Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: Everything You Need to Know!

Samsung launched its latest foldable lineup, including the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, earlier this week. Both come with top-tier hardware and premium software, along with a plethora of additional functionality not found in mainstream devices. So today, we will answer some of your most frequently asked questions in our Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ. The purpose of this article is to help you learn everything about Samsung’s latest tablet-style foldable before you put down the money.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: All Your Questions Answered!

Since we will be answering a whole lot of questions here, we have divided the article into various sub-headings and categories. If you have a specific question in mind, use the table below to navigate directly to the related sub-heading to find the answer to your question. That said, we recommend you read the entire article to get a holistic understanding of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you are truly considering buying it.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: General

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 support 5G networks?

Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 5G supports Non-Standalone (NSA), Standalone (SA), and sub-6/ mmWave 5G connectivity. Depending on the market, it will support multiple 5G bands, including n1, n3, n7, n8, n28b, n28a, n41, n77, and n78.

In terms of LTE, Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports 4 x 4 MIMO, 7CA, LAA, LTE Cat.20. It also supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

• How much does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 cost?

In the US, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G has been priced starting at $1,799 for the base 256GB model, while the more premium 512GB model has an asking price of $1,899.

In the UK, the device costs £1,599 and £1,699 for the two variants, respectively. As for the EU market, Z Fold 3 has a price tag of €1,799 and €1,899 for the 256GB and 512GB models. Pricing for the Indian market is yet to be announced.

• Will Samsung release unlocked versions of Galaxy Z Fold 3?

Yes, the prices mentioned in the article are the full retail prices for unlocked versions of the foldable device. You can expect to pay much smaller down payments if you subscribe to a long-term carrier plan. Different carriers around the world have started announcing their own pricing for the locked versions as we speak.

• How much does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 cost on contract?

In the US, Verizon is offering the Z Fold 3 on contract starting at $59.99 per month for 30 months and $74.99 for 24 months. Other deals and discounts include trade-in options, 25 percent off across all Galaxy Z Fold 3 cases and covers, and even a free Galaxy Z Flip 3 with unlimited plans.

AT&T is also offering the trade-in and new line offers for the Galaxy Z Fold 3. You can also get 50 percent off any Samsung-branded accessories if you buy the Galaxy Z Fold 3 from America’s second-largest carrier.

• Is the Galaxy Z Fold 3 cheaper or more expensive than its predecessor?

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a bit more affordable at $1,799 than its predecessor, which was priced starting at $1,999 in the US for the base model. We expect it to be priced lower than its predecessor in India as well.

• When is the Galaxy Z Fold 3 release date and will it be available in my country?

Galaxy Z Fold 3 is already up for pre-order in the US through Samsung’s website and all major carriers. The device will officially go on sale on August 27 in select markets, including the US, UK, South Korea, and some EU countries.

There’s no word on when the Z Fold 3 will be available to buy in India just yet. But, you can pre-book the foldable by paying Rs. 2,000 and get a Galaxy SmartTag for free.

• What are the available color options?

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in three colors – Phantom Black, Phantom Green, and Phantom Silver.

• Are there any launch offers available on Z Fold 3 from Samsung?

There are multiple launch offers available on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Firstly, all orders before August 26 are eligible for up to $200 in Samsung Credit. Secondly, Samsung is offering a free one-year accidental damage insurance, including a one-time screen replacement guarantee as part of the optional 3-year Samsung Care+ plan.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: Design and Build

• How many displays does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 have?

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 features two displays, both AMOLED and with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. The outer display is a 6.2-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED panel with a 25:9 aspect ratio and 2,268 x 832 resolution at 387ppi. The foldable display on the inside is the larger one, measuring 7.6-inch Full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED with a resolution of 2,208 x 1,768 at 374ppi.

• Is there any form of screen protection on either of the displays?

Of course, there is! The outer panel comes with Gorilla Glass Victus, Corning’s strongest protection technology yet. The folding display also comes with a protective film covering that the company claims is 80% stronger than the last generation.

• Are the Galaxy Z Fold 3 displays bezel-less?

Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with bezel-less displays both on the inside and out. While the outer display has a punch-hole for the selfie camera, the larger panel on the inside is notchless, making for a clean, elegant design.

• What is Samsung’s foldable phone made out of?

The frame of the Z Fold 3 is made out of a metal called ‘Armor Aluminum’ that Samsung claims is the strongest material to ever go on a phone.

• Is the Galaxy Z Fold 3 waterproof and dust-proof?

Waterproof yes, dust-proof no. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 carries an IPX8 rating for water resistance, meaning you can submerge it for 30 minutes in up to 1.5 meters of water, and it should come out unscathed. However, the ‘X’ denotes that it doesn’t have any dust protection, which means dust particles getting into the hinge might still be an issue.

That means you can take your foldable to a pool party but using it at the beach is a big no-no. However, Samsung recommends not to use the Z Fold 3 in either of the two scenarios.

• What are the dimensions of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and how heavy is it?

When folded, the Z Fold 3 measures 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 mm, while unfolded, the measurements are 158.2 x 67.1 x 14.4-16 mm. Thanks largely to the dual screens, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is also rather heavy, weighing in at a hefty 271 grams.

• Will the folding technology be durable?

As mentioned already, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus both on the cover display and on the rear glass panel. As for the main panel, Samsung claims its protective film is 80% stronger than what we saw in the Z Fold 2. Further, the Z Fold 3’s hinge is 10% stronger than that of its predecessor, which is good news for folks who might be worried about durability.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: Hardware

• Is the Galaxy Z Fold 3 Powered by an Exynos or Snapdragon Processor?

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC from Qualcomm. The chip comes with 1x Kryo 680 (Cortex-X1) Prime core @ 2.84GHz, 3x Kryo 680 (Cortex-A78) Performance cores @ 2.4GHz, and 4x Kryo 680 (Cortex-A55) Efficiency cores @1.8GHz. Snapdragon 888 also has an integrated Adreno 660 GPU.

Unlike Samsung’s S-series and Note lineups, the original Z Fold and Z Fold 2 only shipped with Snapdragon processors, even in India and Europe. We expect the same to continue with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which means there is unlikely to be an Exynos variant of the device for non-US markets.

• What are the RAM and storage options?

At launch, Samsung is making the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is available in two storage variants – 256GB and 512GB (UFS 3.1). Both have 12GB of RAM.

• Does the phone have a headphone jack?

Unfortunately, no. The Galaxy Z Fold does not have a 3.5mm headphone slot.

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 have a microSD expansion slot?

Sorry to disappoint, but the answer, once again, is no. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 does not have a microSD card slot.

• Will there be a dual-SIM version?

Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be available in a dual-SIM avatar. However, one of the SIMs in the dual-SIM variant will be an eSIM, with the other being a traditional nano-SIM slot. It is not immediately clear if Samsung will persist with the same strategy in the Indian market.

• What about stereo speakers?

The Z Fold 3 comes with not only traditional stereo speakers, but stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support for an immersive audio experience. The audio is tuned by AKG and supports 32-bit/384kHz output.

• Is there an in-display fingerprint scanner?

Unfortunately, there’s no in-display fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, the phone does have a side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner.

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 Have Facial Recognition?

Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 offers AI-based facial recognition.

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 support NFC payments?

Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 ships with an integrated NFC chip. As with all premium Samsung devices, it also supports Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard-certified). Given that it is a full-fledged Android smartphone, you should also be able to use Google Pay and other online payment apps.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: Cameras

• What is the main camera setup on the Galaxy Z Fold 3?

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with a triple camera setup at the back and two additional cameras for selfies and video chats. All three cameras at the back are 12MP units. The primary camera is a 12MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, dual pixel autofocus, and OIS. The 12MP ultra-wide shooter comes with an f/2.2 aperture and 123-degree FoV, while the 12MP telephoto lens offers an f/2.4 aperture, PDAF, dual OIS, 2x optical zoom, and up to 10x digital zoom.

• Is there an under-display camera on the Z Fold 3?

Yes, there is. The main foldable display comes with a camera that’s embedded under the display for selfies and video chats. On the front (at the outside), the main selfie shooter is a 10MP punch-hole unit with an f/2.2 aperture, while the under-display camera is a 4MP sensor and an f/1.8 aperture.

