My long term relationship with the Z Flip 3... the highs and the lows

J Dubbs

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I met the Z Flip 3 not too long after it was introduced to the public... it was lust at first sight :love: I've never been one to jump on new tech too quickly (I'm frugal ;) ), but the combination of the size and Samsung's perceived quality, plus the fact it was the 3rd generation, convinced me to take a chance. The first date was rough (which I posted about here), but after working through the issues and eventually getting it set up, it was a real treat to use.... smooth, fast, and filled exactly the role I bought it for :)

But then it's personality traits started showing through. It turns out that this particular mistress likes to keep me guessing on when she's going to work or not :eek: , like after most updates or sometimes for no reason at all 😔 I think I'm on my 5th or 6th factory reset counting the one last night. The software problems have been many and diverse... I've never owned one device that has had more oddball problems. And I actually don't use it that much because I'm trying to extend the life of the screen.

Yesterday, after about a week of sitting in a drawer, fully charged and turned off, I took it out planning on using it for the day. I had put it away working fine, but when I tried to turn it on I got nothing... it was a brick :( I figured oh well, I guess the relationship is over... heartbreak city :cry: I thought why not plug it in, maybe another one of the software gremlins drained the battery while it was off. I plugged it in with the same charger I've been using on it from the beginning... nothing. I tried a second charger on it... nothing. I was preparing for the pending divorce, when I thought why not try one more charger, the way this phone has behaved I had a gut instinct it might work. And it did (y)

The battery was stone dead :unsure: So I charged it up, turned it on and got nothing but error messages as it struggled to fulfill it's role as a phone. After multiple restarts it became obvious it was time for another factory reset (n)

The first time I set it up I customized it extensively, even using Good Lock, but each time after the factory resets I did less and less. It's factory reset again now and at the welcome screen, but there's a good chance that's where the relationships going to end this time, and it'll be placed back in it's box and put in the closet with the rest of the retired phones.

From what I've read and heard from some other Samsung users this doesn't seem to be an isolated incident with my phone, but a software design and support issue on Samsung's end.

I truly believe Sammy has made their version of Android so over bloated and crowded, with so many redundant apps, that they can't maintain it properly... let alone release solid bug free updates.

This experience has shown me that I'm definitely a Pixel person ;)

The Z Flip 3 was a neat fling... I loved the form factor, and the hardware felt top notch, like you had a little swiss watch of a phone in your hand. But that software experience...... OMG :eek:
 

Laura Knotek

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I'm sorry to hear that your Z Flip has been so buggy. I've never had to factory reset my S10+ when I had it or S22 Ultra which I'm still using now. It seems like these flip and fold form factors still need more work with both hardware and software.
 

AndroidFanboy8

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Feb 24, 2018
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I met the Z Flip 3 not too long after it was introduced to the public... it was lust at first sight :love: I've never been one to jump on new tech too quickly (I'm frugal ;) ), but the combination of the size and Samsung's perceived quality, plus the fact it was the 3rd generation, convinced me to take a chance. The first date was rough (which I posted about here), but after working through the issues and eventually getting it set up, it was a real treat to use.... smooth, fast, and filled exactly the role I bought it for :)

But then it's personality traits started showing through. It turns out that this particular mistress likes to keep me guessing on when she's going to work or not :eek: , like after most updates or sometimes for no reason at all 😔 I think I'm on my 5th or 6th factory reset counting the one last night. The software problems have been many and diverse... I've never owned one device that has had more oddball problems. And I actually don't use it that much because I'm trying to extend the life of the screen.

Yesterday, after about a week of sitting in a drawer, fully charged and turned off, I took it out planning on using it for the day. I had put it away working fine, but when I tried to turn it on I got nothing... it was a brick :( I figured oh well, I guess the relationship is over... heartbreak city :cry: I thought why not plug it in, maybe another one of the software gremlins drained the battery while it was off. I plugged it in with the same charger I've been using on it from the beginning... nothing. I tried a second charger on it... nothing. I was preparing for the pending divorce, when I thought why not try one more charger, the way this phone has behaved I had a gut instinct it might work. And it did (y)

The battery was stone dead :unsure: So I charged it up, turned it on and got nothing but error messages as it struggled to fulfill it's role as a phone. After multiple restarts it became obvious it was time for another factory reset (n)

The first time I set it up I customized it extensively, even using Good Lock, but each time after the factory resets I did less and less. It's factory reset again now and at the welcome screen, but there's a good chance that's where the relationships going to end this time, and it'll be placed back in it's box and put in the closet with the rest of the retired phones.

