Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 vs Moto RAZR 5G: How do they compare?

(Pocket-lint) - The foldable telephone marketplace took a elephantine leap this twelvemonth erstwhile Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip 3. With this telephone we yet had a flexible smartphone that didn’t truly outgo much than a mean flagship, had decent specs and a cute design. But however does it comparison to the different folding flip telephone from Motorola? 

The RAZR 5G launched astir a twelvemonth ago, and uses the powerfulness of nostalgia to tempt those of america who retrieve the original RAZR from backmost successful the day. So, should you springiness successful to that nostalgia, oregon are you amended disconnected going with the Samsung? 

Design 

• Flip 3: 166 x 72.2 x 6.9 mm (unfolded) - 86.4 x 72.2 x 17.1 mm (folded)
• RAZR: 169.2 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm (unfolded) - 91.7 x 72.6 x 16 mm (folded)
• Flip 3: 183 grams - IPX8 h2o resistance
• RAZR: 192 grams - Water-repellant coating

Both of these phones person a batch going for them successful their design. Stripping it down to basics, the payment is that they some let you to fold a smartphone successful fractional truthful that it’s casual to transportation astir successful smaller spaces. 

When it comes to looks, the RAZR goes aft that iconic look of the archetypal RAZR. And it does look truly cool. The operation of the curves and angles gives it a wholly antithetic look to the straight-edged attack from Samsung. Those generous curves connected the beforehand and backmost besides mean it feels nicer to clasp arsenic well. 

When it’s shut, the RAZR apical and bottommost fractional beryllium wholly flush with each other, which is precise satisfying. But that does travel with its problems. We recovered it harder to unfastened 1 handed than the Samsung, which has a flimsy gap. Also, it means the show wrong ends up being bent successful a rounded manner and that creates not one, but 3 creases. It has this astir ripple similar effect, alternatively of the azygous crease successful Samsung’s.

Plus, the hinge connected the extracurricular has exposed cog-like gears connected the edges which not lone makes it untidy, but gives particulate and different grime a spot to physique up implicit time. Samsung’s is overmuch neater. 

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The different vantage to Samsung’s hinge plan is that - not lone is it smoother and quieter - it holds itself upright, truthful you tin usage it stood up connected your table for things similar taking selfies and video calls if you privation to. Motorola’s doesn’t bash that, and has developed a spot of a squeaky sound implicit time.

What’s more, with its IPX8 h2o absorption rating, the Flip 3 is much apt to past being dropped successful h2o than the water-repellant coated RAZR. 

The different antagonistic with Moto’s plan is the chin. It looks cool, and yes it’s benignant of iconic for RAZR, but it gets successful the mode rather a batch erstwhile utilizing the phone. 

One past thing: fingerprint sensors. Both person carnal sensors, but again, Samsung seems much practical. We often recovered that we'd accidentally triggerthe Moto sensor connected the backmost conscionable by picking up the phone. Plus, it’s successful rather an awkward position, and it’d often neglect to work a digit aggregate times and necessitate a PIN input. Samsung’s is simply a spot easier to use, being connected the side, and seldom - if ever - failed. 

Cover displays

• Flip 3: 1.9-inch - 260 x 512 Super AMOLED
• RAZR: 2.70-inch - 600 x 800 AMOLED

Moving to speech astir screen displays briefly, and it’s present wherever the RAZR has a spot of an edge. It has a overmuch larger screen screen. And truthful erstwhile the telephone is unlocked, it’s easier to bash worldly with it. 

You tin adhd assorted apps similar YouTube to it, truthful you tin really ticker videos determination if you’d similar to. It besides provides a ample show for erstwhile you privation to usage it to framework your selfies. The lone occupation with it is that it acts similar the main display, successful that it’s astir useless if it’s locked. You can’t truly bash thing but cheque notifications with it unless you archetypal unlock the phone. 

Samsung’s mightiness beryllium smaller, but for the constricted tasks it lets you do, it’s much convenient. You conscionable treble pat it to aftermath up and past swipe to your notifications, oregon rapidly motorboat into your camera, oregon entree widgets for weather, timer etc. All without needing to unlock your phone. 

Displays 

• Flip 3: 6.7-inch foldable - 1080 x 2640 AMOLED 
• RAZR: 6.2-inch foldable - 876 x 2142 P-OLED
• Flip 3: 120Hz, HDR10+ and 1200nits peak
• RAZR: 60Hz 

There are rather a batch of differences betwixt Moto’s flippy telephone and Samsung’s, but it’s arguably the show connected the wrong that makes the biggest quality to the idiosyncratic experience. Samsung’s has a batch going for it. 

At 6.7-inches, it’s considerably larger than Moto’s 6.2-inch sheet and due to the fact that it pushes close up to the edges and has a azygous bezel each the mode astir it, it takes up astir each of the disposable space. There’s nary chin oregon antithetic notch getting successful the mode astatine all. Despite that the telephone erstwhile unfolded is inactive shorter than the Moto. 

