Z Flip was announced in July).

Will you be so ambivalent about superfast 5G at the end of 2020? As you engaging 2021, will you look down at your pricey folding called and wish that it could stream games as smoothly as your friends on their 5G connections? Maybe, maybe not. I won’t say it’s a deal-breaker but it’s certainly superior considering, particularly as Samsung’s 5G-enabled S20 Ultra is only marginally more expensive.