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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom from The Tech Jam and this is the new Galaxy Fold 4.
00:04Well, you already knew that, it says in the title.
00:06But what you might not know is what it's actually been like to use.
00:08I've had this for a few weeks now, along with the Flip 4,
00:10which will be in a different review video.
00:12And I have some thoughts on this because it's not fundamentally different from the Fold 3.
00:17A little bit longer battery, slightly better camera,
00:20the taskbar, although you could get that before as well.
00:22But the question is, is this worth paying about £1,650 for?
00:26It is a lot of money.
00:27Okay, let me answer some of the big questions.
00:31And firstly, does it feel any different or more comfortable to use than the Fold 3?
00:36Well, a little bit.
00:37One of my issues with these folds is that when you're out and about,
00:41the cover screen can be a bit too small, well narrow, and a bit finicky to use.
00:45But then the main 7.6-inch tablet screen can be too big,
00:50and it's really only comfortable two-handed.
00:52It lacks the just-right Goldilocks-sized screen,
00:56which arguably is just a regular smartphone.
00:58Now, the Fold 4 is better.
01:00The cover screen is noticeably wider,
01:03and it is a little bit more comfortable to use,
01:05but it's not fundamentally different.
01:07And I still found typing or swiping a lot less accurate
01:10compared to my two-thumbed approach with the bigger keyboard on the tablet,
01:14which you can either have split into two for each thumb,
01:17or a more typical full spread, if you will, which I actually prefer.
01:21There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to phones, particularly foldables,
01:26and also the result of this remote-control-esque cover screen
01:29is that we get this nice, big, basically square tablet screen,
01:33which is lovely for websites, split-screen multitasking,
01:36gaming's really immersive,
01:38but you do get quite chunky black bars top and bottom for video,
01:42and especially movies.
01:43Although holding it in landscape,
01:45most YouTube videos do use a good amount of the screen,
01:48and you can always zoom in to fill the screen,
01:50although it is quite a significant crop,
01:52so I don't really like doing that.
01:53But then flex mode in YouTube is quite cool,
01:56as you can have comments or other videos below it,
01:58or indeed just split screen with a whole different app.
02:01And if you close it, it'll keep playing on the cover screen,
02:04which is actually a very cool party trick,
02:06and also it kind of suits the cinematic aspect ratio better
02:09when you're watching movies.
02:11So, the bezels are a bit thinner,
02:13the hinge has been reduced,
02:14and the mechanism feels a little bit more refined.
02:17The underscreen camera is now a bit better camouflaged,
02:20still not invisible,
02:21but they've increased the pixel density and changed the layout,
02:23so it is noticeably less noticeable.
02:27The aspect ratios have been tweaked,
02:28and most usefully that cover screen is a touch wider.
02:32It does still wobble if you use the phone flat on a desk,
02:35perhaps even a touch more so than last year,
02:37as the camera bump is a little bit chunkier now.
02:39And although this is the thinnest and lightest fold yet,
02:43it's only marginally better than the 3.
02:45It's still a bit of a chunky monkey.
02:47So, on the whole, very welcome refinements,
02:50but nothing game-changing.
02:51And actually, I reckon a lot of people
02:53probably couldn't even tell the difference
02:54between the 3 and the 4.
02:57Sorry James, what have you just done?
03:00Well, I've been filming the wrong one.
03:02Which one did you film?
03:04The previous model.
03:05I couldn't even tell the difference.
03:09This is the new one, right?
03:11Blue's new, black one's old.
03:14Okay, next question.
03:15Will it break?
03:16Well, firstly, credit to Samsung,
03:18because the Folds and the Flips
03:20are the only foldables with water resistance,
03:23although not dust resistance.
03:24We get IPX8.
03:26I've also used the Fold 2, the 3, and now the 4
03:29as my main daily, everyday phone,
03:31and I've never had any issues.
03:34The aluminium frame will be the first thing to get dented
03:37if you do drop it,
03:38which I see my good friend Saf has already put to the test.
03:41But both screens now also use Gorilla Glass Victus Plus,
03:44which apparently is about 12% tougher
03:46than the Victus we had before.
