Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a new ‘FlexCam’ feature, but what is it, and how does it work? Samsung unveiled the Z Flip 4 in August as an upgrade over the Flip 3 that was launched in 2021. It comes with premium hardware and high-end features that could make it one of the most popular folding smartphones this year. The one disappointing aspect about the device, however, is that it comes with the same set of cameras as its predecessor. It sports a 12MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera, while the selfie-cam has a 10MP sensor.
While the Galaxy Z Flip 4 promises to be one of the standout foldables this year, it will have some competition from the Moto Razr 2022, which was unveiled the day after the Flip 4 was made public. However, niche folding devices are as much about the hardware as they are about the software experience, and the Z Flip 4 has plenty of features that are optimized for its form-factor. In particular, the device comes with a number of high-end camera features that includes the ability to shoot up to 4K videos with both the rear and front-facing cameras.
The new FlexCam feature in the Flip 4 leverages the device’s folding design to let users take hands-free photos and videos. According to Samsung, the feature allows users to hold the device as a camcorder or fold the phone and place it on a surface to record hand-free videos. The company also says that the feature will help users capture photos and videos from multiple angles and with different points of view. While many of Samsung’s in-house apps are already optimized for FlexCam, third-party app developers have also announced support for the feature. Most notably, Meta has announced that the new feature will provide an optimum experience on Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, enabling users to create Stories and Reels hands-free and without a stand or tripod.
Flex Mode On The Galaxy Z Flip 3
While FlexCam is a new feature in the Flip 4, Samsung offers something similar in the Flip 3 as well. The device comes with a ‘Flex Mode’ that ensures automatic layout changes in the UI when the phone is folded halfway. The feature is not only supported by the native Camera and Gallery apps in the Flip 3 and the Fold 3, but also multiple Google apps, including YouTube and Google Duo.
While folding smartphones offer great novelty value, the higher prices are hard to justify unless there are real-world use cases that leverage the form-factors of these devices to offer something unique. With features like FlexCam, Samsung is ensuring that the clam-shell form-factor of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is not just a novelty but offers actual use cases that can be helpful for people in their everyday lives.
