STACK #203 Sep 2021

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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T he “flip phone” was so much a part of popular culture a few decades ago that everyone had to have one – even those using home phones FLIPPIN’ BRILLIANT! folds into a compact and stylish slice of tech that will easily fit into any pocket. The previous model sported a tiny display on the

cover when folded, but the Flip3 massively improves on that with an OLED display that’s nearly four times the size. When the phone is folded, it delivers notifications as they come in, displays the time, shows you what music tracks are playing and more – all without having to open the phone. It also serves as a handy selfie-setup screen. The glossy

had multiple flip- equipped options to choose from. That satisfying feeling of picking up your compact little device when it rang and

flipping it open to talk has been something rarely seen since the heady days of the classic flip phones, though. Part of the reason has been the ever-growing size of

it – and its upgraded stereo speakers now feature Dolby Atmos, too. Carrying widescreen cinema in your jeans pocket? Very 21st century! Like its Fold counterpart, the Flip3 boasts IPX8 water resistance, meaning that even if your phone takes a tumble into a pool or gets caught out in the rain, it’ll keep on working just fine (you wouldn’t want to take it on extended underwater adventures, though!). With pretty much everything upgraded from the previous model, the Galaxy Z Flip3 is a brilliant reimagining of the flip-phone, from a company that knows how to fold ‘em.

black screen contrasts with the stylish coloured body (there are four different colour options available) and looks terrific. Open up the phone and you get a wonderful

smartphone screens; to create a flip phone out of your typical smartphone just doesn’t make sense without massively reducing the size of the screen. 1990s flip- phone kings Motorola attempted a foldable- screen phone and came up short. But Samsung, equipped with their ever-evolving OLED screen tech, figured the time had come to bring back the flip and do it properly – and the result is the Galaxy Z Flip3, which is actually the first major revision of the Flip since its launch. And what an update it

combination of the old-school flip-phone feeling and an eyeful of a gorgeous ultra-tall display – which, when used sideways, nearly exactly matches the widescreen ratio used by most movies these days. If it’s immersive streaming you want from your phone, this one will deliver

What About Dust? Both of Samsung’s new phones are rated IPX8 for water resistance – but not dust and other nasties that can get inside your shiny device. Samsung’s solution to the dust bunny dilemma is what they call “Sweeper” technology, with bristles built into the metal hinge to clear away dust and other particles.

is – Samsung has taken on board feedback from users of the first version of the Flip and improved on it in almost every way, including a much faster 8-core CPU and a lightning-fast adaptive 120Hz AMOLED display. The Flip3 shares some tech with its much larger Fold counterpart, but the reason for its existence is very different. This is a well- sized, lightweight phone that

80 SEPTEMBER 2021

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