If you were hoping to pick up the unlocked version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, forget it for now. This variant of Samsung's new clamshell flip phone is sold out on the websites of Samsung and Best Buy. This doesn't mean that you can't pick up the version of the handset that is locked to either AT&T or Sprint if you can find a store that has it in stock. Or, you can order the carrier-locked models directly from Samsung starting at $1,380 (36 monthly payments of $38.33). However, these phones won't ship until February 18th. Keep in mind that Samsung is also offering a credit of as much as $440 with a trade.

With the right trade, you can make 36 monthly payments of $26.11 for the Galaxy Z Flip

You will get the maximum trade-in value of $440 if you're exchanging a newer high-priced phone like an Apple iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max or a Galaxy Note 10+. Trading in one of those models will take the price down to $940 or 36 monthly payments of $26.11. In an off-hand shot at Google, the most money that Samsung will give Pixel 4 XL owners for their handset is $350. And even if you have a device that you think has no value like an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, you can still get $55 off the price of a Galaxy Z Flip by trading it in. And the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Active will each fetch $30 from the manufacturer in a trade for the Galaxy Z Flip. If you have a Galaxy Note 7, uh, well, forget about it.


Today is the Galaxy Z Flip's official release date. Unlike the Galaxy Fold, the Galaxy Z Flip opens and closes around the horizontal axis. Also, this is not a device that turns from a smartphone into a tablet. Instead, the Galaxy Z Flip stays hidden away in your pocket until you need a full-screen smartphone in your hand. Open up the device and you'll find yourself working with a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2636. This works out to an aspect ratio of 21.9:9 which means that the screen is tall and thin. There is a 1.1-inch external display for notifications, calls, timers, and alarms, and a fingerprint scanner is located on the side of the device.

Powering the Galaxy Z Flip is an overclocked Snapdragon 855+ chipset paired with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. A punch-hole 10MP selfie camera is at the top center of the display. On the back is a dual-camera setup featuring a 12MP wide camera (f/1.8 aperture) and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. Features include OIS, up to 8x digital zoom, HDR10+ recording, and Tracking Auto Focus.

Speaking of the camera, the AI features include Scene Optimizer, Shot Suggestion, and Flaw Detector. Camera modes you can select from are: Food, Panorama, Pro, Live focus, Live focus video, Photo, Video, Super Slow-mo, Slow motion, and Hyperlapse.

The dual batteries inside the Galaxy Z Flip combine to provide a capacity of 3300mAh which Samsung says will power the phone all day. They are fast charging compatible (QC 2.0). The flip phone also supports wireless charging and Samsung's Wireless Power Share reverse wireless charging. The latter means that the Galaxy Z Flip can share some of its battery life to power up compatible handsets, smartwatches, and the Galaxy Buds wireless Bluetooth earbuds in their charging case. Samsung notes that if the unit's battery life is 30% or less, Wireless Power Share might not be available. Android 10 is pre-installed along with the One UI 2.1 interface. U.S. color options are Mirror Black and Mirror Purple.