The Galaxy Z Flip is the best foldable phone I’ve ever used. Considering this is still a new field with only the Motorola Razr, Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X for competing devices you can buy today, that might not sound like much. Don’t believe it. Samsung has done most things right with the Z Flip’s design, creating a foldable phone that’s fun to wield and practical enough for everyday life.
How it stacks up
Like
Sits open for selfies and video calls
Foldable glass screen
Camera quality
Ultraportable
Don’t Like
Expensive
Overly small outer display
Susceptible to damage
With the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that foldable phones have a right to exist as more than just experimental toys. That’s quite an impressive feat for Samsung’s second stab at foldables, especially after its first attempt had such a disastrous start. To see Samsung pivot so quickly to a design that’s sturdier, recognizable as a phone and straightforward to use is worth acknowledging.
I’ve quickly fallen in love with the Galaxy Z Flip — particularly the way the 6.7-inch glass screen stands upright on its own — but Samsung still has work to do. At $1,380 (£1,300), the Z Flip is wildly expensive for the specs, and beyond the reach of most budgets. The bendable glass display is fragile and the phone is vulnerable to water and dust. Battery life is only so-so, and its 1.1-inch outer screen is stupid small.
Most people shouldn’t run out and buy the Galaxy Z Flip. While it’s good enough to rely on in the real world, foldable phones remain largely showpieces for early adopters and hobbyists. You’ll get more camera options, longer battery life and a bona fide water-resistance rating from other flagship phones (I test the $1,400 Galaxy S20 Ultra next).
That said, if you’re debating between this and the Motorola Razr, get the Z Flip without compunction. I also prefer it to the Galaxy Fold, although I’d honestly just wait for the Fold 2 if you want a tablet-size foldable.
Overall, Samsung has done an excellent job bringing thrilling innovations to the Galaxy Z Flip that are simple to understand and surprisingly easy to use. I expect that the next generation will be even better.
You’re staring this phone’s best feature right in the face.
Juan Garzon/CNET
What I love about the Galaxy Z Flip
A cohesive device that’s easy to pick up and use right away.
Closed, it feels sturdy and compact. Gripping it by the hinge end feels secure.
The screen stays open on its own at a wide variety of angles (more on this below).
The foldable glass screen — a world’s first — helps keep the dreaded crease to a minimum. There’s no damage so far to the one I’ve bought.
Camera quality is strong on all three sensors (see breakout).
Solid specs include a Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, 256GB of storage, fast charging and reverse wireless charging (all specs below).
A swipe-out screen is helpful for launching favorite apps and split-screen mode, especially during one-handed use.
It comes with a free plastic case for extra peace of mind.
The cover display is too small to be useful. Samsung missed a sizable opportunity (more below).
Battery life is a tad disappointing.
Many videos and games don’t fit perfectly into the 21.9:9 screen dimensions, resulting in black side bars.
The fingerprint reader would be more conveniently placed on the lower half — at least for my hands.
It’s vulnerable to damage from exposure to water and dust (you get a one-year warranty and 24/7 customer service).
Since you have to unfold it first, it takes longer to do most things than on a standard phone. I’ve missed a few camera moments as a result. (On the flip side, I like the finality of snapping it closed.)
The Galaxy Z Flip is incredibly portable and easy to carry around.
Jason Hiner/CNET
Flex Mode is the Galaxy Z Flip’s killer feature
Open the Galaxy Z Flip from either side and let go. The half you pulled up hasn’t snapped back down into closed position or slowly arched back to fully open. Chances are, it’s stayed exactly where it is.
The hinge’s freestanding ability is something Samsung called Flex Mode, and it’s the Z Flip’s most unique, interesting and effective feature by far because it lets you interact with the phone hands-free.
I didn’t have to invent reasons to keep the screen propped open. That happened naturally. Sometimes I was taking a selfie without awkwardly getting my arm in the way (the wide-angle lens and timer worked great). Or reading an article or scrolling through my inbox or social media feeds while eating lunch. Any time I was tired of holding the phone and wanted to set it down. Making a video call. Making a speakerphone call from the couch. Even bending the phone in the middle in landscape mode to watch a video solo or to show a friend.
