Galaxy Z Flip to charge slower than the S20, could that mean a small battery like the Razr?

by Daniel Petrov

Jan 13, 2020, 8:01 AM

Galaxy Z Flip to charge slower than the S20, could that mean a small battery like the Razr?

Nothing screams midrange these days as the lack of at least a triple-camera set, ultrafast charging, or (nudge, wink, Apple) a 5G version on a phone, and by all those counts the upcoming first clamshell with bendy display from Samsung, the Galaxy Z Flip, will be a midrange phone.

First we heard that it will be cheap, much cheaper than its direct Moto razr (2019) competitor, and perhaps the cheapest foldable phone upon release this spring. Leaked specs include last year's finest Snapdragon 855 chipset, which is still better than Motorola's choice, a dual camera on the back, and no wireless charging to keep costs down.

Another way that Samsung may have reached the rumored sub-$900 price may be by omitting fast wired charging from the Z Flip's specs as well, tips Korea's The Elec. When presented with the opportunity, Samsung has cut the fast charging circuitry from the Z Flip motherboard, say industry sources.

Not only will it ship with a 15W charger in the box, but that would be the maximum you'd be able to charge the battery inside with, too. That's in stark contrast with the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra, all of which will be able to take ultrafast charging in, and will also ship with 25W chargers on board.

Just as with the Note 10+, they will also allow to be topped up with Samsung's 45W charger for a marginal gain, claim the same sources. It won't be before the Note 11, they tip, when we see the top-shelf 45W charger bundled in the box of a Samsung flagship, but we'd say that 25W is plenty enough already, given that the difference to full between the 25W and the 45W chargers is less than twenty minutes.

That's why you shouldn't let the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip ships with Samsung's bog standard 15W charger deter you from getting it. After all, Samsung's first clamshell with foldable display is likely to be the most affordable bendy phone, and it will probably have a mid-size battery that won't need that much time to recharge as the huge S20+ or S20 Ultra packs in the first place.