United News of Bangladesh

Samsung entered the foldable smartphone market back in 2019 with their Galaxy Fold. Since then, the brand has introduced a new foldable each year with incremental updates. This year, users will get the Z Fold5 with several new developments over last year’s fold. Samsung launched the Z Fold5 on 11th August in India. Let’s check out what’s changed from the Z Fold4 and how it stacks up against the competitors.  Key Specifications of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5   Design and Build Quality  The design of the Fold from its first generation to the current iteration has stayed fairly similar. The changes from the Fold4 to the Fold5 are so minute that it’s difficult to tell them apart unless looked at closely. The only visible design change on the Fold5 is the shift in the flashlight position.  However, the biggest change in the Fold5 is in the hinge mechanism. It is now made from armored aluminum with a dual rail structure. The new hinge mechanism allows the device to fold flat, unlike the wedge-shaped gap that was seen up until the last generation.  The unfolded dimension of the device is 154.9 mm by 129.9 mm by 6.1 mm while the folded dimension comes in at 154.9 mm by 67.1 mm by 13.4 mm. The relatively compact form factor makes for 235 g of effective weight on the Fold5. The aluminum frame and the plastic inner screen are the same as before with the outer screen and back getting the updated Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Read more: Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus Review: Know the Pros and Cons Additionally, the device is IPX8 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min). There is also stylus support like the last generation.  Overall, the design and build quality has seen a little update over the last generation. It’s the same refined Samsung design with some minor tweaks here and there.  The Display  The display on the Galaxy Z Fold5 is also similar to that of last year’s Fold4. The inner screen is Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. The 7.6-inch inner screen has an 1812 x 2176 pixels (QXGA+) resolution which accommodates 373 ppi. The near-symmetrical display also has an impressive 91.1% screen-to-body ratio. The inner display is brighter this time around on the Fold5. In a test, the manual brightness slider could go up to 800 nits, and in auto mode, it could go up to 1100 nits.  The outer display is what Samsung is calling their  Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. It comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 6.2-inch display is tall and narrow with a 23.1:9 ratio at 904 x 2316 pixels. The HBM on the outer screen can also go up to 1150 nits. Read more: Tecno Phantom V Flip 5G: What does it offer? While the quality of the panel is impeccable as ever, Samsung couldn’t find a way around the crease. It is one of those drawbacks that foldable enthusiasts will have to put up with for the time being.  The Camera  There is a triple camera setup on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5. The camera system is almost identical to last year’s Fold4 with most of the changes happening at the processing end.  The main camera is a 50 MP f/1.8 sensor. It's a 23mm wide angle lens with standard OIS and PDAF. The secondary cameras are a 10 MP, f/2.4 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and a 12 MP f/2.2 123 ̊ ultrawide sensor.  The main camera can take some amazing shots in daylight. Pictures had good details and contrast to them along with decent dynamic range. The images come out in 12 MP in the auto mode through pixel binning technology. Portrait shots came out pretty well through the main lens with great subject details and realistic background blur. The ultrawide and the telephoto lenses also did their part pretty well.  Read more: vivo V29e 5G Review: Is this mid-range phone rightly priced? The image quality stayed consistent in artificial and low-light conditions as well. The variable shutter speed of the main lens assisted in taking well-exposed images with good details and colors in low light. The videography on the Fold5 is absolutely stacked with 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps, 1080p@60/240fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps (gyro-EIS) with all having HDR10+ support. 