Using Flex Mode does come with a few trade-offs I’m willing to make. It winds up bisecting the screen, so the part you’re interacting with is relatively small, often less than 4 inches diagonally. The camera app is dynamic enough to readjust to Flex Mode, with other apps to come, Samsung says, but for me, the convenience of going hands-free outweighed my other objections. It’s just that nice to use the Z Flip as its own stand.
You can watch a video or read a story hands-free. With split screen mode on (pictured), you can do both at once.
Patrick Holland/CNET
On foldables with larger screens, you can envision a real benefit to using one half as a virtual keyboard and the other as the display screen.
The only immediate downside I can see to Flex Mode is that a stiffer hinge means it takes a little more force to flick the phone open when it’s closed, especially if you’re trying to impress someone with your gunslinger skills. I’m curious (and perhaps a little concerned) to see if the hinge will loosen over time and lose some of that self-supporting capability, slumping one way or the other.
Tiny cover display is the Z Flip’s worst trait
The Galaxy Z Flip is so good that my disappointment with the phone’s outer screen pangs me all the more. Samsung gave the foldable flip phone a tiny pill-shaped display next to the main cameras.
Unfortunately, it’s too small, squat and narrow to really do anything meaningful with it, and that’s something the Razr can brag about. For all its foibles, that phone’s 2.7-inch exterior display is large enough to view notifications and will let you respond to them with voice dictation and canned messages.
On the Galaxy Z Flip, you can double-tap to see the time, date and battery percentage. You’ll also see the battery percentage while charging up. Swipe the cover screen to see app icons that represent notifications. Tap one to see the subject or read a message on a scrolling ticker. You may need to open the phone to truly see what’s going on. It’s not entirely useful.
You can’t do much with that tiny outer screen.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Samsung also envisions this mini window as a viewfinder for you and others. The problem is that you can’t really place yourself within the photo, and the window is too small to see what you really look like. I do like that you get access to the two main 12-megapixel cameras that way, and that you can swipe on the outer screen to swap between standard and ultrawide-angle sensors.
In one selfie I took with the phone closed (the only photo type you can take this way), a friend and I looked centered as I held the phone at arm’s length. It’s only when checking in the photo gallery that I noticed a third person in our group had just as much screen share, a person who we didn’t see in the viewfinder.
Outer screens are tricky for foldable phones. They suck up battery reserves and internal space. If they’re irregularly shaped, like the Fold’s too-tall-and-narrow 4.6-inch screen, you start to resent the cramped quarters that make typing and using apps feel unnatural.
To me, this design is clearly Samsung compromising usability for battery life and to undercut the Razr’s price. I don’t think that’s a winning strategy in the long term.
You get dual 12-megapixel cameras here and a 10-megapixel shooter inside.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Camera quality puts Motorola Razr to shame
I feel for the Motorola Razr. The concept is terrific, but the execution pales in comparison to the Galaxy Z Flip. That’s especially apparent in the camera category.
Samsung’s 12-megapixel wide-angle and ultrawide-angle sensors take better photos and give you more options than the Razr’s single 16-megapixel camera, especially with low light shots. Inside, the Z Flip has a 10-megapixel shooter that’s also good for selfies (like when you want more control over the shot) and for video calls.
The Razr has a 5-megapixel interior camera that the company admits is really just there to start a video call before closing the phone and switching to the better camera, but smaller outside screen. Stay tuned for a deep dive comparison between the Motorola Razr and Galaxy Z Flip cameras.
The internet has approved of the photos I’ve been posting on Twitter from the Galaxy Z Flip. Keep in mind it’s essentially using the Galaxy S10’s camera sensors. Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S20 phones all use at least one 12-megapixel camera apiece as part of their arrays, but those lean on larger sensors that Samsung says have been completely redesigned and greatly improved.
Single Take camera mode is more trouble than it’s worth
One camera feature that the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy S20 phones will have in common is Single Take, a new photography mode that will take up to 10 photos and four videos when you select it and then press and hold the record button. The mode uses multiple cameras and settings to quickly get you variety that you can choose from.
