Samsung - Galaxy Z Fold3 5G 512GB (Unlocked)

If you had a Note 20 ultra do NOT buy this phone. I bought this thinking it would just be the note experience in steroids. Boy was I wrong. So first thing I'll address is the screen size then I'll talk about the pen. Opening the phone to have a huge screen is pretty cool when watching movies and stuff. But the aspect ratio is totally different than your apps, so you still have a thin view of your favorite apps. You CAN make the apps do full screen, which sounds great. But, when you do full screen it basically zooms way in on the app and you can still only see as much content as you did with a smaller screen. Like instagram still only shows a little more than one post at a time. The front (closed) screen is about 2\3 what the note 20 screen is. Which sounds okay but when you realize you use this screen 90% of the time, it really is frustratingly small. Plus the pen (not included with your $2000 Phone) does not work on the front screen. So now let's discuss the pen and Samsung case. My 5 year old could design a better case out of playdough. Not sure if all of Samsung just stopped doing R&D, but it takes about 5 minutes of use to tell how nonfunctional this case is. You MUST use 2 hands at all times with that case. If you do selfie mode with the case, the flap is completely in the way which prevents you from being able to take selfies with the better cameras. But you have to buy the case to get the pen ($65 set). The pen fits right into the case. But THIS pen is the "fold pen" not the "Fold pen pro". The fold pen does NOT have Bluetooth capabilities (air gestures, camera shutter, slide show control, etc). It's basically an over priced stylus. If you want those features you have to pay $100 for the pro. But wait! Don't go by it yet! The Pro is like an inch longer than the actual z fold phone! Meaning there is no case for it. You have to keep the stinking thing in your pocket like a 90 year old English Professor. It makes zero sense. I gave it 3 stars because it's still a decent phone if you have never had a note. But for Samsung to charge 1899+tax plus $100 for a pen is absurd. If you are switching from an iphone you will love it. I went back to my note 20 ultra.

Gave it 2 stars as I bought a $1700 phone back in 2022 and it broke (screen does not switch on) within a year. Thanks to BestBuy protection plan, we were able to get a replacement for $99. It break once again couple of weeks ago. The protection is no more so now I have a broken phone within 2 year worth nothing. Samsung gives nothing back I.e. trade-in for a screen which does not work. The only option was to trade it into Verizon where they still give something for this broken phone.

I got a new Samsung galaxy Fold 3 from Best buy but the phone had a little problem from the company that produces the phone but no problem with Best buy because they returned it ASAP.

I've had this phone since release day and overall, it's been pretty good. There are some quirks and some weird app scaling issues here and there, but overall it's been enjoyable to use. I've always gotten compliments on it when taking it out at client sites - they always seem interested in it and ask what type of phone it is. It has plenty of storage and a slew of features. The camera array is disappointing coming from a Note 10+ 5G which had the exact same camera system, but it's definitely usable overall. I do like the ability to angle the camera using the fold of the phone. Within about 10 months, however, my original phone started exhibiting failure of the front screen, a failed proximity/light sensor (this caused the screen to stay on during phone calls, leading to unintentional presses) and some random crashes. I've babied the phone since day one and never used it outside of a heavy-duty case, so I was surprised when these issues arose. I did get Samsung Care for it though, which is a first for me, and Asurion was very quick to get a replacement sent my way. I have been using that replacement since then without issue. The included inside screen protector is great while it's there, but failed quickly on both my original phone as well as the replacement, exhibiting a crease right down the fold. It appears to be more pronounced around the area where the keyboard shows up, leading me to believe it is exacerbated by finger oils or grime. Eventually I got rid of the screen protector on both, but that led me to discover issues with one of my bigger grips with the phone, and that is the aftermarket support: It's very lacking if you're looking for quality. I have been using the phone in a Spigen Tough Armor case since day one and I have warrantied the case once. Given the unique design of the phone itself, full coverage cases aside from the aformentioned model (cases that protect the hinge as well) are nearly impossible to find, and good quality screen protectors are even more difficult to find. I have tried models from SuperShieldz and Whitestone Dome - both TPU, both with their own slew of failures. I will reiterate that I am not rough on the phone at all. For what it is, it is a great device. I am sure the Z Fold 4 is better and I have heard that it has a much better camera array, but I will personally be returning to a more "traditional" style of phone once it comes out - something like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or whatever it ends up being named.