• How’s the image quality of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 under-display camera?

As per initial impressions, the images captured from the 4MP under-display camera of the Galaxy Z fold 3 are sub-par and not usable. Since this is a first-gen camera under the display, we can give it a pass, but Samsung could have included a punch-hole camera on the inside as well.

• Is Galaxy Z Fold 3’s under-display camera better than Xiaomi Mi Mix 4’s selfie camera?

Now, both Mi Mix 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 come with an under-display selfie camera. They are both first-generation products, but Xiaomi seems to have done a better job at hiding the under-display camera than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The camera display portion of Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 has a 400ppi pixel density, while Samsung is only offering 172ppi, as per some reports. That’s the reason Z Fold 3’s selfie camera is not well-hidden at the off-axis and looks quite distracting.

Also, Xiaomi is using a 20MP selfie camera under the display whereas Samsung has a 4MP selfie sensor, so we expect the Mi Mix 4’s under-display camera to beat the Z Fold 3.

• Can the Z Flip 3 camera shoot 4K videos?

Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s primary camera can shoot 4K videos at up to 60fps and 1080p videos at up to 240fps.

• Is there optical image stabilization (OIS) for the main sensor?

Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports optical image stabilization. In fact, both the primary and telephoto cameras have OIS for blur-free pictures and videos.

• How many shooting modes does the main camera have?

The Z Fold 3 camera offers a myriad of shooting options, including portrait, night mode, night hyperlapse, and director’s view.

• Is there a selfie flash on the Z Fold 3?

There’s no selfie flash on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but there is an LED flash at the back to assist the main triple-camera setup.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: Battery and Charging

• Has the battery size increased over the Z Fold 2?

Disappointingly, it’s quite the opposite. The battery has actually decreased in capacity to 4,400mAh from the 4,500mAh unit in the Z Fold 2. It is a dual-cell Lithium Polymer unit that Samsung claims will “adjust its power for all-day battery life”.

Do note that Samsung is not supplying a charger with the retail pack, so you will have to use one of your existing chargers or buy one separately.

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 support fast charging?

Yeah, the Z Fold 3 supports 25W wired charging and up to 10W wireless charging. However, Samsung is not shipping a power adapter with the retail box. So keep a USB-C fast charger handy to take full advantage of the fast-charging speeds of the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 support wireless charging?

Yes, the Z Fold 3 supports up to 10W wireless charging. Of course, you will have to buy your own wireless charging pad, so check out the best wireless charging mats you can buy for your Galaxy Z Fold 3. You can also use the back of the Z Fold 3 to reverse wireless charge other devices at up to 4.5W.

Now, to round everything up in this FAQ, here’s a quick look at the complete Galaxy Z Fold 3 specs sheet:

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: S Pen Support

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 Offer S Pen Support?

Yes, after collective pleas from thousands of potential customers over the past couple of years, Samsung has finally made its Galaxy Fold lineup compatible with the S Pen. The company has partnered with Wacom for the new S Pen experience. Now, for the first time, you can use a stylus on a foldable device. Do note that only the inner display supports S Pen input while the outer display does not.

• Is there a built-in slot to store the S Pen on the Z Fold 3?

No, there’s no built-in slot to store the S Pen on the Z Fold 3. However, you can buy a special case that includes an S Pen slot. Check out the accessories section towards the end of this article for more on that.

• Can I use any S Pen on the Galaxy Z Fold 3?

No, the Z Fold 3 only supports two S Pen models because the foldable display’s unique digitizer requires special S Pens to prevent damage. The two compatible S Pens are the S Pen Pro and the S Pen Fold Edition.

The latter is created specifically for the Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) on Galaxy Z Fold 3 and, comes with a soft, retractable (spring action) nib to ensure the sensitive folding surface does not get damaged by a hard, sharp, stylus. In fact, Samsung warns that no other S Pen apart from these two should be used on the Z Fold 3 because of the sensitive nature of the digitizer.

• Are there S Pen-specific features in the Galaxy Z Fold 3?

