Even after utilizing its largest competitors, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is the best tiny folding phone.
It’s not because of power, price, appearance, or my preference over the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Samsung’s foldable experience provides it an edge. The hinge.
Hinges vary.
I’ve enjoyed using the Oppo Find N2 Flip, Motorola Razr (2022), and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 over the past few months. I wanted to see if it was still the best or if its competitors had caught up. I was surprised to realize why it’s still the greatest right away.
Its hinge is great. Samsung got practically everything right, but the other phones still have faults in what is perhaps the most important area of the design. Hinge discrepancies may seem unlikely. If there are, it won’t impact the user experience. This is false and makes sense.
Every hinge ever built feels different. The hinge on a 2023 Mercedes Benz, a 1972 Buick Skylark, a 15th-century chateau, or an airport bathroom door will have varied tactility, sensation, sound, and dampening. The Find N2 Flip, Razr 2022, and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are all folding phones, however their manufacturers use various methods and have varying levels of experience.
Such finesse
Samsung replaced interlocking gears with linear, spinning components in the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 to minimize size and weight without compromising durability. I’m interested in feeling. Since small folding phones aren’t meant to be used closed, you’ll be opening and closing them often.
The Z Flip 4’s hinge is just right—it opens easily but doesn’t feel loose. It opens and closes easily but never snaps. The resistance is linear and continuous, and the hinge holds the phone open precisely when you quit pressing it. No slop, looseness, or sound. Its exceptional quality inspires faith.
Holding the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in my right hand and gripping the left half of the top half, I pull it open. The flat metal chassis has ample natural grip, and a very tiny bend where the two pieces connect lets me open it with minimal effort in one seamless motion. It’s rewarding and easy. Remember that opening a folded phone takes a beat longer than opening a non-folding phone, therefore it must be perfect.
The Z Flip 4’s hinge feels great while opening, closing, or holding it open at an angle, making it better than its competitors.
Other mistakes
The Oppo Find N2 Flip and Motorola Razr 2022 hinges are not perfect. Both come close, but the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s experience is smoother.
Let’s start with the Oppo Find N2 Flip’s Flexion hinge, which closes the phone’s gap and hides the screen’s wrinkle.
That’s excellent, however the chassis design makes opening the Find N2 Flip difficult. It’s harder than the Z Flip 4 to separate the two parts. If your fingertips are moist, it’s frustrating. It can hold the phone at different angles, but the hinge has more play than the Z Flip 4, which diminishes its feel and trust. If you don’t lose your temper opening the phone, it doesn’t feel as expensive or reliable as the Z Flip 4.
The Razr (2022)’s hinge feels crude compared to the Find N2 Flip’s. It halfheartedly opens the phone. I think strawberry jelly moistened the hinge since it moves so freely.
Sound follows. It moves but doesn’t grind, which is unsettling since the other two phones are silent. Compared to Oppo and Samsung phones, it feels cheap and untrustworthy.
Samsung—don’t damage it.
Samsung has had four generations of folding smartphones to refine its hinge, while its competitors have had less R&D time, but it shouldn’t excuse a poor user experience. If you’re interested in one, all three phones are comparable enough in price and specification that you shouldn’t be persuaded to buy one with a bad headline feature.
The Galaxy is fine right now, but the future is uncertain. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 may use Oppo’s Find N2 Flip’s “waterdrop” hinge. The Samsung phone’s space between portions may disappear, but it shouldn’t impair opening or cause slop. We’ll have to wait and see if Samsung will create a new hinge because it just redesigned it.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is still the greatest tiny folding smartphone if hinge and motion matter (as they should).