03:48Now, I actually haven't used a case so far,
03:51but I think while it would add to the bulk,
03:53it would also make it less slippery
03:54and also more comfortable to use,
03:56particularly when open in tablet mode.
03:58And I think the new redesigned standing case from Samsung
04:02is a good option because it's also a neat way
04:03of bringing the optional S Pen along with you.
04:07So the power button also doubles as a fingerprint sensor,
04:10which I think is a much better option here
04:11than an in-screen reader.
04:13We also get great stereo speakers,
04:15dual SIM, although no micro SD here, sadly,
04:17and it's just a very smart and well-made bit of kit.
04:21Although I do kind of wish we had
04:22a few more interesting colour options.
04:24Why does the Flip get to have all the fun?
04:26This is the new power button.
04:29Now, a big thank you to Huel for sponsoring this video.
04:32And their ready-to-drink shakes
04:34have been a huge help for me recently,
04:36as while I do love to cook
04:37and also I like to eat as healthfully as possible,
04:40sometimes I just don't have time.
04:42So being able to grab a healthy and tasty shake
04:44has been amazing.
04:45All the flavours are great,
04:46although I'm pretty basic and think chocolate
04:48and the vanilla are the best.
04:49Then just drink it straight out of the bottle
04:51or put it over a couple of cubes in a glass.
04:53And it's a proper, nutritionally complete meal
04:56with 26 vitamins and minerals.
04:58It's high in protein and low in sugar and salt.
05:01All natural ingredients.
05:02It's vegan, gluten-free.
05:04So for me, I'm having one of these
05:05ready-to-drink shakes for my lunch,
05:07probably two to three times a week,
05:08and I'm really happy with it.
05:10Cheers.
05:14Ah, that's good.
05:15All right, back to work.
05:16It's easy to order online.
05:18You can select individual bottles or buy packs.
05:21And as long as they're in a cool, dry place,
05:23you don't have to keep them in the fridge.
05:24Although a chilled Huel shake is a good Huel shake.
05:27So why not give Huel a try?
05:29It's an affordable, healthy alternative to a regular meal.
05:32And just click my link in the description below
05:34to get started.
05:35And best of all, you'll get a free T-shirt.
05:38And best of all, you'll get a free T-shirt
05:40with your first order.
05:41Can't say fairer than that.
05:45All right, question three.
05:46Is it any faster?
05:48Well, the Fold 4 boasts the latest and greatest
05:50Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1.
05:52And here are the results from the 20-minute 3DMark
05:55Wildlife Extreme Stress Test.
05:57And to put that into context,
05:59here's the Fold 3's results with its Snapdragon 888.
06:02And while this is primarily a graphics test,
06:05we're looking at an average uptick of about 81%.
06:08That's huge.
06:10And so if you're a big gamer
06:12or you're using this with more demanding apps,
06:14particularly if you've got two or three
06:15or even four running side by side,
06:17the performance jump on the Fold 4 is a big deal.
06:21For example, in Genshin Impact, maxed out of course,
06:24my average FPS jumped from 45 to an almost rock solid 60.
06:28Both the cover and the tablet screens are still 120 hertz,
06:32no change there,
06:32but they do now dynamically switch between 1 and 120
06:36versus 10 and 120 on the Fold 3,
06:38which improves efficiency and therefore helps the battery.
06:41Which nearly brings me onto question four.
06:43How's the battery life?
06:45Well, it's actually very good.
06:47We do get the same size 4,400 mAh cell as before,
06:50but the more efficient screen
06:51and crucially a much more efficient chip
06:54adds up to give us a noticeably better battery
06:56than the Fold 3.
06:57After three hours of moderate to intensive use
07:00with some gaming, YouTube, 4K video recording,
07:03even TikTok and Instagram split screen
07:05for the ultimate doom scrolling experience.
07:08Seriously, this is next level time wasting.
07:10Anyway, three hours later,
07:11the Fold 3 has 47% of its battery left
07:14versus 58 on the Fold 4.
07:17And actually over the last few weeks,
07:18I've been averaging around six to six and a half hours
07:21of screen on time with the Fold 4.
07:23By 11 PM, I still have around 28% of my battery left.
07:27So a day and a half is easily doable
07:29and actually gives the S22 Ultra a run for its money.