I tried this out several times, and… it’s just not for me. Single Take works best during action shots or when you’re photographing a group of friends hanging out, but I never got a photo or video that I liked better than one I’d take myself. Some of that probably comes down to me and my Type A personality that wants to compose the shot to my specifications. Some might come down to my reluctance to sort through the haul and delete what I don’t want.
The idea here is convenience, and I could see myself using it if I only had one chance to capture a moment. I could also see myself adding the Live Focus portrait mode to my menu bar instead.
That gorgeous purple finish can get gunked up with fingerprints fast.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Galaxy Z Flip battery life is just so-so
What good is a $1,400 phone if it can’t take you through the day? Thankfully, that’s not the Galaxy Z Flip’s problem for me most days. With a combined capacity of 3,300 mAh spread across two battery cells, it gives you more juice than the Razr (2,510 mAh). In my real-world tests, it’s lasted from the time I wake up until evening, when I can easily plug it in again.
On my heaviest use days with hotspotting, streaming video and maps navigation, it ran about 13 hours, lasting overnight on lighter days. In CNET’s lab test to simulate mixed real-world use, it lasted 12 hours. In our battery drain test using looping video (and airplane mode), the result was 15 hours of run time on a single charge.
How long with the Galaxy Z Flip last? That depends on the screen and hinge.
Jason Hiner/CNET
That’s on the lower end of the spectrum for most phones, and a far cry from the Galaxy Note ($800 at Amazon) 10, which easily takes me from early morning to the wee hours without concern. I wouldn’t plan a late night with the Galaxy Z Flip without bringing a charger along with me or topping it up first.
For reference, the Galaxy S20 battery starts at 4,000 mAh and goes up to 5,000 on the Ultra, a phone that costs $20 more than the Z Flip. Battery life is clearly a challenge for foldable phones, and one that I hope Samsung and others are working on for future generations.
Will the Z Flip’s glass screen last?
Longevity is something we can’t test on a product a week out of the box, but it is something we’re keeping an eye on with foldable phones — on our review units and on others’ reports. Samsung says that the Z Flip’s screen and hinge will hold up for 200,000 flips, a volume it estimates will take five years to achieve during typical use. That’s the same rating as the Galaxy Fold.
Copenhagen, 22.10.2024 – COBOD International, the global leader in 3D construction printing technology, proudly introduces the BOD3 3D Construction Printer for 3D printing of real concrete. Equipped with an extendable ground-based track system, the BOD3 advances the construction process by eliminating printer downtime between multiple buildings on the same site, setting anew benchmark for productivity and efficiency. The BOD3 is the most advanced solution for high-volume low-rise construction and a very effective alternative to conventional construction methods.
The heart and key feature of the new BOD3 3D printer is the advanced extendable ground-based track system. This system enables limitless extension along the Y-axes (length), expanding the printable area to cover 2 or 3 buildings, and reducing setup time to a single installation for multi-building projects. It’s a game-changer, allowing continuous, uninterrupted printing across large sites, increasing efficiency for high volume and mass production at an unmatchable scale.
Render of COBOD BOD3 3D Construction Printer.
The BOD3, COBOD’s third printer model, is the outstanding achievement of years of dedicated research, development, and close collaboration with customers. It is a vital advancement in automated construction technology, directly addressing the urgent global demand for faster, smarter, more efficient and sustainable building solutions. Like every COBOD 3D printer, the BOD3’s modular design offers customization, allowing it to easily adapt to any customer’s size wishes in addition to complying with the various sizes of construction sites anywhere in the world.
The BOD3 follows COBOD’s vision to build smarter through automation. Its operational stand combines the control and monitoring of both the 3D printer and supplementary equipment in one user-friendly system. The Advanced Hose Management System (AHMS) transports 3D printable material from the materials delivery system to the printhead via hoses secured within E-chains, minimizing physical labor and optimizing material flow. With the addition of the dual dosing system for additives, operators can better control the concrete and adapt it to onsite environmental conditions. By introducing additives directly at the printhead, the system reduces drying time between layers, speeding up the overall construction process. Designed for easy operation and precision, the BOD3 can be operated by a small, trained, and certified team, reducing the costs of projects.
