Presentation

Third iteration of the folding smartphone in Samsung's "book" format, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 aims to democratize this format, which remains however still marginal on the mobile market. The Korean charges €1,799 for it, which leaves it without direct competition in terms of price. However, it can be compared to the premium smartphones of the moment in terms of characteristics, whether it is the Galaxy S21 Ultra, in its own catalog, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra or the Find X3 Pro from Oppo.

Ergonomics and design

Samsung has generally retained the design of its previous Fold. The Z Fold 3 looks just like it, closed as open, the manufacturer using the same hinge this year as last year. The smartphone remains imposing and rather heavy, its weight being established at 271 grams, but it has the merit of losing 11 grams if we compare it to its elder. Its dimensions are barely different: it measures 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 mm when unfolded. Its measurements increase to 158.2 x 67.1 x 14.4 at 16 mm when closed.

It is also in this configuration that we spot the main difference – invisible – which separates the Z Fold 3 from its predecessor: it concerns its sealing. The smartphone is IPX8 certified, which guarantees the possibility of immersing it. On the other hand, beware of dust: hinge requires, the terminal will not appreciate it.

For the rest, Samsung keeps the formula proven last year: a fingerprint reader located on the ignition button, on the right edge, metal edges and a main screen which occupies a little more than 88% of its size. inner surface. The hinge, resistant, does not open accidentally, and allows use in “tent” mode, to watch videos, for example, or in “Flex” mode. The upper zone of the screen can thus be devoted to the display of information, and the lower zone to the keyboard. However, it is better to have fine fingers to enter text without fail. When the smartphone is closed, the same fight: the 24.5: 9 display ratio adopted by Samsung results in a narrow screen, and very stretched; handy for scrolling through web pages, perhaps a little less for typing messages.

Audio

Like all folding smartphones, the Z Fold 3 ignores the mini-jack socket. It therefore requires the use of a USB-C adapter or headphones equipped with this connection. You also have the option of speakers, which deliver good quality sound. A little disturbing however, the speakers are offset on the left side of the smartphone when it is open, which can be disturbing. Also be careful not to obstruct them with your palms when holding the Z Fold 3 open and in landscape mode.

Screen

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is equipped with a 7.6-inch interior screen whose coating Samsung promises is 80% more resistant than that of its predecessor. If it is difficult for us to evaluate this point, its passage under our probes confirmed its good quality. We have dedicated a detailed article to it. This is also the case of his friend, the cover screen, located on the front of the smartphone when closed. This 6.2-inch Amoled panel changes very little in appearance, but gains an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. No jealousy, we have also dedicated a full update to it.

Performance

Qualcomm was already at the controls of the Z Fold 2, which was equipped with a Snapdragon 865+ flanked by 12 GB of RAM. The same amount of RAM is at work in the Z Fold 3, this time accompanying the Snapdragon 888. A high-end chip that provides undeniable daily comfort, and that we submitted to our test protocol.

Race report: Samsung made the right choice, and its device is both efficient in multitasking, even during sustained stress, and in playful uses. Even in the absence of a dedicated “performance” mode, the terminal has the merit of displaying an average of 79.97 fps during our gaming sessions, maintaining most of the time at 90 fps, and not falling below 57 fps. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, for the record, was already very efficient and flirted with 70 i / s on average. All this underlines the versatility of the Z Fold 3 which, despite its professional smartphone airs, can be transformed into a portable game console without difficulty.

Our performance tests are carried out with viSer, the application developed by the company SmartViser.

Photo

No big news in terms of photos, Samsung reusing a back photo block already seen on the Galaxy Z Fold 2. We are therefore dealing with a triple block including a wide-angle (f / 1.8), an ultra wide- angle (f / 2.2) and a telephoto lens (f / 2.4), all associated with 12 megapixel sensors. The 108-megapixel Isocell sensor seen on the Galaxy S21 Ultra therefore remains exclusive to it.

Main module: 12 Mpx, f/1.8, eq. 26mm

The 12-megapixel main module chosen by Samsung for its Galaxy Z Fold 3 is similar to that of the Z Fold 2, released last year. It is therefore equipped with optics equivalent to 26 mm, stabilized, and with an aperture of f/1.8. We chose to compare it to a smartphone released this year, and therefore opted for the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which also offers 12-megapixel shots, however using pixel-binning. The Z Fold 3 does not have to be ashamed of day, delivering a very detailed shot, although a little less than the S21 Ultra. The colors are more saturated, which has the merit of attracting the eye, even if it means displeasing the purists: on the software processing side, Samsung does not go out of its way.