07:32Now charging is broadly the same as before,
07:3525 watt wired, 15 watt wireless
07:37and also four and a half watt reverse charging.
07:40Plugged in, it still takes a hefty one hour 24
07:43to fully charge.
07:44Although an hour will get you to 75%,
07:46but this is still one area Samsung like Apple
07:49is still way behind on versus the competition.
07:52And of course, despite the price of this thing,
07:54there's still no charger in the box.
07:57Okay, let's talk about these cameras
07:58because you have a lot of options.
07:59Firstly, there are five different lenses.
08:02Three in the back, we have a 50 megapixel main,
08:0412 megapixel ultra wide and 10 megapixel telephoto.
08:07Then on the inside, we have this guy,
08:10the same four megapixel resolution as before,
08:12the underscreen camera.
08:14And then finally at the front,
08:15you have your 12 megapixel cover camera.
08:18Basically your selfie lens if you want.
08:20Although if you're using it like this,
08:22that's also your selfie.
08:23But the beauty of this really is
08:24that you can be using these main cameras
08:26for pretty much everything, including selfies.
08:28So in the camera app,
08:29you can tap to turn on cover screen preview.
08:32And then we have our glorious glamorous assistant,
08:34James here videoing us.
08:35Your subject can see themselves
08:37as you take their photo, which is very handy.
08:39And then my wife loves this feature.
08:41I don't have to take 10,000 photos
08:42and be told that they're all wrong.
08:43And the other side of it is if we do go to a selfie,
08:46you can actually change it to selfie mode.
08:49So then you get the full camera app on the cover screen
08:53and then you can use that.
08:54And then we are still using the rear cameras.
08:56So even though the cameras may not be
08:58to quite the same quality as the S22 Ultra,
09:01including the zoom,
09:02that 30 times space zoom is a bit rubbish on here.
09:05The flexibility, versatility you get with this,
09:07it's more interesting, it's more fun.
09:10All right, look at this.
09:11Let's do a quick blind test.
09:12One of these is from the Fold 3,
09:14the other from the Fold 4.
09:16Both portrait mode shots,
09:17both with their background blur at level 3
09:19in the camera app.
09:20No editing, no filters.
09:22What do you think?
09:23Well, I can tell you the Fold 4 is on the right
09:26and there's not a huge difference.
09:28Although to my eye, it is a little bit sharper.
09:29The colours are more vibrant
09:31and also more true to life actually.
09:32And also I think the bokeh blur
09:34is a little bit more realistic
09:36with a less cardboard cutout-y look
09:38that we get on the Fold 3.
09:40So the Fold 4's main camera
09:41has had a bump up in resolution
09:43from 12 to 50 megapixels.
09:45Although that is now four into one pixel bend
09:48back down to 12,
09:49but that should add more detail and reduce noise.
09:52The main camera's field of view
09:53is also slightly wider than before.
09:55So you get a little bit more in the frame,
09:56but the headline really is the bigger pixel sensor size.
10:001.8 microns versus 1.4 last year.
10:03The ultra wide and the telephoto
10:04have been tweaked as well.
10:06Now with a three times optical zoom
10:08versus two times on the Fold 3.
10:10Plus we can now zoom in up to 30 times,
10:12which Samsung are still calling space zoom.
10:14Although frankly,
10:15anything beyond 10 times is pretty much unusable.
10:18So again, minor refinements.
10:20And actually in some cases,
10:21I found myself preferring the Fold 3's photos.
10:25Considering this is basically
10:26the most expensive phone you can buy,
10:28the camera is still just not quite flagship level,
10:31which to me again for that price
10:33is a bit disappointing.
10:35Samsung have also improved the OIS
10:37and also what they're calling VDIS stabilization,
10:40which is basically just their EIS for video.
10:43And you know what?
10:43It does seem to make a difference.
10:45The Fold 4 is smoother.
10:46It's less grainy.
10:47Video is noticeably better than the Fold 3.
10:51And also I did notice after about half an hour
10:53of 4K video recording,
10:55the Fold 4 was noticeably cooler to the touch
10:57than the Fold 3.
10:58Again, I think it's that Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
11:01that's the real MVP here.
