Daily Authority: 🥇 Z Flip 4 is a winner

😩 Happy Friday everyone! My internet has been out all week, so I’ve been working by tethering my PC to my phone. This would have been amazing 20 years ago, but right now, I want to die.

Our Galaxy Z Flip 4 review is in

Samsung’s latest stylish little foldable was announced more than two weeks ago, but today is the day it finally starts shipping. If you’re still on the fence (or just curious about the adorable clamshell), we were highly impressed. Check out the full review for more, or keep reading for the short version.

• Our reviewer Ryan Haines loved the device, giving it 4.5 stars and pinning an Editor’s Choice badge on its little lapel.
• However, he noted that the overall design hasn’t changed much from the Z Flip 3. Most of the upgrades are iterative, so you probably shouldn’t upgrade if you have last year’s model.
• That’s not a bad thing though, since we loved the Z Flip 3, too.
• And considering last year’s device made up the lion’s share of Samsung’s dominant 88% control of the foldables market, it looks like consumers did too.
• Not that there’s been much competition in the foldables space.

What’s new?

• The biggest and most useful upgrade here is the battery. It features a 3,700mAh battery and 25W charging (although you’ll have to buy a charger separately).
• This largely solves the main pain point of the Z Flip 3, with the new device averaging four to five hours of screen-on time in our testing.
• That’s generally just enough to make it through the day, although relying on the front screen for notifications helps a lot.
• The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 also plays a role here, offering more power and better efficiency.
• The other major upgrade is the primary camera, which remains 12MP but bumps pixel sizes from 1.4μm to 1.8μm.
• In practical terms, that meant much better low-light performance in our testing.
• Otherwise, camera performance was excellent, aside from Samsung’s controversial insistence on oversaturating photos in post.

Should you buy it?

• If you had your eye on the Z Flip 3 but held back for whatever reason, the Z Flip 4 is an even safer buy.
• It’s easily the most accessible foldable on the market, with lots of unique features that set it apart from the stale black-slab phone market.
• Still, the hinge and foldable screen make it more vulnerable than traditional phones, so we highly recommend picking up a case for it.

Roundup

📸 Samsung is bringing Expert RAW to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Not sure how to use it? We have a guide for that (Android Authority).

📅 Speaking of cameras, Sony announced an event on September 1, likely for the Xperia 5 IV (Android Authority).

🙏 New patent shows Google’s foldable phone with a larger bezel containing the camera (Android Authority).

📨 Privacy advocates rejoice: DuckDuckGo now offers its anti-tracking email service to everyone (Ars Technica).

🥽 Mark Zuckerberg confirms new Meta VR headset will launch in October during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast (The Verge).

🛰️ T-Mobile and SpaceX are teaming up to bring Starlink connections to rural US, but with a huge limitation (Android Authority).

📖 US government will make all research it funds open access on publication, but not until 2026 (Ars Technica).

🔓 Right after Plex’s security breach a few days ago, LastPass announces yet another breach, although it doesn’t seem too bad (Android Authority).

🎧 Twitter is becoming a podcast app. Well, sort of (The Verge).

🧠 What is incorrectly perceived as a sign of intelligence? (r/askreddit).

Friday fun

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a new hybrid racing drone from DJI! The DJI Avata is a compact quadcopter that succeeds the DJI FPV as the company’s premiere speedyboi. Granted, it’s not as fast as a true racing drone, but the first-person experience is a lot of fun, and the built-in propeller guards help prevent you from ruining the drone on its first outing.

The tiny drone measures eight inches from corner to corner, and features a single-axis 4K camera mounted on the front. This broadcasts video directly back to the new DJI FPV Goggles 2 (or older models) for a truly immersive experience.

For more drone goodness, learn more about the best drones you can buy, or grab a mini drone to test the waters first.

Have a great weekend!

Nick Fernandez, Editor