Incorporating the innovative Universal X-Carriage, the BOD3 is ready for future COBOD advancements and technologies, like the introduction of additional tools for the printer aimed at insulating, painting, sanding, etc. This ensures long-term versatility and performance that will keep the BOD3 at the forefront of the industry for years to come.
Universal X-Carriage with Printhead.
Already deployed to the global market, the BOD3 is currently active in Indonesia, by Modula Tiga Dimensi, Angola, by Power2Build, andBahrain, by Ab’aad 3D. The customers report faster project execution with near-zero downtime between individual buildings on the same site. The projects showcase the BOD3’s ability to speed up construction and print with real concrete, with 99% locally sourced materials and 1% of innovative D.fab, a co-developed solution by COBOD and Cemex to make concrete 3D printable.
Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder and General Manager of COBOD, commented on the BOD3: “The global housing crisis demands a more efficient construction solution that is faster, more efficient, and scalable. The BOD3 is our answer to this challenge. Drawing on years of research and expertise, we’ve designed the BOD3 with innovative features, making it our most cost-effective and efficient model yet for multiple low-rise buildings. Its design supports high-volume, linear production of houses, enabling mass production without compromising quality. The fact that six units have already been sold before its official launch speaks volumes about the BOD3’s market demand and the trust our customers place in our technology.”
Michael Holm, Chief Innovation Officer at COBOD, states, “The advanced ground-based track system was developed as a response to our customers’ needs to increase efficiency and productivity. Now the 3D construction printer can be easily extended, and multiple consecutive structures can be printed with minimal repositioning and zero downtime between projects, making 3D construction printing more efficient than ever before.”
The BOD3 is now available for purchase worldwide; for more information, please visit our website, www.cobod.com, or contact us at info@cobod.com.
COBOD stands as the global leader in supplying 3D printers for the construction sector, with over 80 printers distributed across North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Driven by a mission to revolutionize construction through multifunctional robots based on 3D printing, COBOD envisions automating half of the construction processes to achieve faster, cost-effective, sustainable results with enhanced design versatility.
From residential, commercial, and public buildings, COBOD’s 3D printers have been instrumental in erecting 1- to 3-story structures across all six inhabited continents. The innovative technology also extends to fabricate large-scale data centers, wind turbine towers, tanks, and more.
Embracing an open-source material approach, COBOD collaborates with global partners, including customers, academia, and suppliers. The company, backed by prominent shareholders such as General Electric, CEMEX, Holcim, and PERI, operates from its main office in Copenhagen, Denmark, and regional competence centers in Miami, Florida, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. COBOD’s dynamic team comprises over 100 professionals from 25 diverse nationalities.
ABOUT MODULA TIGA DIMENSI
PT Modula Tiga Dimensi is a joint venture between Bakrie & Brothers (BNBR) and COBOD. BNBR focuses on offering and providing solutions for housing backlog problems currently encountered by the country.
Teaming up with COBOD International, the company is now set to adopt the latest 3D printing construction technology and is ready to offer the Indonesian market a new and better solution to housing obstructions.
ABOUT POWER2BUILD
Reshaping the construction sector and adapting it to urgent human needs.
Power2Build is a technology company for the construction industry, prepared to establish partnerships with private, public, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) so that they can make the transition to Build 4.0 through 3DCP.
We offer our clients value-added services and high-quality projects, always with a multidisciplinary approach that brings together the necessary experience to deal with complex issues.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence‘s recent rise to the forefront of business has left most office workers wondering how often they should use the technology and whether a computer will eventually replace them.
Those were among the highlights of a recent study conducted by the workplace communications platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace: “The Maximalist” who regularly uses AI on their jobs; “The Underground” who covertly uses AI; “The Rebel,” who abhors AI; “The Superfan” who is excited about AI but still hasn’t used it; and “The Observer” who is taking a wait-and-see approach.