11:09So camera quality is of course very subjective,
11:11but if I were to give the iPhone 13 Pro
11:14and the S22 Ultra maybe a nine out of 10
11:16and the Pixel 6 Pro an eight out of 10,
11:18then this would be a solid 7.5.
11:23What you can also do is use it in flex mode
11:25because it acts as its own stand.
11:27So you've got the underscreen camera here
11:29and then you can take your video calls,
11:30your Zoom calls,
11:31and you can be hands-free,
11:32which is very helpful.
11:33You don't have to hold the phone in front of you
11:35or you can flip around,
11:36use the higher quality rear cameras.
11:38And actually if you've got the S Pen,
11:39you can use the button on that as a remote shutter,
11:42which is quite helpful.
11:43So it's a pretty nifty feature.
11:44I think for some people,
11:45that is a big selling point.
11:47The Fold 4 is full of nifty features.
11:50The task bar is a nice new addition.
11:52Well, I say new,
11:52you can actually get a slightly different version of it
11:54through the Samsung Labs on the Fold 3,
11:56but it's better implemented here.
11:58And thanks to Samsung's One UI 4.1.1
12:01that I'm running on top of Android 12 L,
12:04which actually is specifically for tablets.
12:06And in fact, this is the first smartphone to use it.
12:08Everything from the task bar to multitasking
12:10to zooming in and flex mode stuff,
12:12it's the most refined it's ever been.
12:15And actually, if you do pick one of these up,
12:17go into the advanced features menu
12:19and then labs and turn everything on
12:21or at least play around with it.
12:22And then also customize split view and flex mode apps.
12:26All this can be a bit confusing
12:27as apps work differently in flex mode
12:30and most actually don't do anything
12:32unless you force flex mode panel on,
12:34which brings up a little touch pad
12:35and a few quick settings.
12:36Although I don't really know
12:37when I'd actually use this.
12:40What I do use a lot though is split screen.
12:42Swipe two fingers in from the side
12:44and select the app you'd like
12:45or long press from the recent apps menu
12:47and you can snap up to three apps side by side
12:50with a fourth hovering on top
12:52and all these can be moved and resized.
12:54You can switch them around
12:55and best of all, you can favorite this setup
12:57and then save it to your home screen or the task bar.
13:00So then just one tap brings you right back into the action
13:03because the Fold 4 is all about productivity,
13:05about giving you as many modes, options
13:08and things to play with as possible.
13:10And with the S Pen, DeX support,
13:12link to Windows, maybe even a Bluetooth keyboard
13:14and perhaps if you shell out
13:15for the one terabyte storage option,
13:17this could be a proper little desktop workstation.
13:20But having said that,
13:21most of this is already possible on the Fold 3
13:24and sometimes it can still feel a bit clunky
13:27and also most apps just aren't optimized to make use of it
13:29which of course is always the problem with Android tablets.
13:33Okay, let's wrap this up.
13:34Should you buy the Galaxy Z Fold 4?
13:36And the answer is probably not.
13:38It is an incredible device with lots of potential
13:41but it's also 1,650 pounds or $1,800
13:45and actually that's 50 quid more than last year.
13:47It's an awful lot of money
13:49and while there is no doubt,
13:50this is the multitasking slash productivity king,
13:53it's just too expensive for most of us.
13:55The cover screen is still uncomfortably thin
13:57and the camera while better
13:59still just isn't quite as good as I'd like.
14:01Another reviewer called this the Swiss army knife of phones
14:04which I think is pretty spot on
14:06and actually most of us don't need to carry
14:08a Swiss army knife every day
14:10and actually I think if you can find a Fold 3 on a good deal,
14:13that might be worth getting
14:15especially as that continues to receive updates
14:17and new features.
14:18So I love this thing
14:19and for some people,
14:20it's going to be the best thing since sliced bread
14:23but personally, I wouldn't buy one.
14:25But how about you?
14:26Tempted? Already got one?
14:27Let me know in the comments below
14:28and actually if you do have any tips or tricks,
14:30share them with everyone in the comments as well.
14:34Thank you so much for watching guys.
14:35If you did enjoy this review,
14:36then don't forget to hit that like
14:37and also subscribe button
14:39and I'll see you next time right here on The Tech Chat.