Yes, there are many. Samsung says it has been working with Wacom for years on the S Pen to deliver unique and differentiated experiences to Fold users. The S Pen on the Z Fold 3 not only offers less latency and super precision, but it also comes with a finely tuned pen-tip structure. It helps deliver better drawing and writing experiences on the foldable screen. You can also use an S Pen to mark up or sign documents on the Z Fold 3.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQ: Software Features and One UI

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 run the latest version of Android?

Yes, it does. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 runs Android 11 out-of-the-box with Samsung’s One UI 3.5 skin on top.

• Will the Z Fold 3 get timely updates?

As mentioned already, the phone runs the latest Android 11 with One UI 3.5 on top. With Samsung’s promise of three major Android updates for all its premium handsets, the Z Fold 3 should get Android 12, 13, and 14 updates as and when they release. Do note that the stable version of Android 12 is all set to launch next month, so it will be interesting to see when Samsung will release it for its all-new foldable smartphone.

• Does the Galaxy Z Fold 3 have Samsung DeX Functionality?

Yes, it does. Thanks to the Snapdragon 888, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has the computing power of a mini PC and can transform it into a desktop using Samsung Dex. By connecting your Galaxy Z Fold 3 to an external monitor using a USB-C cable, you can start using it in a PC-like environment while your phone remains free for other uses.

You can run DeX wirelessly on any Miracast-enabled display or connect your Galaxy Z Fold 3 to your monitor via an HDMI to USB-C cable. You can also use Z Fold 3 as a trackpad, or free up the device for calls, texts and multitasking by connecting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

• Does it have Google Assistant and Bixby voice assistant?

As with all Samsung premium phones, the Z Fold 3 also comes with full Bixby integration. Given that it is a standard Android phone, it should also support Google Assistant out-of-the-box.

• Is the software optimized for multi-tasking on the bigger screen?

Samsung has ensured that you squeeze every last bit of utility out of the extra real estate. Not only is One UI optimized for the larger screen, Samsung has also tied up with leading app developers, like Google, Microsoft, Spotify, Netflix, etc., to ensure that many of their popular apps are also optimized for the unique form-factor.

News apps will also show more info on the screen than on regular smartphones, while YouTube will show more thumbnails without having to scroll. What’s more, you can even open two instances of the same app simultaneously on the Z Fold 3.

You can also turn on additional capabilities from Labs – the home of Samsung’s experimental One UI features. One such feature is the Test Bar that lets you pin your favorite apps for quick access. For apps that are not yet optimized for the large screen, you will be able to multitask and use the Flex mode just by adjusting their size and aspect ratio.

Galaxy Z Fold 3: Limited Edition Models and Original Accessories

• Will there be limited-edition models of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 like last year?

Samsung has already revealed the limited-edition Thom Browne edition of its new Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone. In this avatar, it features an exclusive matte white finish with a shiny silver border. Two parallel lines in the Thom Browne’s trademark red and gray colors run along the perimeter.

When you purchase the Thom Browne edition Galaxy Z Fold 3, you get a bundle that includes the S Pen Pro, Galaxy Buds 2, Galaxy Watch 4 with three interchangeable straps, a wireless charger and matching leather cases for the phone and the Buds 2. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 Thom Browne edition will be available for pre-order starting August 11 in select markets.

• Are the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Buds 2 Compatible with the Z Fold 3?

Yes, they are. Both the Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Watch 4 are compatible with about all Android smartphones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

• Is Samsung offering original accessories for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 at launch?

Yes, it is! Samsung has also announced a host of first-party cases for the Galaxy Z Fold 3, including a Silicone Cover in Green, White, and Black, a Leather Flip Stand Cover in Green, Camel, and Black, a Leather Cover also in Green, Camel, and Black, an Aramid Cover in Black, and a Flip Cover with S Pen in Black. They start from $39.99 and you can buy them from the official Samsung website.

Your Galaxy Z Fold 3 Questions Answered!

We have tried to cover all the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in this article, ranging from the display, durability, and water resistance to S Pen support and the under-display selfie camera. If you still have any unanswered questions, drop them in the comments section below and we will try to answer as many as we possibly can.