Only 50% of the respondents fell under the Maximalist or Underground categories, posing a challenge for businesses that want their workers to embrace AI technology. The Associated Press recently discussed the excitement and tension surrounding AI at work with Christina Janzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics.
Q: What do you make about the wide range of perceptions about AI at work?
A: It shows people are experiencing AI in very different ways, so they have very different emotions about it. Understanding those emotions will help understand what is going to drive usage of AI. If people are feeling guilty or nervous about it, they are not going to use it. So we have to understand where people are, then point them toward learning to value this new technology.
Q: The Maximalist and The Underground both seem to be early adopters of AI at work, but what is different about their attitudes?
A: Maximalists are all in on AI. They are getting value out of it, they are excited about it, and they are actively sharing that they are using it, which is a really big driver for usage among others.
The Underground is the one that is really interesting to me because they are using it, but they are hiding it. There are different reasons for that. They are worried they are going to be seen as incompetent. They are worried that AI is going to be seen as cheating. And so with them, we have an opportunity to provide clear guidelines to help them know that AI usage is celebrated and encouraged. But right now they don’t have guidelines from their companies and they don’t feel particularly encouraged to use it.
Overall, there is more excitement about AI than not, so I think that’s great We just need to figure out how to harness that.
Q: What about the 19% of workers who fell under the Rebel description in Slack’s study?
A: Rebels tend to be women, which is really interesting. Three out of five rebels are women, which I obviously don’t like to see. Also, rebels tend to be older. At a high level, men are adopting the technology at higher rates than women.
Q: Why do you think more women than men are resisting AI?
A: Women are more likely to see AI as a threat, more likely to worry that AI is going to take over their jobs. To me, that points to women not feeling as trusted in the workplace as men do. If you feel trusted by your manager, you are more likely to experiment with AI. Women are reluctant to adopt a technology that might be seen as a replacement for them whereas men may have more confidence that isn’t going to happen because they feel more trusted.
Q: What are some of the things employers should be doing if they want their workers to embrace AI on the job?
A: We are seeing three out of five desk workers don’t even have clear guidelines with AI, because their companies just aren’t telling them anything, so that’s a huge opportunity.
Another opportunity to encourage AI usage in the open. If we can create a culture where it’s celebrated, where people can see the way people are using it, then they can know that it’s accepted and celebrated. Then they can be inspired.
The third thing is we have to create a culture of experimentation where people feel comfortable trying it out, testing it, getting comfortable with it because a lot of people just don’t know where to start. The reality is you can start small, you don’t have to completely change your job. Having AI write an email or summarize content is a great place to start so you can start to understand what this technology can do.
Q: Do you think the fears about people losing their jobs because of AI are warranted?
A: People with AI are going to replace people without AI.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it would provide up to $325 million to Hemlock Semiconductor for a new factory, a move that could help give Democrats a political edge in the swing state of Michigan ahead of election day.
The funding would support 180 manufacturing jobs in Saginaw County, where Republicans and Democrats were neck-in-neck for the past two presidential elections. There would also be construction jobs tied to the factory that would produce hyper-pure polysilicon, a building block for electronics and solar panels, among other technologies.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a call with reporters that the funding came from the CHIPS and Science Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. It’s part of a broader industrial strategy that the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, supports, while Republican nominee Donald Trump, the former president, sees tariff hikes and income tax cuts as better to support manufacturing.
“What we’ve been able to do with the CHIPS Act is not just build a few new factories, but fundamentally revitalize the semiconductor ecosystem in our country with American workers,” Raimondo said. “All of this is because of the vision of the Biden-Harris administration.”
A senior administration official said the timing of the announcement reflected the negotiating process for reaching terms on the grant, rather than any political considerations. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss the process.
After site work, Hemlock Semiconductor plans to begin construction in 2026 and then start production in 2028, the official said.
Running in 2016, Trump narrowly won Saginaw County and Michigan as a whole. But in 2020 against Biden, both Saginaw County and Michigan flipped to the Democrats.