Ever since the launch of the Mi Mix back in 2016, the Mix lineup has been all about cutting-edge features from Xiaomi. From a completely flush display with an under-display front camera to some of the thinnest foldables in the market, every Mix release was marked with Xiaomi’s technical prowess. Xiaomi recently launched its newest model in the Mix lineup, the Mix Fold 3 on 14 August 2023. The smartphone is China-exclusive for the time being. Let’s look at what’s changed from the Mix Fold 2 and more importantly, whether it takes on the Samsung Z Fold 5.  Key Specifications of the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3  Design and Build Quality  The Mix Fold 3 with its design feels like an incremental update to the Mix Fold 2. The triple camera on the back of the Fold 2 has been replaced with a quad sensor on the Fold 3. As a result, there is a larger camera housing on the back.  The unfolded dimension of the smartphone is 161.2 mm by 143.3 mm by 5.3 mm while the folded dimension comes at around 161.2 mm by 73.5 mm by 10.9 mm. The device weighs 255 g or 259 g depending on whether the user goes for the glass back or the aramid fiber back.  Read more: vivo V29e 5G Review: Is this mid-range phone rightly priced? At just 5.3 mm, the device is one of the slimmest foldable smartphones out there. It's impressive considering the Galaxy Z Fold5 comes at 6.1 mm. Though its back panel may feel like it's made of leather but it’s a textured glass design.  The folded screen has a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection while the unfolded inner screen has a plastic front. The rounded edges and the easy positioning of the power and volume rockers make it easy to use with dexterity. Xiaomi has also updated the hinge mechanism which now allows the smartphone to be unfolded at different positions based on the user preferences. They have also calibrated the OS to support certain split-screen functionalities. Furthermore, the Aluminum frame makes the device strong and elegant. Overall, the Mix Fold 3 exudes a premium look and feel all around. It’s compact, lightweight, and functional with an eye-catching design that is sure to appeal to the fans of the foldables.  Read more: OPPO A58 Review: Is this budget-friendly phone good for photos? The Display  There are two displays on the Mix Fold 3 like all other foldable smartphones. The cover display is a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and 2600 nits of peak brightness. The 1080 by 2520 pixels are arranged in a 21:9 aspect ratio.  On the other hand, the folded screen comes with 8.03 inches LTPO OLED+ with 1B colors, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 1300 nits HBM and Dolby Vision onboard. The inner panel has a 1916 by 2160 pixels distribution with 360 ppi density. the inner panel even with its size bezels comes in at 89.4% screen-to-body ratio.  Both the panels are exactly as one would expect from a flagship foldable smartphone. They are bright and crisp. The HBM on the cover display alleviates it to a new level with ultra-high brightness under direct sunlight. One thing to note is that there is still a noticeable ridge on the inner folding of the display. Users won’t feel it much while touching but it is visible while looking at the panel sideways.  Read more: Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus Review: Know the Pros and Cons The Camera  There is a Leica quad camera setup on the Fold 3 with the main camera being a 50 MP f/1.8 aperture 23 mm wide angle shooter. The additional sensors are a 10 MP (f/2.0) telephoto with 3.2x optical zoom, another 10 MP (f/2.9) telephoto with 5x optical zoom and the fourth one is a 12 MP (f/2.2) ultrawide sensor. The cover selfie camera is a 20 MP (f/2.3) one with the inner camera being another 20 MP (f/2.3) shooter as well.  Coming to the picture quality, the pictures can be best described as having the right amount of color pop, dynamic range, and perfect details in each shot. The texture rendering on images also looked pretty good. Users would be able to use the back camera as selfie shooters by using the cover screen as a viewfinder. However, the selfie cameras themselves did a pretty good job of capturing casual shots.  The nighttime pictures also came out excellent. The shaded areas of low-light images are not over-processed or overexposed, leaving the pictures looking natural. A lot is going on with the videography on the Fold 3. It can capture 8K@24fps, 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960/1920fps. Beyond that, there’s EIS and Dolby Vision HDR support as well. The videos came out great from the main camera with good details, exposure, and stabilization. Whether it’s the pictures or video quality, the Fold 3 definitely outweighs the Z Fold 5 here.  