Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to enter the foldable space with the original Galaxy Z Fold back in 2019. Since then, the company has churned out more than a few foldable devices, including several variants of the highly popular clamshell model dubbed the Galaxy Z Flip. This year, the company announced the Galaxy Z Flip 4 which -- at least on the surface -- looks a lot like the Galaxy Z Flip 3 from last year.

The differences are so subtle this time around that you might be wondering whether it's worth upgrading to the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 from the previous generation phone to save some money. Well, let's take a quick look at the Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy Z Flip 3 matchup to find out which foldable smartphone you should purchase in 2022.

Navigate this article:

• Specifications
• Design and display
• Internal hardware and cameras
• Software
• Which one should you buy?

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy Z Flip 3: Specifications

Let's take a quick look a the specifications table to find out what each of these clamshell foldables bring to the table:

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Design and Display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 share almost the same design. You'll probably have a hard time telling them apart even when they're kept side-by-side. If it wasn't for the new colorways, you'd really have to squint to notice that the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 has flatter sides. The fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 looks almost identical to the Galaxy Z Flip 3 isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. We say that because the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was one of the most stylish phones you could buy last year, and that remains true for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 too.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a slightly smaller footprint overall, but they're mostly just numbers on the specs sheet when you look at the dimensions. You can't really tell the difference between the two in the real world. And just like the predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 also comes with a glossy frame and frosted glass back. Both phones also carry the same IPX8 rating for water resistance, and they don't have a 3.5mm headphone jack or a microSD card slot either.

As for the displays, you once again get two panels on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The outer cover display is a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 512 x 260. It's identical to the one seen on the last year's model but is now protected with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus instead of just the Gorilla Glass Victus. The interior foldable display is also the same as last year, measuring 6.7-inch. It supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate and a maximum resolution of 2640 x 1080 pixels.

While the foldable display itself remains the same, Samsung says it has made a lot of changes to the foldable glass layer. The Galaxy Z Flip 4's folding display is said to be up to 45-percent stronger than what we've seen on the Galaxy Z Flip 3. That's definitely a huge improvement, although it remains to be seen how it'll hold up over time. The crease on the middle of the display is still very much visible on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, so no differences there whatsoever.

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Internal Hardware and Cameras

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is amongst the first Samsung phones to be powered by Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset. This is a huge improvement considering the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 is one of the best chipsets you can find on the market right now. It performs better than the Snapdragon 888 SoC, and it does so while consuming significantly less power too.

You probably won't notice the difference in performance between the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 when it comes to day-to-day usage, but the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 is sure to deliver more power to push through everything. You get 8GB of RAM on both phones, but the Galaxy Z Flip 4 can be purchased with up to 512GB of internal storage. That's a good improvement because the Galaxy Z Flip 3 topped at 256GB. The base variant of both smartphones, however, comes with 128GB of storage with no option to add more via a microSD card slot. We recommend picking up at least the 256GB variant if you are a heavy user who'd install a lot of applications or record a lot of videos.

You're bound to notice some difference in battery performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset. Not to mention, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 also has a bigger battery. We're now looking at a 3,700 mAh battery inside the Galaxy Z Flip 4 as opposed to a 3,300 mAh battery with the Galaxy Z Flip 3. That, in addition to a more power-efficient chipset, is sure to yield better battery life. The new clamshell also supports 25W wired charging now instead of the 15W wired charging support on the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Both phones support 10W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, and you still don't get a charger with the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Samsung hasn't really changed much when it comes to optics. You get the same dual camera setup which includes a 12MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The main sensor is slightly bigger now, meaning it can let in more light for slightly better photos in low-light conditions. The selfie camera also remains the same, meaning you get a 10MP selfie shooter. Both phones can capture 4K HDR videos at up to 60fps, so no differences there either.

We haven't had a chance to capture the same set of photos from both phones for a side-by-side comparison. However, we'll leave some camera samples captured using both phones below for you to check out. Let us know what you think of the samples in the comments below.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 camera samples:

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 camera samples:

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Software

Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 4 which comes with Android 12L, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 runs on OneUI 4.1 that's based on Android 12. That's not necessarily a bad thing because you don't really get a massive display for multitasking. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 launched with Android 11, but it now runs on OneUI 4.1 too. There's definitely feature parity on the software front and you don't get any additional features with the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Both phones are also eligible to receive up to four major Android OS updates, meaning the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is guaranteed to be supported longer than the last year's model considering it's the newer phone with Android 12 out of the box.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy Z Flip 3: Which one should you buy?

If you read through the whole thing, then you probably already know that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is only a marginal upgrade over the last year's clamshell phone. But the minor improvements really come together to deliver a solid experience overall. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 may not be the perfect smartphone for everyone, but it is -- without a doubt -- one of the best foldable devices you can buy in 2022.

With the new Galaxy Z Flip 4, you get a more refined version of the clamshell phone that debuted last year. We're looking at a stronger display, slimmer hinge, a better chipset, and a higher storage tier. You also get a bigger battery and slightly faster-charging speeds, so keep that in mind. The Galaxy Z Flip 4, as mentioned earlier, may not be a huge departure from the last year's model, but it fixes a lot of issues that most people faced with the Galaxy Z Flip 3. So if you were eyeing the Galaxy Z Flip series from a distance without actually buying it due to battery life concerns, then you should definitely consider the new Galaxy Z Flip 4.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is still a great alternative for those who don't want to spend $1,000 on a smartphone. You can now pick up the last year's clamshell for $899 or lower depending on where you buy it from. It's still a fantastic phone if you can live with its mediocre battery life. All things considered, we think the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is the one to buy in 2022 unless you're getting an excellent deal on the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

Be sure to stop by our best Galaxy Z Flip 4 deals page if you're interested in buying this phone. And if you've already purchased it, then consider buying one of the best cases to protect it from accidental drops and bumps.