The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series has made serious improvements over three generations. Initially a little underpowered, Samsung corrected that with the second version before adding further improvements and a massive 31% price cut for the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
But one persistent complaint has followed all three versions: battery life. Each phone so far has packed two batteries (one in each half) with a combined power of 3,300mAh. According to Galaxy Club, that’s due to change with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 which is set to get an increase — not a very big one, but every little helps.
The site claims that the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 4 will get two batteries as per usual, this time with the model numbers EB-BF721ABY and EB-BF722ABY. Galaxy Club notes that the first of these is rated with a 100mAh higher capacity than its predecessor, meaning the phone should offer a total capacity of 3,400mAh.
To be clear, a 100mAh difference — around a 3% increase — won’t make an enormous difference on its own. 100mAh is, after all, about a third of the capacity of your average smartwatch, so in that sense it’s nothing to write home about.
But battery capacity is only part of the stamina equation, and hopefully this will be increased alongside other efficiency improvements. A few software tweaks here, the more efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 there and hopefully you’ve got a smartphone which will go a bit longer between charges.
That’s the hope anyway, because it’s one of the main drawbacks of Samsung's entry-level foldable at the moment. In our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 review, Reviews Editor Jordan Palmer used the words “terrible” and “extremely disappointing” to describe battery life as it managed just five hours and 43 minutes in our tests. In the real world, it’ll last longer, because our tests are based on constant usage, but it’s still shamed by our list of phones with the best battery life.
This, combined with the slow 15W charging, makes it a tough recommendation for heavy users, even if we generally love the futuristic design and clever external screen that, amongst other things, functions as a camera viewfinder for better selfies. Hopefully Samsung will introduce the 25W charging reserved for its Z Fold 3 when this year’s foldables roll out in the fall to make the Z Flip 4 a more attractive proposition.