Read more: Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Review: Is it a value-for-money midrange phone? Processor and Performance  The processor on the Mix Fold 3 is Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 based on 4 Nm architecture. The octa-core processor has a 1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510 chip design for a combination of efficiency and performance-based output. The processor is coupled with an Adreno 740 GPU. With a flagship-grade processor, users can expect to get superior performance out of the smartphone. The expectation is also corroborated in usage as games like PUBG and Genshin Impact ran on the highest settings without any issues. Playing games on the large display really brings an immersive experience regardless of the title.  Coming to the OS, the China-exclusive variant lacks Google support. The MIUI has been updated as MIUI Fold 14 for the foldable smartphone. It brings features like a split screen, floating screen, and an array of app-based split control options which really come in handy. The stock dock is also useful for storing commonly used apps in one place.  In addition to the raw performance, the Type-C 3.2, UFS 4.0 storage, LPDDRX5 RAM, and the Harman Kardon tuning, all work together to further enhance the already great performance of the device.  Read more: Xiaomi 13T Pro Review: The flagship killer is back Battery and Charge Time  The battery on the Mix Fold 3 is 4800 mAh. While it might not seem much for a large inner panel, the highly efficient processor aids the Fold 3 in having a solid battery life. users can expect to get around 7 to 9 hours of continued usage out of the Fold 3 in a single full charge.  The battery supports 67W wired fast charging with the charger coming in the box. It can fully charge the device in 40 minutes. There is also 50W wireless fast charging which can recharge the device in 55 minutes.  Pros and Cons of Xiaomi Mix Fold 3  Pros:  - A rich retail bundle with premium accessories- Industry-leading design - Great speakers - Excellent camera setup - Dolby Vision support. Read more: Infinix Note 30 5G Review: Know the Pros and Cons Cons: - Exclusive China release - No waterproof certification. Price of Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 comes in 12/256 GB, 16/512 GB, and 16 GB/1 TB configuration. The price of each of the variants is 8,999, 9,999, and 10,999 Yuan. The price roughly amounts to around 1,36,494 BDT, 1,51,661 BDT, and 1,66,829 BDT respectively (1 RMB = 15.17 BDT). However, the price would grossly differ if it becomes officially available in Bangladesh.  Final Words  Xiaomi offers a bunch of trendy features in its latest flagship device Mix Fold 3. The Z Fold from Samsung got a huge reputation as a competent foldable device. But with an excellent display and camera setup, Mix Fold 3 may have beat Samsung in its own game. The price is still on the higher spectrum considering the cutting-edge technology provided here. On the whole, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 is a flagship smartphone offering a premium look and foldable design.  Read more: Top 10 Smartphones Coming to Bangladesh in November 2023

Expectations from Samsung have always been high. In line with their innovative approach, the company launched its first-ever foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold in 2019. While the first had a few critical drawbacks, the company has since fixed and upgraded its offerings. Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the latest and greatest in their foldable lineup on august 25th 2022. In this article, we take a look at the specs and ergonomics of the device to see whether it can replace conventional smartphones. Key Specifications of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4  Design and Build Quality The design elements of the Samsung Galaxy Z4 Fold are similar to the previous iterations. The display, both the inside and cover are exactly the same size as last year. But Samsung has made some cool changes in the overall dimensions. The device is now slightly thinner and shorter all the while maintaining the same screen real estate. It just makes the device more manageable. Everything else is positioned right where they were last year. On the side, there is the power and volume rocker. The power button acts as the side-mounted fingerprint scanner. As expected, there is no headphone jack on the device. Read Oppo Reno 8 5G Review: Key features, advantages, disadvantages Samsung has stacked the Z Fold4 with cameras just like last year. The inner and the cover display each has a selfie shooter along with triple primary lenses. The hinge mechanism has been updated to make way for a smoother opening and closing. But you still hear that bone squeaking noise albeit at a lower pitch. Overall, the design and the build quality remain the same. We get Samsung’s idea of refined iterations and the company clearly went in that direction. Read How to Prevent Facebook Hacking: Security measures from Mobile, Desktop The Display There are two displays on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. The main inner display is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. The 2X is just a fancy adage to surmount the foldability of the device. The 7.6-inch display also boasts a 1200 nits peak brightness for perfect outdoor visibility. Coming