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Daily Authority: 📱 Flip is better than fold

A hot take on foldable phone form factors, all the tech news from the weekend, and a customary meme to top it all off.

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Published onAugust 8, 2022

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

🌞 Good Morning, folks! Hope Monday blues aren’t dragging you down. I am in for a pretty packed week as we unpack the new Samsung devices headed our way soon. Yes, Galaxy Unpacked is happening the day after tomorrow, and before you head into that, we’ve got a hot take on foldable form factors for you to read. This and everything else that happened in tech over the weekend is in today’s edition of the Daily Authority. So let’s get started.

A case for clamshells foldables

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 just around the corner, our reviewer Ryan Haines reached into his pocket for the best foldable phone from last year. It’s a win for the form factor, says Ryan. Here’s how his Galaxy Z Flip 3 is doing one year down the line and why he thinks clamshells are better than any other foldables.

In Ryan’s experience, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 has one of the friendliest designs compared to other foldable phones out there.
Even though it has a 6.7-inch display that is comparable to other flagship phones, it rarely feels large. “You never feel like you’re wedging a phablet-sized monster into your pocket,” says Ryan.
Another user-friendly aspect of the phone is that its internal and external displays have distinct purposes, offering access to notifications and widgets without demanding that you open your phone every time.
This makes it easier to use the phone less and only pick it up to check notifications rather than getting distracted whenever you need to do something as small as checking the weather.
You can also open up the Galaxy Flip with just one hand. Of course, it’s not easy to reach the top edge of the display once the phone is open, but that’s what one-handed mode is for.

Using One UI on the Galaxy Flip

Ryan even customized Samsung’s One UI to suit his needs on the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and he was pretty impressed with what he could do.
Before we get into that, did you know the One UI 5 beta is out? Yes, you can now try Android 13 on your Galaxy S22 phone.
Back to One UI on the Flip 3 — Ryan customized all of the widgets on his external display, so he seldom has to open his phone unless he wants to.
The phone’s external screen displays a gist of texts and emails without having to reach the main display.
Samsung keeps adding widgets to the mix, so there are usually new ways to make the phone feel more like your own.
The unique twist to the camera app makes the Galaxy Z Flip 3 shine.
Samsung’s camera controls automatically adapt to the folded shape.
Instead of splitting your viewfinder above and below the crease, the image lives above while all your controls live below.
You can also use the external display as a selfie preview.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 also does a good job of widescreen streaming with minimal black bars on the edges.

Why Fold isn’t better than Flip

Firstly, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is huge and doesn’t fit in the pocket as easily as the Flip 3.
Ryan says that the Galaxy Fold is also like a house of cards ready to tumble when propped up to take a picture.
Additionally, the Fold series is impossible to use with one hand, at least while open. Its size and weight turn single-handed use into a balancing act.
Book-style phones like the OPPO Find N approach usability like the Galaxy Z Flip phones, but they aren’t widely available.
As far as streaming is concerned, watching a movie on the Z Fold leaves you with thick black bars across the top and bottom.
The fact is you can easily get by with the external screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, defeating the very purpose of the internal display.