The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are two of the latest foldable phones to arrive, but what should buyers expect in terms of battery capacity and charging rates? Are the new smartphones better than their predecessor? The Galaxy Z Fold series first showed up in 2019, and since then, the overall battery experience has been one of the major concerns.
To recall, the original Fold came with a 4,380 mAh battery with support for 15W wired charging. In 2020, Samsung increased the battery capacity to 4,500 mAh and introduced 25W wired charging with the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Similarly, the original Flip came with a 3,300 mAh battery that could charge at 15W, followed by the Flip 5G, which packed the same battery. While older Fold devices were not great in terms of battery life and charging rates, the South Korean company has tried to address the issue with its latest offerings.
The battery capacity of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes in at 4,400 mAh, the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Does that mean that the Fold 4 delivers a similar battery life? Fortunately, the answer is no. While the effective battery life does depend upon the battery capacity, it also relies on the power efficiency of the components. In this case, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 features the newer Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, which is not only more powerful but also more efficient than the Snapdragon 888 used in the Fold 3. As a result, users should expect slightly better battery life on the Fold 4. Of course, individual experiences will depend on factors like screen refresh rate and usage habits.
Galaxy Flip 4 Comes With A Decent Battery Upgrade
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 features a 3,700 mAh battery, which is about 11 percent more than the Flip 3. Additionally, the folding phone is powered by the same Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC as the Fold 4, and so should provide better battery life. Samsung claims that the Flip 4 can handle up to 19 hours of video playback and 56 hours of audio playback. Video playback and video streaming are two different things. While the former refers to playing offline videos, the latter refers to streaming videos over the internet via platforms such as YouTube. The folks at PhoneArena tested the Flip 4 and found that the device lasted about 9 hours and 45 minutes when streaming video. In comparison, the Flip 3 lasted for about 7 hours.
In terms of charging speeds, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 supports 25W wired charging, offering up to 50 percent in around 30 minutes, according to Samsung, with a complete charge taking around one hour and twenty minutes. It is not as fast as Samsung's flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra, nor close to the 80W SUPERVOOC charging of the OnePlus Nord 2T. However, given that Samsung has managed to fit the same battery in less space inside the Fold 4, charging speed should not be a deal-breaker for most people. The smartphone also supports 15W wireless charging. When it comes to the Galaxy Z Flip 4, it now supports 25W wired charging as well, an upgrade from the 15W wired charging on the Flip 3, along with 10W wireless charging. It is important to mention that neither the Galaxy Z Fold 4 nor the Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes with a charger in the box.
Source: Samsung, PhoneArena