to quality, this display is everything you’d expect from Samsung. It's bright, color-accurate, and pixel-dense. The viewing angles are perfect with zero color distortion. The only noticeable gripe with the inner display is the crease. It's still present in the Z Fold4 and might be an eyesore for some. Read Vivo V23 series changing the smartphone market with its state-of-the-art features While it is much more toned down than previous generations and most users say they get used to it after a while, it is still there and becomes increasingly apparent when using dark mode. There is also a protective layer over the display which is an absolute dust and fingerprint magnet. Other than these minor drawbacks, the Z Fold 4 features a perfect set of displays that is both functional and utilitarian all the while being at the top of its range. Read 10 Best Free Cycling Simulator Games for PCs, Laptops The Camera Users will be getting a total of five cameras with the Z Fold4. The triple camera sensors on the back are a 50 MP dual pixel PDAF sensor with a 10 MP telephoto and a 12 MP ultrawide complementing the main one. This time, Samsung means business as they upgraded the sensor to be better in line with their traditional flagship devices. Each of the sensors delivers its capabilities. The main sensor takes far better pictures compared to the Z Fold3. There is great preservation of the dynamic range and details. The exposure was also perfect in every shot during outdoor shots. Read Motorola Moto G62 5G Review with Pros, Cons The cameras also performed well in artificial lights. Samsung automatically varies the shutter speed to capture more light which results in a near grain-less image even in minimal lighting conditions. There are two selfie cameras on the Z Fold4. One is a 4 MP under-display one on the inner screen and the other is a 10 MP one on the cover display. The under-display camera is a disappointment just as last year. It’s probably only good for video calls or conferences, nothing more. On the other hand, the cover display camera does a better job and produces usable quality pictures. The videography of the Z Fold4 is rated at 4K at 60 fps. With the specs and capabilities, one would expect up to 8K support like the standard models. But unfortunately, users won’t be getting that with the Fold4. Read ASUS ZENFONE 9 Review: Does this mini powerhouse offer value-for-money? Processor and Performance The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset built on the 4 Nm architecture. This is the latest and greatest processor from Qualcomm for mobile use. The processor has 1 3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 and 3 2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 and 4 1.80 GHz Cortex-A510 chip designs for efficient yet powerful output. And the results are clearly visible. The Z Fold4 blazes through whatever that’s thrown at it. Samsung has developed a unique split screen feature where it splits at the joint. This allows for a perfect multitasking operation. Many users are calling it the best multitasking device out there because of its sheer processing capability and ease of use. In addition to multitasking, users will also enjoy superior performance in gaming. The device can play the leading 3D graphics-intensive titles with ease and on max settings. Read Vivo iQOO 9T Review: A High Performance Phone with Elegant Design To sum it up, the processor and performance of the Z Fold4 are on par with the best flagships out there. In fact, it even outshines many because of the multitasking usability. Battery and Charge Time The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 comes equipped with a 4400 mAh battery. Now the 4400 mAh battery might seem very small for a 7.6-inch device. But the efficiency of the 8+ Gen 1 chip and the cover display means that the device will be able to comfortably last a day’s use on a single charge. There is also 25W fast charging included in the device which can charge it up to 50% in 30 minutes. Read Asus ROG Phone 6 Review: Pros, cons of the hardcore gaming beast Price of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 in Bangladesh The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is currently available for pre-order in Bangladesh. Users can pre-order the device from the Samsung website for around 240,000 BDT for the 12/256 Gb variant. The price is subject to change depending upon company policy and other issues. Final Words The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is an incremental upgrade to the Z Fold3. The company addressed the issue regarding ergonomics and cameras. These are welcomed changes that made the Z Fold4 even more streamlined as a daily driver. However, the creaking hinge noise and the crease on the display are still something that might be a deal breaker for some. But as things stand now, the Z Fold4 is slowly becoming a mainstream daily driver, albeit at a very high price point and out of budget for many. Read Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 Review: Is this flip phone worth buying?

