Galaxy Z Flip 4 hands-on: a great device until it keeps rebooting

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a great device that I looked forward to all year. I really enjoyed using it in the first few days, until something happened that I hadn’t expected. As always, I paid for the device myself.

Design and build quality

From the outside, the Z Flip 4 has hardly changed. The display bezels are slightly narrower, which makes the device a bit smaller. I like that a lot. The hinge is firmer and sturdier and makes a more premium impression. On the other hand, opening it with one hand is almost impossible without twisting your thumb or turning the device into a projectile.

• Glass: It now uses Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which is supposed to be extremely robust.
• Frame: The aluminum frame is shiny. On the gold version, fingerprints are kept within limits.
• Screen protector: The pre-applied screen protector attracts dust, which collects at the edges and quickly looks creepy.
• Feel: With the sturdier hinge and the matte back, the device is even more fun than the Z Flip 3.

Cover display

Contrary to many expectations, the 1.9-inch display was not enlarged. I use it mainly as a viewfinder for the main camera and to read notifications. I also set up speed dial, timer, alarm and Samsung Health, where only the steps are shown. Those are nice gimmicks. What is especially useful is that you can see who is calling while it is closed.

Camera

To put it bluntly, the camera is not a showstopper, roughly on the level of the S22. The pictures are quite oversaturated. The video camera, on the other hand, is really fun, that is Samsung’s specialty. All in all, the camera is okay, but you won’t win a prize with it. For such a great device, I find that rather disappointing.

Battery and charging

• Battery: 3,700 mAh instead of 3,300 mAh. In the first few days I got through the day more than comfortably with calls, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram and a few photos. Depending on use, there was still 30% left in the evening, entirely sufficient for me.
• Charging: 25 watts, the predecessor had 15 watts. Not supersonic speed, but noticeably better.
• Reverse wireless charging: The Z Flip 4 got very warm at the beginning. While charging my Galaxy Watch 5 it even got too warm, so charging had to be interrupted.

The crease in the middle of the display has not gotten better. After ten minutes it doesn’t bother me anymore, though. With a foldable phone, it has to crease somewhere.

The catch: constant reboots

Switching from the Z Flip 3, I had the iPhone effect: you spend a lot of money and hardly notice any changes. Your account is €1,100 emptier, and it feels like before. Still, I was convinced the Z Flip 4 would be my new daily driver.

Then the device kept switching itself off and on again at intervals. I reset it to factory settings, cleared the cache and started it in safe mode. Even after the reset I didn’t install any apps. Nothing helped. Every time I had to enter the SIM PIN because the device had restarted by itself. That means you are constantly unreachable, which is unacceptable. Neither Samsung support nor the relevant forums had any further idea. With an RRP of €1,099, my patience is not overly long, so the device is going back. I hope I got a Monday unit, because I haven’t heard of such problems from other Z Flip 4 users so far. I had problems with the S22 Ultra before, which I solved by exchanging it. This is my second return story this year.

Verdict

More battery life, faster charging and a more premium feel make the Z Flip 4 an improvement. The camera disappoints a bit. Whether my device was an isolated case, you’ll find out when I can finish telling the story.