Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: a battle of Samsung foldables

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 hands-on
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Note 20 Ultra Camera Comparison

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Flip - Price

While both phones are pretty expensive, we might say that the Z Flip is a bit more affordable in comparison to the Z Fold 2. Currently, Samsung offers the Z Flip for $1299, while the Z Fold 2 starts at $1999. However, Samsung often has great deals and discounts: if you happen to have a trade-in smartphone, you can get a good amount of cash shaved off both those phones' regular pricing. So, we might call this one a draw between the two smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Flip ‒ Design

The winner in this category is… both! Beauty is a subjective matter and here the situation is the same. The main difference comes from the folding style, but both phones look innovative, attention-grabbing, and stylish. So, it all boils down to personal preference. There are some aspects of the Z Fold 2 that immediately catch the eye, for example its trendy Note-20-ish camera bump or the beautiful Mystic Bronze color option. However, the Z Flip has some tricks up its sleeve as well, especially its sleek pink color option and the more compact folded form.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Flip ‒ Displays

Looking at the specs, it's quite possible we give this one to the Z Fold 2, but let's examine why. First off, its 7.6-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2208 x 1768 supports a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rate. What’s more, this display refresh rate is adaptive, so you won’t have to worry about the 120Hz refresh rate destroying your battery life as much as, let’s say, it does on the S20 Ultra.

On the other hand, the Z Flip features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2636 x 1080 pixels. The Z Flip has bigger pixel density, at 425 PPI vs 372 PPI for the Z Fold 2 which will theoretically provide a more crisp image on the phone’s display. However, it’s very likely this difference will not be noticeable for the average user.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Flip ‒ Folding

Who did this better? Here, we have two different folding situations ‒ the Z Flip features a traditional clamshell-like folding design, while the Z Fold 2 opens like a book. Although the winner in this category depends on personal preference again, let’s look at some common questions we might be asking ourselves.

First, which one is more compact when folded? Here, the Z Flip wins as it folds into a tiny square with dimensions 3.44 x 2.89 x 0.68 inches (87.4 x 73.6 x 17.3 mm), therefore it can easily fit in most jeans (keep in mind that it's thicker than a regular phone though). On the other hand, the Z Fold 2’s folded dimensions are 6.26 x 2.67 x 0.66 inches (159.2 x 68 x 16.8 mm), a tad thinner but bigger overall.

Is there a crease on the screen of the Z Fold 2 and Z Flip?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Flip ‒ Cameras

On paper, camera systems for both foldable smartphones look similar, with the slight difference that the Z Fold 2 features a triple camera system, while the Z Flip has a dual one. The addition that the Z Fold 2 gets over the clamshell foldable is a 12 MP telephoto camera.
The main cameras on both phones are 12 MP, equipped with Optical Image Stabilization and Phase detection autofocus, and the ultra-wide cameras are 12 MP.

Both phones can shoot 4K video and feature 10 MP selfie shooters. The cool thing is that you can use the main cameras on both phones to take a selfie.

The Z Fold 2 has one cool advantage here: that Dual Preview option! Basically, when you take a photo of someone, you can make it so they can see the preview on the outer screen of the Z Fold 2. I find this feature very useful, what about you?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Flip ‒ Hardware and performance

The Z Fold 2 is equipped with 12GB of RAM, while the Z Flip has 8GB. In everyday use, even the 8GB of RAM should be enough for multitasking, but the Z Fold 2 gets the advantage of having even more RAM to satisfy even the mightiest multitaskers out there.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Flip ‒ Software

Both phones come with Android 10 and Samsung’s proprietary One UI. The newer Z Fold 2 comes with One UI 2.5 out of the box, and the Z Flip users recently got their own One UI 2.5 update, so here we call it a draw.

The advantage of having a foldable phone is accentuated by Samsung’s Flex Mode, which is available on both devices. It splits an app (for example, the camera app) to better take advantage of the foldable display, therefore you can even use one part of the display as a phone stand. Luckily, both phones have this, so there is no clear winner in the software department.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Flip ‒ Battery

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a bigger battery, on paper: 4,500mAh, versus the Z Flip’s smaller, 3,330mAh battery. The Z Fold 2, however, sports also a bigger screen and faster display refresh rate. Unfortunately, according to our battery tests, the Z Fold 2 lost in this category. The Z Flip constantly had higher results than the Z Fold 2, in browsing, YouTube and 3D gaming. In browsing, the Galaxy Z Flip won with more than an hour more than the Z Fold 2, although for the comparison both phones were running 60 Hz. The 120Hz option further damaged the Z Fold 2's battery life.

Also check out: Z Fold 2 Battery life test results