Hands-On

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 Hands-on: Now more affordable!

There’s a new Z Flip and we’re pretty stoked

Galaxy AI on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Apple MacBook Neo Review

Hands-on: NEW iPhone 17e, iPad Air, MacBooks, Studio Displays

Apple MacBook Neo Hands-on

Published

August 11, 2021

GadgetMatch

Last year when Samsung released second editions of its foldable phones, I bought them both — The Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy Z Fold2 because I wanted in on the world of foldables.

Of the two, the Z Flip is the phone that excites me more. I love being able to fold it shut and tuck it into my pocket. And even more so the other way around.

Well, the time has come for a new Z Flip and I’m pretty stoked. Today Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G.

Thinner body, larger cover display

The new Z Flip 3 is still roughly the same size as last year’s model. But its feels more flat with straight edges versus last year’s model. The finish also isn’t as glossy, and doesn’t pick up smudges easily.

I really like this new two toned design. Well, two-toned if you get one of these colors: Cream, Lavender or Green. But solid black is nice too. Speaking of colors, if you order on Samsung.com, there are exclusive color offerings: White, Pink and Grey.

This design brings your focus to the cover screen, which I think is the biggest upgrade Samsung’s made to the Galaxy Z Flip3. After all when you have a phone that folds — you want to be able to use it whether it’s closed or open.

At 1.5 inches diagonally it is four times larger than last year. The display on last year’s Z Flip was tiny. Now, you can fit four lines of text on here with the option to scroll down to see more.

That means more space to read notifications, display widgets – like the music controls or the weather, or pay with Samsung Pay. If you swipe down you can also access controls to adjust brightness or volume.

You can also add Cover Display Art that coordinates with the watch face on the newly announced Galaxy Watch 4.

Z Flip3 cameras

Probably more importantly, it makes it easier to take selfies while the phone is closed. Don’t get me wrong, you can take selfies with the front camera on the original Flip. But with how small the display was, it doesn’t even show the entire frame.

That’s not a problem anymore with the Galaxy Z Fold3. And now you can also take videos. So, for those vloggers out there, you can do that too on the new Z Flip 3.

The feature is called Quick Shot 2.0 and to activate it, just double press on the power button, which by the way doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

Speaking of cameras, this phone has got the same exact hardware as on the previous model. Here’s a recap: 12MP f/1.8 Dual Pixel wide angle camera and a 12MP f/2.2 Ultra wide angle camera. When you open up the phone you get a 10MP selfie camera.
10MP F/2.4.

While the hardware is the same, with the improved SOC and new software features, I expect photos to be better. Plus you get all the features that came with the Galaxy S21 Series.

Durability

Just like on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the durability on the Flip 3 has been improved. First off the inner display has a new protective film that’s supposedly 80 percent more durable. And feels smoother to the touch than on the previous model.

The glass on the outside sides of the Galaxy Z Flip3 are both made of Gorilla Glass Victus — the toughest in its class. And the metal frame and hinge are made of a new material Armor Aluminum which is 10 percent stronger. But also a lighter.

And finally, the phone is also now IPX8 water and dust resistant, making both the Flip 3 and the Fold 3 the first in their class to get a water resistance rating.

More improvements

Two more improvements worth noting: The inside display is now a buttery smooth 120Hz It’s still a 6.7 inch Infinity Flex Display (FHD+ AMOLED panel). And you now get stereo speakers via grilles on both sides of USB-C port On the previous model you only got mono audio. So, very practical quality of life improvements over all.

The phone runs off of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor, at least here in the US. It has 8GB of ram and comes in 128 or 256GB Storage Configurations. UFS 3.1. Battery Size is the same 3,300mAh. And nop, Samsung doesn’t include a charger in the box.

Accessories

As the Flip is targeted at the younger, hipper crowd as well as those more fashion forward, it makes perfect sense that Samsung is also launching a line of cases with the new phone. Including a silicone ring case. And my favorite a strap case.

Price and availability

Of course, the biggest news here is that both Samsung foldables are more affordable than last year. Pricing are as follows:

USA — starts at US$ 999.99
- More US pricing info here
Philippines — starts at PhP 52,990
- More Philippine pricing info here
Singapore — starts at SG$ 1,398
- More Philippine pricing info here

Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G — BUY here
Galaxy Fold 3 5G — BUY here
Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic — BUY here
Tab S7 FE — BUY here
Galaxy Buds 2– BUY here

Hands-On

OPPO Reno15 F 5G hands-on

More question marks than exclamation points?