At night, we spot the same smoothing trend in both smartphones. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 features warmer, less natural colors, but also a bit more digital noise.

Ultra-wide-angle module: 12 Mpx, f/2.2, eq. 12mm

The ultra wide-angle of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is capable of restoring very fine details, which we owe to a tendency to accentuate contours. The colorimetry is rather homogeneous, if we compare it to that of the shots taken at wide-angle. Nevertheless, it is difficult for this module to master the exposition, as illustrated by the playing cards.

Things get tough at the ultra-wide-angle when used at night. This is then the end of the accentuation of the contours: it gives way to an important smoothing of the details, so much so that on the cartography of our scene, the distinction between land and sea tends to disappear.

2x telephoto module: 12 MP, f/2.4, eq. 52mm

We compared the Galaxy Z Fold 3 to another smartphone offering 2x magnification, with the Galaxy S21 Ultra opting for 3x zoom. Note, however, that the Oppo Find X3 Pro selected here takes 13 megapixel shots, against 12 Mpx for our folding smartphone.

By day, pleasant surprise. The smoothing is present, but the treatment operated by Samsung, which results in an accentuation of the contours, makes it possible to obtain shots close to those taken at wide-angle. The fine print is thus more readable than with the Oppo smartphone.

The night doesn't really succeed in either smartphone, but Samsung's model wins out. The smoothing visible on our test scene is less, and here again, the choice of contrast makes it possible to recover details helping to read the whole. However, the cliché remains difficult to exploit.

Front module, portrait and video mode

Samsung is not revising its formula for video: like the Galaxy Z Flip 2, the Z Flip 3 allows you to shoot in 4K at 60 fps, 8K remaining reserved for the S21. Note that it is possible to shoot in HDR10+, subject to activating the option. Selfies remain a thorny issue. It is better to avoid using the camera under the interior screen of the smartphone, and to move towards one of the two solutions available. It is thus possible to take selfies of correct quality, in 10 megapixels, with the module housed in the punch of its cover display. The most motivated can open the smartphone, click on the small icon located at the top right of its screen, and thus use its back camera combined with the cover display, which then plays the monitors: a larger aperture is yours (f/1, 8 against f/2.2 for the "selfies" camera) and better overall quality.

Autonomy

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a slightly smaller battery than its predecessor, displaying 4400 mAh against 4500 mAh. This results in a slightly lower overall autonomy, but which will differ according to the uses. Because we measured an endurance of 12 h 30 min when the interior screen of the Z Fold 3 is open, a slight increase compared to that of the Z Fold 2 (12 h 02 min in the same test). But the decrease in autonomy of the device is noticeable when its external screen is closed: instead of the 19 h 49 min recorded with the cover display of the Z Fold 2, we only recorded 14 h 19 min with the screen exterior of our model. However, this measurement must be qualified: we tested the device in its “out of the box” configuration, that is to say by maintaining an adaptive refresh rate (up to 120 Hz). The cover display of the Z Fold 2, for its part, was content with a refresh rate set at 60 Hz, which consumes less energy. We have also measured the autonomy of the Z Fold 3 closed screen, by opting for a fixed refresh rate of 60 Hz: the autonomy was felt, then passing to 16 h 44 min.

Like last year's model, the Z Fold 3 is compatible with 25W fast charging, which according to our tests allows it to refuel in about 1h 18min. The smartphone does not evolve either in the field of wireless charging, always available and fixed at 11 W, and on reverse charging, maintained at 4.5 W. This allows, for example, to power a pair of true wireless headphones or a connected watch. Finally, let's add that the Z Fold 3, like the Galaxy S21 range, comes without a charging block.

Our battery tests are automated by viSer, the application developed by the company SmartViser. The results obtained with viSer come from measurements carried out in real conditions of use (calls, SMS, videos, launching of applications, web browsing, etc.) .

Repairability

Samsung publishes as it should the repairability index associated with its Z Fold 3. The smartphone obtains a score (7.8/10) slightly higher than that of the Z Fold 2 (7.5/10). Like its predecessor, the folding model benefits from problem-free software and update possibilities, and the accompanying technical documentation is available over time. The smartphone, whose spare parts are generally available for a long time, and within a reasonable time, gains a few tenths of points thanks to less difficulty in dismantling its main parts. It is no surprise on this point that the Z Fold 3 loses most of its points, which has both a folding screen and a waterproof certification.

Sustainability

Our sustainability score helps determine the sustainable aspect of the smartphone for both the consumer and the environment. It is based on the repairability index, durability criteria (protection index, standard connectors, warranty period and updates, etc.) and an assessment of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policies. . You will find all the details of the analysis in our article presenting the sustainability score.