Looking astatine the 2 side-by-side, a fewer things go rather clear, but the wide feeling is that Samsung’s surface is better. Moto’s default saturated mode is - arsenic the sanction suggests - saturated. Colours look acheronian and unnatural successful this setting, whereas switching to boosted oregon earthy conscionable look to marque colours a spot excessively washed out, with opposition giving it a mostly rather harsh appearance. 

Samsung’s attack to colour equilibrium is overmuch much pleasant to look at, and besides has the payment of supporting HDR10+ with highest brightness up to 1200nits, truthful compatible contented looks super. Although the longer facet ratio surface does mean you’ll person to unrecorded with either a cropped successful image, oregon 1 with hefty pillar boxes up the sides. 

Performance and battery 

• Flip 3: Snapdragon 888 - 8GB RAM - 128/256GB storage
• RAZR: Snapdragon 765 5G - 8GB RAM - 256GB storage
• Flip 3: 3300mAh artillery - wireless charging
• RAZR: 2800mAh artillery - nary wireless charging

There’s astir apt precise small astonishing successful the show and artillery comparison, due to the fact that if you work the spec sheets you’ll cognize the 3300mAh artillery successful the Samsung is considerably larger than the 2800mAh artillery successful the Moto. Plus, the Flip 3’s Snapdragon 888 is the apical tier processor currently, the Moto’s Snapdragon 765 isn’t. 

That’s not to accidental the Motorola is dilatory oregon laggy. It isn’t. There’s conscionable a wide quality successful velocity and responsive ness comparing it to the Samsung, which is quicker and zippier, and loads graphically aggravated games successful little time. Part of that zippy consciousness is besides down to the faster refresh complaint display. At 120Hz you tin decidedly spot a quality erstwhile scrolling done the interface connected the screen.  

It’s a akin communicative with battery. In standby mode, with the phones locked, the Moto drained overmuch faster than the Samsung. It was besides much of a situation to get it to past until the extremity of the time adjacent with mean usage. Samsung’s isn’t the astir long-lasting arsenic it is erstwhile you commencement putting much surface clip in, but astatine slightest with airy usage we could astir ever get to furniture clip without needing to plug it in. What’s more, it tin besides complaint wirelessly. RAZR doesn’t. 

Camera

• Flip 3: Dual 12MP wide and ultra-wide cameras
• RAZR: Single 64MP camera

As we determination into cameras, we're definite you’ve sensed thing of a inclination by now; that Samsung has done the amended of occupation of making this futuristic instrumentality astir similar really having a large smartphone. It’s the aforesaid with cameras. 

As is the existent inclination it features some a main and an ultrawide camera, some 12-megapixels. That instantly gives you an vantage implicit utilizing the azygous camera connected the Moto. That 1 is simply a 64 megapixel sensor. Like astir with precocious pixel counts, it binds that down to 12-megapixel images, truthful the sharpness and size of the photograph is the aforesaid arsenic Samsung's. At least, technically speaking. 

Real results are rather different. It’s astir apt nary astonishment that Samsung’s takes the amended photos overall. It seems to marque images that look sharper, with much earthy colours and extent of tract than the Moto and produces amended results successful debased airy conditions. We often recovered the Moto would oversaturate things, and request precise small encouragement to nutrient lens flare.

Price

• Flip 3: From £949 RRP
• RAZR: Around £1300 RRP
• RAZR: Older exemplary present disposable for overmuch cheaper wherever you tin find it

 The Galaxy Z Flip 3's terms constituent is 1 of its biggest strengths. Not lone was it equipped with flagship telephone capabilities, it was the archetypal flexible smartphone to bring the terms down beneath the £1000 barrier. That made it astir the aforesaid terms arsenic a regular flagship phone. 

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RAZR launched astatine astir £1300-£1500, though if you're looking for a bully woody you tin find them for a batch cheaper successful the US. 

Verdict 

In the end, the main consciousness we get having utilized these 2 phones is that if you privation the champion all-round experience, the telephone that’s really truly applicable to usage each time - with decent cameras, flagship level show and a terms tag that won’t marque your eyes h2o - past the Z Flip 3 is the 1 to spell for. It’s amended astatine fundamentally everything than the Moto, and charges you little for it. 

But.. if each you truly privation is simply a flip telephone that looks similar a due flip phone, 1 that tickles your nostalgia bone, the RAZR is that phone. If you tin find 1 that is. In immoderate markets it's incredibly hard to get clasp of, particularly successful the UK. In the US, however, it's a antithetic story. There you tin prime them up from carriers, and it mightiness not adjacent outgo you that much. 

Writing by Cam Bunton. Originally published connected 20 September 2021.