Published

March 6, 2026

Manila Connoisseur

The OPPO Reno15 Series 5G made its way to the Philippines last month, and reception has been pretty great so far.

With a powerful camera package, AI, and a slew of upgrades, there’s a lot to love and not much negative to say. But that’s with both the standard and Pro models.

On the other hand, with the Reno15 F 5G — the series’ supposed budget-friendly “lite” variant —there were more question marks than exclamation points.

I attack this piece once more from a consumer standpoint: shelling out PhP 23,000 to PhP 26,000 for a midrange smartphone that feels and performs like it’s a few notches below its segment doesn’t sound too pleasant.

Performance

With a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, the OPPO Reno15 F performs pretty much like any sub PhP 20,000 mid-ranger. It’s acceptable, but does not punch above its weight as expected.

No major hiccups for light and casual usage. But performance struggles a lot for demanding video games.

It also heats up significantly just 10 minutes into a title like Honkai: Star Rail. This is a stark contrast to the marketed 25℃ and up to 10 hours straight of smooth gameplay.

Although, the experience was still enjoyable with several wins and MVP runs in Call of Duty Mobile. It only means the F variant remains a more camera-centric phone rather than an a hard-hitting all-arounder.

As with other devices, the 7000mAh battery with 80W SUPERVOOC is a strong suit. You’re fueled from dawn ’til dusk, with much to spare. Recharging takes a breeze, too.

Display

The OPPO Reno15 F has a 6.57-inch 120Hz display, with a 92.8% screen-to-body ratio. At least, that allows you to focus on content on the screen.

Content leans more towards the cooler tone, so you’ll have to adjust it manually if you want a warmer or more vivid look.

The 397ppi pixel density is fine to ensure sharper visuals, while the 1400 nits peak brightness is helpful outdoors.

Camera

The device’s 50MP main camera captures decent quality. The color science leans on being natural anew, without being too dull nor washed out. You can pull off smooth portraits too.

I hardly used the phone for stills as I focused on videos, but here are some samples, on the occasions I was able to take the handset with me:

The 50MP front camera is an intriguing add-on, as it is capable of up to 4K video and a wide 100° field of view.

What this does is it essentially removes the need to flip your phone for the popular “0.5” shots. And the quality doesn’t get compromised given the pixel count.

Here are some selfies from different focal lengths:

To its credit, filming with the back camera at 60fps does look and feel smooth, although it can be improved.

Same with the front camera; and the zoom range can be switched from 0.6 to 2x without cutting the recording.

Although, it’s still best to use a selfie stick or small tripod if you’re just after talking head videos.

Speaking of which, here are a few I’ve made with just this device:

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But for travel and on-the-go captures, as OPPO markets for the series in general, even the Reno15 F can cover a lot of background along with your or your groups’ faces.

Make no mistake, there are some useful AI editing features here. In particular, AI Portrait Glow gives your raw capture an effect to make it look it was taken with flash.

I do not recall the device heating up as well when taking many photos or videos, so you can say it’s more optimized for that task rather than gaming.

Connectivity issues

Meanwhile, AI LinkBoost 3.0, as in the case of the OPPO A6 Pro, doesn’t seem to punch above its weight either.

Once, I also played Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and the session opened to a jittery start despite being on Wi-Fi and having a stable connection. I don’t know what triggered this.

Design, feel

We got the Aurora Blue variant which does kind of resemble the northern lights when you tilt the phone a certain way and when light hits its back panel.

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The cursive “Reno” on the large, protruding camera island gives it more style.

However, it’s all just aesthetics. On the downside, the phone is all sorts of slippery.

I couldn’t hold it properly without think of it slipping away from my hands; nor could I put it on my lap with confidence.

So I guess it’s good that it has structural integrity and waterproofing, because you’ll need that.

oplus_16

The 6.57-inch body does have a good balance between being too compact and too large, like ultras and pro maxes.

It has a squarish body and has already adapted to the premium, aluminum frame look from the sides.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

Sadly, the OPPO Reno15 F 5G is a Swipe Left unlike its bigger, more capable siblings. There are plenty of plus points for the camera package but take that away, and I don’t see much difference between the Reno15 F and something like the A6 Pro.

Granted, the asking price of this phone will drop significantly in a few months. But throw in a little more, and you’ve got a legitimate mid-ranger that’s more on the premium side rather than the cheap end of the spectrum.