Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 battery life tested — we have bad news

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip iii bombardment life tested — we accept bad news

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Galaxy Z Flip three and Galaxy Z Fold three seem off to a hot start, with Samsung citing more pre-order demand for the new phones than all of the company's 2021'due south foldable sales. That's an impressive figure and shows that a lot of people want in on what could very well be the next big thing.

Just with whatsoever new technology, or indeed whatsoever new form gene, there are bound to exist growing pains. While Samsung seems to have addressed the durability concerns on both the Flip 3 and Fold 3, there yet remains some other result: battery life.

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With a 3,300 mAh power pack, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was never going to wow anyone with its longevity. When you consider the applied science involved with the Flip 3, however, Samsung's ingenuity actually shows. While the total capacity might come out to 3,300 mAh (or thereabouts), the Flip three'southward bombardment is carve up between the two halves of the phone.

We've actually seen this arroyo in traditional smartphones earlier. The Asus ROG Phone five with its mammoth 6,000 mAh battery has two cells to let for the fast 65W charging. Merely with the compact nature of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung was up against a wall in this regard.

Fifty-fifty so, with a larger embrace brandish and a 120Hz refresh rate on the inner displays, the Milky way Z Flip 3 demands a lot out of its 3,300 mAh battery. And in our testing, the telephone does not fare well, even against the original Galaxy Z Flip (which also had a 3,300 mAh battery).

Hither's how the Galaxy Z Flip iii held up in the Tom'due south Guide battery exam versus other phones.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip battery examination results

	Battery life (Hrs:Mins)	Battery capacity
Samsung Milky way Z Flip 3 (60Hz/120Hz)	6:00/5:43	3,300 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip	8:xvi	three,300 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold iii (60Hz/120Hz)	seven:52/6:35	four,400 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2	10:10	4,500 mAh
Samsung Milky way S21 (60Hz/120Hz)	9:53/6:31	four,000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus (60Hz/120Hz)	9:53/9:41	4,800 mAh
Samsung Milky way S21 Ultra (60Hz/120Hz)	11:25/10:07	5,000 mAh
iPhone 12 Pro Max	x:53	three,687 mAh
iPhone 12 Pro	9:06	ii,815 mAh
iPhone 12	8:25	two,815 mAh
iPhone 12 mini	7:28	2,277 mAh
OnePlus 9 Pro (60Hz/120Hz)	ten:38/10:40	iv,500 mAh

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 bombardment test: How it works

Hither's how the Tom'southward Guide battery test works. The phone surfs the spider web continuously at 150 nits of screen brightness, launching a new site every 30 seconds until the battery drains. This is washed over a cellular connexion, typically 5G on devices that support it.

While it'south not the only factor, we've included the size of the bombardment for each phone listed above. In the case of the iPhone 12 models, the capacity is based on teardowns and certifications since Apple tree doesn't officially listing full bombardment capacities.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 battery life

Every bit y'all can meet in the table higher up, the Milky way Z Flip 3 doesn't terminal for too long in the Tom'south Guide battery life test. Its best time is a apartment half dozen hours with the display locked at 60Hz, simply goes down to 5 hours and 43 minutes in the adaptive fashion (where the display refresh rate scales up and downward depending on the content on the screen).

While information technology'due south impossible to say how long the Milky way Z Flip iii would terminal in your hands, nosotros can say from both our test results and our everyday usage that the Flip 3 is non even close to the 10- to 11-hour mark we like to see from phones. Basic tasks like light web browsing, messaging and social media scrolling don't tax the phone all that much, but spin upward a game or watch a video and you lot can see the battery percent drop.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 battery life — (Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

The Galaxy Z Flip iii doesn't have super fast charging to compensate for this, maxing out at 15W wired and 10W wireless. Topping off apace like you could with the OnePlus ix Pro is out of the question.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, which features a six.vii-inch brandish like the Z Flip three but a much larger four,800 mAh battery, lasted nine hours and 53 minutes on our exam in 60Hz mode and nine:41 in adaptive mode. The other Android phones in the list in a higher place accept capacities much larger than iii,300 mAh, just we included them for your reference.

Of course, there's Apple'south iPhone 12 line to consider. The iPhone 12 Pro, which starts at the same $999 price every bit the Galaxy Z Flip 3, lasted for just over 9 hours. Granted, iOS and Android are very different in terms of battery life, simply fifty-fifty when you compare the 12 Pro to the Milky way Z Flip iii'due south 60Hz effect, you still see a vast difference.

Samsung Milky way Z Flip 3 battery life: Bottom line

Of course, our web surfing examination is simply one mode to measure battery life. And we know that no one is going to surf the web for 10 or 11 hours straight. But this test does give us a way to compare endurance across multiple phones, fifty-fifty if it is a taxing test.

Regardless, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 disappointed united states of america with its lackluster battery life. Fifty-fifty setting aside the novel grade factor, the Flip 3 has several caveats. Information technology's all around a good (and fun) phone, but if you're going to be away from home for a while yous may want to carry effectually its charger and/or external battery pack just in example.

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Hashemite kingdom of jordan is the Phones Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all things phone-related. He's written nearly phones for over v years and plans to go on for a long while to come up. He loves nothing more than relaxing in his abode with a book, game, or his latest personal writing projection. Hashemite kingdom of jordan likes finding new things to dive into, from books and games to new mechanical keyboard switches and fun keycap sets. Jordan tends to lurk on social media, but yous can best reach him on Twitter.