Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 Long Term Review – Flexing All The Improvements

Camera and Photography

Now we take a dive into photography and camera performance. 

As I said earlier, the Galaxy Z Flip4 only comes with a dual camera setup. I don’t mind not having the telephoto camera as I probably won’t use it as much. I do prefer to have the ultra-wide angle camera instead. So to me, having just two camera setup is just nice. And both cameras are exactly the same as the one on the Galaxy Z Flip3, with some tweaks done on the software. Most likely the main 12MP wide angle camera has a few upgrades up its sleeves because I can see some improvements from the previous version. 

Here are the specifications for the camera modules:

• Main camera: 12 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
• Ultra-wide camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1.12µm
• Rear camera video: 4K – 30/60fps, 1080p – 60/240fps, 720p – 960fps, HDR10+
• Selfie camera: 10 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1.22µm
• Selfie video: 4K – 30fps

I prefer to shoot photos at 4:3 ratio because I consider that as “full frame” format. If you’re into photography, you will know what I mean. Shooting at a 16:9 ratio may seem wider, but trust me, it’s not. On a smartphone, the 16:9 ratio is a cropped frame from the full 4:3 ratio. It simply cropped off the top and bottom of the frame to make it look wider, thus becoming a wider angle 16:9 ratio. And usually, you will lose some megapixels too. Now that’s a little tip from me. Hopefully it will be useful for you guys. 

Now, using the camera on the Galaxy Z Flip4 is fun. You can simply flip it open halfway and place the phone on any flat surface to take a quick selfie. You don’t need to hold it or press any buttons as you can simply show your palm to take the picture. It is best to set the timer when taking selfies so that you can get ready to pose. Same goes with videos. You can either choose to use the internal selfie camera setup for this or turn the phone around to use the main higher quality cameras with the help of the front cover display to frame your shots. Trust me, the front cover display comes in very handy. 

The versatility is endless. And since the Galaxy Z Flip4 is also waterproof, you can stand outside when it rains for a nice rainy day video shoot. It’s more dramatic that way and some people like to play in the rain (like me). But I wouldn’t dare to submerge the phone in a body of water although I know it is safe to do so. I just won’t risk it. 

Taking photos on a bright sunny day is absolutely awesome. That is pretty much a no brainer. While being outside, we get tons of good light that can elevate the overall photo quality. With HDR mode turned on, you will get superb looking high quality DSLR-like photos without the need of any post editing. You will find that all of the photos taken with the Galaxy Z Flip4 in the photo gallery below are not edited in any way. Colours are punchy and vibrant, contrasts are well executed and the clarity is simply gorgeous. What I did was simply point and shoot. But of course I frame the photo nicely before I shoot. 

My favourite mode will be the portrait mode. This is great when you have a subject such as your other half or your child or your cat. You can also capture portrait shots on inanimate objects like your car or your Star Wars figure collections. In portrait mode, you will get that gorgeous bokeh effect where the subject remains in focus while the background and foreground is blurred. The transition between the subject and the background blur is well executed with the Galaxy Z Flip4. I only notice tiny rough cuts when the background and surrounding areas around the subject look too busy. Else, it will turn up looking great 99% of the time.

As for the selfie photos, it turned out just as good but I can see that it’s a little rough around the edges when zoomed in. But overall, it’s great. With the Galaxy Z Flip4, I prefer taking selfies with the main camera anyway. But I did go live on TikTok using the selfie camera that one time and the live feed turned out looking better than I expected. That is another plus point for the Galaxy Z Flip4. However, I notice that the phone heats up when I shoot videos for a long period of time. I still don’t understand why Samsung has not addressed this matter since the Galaxy S21 Ultra. And I notice that the heat is coming from the camera modules. Anyone else notice this? Comment below. 

If you’re into night photography or rather, nightography, I feel that the Galaxy Z Flip4 is good enough to match up with the other flagships that excel in this mode. I hardly noticed any noise on the photos and it managed to capture decent image quality in low light areas. There are two low light modes that you will notice. One is the auto-detected night mode by the camera software and the other is the actual night mode that you select from the sub-menu option. If you want your photos to look great in low lights, go with the actual night mode from the menu. With that, the camera app will be able to process the images better and optimise for night shots. 

Enough of talking. Now you will get to see some photos taken with the Galaxy Z Flip4 from the gallery below. 

Conclusion

I only have good things to say about the Galaxy Z Flip4 but it is not because I am trying to get on Samsung’s good side. My review is based on my daily use of it for more than a month and it is my honest review. There are some flaws that I’ve mentioned such as the problem with heating up after a long use with the camera. But the positive outweighs the negative for me and all I can say is that I am loving the Galaxy Z Flip4. 

As to why I love it, that is based on my whole experience while using it. I love the versatility when using the camera. I can use either the selfie camera or the main camera for self portraits. In portrait mode, most photos turned up looking great as though it was taken with a DSLR at f/2.0. It’s good, not it can never match with a real camera lens. The thing is when I’m out and about for a photo walk, I can’t stop taking photos with the Galaxy Z Flip4. It is so much fun. Choose any mode in the sub-menu and you will like the results. Hint: Try the Super Slow-mo 😉 

Let’s not forget the top notch performance when it comes to multitasking and gaming. As a daily driver, the Galaxy Z Flip4 can do all the things you want it to do. The powerful chip set does not break a sweat when you’re out editing videos on the device and it renders the final cut quickly to give you an excellent outcome. If you like gaming, the level of smoothness during game play is flawless. I really enjoyed gaming on the Galaxy Z Flip4. The wider screen in landscape mode made it even better for some games. 

Do take note that the Galaxy Z Flip4 will receive software support for the next 4 years and a promised OS update by Samsung. As I understand it, the Galaxy Z Flip4 will receive the updated OneUI 5.0 based on Android 13 this November. I am so looking forward to that and seeing what improvements are there for the Z series. 

If you’re thinking of getting the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, I would say go for it. The price point may be a little high for some but it will be worth it. You will also have the option to get the Galaxy Z Fold4 instead but I prefer the size and versatility of the Flip4. It’s cheaper and easier to carry around. There are so many colour options for the Galaxy Z Flip4 this time. And of course, there’s the Bespoke Edition as well where you can fully customise the colour and vibe of the phone as you like. 

Go get it now at Samsung’s official web store. Price starts from RM4,099.00. If you get it now, you will also get a free Galaxy Watch 4 worth RM799 and Samsung Care+ 1 year extended warranty. I told you it’s worth it. 

Know more about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 here: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-z-flip4/