A funny thing happens when you open the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip for the first time The screen doesn't bend, it's not this flexible and sturdy at the same time

The Z Flip shouldn't work this well, but it does And that's because Samsung has been researching and developing devices with foldable displays over the past decade, and the 2019 Galaxy Fold won Tom's Guide's Best Innovation Award, showing the world that foldable phones are possible showed the world that a foldable phone is possible But the Z Flip demonstrated that it is desirable, feasible, and above all, reliable

That reliability is due in large part to two design innovations introduced by the Z Flip: Samsung's new Hideaway hinge and the use of Ultra Thin Glass to protect the display The Hideaway hinge is a clever dual-cam design that utilizes springs to keep the phone closed when needed, friction to keep it locked in place when partially folded like a laptop, and the natural force of gravity to keep it fully extended during normal use It is supported by

To quote another well-known cell phone manufacturer, the Z-Flip works just fine In fact, it works so well that after using it for a while, you'll barely be aware of it; the feel of tapping and swiping on the Z-Flip's Ultra Thin Glass display is not quite as good as it is with Gorilla Glass, but it's a lot better than the pure plastic material used in the Galaxy Fold's design It is much closer to the pure plastic material used in the Galaxy Fold design

Is there a problem that needs to be solved? Of course, the Galaxy Z Flip has many weaknesses that conventional phones lack

Still, the Z Flip is not only an exquisite technological feat, but one that I would be happy to live with every day And at $1,380, less expensive than Apple's most expensive iPhone 11 Pro Max, it is reasonably priced for a foldable phone As a fan of technology that folds to a well-crafted, almost invisible size, I hope the Z Flip will be available in more foldable varieties in the future