Foldable phones are making a comeback from the late 2000s in a manner that is part functional and part futuristic. After initial hiccups and sky-high prices with the first foldable phone from Samsung, the company has steadily perfected its game. And this year, the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be released as a replacement for the Note series.  This upcoming folding phone from Samsung will be made official sometime in August at Samsung’s Unpacked event. This corroborates with the previous release dates of the Fold 2 and Fold 3. Users can expect a lot of changes from the Fold 3. What are the changes exactly? Well, here is everything that is known so far about them. Read OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G: Leaks, Rumours, Possible Release Date Leaked and Rumoured Features of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Design and Build Quality The foldable phones aren’t like the usual run-off-the-mill single slab smartphones. The internals, the design, and the build quality makes a folding device functional. Users might remember how Samsung had to recall their first-ever Fold due to hinge issues. Well, this year, Samsung made a number of changes to overhaul the working mechanism of the device. Firstly, there is the unified hinge. Rather than using a clasped mechanism, Samsung will use a unibody design which will take away the protrusion after folding. The extra space is rumoured to house a new inbuilt S pen for the device. The device was also rumoured to feature an under-display fingerprint sensor. That too, on both the displays on the inside. However, Samsung reportedly scrapped the plan and will be sticking to the power button as the physical fingerprint sensor. Read Vivo Y33s 4G Review: Do features accompany premium look? Overall, the Z Fold 4 will be less chunky, more ergonomic, and will offer a more premium user experience. Display The display will also see a few notable changes this time. Samsung has previously used Dynamic AMOLED 2X for the Fold 3. Leaks suggest that the resolution and the unit panel will remain the same but there will be newer tech incorporated with the panel. The first obvious change has to do with the display protection. Samsung has used their proprietary UTG or “Ultra-Thin Glass” as the protective layer over the display up until the Fold 3. This year, Samsung will upgrade to Super UTG to facilitate the new hinge design as well as reduce the crease on the display. Read Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: A Fast Phone with Massive Battery The display itself is getting a few upgrades with the use of the new M12 OLED tech. This new panel upgrade is reported to bring better viewing angles, brighter colours, and overall better brightness. The display size is slated to remain with the inner panel being a 7.6 inch one and the outer one being 6.2 inches. Camera The Z Fold series, considering their eye-watering price, was never really about cameras. The camera tech on the previous iterations could be called average at best. It was clear that much of the money went to the R&D of the display and the incredible that allowed it to fold. However, that is going to change with the Z Fold 4. Samsung is reportedly planning to go with the best at their hand for the Z Fold 4 camera module. Read Colmi P28 Plus Review: Is It a Worthy Budget Smartwatch? The device is slated to feature the triple camera system from the Samsung S 22. Users might think why not the S 22 Ultra? Initially, Samsung planned to use the camera system from the S22 Ultra on the Fold 4, but the slim design of the Fold 4 will not allow for the protruding camera module to fit properly. So, the current 12 MP triple camera setup will be replaced by a 50 MP main sensor, 10 MP telephoto, and 12 MP ultrawide sensor from the S 22 series. Samsung will also be introducing an in-display selfie camera. The camera on both the inside and outside panels will feature an in-display selfie lens under live pixels. overall, the photography and the videography on the Z Fold 4 will see a drastic improvement compared to the previous generations. Processor and Performance The Z fold series always had to work with three displays. So, the performance requirement was also very high. Samsung has consistently gone with 12 GB RAM as the base option. The Z Fold 4 will also feature the same as the base variant. The processor will be the upgraded version of the current flagship processor from Snapdragon, the 8 Gen 1 plus. Given the computational power requirement of the three displays along with some key multitasking features, the processor choice seems fair. Read Xiaomi Mi 12 Ultra: What to Expect from the Next Xiaomi Flagship? Speaking of multitasking, Samsung is going to introduce display continuity with the Z Fold 4. For example, a user can continue their task on the unfurled display even if they started it on the outer panel. In addition to that, the Z Fold exclusive features like Glance, Quick Note, and Magnifier will reprise their roles. Battery and Charge Time The efficient processing power and display optimization has helped Samsung get away with lower battery size. Like the Z Fold, 3 featured a 4400 mAh battery. The Z Fold 4 also won’t revamp the existing strategy and the battery size should range between 4500 to 5000 mAh. There should also be an included 25 W fast charger in the box. Price When the first Z Fold launched, it broke the 2000-dollar mark for mobile devices. It was mostly out of reach for most regular consumers. Samsung has reduced the price over the last two generations and the price drop is expected to continue to the Z Fold 4 as well.  Read Best Upcoming Phones in April 2022 in Bangladesh Some reports suggest that the device will come with a 1600-dollar price tag for the base variant, down from 1800 dollars on the Z Fold 3. This price means that the Z Fold 4 would cost 1,38,105 BDT when it becomes officially available (1 USD = 86.32 BDT). However, take the pricing with a grain of salt as the upgrades mean Samsung might not actually reduce the price. Verdict So, should you wait for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4? There is no straight answer to this. The Z fold series of phones aren’t still on the utilitarian end, rather it's more of a novelty device with a high price tag. If you are after the latest breakthrough tech in mobile devices, then sure wait ahead. But at the end of the day, it is still a statement piece over a functional everyday carry.