Great phone if you need larger text, easier to see. Works great. Lots of storage. Videos and photos look great. There is a crease down the center when phone is open but it does not affect the screen and its barely noticeable. The phone is easy to use. The only problem i could see with it is....it is very fragile so if someone is not good with being careful, this is not a good choice. The battery does run out quicker.... i usually have to charge it again during the day at some point.

I got this phone and it is a nice piece of technology. The main screen is beautiful and the build quality is top notch. However, I feel that for the money Samsung left a lot to be desired. I had a Galaxy S21 Ultra and the fold 3 is on superior on having the main big screen. Other than that the S21 Ultra is more practical for daily use plus it has a way superior camera. The fold 3 only excels as a mini tablet for content consumption, but as a daily use phone it lacks practicality. Just having a mount for your car is a challenge, the battery life is a joke and the cameras are just OK....just OK is not the premium I expected. If the fold 3 was $1000 or even $1200 I would be Ok, but at nearly $2000 (with tax) it is better investment to keep the S21 Ultra and buy a nice tablet like the Tab S7. Don't get me wrong, the fold is amazing and delivers what it states on paper. But paper does not translate that well in real life. If money is not an issue, then go for it, but if you want the best bang for your $2000 then buy a better phone and pair it with a tablet and you will even save money. I am glad I kept my S21 ultra. I returned the fold 3 and now I am getting a tablet. Maybe the next gen will be the one for me to switch. I like what Samsung is doing, but needs to cook for an little longer. Thx

I truly love this phone! The expanded screen is wonderful although some apps aren't formatted for the larger screen. The pen is great. It is meant to work on the larger screen. Camera is great! Got it on a Best Buy sale. The reasons why I rated a 4 star & not 5 is the battery life is not as good as I am used to probably becsuse of the dual screen usage(?) And the keyboard on the small screen is a bit challenging. Maybe the next generation of the Fold will come down in price, have better battery life & the pen will work on both screens. Overall, the large screen size wins it for me! It's the neatest phone I have owned so far!!!!

The good: -120hz amoled displays look crisp, crease not noticeable when viewing content -Build quality is really nice, after 3 weeks of use, you get used to the amount of force you can open the device with -The under display camera is also hardly noticeable if you're not focusing on it, leaving the inner display uninterrupted. A step up from a notch/punchhole The Bad: -The form factor on the outer screen is much to thin and tall for comfortable typing. Apps can be manually forced to reduce size to look normal(with letterbox), or stretched to fill the screen when functional -Under Display camera quality is ROUGH. but you can take most pictures with the rear camera modules so this is mainly for video calls so not a total downside -Battery life is nice and optimized, but heavy use/gaming IS a drain if you want to run at native 120hz -Sacrificing things such as no sd card, headphone jack, or S pen (Three features I will greatly miss from my note 9) to maintain acceptable width when folded. Hope 512gb will be enough to last the lifespan of the phone (4 generations or so) -Placement of induction coils make wireless charging more difficult -Inner screen is a dust/fingerprint MAGNET. Regular gentle wipes with a microfiber cloth keep it looking nice though Conclusion: Foldables are hard to justify for the price, and I refused to cave until a device came with an uninterrupted inner display(unlike the ugly notch of the Fold 1, or off center punchhole camera of the Fold 2), or IP rated water resistance. Having played around with the device for a while, and getting a feel for how vulnerable it is, I can happily say this is a device I trust to last me for a long time and am pleased with my purchase.