The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Motorola Edge Plus (2022) may seem like a rather odd comparison, considering how different these phones are. Aside from the fact that they serve entirely different market segments, they also exhibit completely different form factors. The Motorola Edge Plus (2022) (known as Motorola Edge 30 Pro outside the US) is a traditional flagship, offering top-of-the-line hardware in a slab form factor. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a foldable clamshell that flips open to become a full-sized smartphone and becomes a miniature phone when closed, making it easier to carry. Both phones cost less than $1000 and pack Qualcomm's latest flagship Snapdragon chipset. If you're on the market for a $999 flagship and wondering whether you should pick up the snazzy-looking Galaxy Z Flip 4 or play it safe and pick up the Motorola Edge Plus (2022), read on.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Motorola Edge Plus (2022): Specifications

Design & Display

In terms of looks, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Motorola Edge Plus (2022) couldn't have been more different. The Galaxy Z Flip is a modern take on the classic clamshell phone, featuring a flexible display that lets the regularly sized phone fold into something smaller. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a breath of fresh air in the boring world of slab phones. However, the flip form factor isn't for everyone, and several downsides exist. But if you've had enough of the traditional phone and want to stand out from the crowd, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is one of the most fun and exciting device money can buy. The phone comes in four colors: Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, and Blue. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 looks pretty identical to its predecessor, but it brings several key upgrades. It packs Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the back and uses Armor Aluminum Frame, making it the most durable Galaxy Flip phone ever. It also boasts IPX8 certification meaning the phone can withstand water splashes.

The Motorola Edge Plus (2022) is a massive phone measuring about the same size as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The phone features Gorilla Glass on the front and back and has a plastic frame. The back is curved, which helps the phone rest nicely and securely in your palm, but the glossy finish means it's prone to picking up fingerprints and smudges. The phone boasts an IP52 rating which means it can withstand a water splash or two but won't be able to survive immersion into water. Just like the Galaxy Z Flip 4, the Motorola Edge Plus doesn't offer a 3.5mm jack, but it does have powerful front-firing stereo speakers.

Another significant difference between the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Motorola Edge Plus (2022) is the display. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 uses a flexible 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ content support, and 1200 nits peak brightness. In addition, a 1.9-inch cover display lets you see notifications and widgets, access settings, reply to texts and calls, and take selfies without having to open the main display. Samsung says the main display is 45% stronger than the Galaxy Z Flip 3 but putting on a protective case is still a must.

Meanwhile, the Motorola Edge Plus (2022) has a flat 6.7-inch FHD+ pOLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support.

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Cameras

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 packs a dual camera system on the back, featuring a 12MP primary camera and a 12MP ultra-wide shooter. The new cameras deliver much better low-light photos thanks to the use of brighter lenses, larger pixels, and Nightography features. Image stabilization and tracking have also improved, resulting in a faster focus and less shakiness when taking photos in low light. There's a 10MP front camera with 4K 60fps video support. You can also use the main camera from the cover screen for selfies and video calls, which, as we noted in our review, takes much better photos than the dedicated selfie shooter.

The Motorola Edge Plus (2022) sports a triple camera system, which includes a 50MP primary shooter, a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP depth lens. The 50MP shooter combines four pixels into one to output 12MP images with improved light sensitivity. The photos produced by the Moto Edge are on par with other similarly priced phones, with images exhibiting natural colors and a wide dynamic range.

As for selfies and video calls, there's a 60MP front shooter. However, as we noted in our review, the higher resolution doesn't seem to make a huge difference — selfies coming out of the 60MP shooter look on par with selfies on other flagships.

Check out image samples from both cameras to judge the photo quality for yourself.

Galaxy Z Flip 4 image samples

Motorola Edge Plus (2022) image samples

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Performance

Whether you pick the Motorola Edge Plus 2022 or the Galaxy Z Flip 4, you have nothing to worry about the performance as both phones pack Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon chipsets.

The Motorola Edge Plus 2022 is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, paired with up to 12GB of RAM. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a slight advantage here as it packs the newer Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, which offers 10 percent faster CPU speed and up to 30% better efficiency. While the 10% faster performance isn't a huge difference, the energy efficiency is a big deal, especially considering the Galaxy Z Flip 4 packs a small battery.

Both phones are fast and smooth in day-to-day tasks, and you're unlikely to notice any slowdowns when opening apps and multitasking. Sustained performance is an issue with both phones as they don't feature sophisticated cooling systems. This issue is especially evident on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, which throttled down to 64% of its maximum performance in our CPU Throttling Test.

As for RAM and storage, the Motorola Edge Plus can be configured with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 packs 8GB of RAM and is available in three storage variants: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.

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Battery life, Charging speed, Software

The battery life is one of the most important points to keep in mind when choosing between the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Motorola Edge Plus 2022. The Motorola packs a large 5,000mAh battery compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 4's rather small 3,700mAh cell. One of the biggest complaints about the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was its subpar battery life. To that end, the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 brings some definite improvements, increasing the battery capacity from 3,300mAh to 3,700mAh and utilizing the efficiency gains of the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. The end result is that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 delivers significantly better battery life than the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Unless you're a heavy user, you can expect the Galaxy Z Flip 4 to last all day.

The Motorola Edge Plus 2022 has a clear edge in the battery life department thanks to its large 4,800mAh battery. You can expect the phone to last anywhere from a whole day to two days, depending on how you use it.

When it comes to charging speed, there isn't much difference. The Motorola Edge Plus (2022) is slightly better as it offers 30W of fast wired charging compared to the 25W max speed of the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The Edge Plus also comes with a charger, while Flip 4 does not. Both phones support wireless charging at up to 15W.

Although both phones run Android out of the box, the software experience they offer is vastly different. The Motorola Edge Plus (2022) provides a near-stock Android experience with a few custom features on top as part of the My UX experience. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 runs Samsung's highly customized One UI skin. In addition to the usual One UI and Android 12 features, the software includes custom-made features such as Flex Mode to take advantage of the phone's unique form factor.

In terms of software support, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 blows the Motorola Edge Plus (2022) out of the water. Samsung commits to four years of OS updates and five years of security updates. Meanwhile, Motorola only promises two major OS updates and three years of security updates.

Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Motorola Edge Plus (2022): Which one should you buy?

Deciding between the Motorola Edge Plus and Galaxy Z Flip 4 is easy if you know exactly what you're looking for. If you want a phone that's fun to use, has a unique personality, and carries a strong fashion statement, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more cool phone than the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It's a breath of fresh air for anyone who's grown tired of using glass slab phones. As Rich noted in his review, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a lifestyle phone more than anything. If cameras, performance, and battery life are top priorities for you, there are much better alternatives available in this price range. Although the Galaxy Z Flip 4 isn't as expensive as its bigger brother Galaxy Z Fold 4, you can still save quite a bit using the best Galaxy Z Flip 4 deals. Samsung is always offering some great trade-in discounts, and that changes the equation substantially in the Flip's favor.

The Motorola Edge Plus (2022) was launched at $999, but it has since come down to a more attractive $750-$650 price point. If you're looking for a phone with flagship performance, a large display, and a long battery life without spending a fortune, the Motorola Edge Plus (2022) is one of the best affordable flagships in the US.