From what I've read and heard from some other Samsung users this doesn't seem to be an isolated incident with my phone, but a software design and support issue on Samsung's end.

I truly believe Sammy has made their version of Android so over bloated and crowded, with so many redundant apps, that they can't maintain it properly... let alone release solid bug free updates.

This experience has shown me that I'm definitely a Pixel person ;)

The Z Flip 3 was a neat fling... I loved the form factor, and the hardware felt top notch, like you had a little swiss watch of a phone in your hand. But that software experience...... OMG :eek:
The battery on the zf4 is much improved! More optimized. Other than the protector needed to be replaced by Samsung. Samsung has nailed the build quality! No issuesn
 
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AndroidFanboy8

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The battery on the zf4 is much improved! More optimized. Other than the protector needed to be replaced by Samsung. Samsung has nailed the build quality!
I've used all zflips since gen 2 and never had an issue with hinge or a screen crease break. Impeccable build quality.

Had to replace my zflip 4 after 3 months usage, due to dropping it! Got it launch day last year.

Dropped on the tile floor in laundry room and it hit the sweet spot, absolutely damaging the hinge, damaged screen and unable to open. Screen inside also lifted.

I screamed in horror not because I dropped it but I just wrecked a 3 month old device and it cost 1700$.
 
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J Dubbs

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I've been pretty lucky... I'm a little ocd when it comes to taking care of, and setting up things. I've had phones that were supposed to be notorious for problems, and I've honestly never had issues with any of them. I've treated the Flip 3 the same way... and it's fought me every step of the way lol. You always wonder how someone can have so many issues with a phone that works great for you... you figure they must be doing something wrong right? Well I now realize that sometimes you just get a device that's a "problem child", and no amount of "perfect care" is going to make it work right 😱

It gives me a better understanding of other folks problems, instead of assuming they're just not "doing it right" lol.

I have it set back up again and it's working great for now.... which is pretty much typical until the next software update....or it wakes up on the wrong side of the bed some morning 😆 I'm going to keep using it and maybe trade it in on a Pixel 8 😉

Wish me luck 😜
 

Laura Knotek

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I've been pretty lucky... I'm a little ocd when it comes to taking care of, and setting up things. I've had phones that were supposed to be notorious for problems, and I've honestly never had issues with any of them. I've treated the Flip 3 the same way... and it's fought me every step of the way lol. You always wonder how someone can have so many issues with a phone that works great for you... you figure they must be doing something wrong right? Well I now realize that sometimes you just get a device that's a "problem child", and no amount of "perfect care" is going to make it work right 😱

It gives me a better understanding of other folks problems, instead of assuming they're just not "doing it right" lol.

I have it set back up again and it's working great for now.... which is pretty much typical until the next software update....or it wakes up on the wrong side of the bed some morning 😆 I'm going to keep using it and maybe trade it in on a Pixel 8 😉

Wish me luck 😜
I hope your Flip 3 behaves itself at least until you're ready to get a Pixel 8 or whatever other device you get. :)
 

J Dubbs

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Jun 4, 2016
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I hope your Flip 3 behaves itself at least until you're ready to get a Pixel 8 or whatever other device you get. :)
I hope so too 🙏🤞 I really like the little phone when it's working right, and I haven't had any screen or hinge issues at all... the hardware's been flawless lol. Super fast, super smooth with the 120htz refresh rate... a real treat when it works 😁 I expected all kinds of screen/hinge issues, but the software problems caught me off guard ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

I went through the settings super thoroughly this time and did find a couple of odd settings that my factory reset didn't fix, one being a wifi issue and another a network issue, so I manually reset them and I suspect that might have been a big part of the problem.

Another problem was I was trying to get used to turning the phone off through the pull down settings, instead of using the side Bixby button so I could use Bixby... and since I've always used the side buttons I think I left the phone on without realizing it and ran it graveyard dead 😱

Heads up Flip 3 owners, a factory reset doesn't always reset everything... sometimes you may have to invest the time to dig through the settings even after a factory reset to fix some issues 😕

At least on this Samsung, a factory reset wasn't the Holy Grail of fixes I thought it would be 😱
 
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