We subjected the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 to our rigorous SBMARK battery test suite to measure its performance in terms of range, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will analyze how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specs:
- Battery capacity: 3700mAh
- 25W charger (not included)
- 6.7-inch, 1080 x 2640, 120Hz OLED display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm)
- Tested ROM / RAM combination: 128GB + 8GB
Pros
- Decent charger efficiency
- Very low residual charger consumption
- Low discharge currents in calibrated mode
versus
- Typical poor usage scenario, with an average loss of 5% per night
- Poor battery life in calibrated mode, especially when streaming music and games
- Very low range on the go, especially when using GPS navigation
- Slow charging, with poor charging efficiency
- Very high residual consumption of the wireless charger itself
The battery performance of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 placed the device in the lower half of our database. It performed poorly in our autonomy tests, consuming a lot of power during idle phases and in all calibrated tests, especially music streaming and gaming. When used outdoors, it also showed very low battery life in all of our use cases, especially when using GPS navigation.
The 25W charger took 2 hours and 4 minutes to fully charge the small 3700mAh battery, which is longer than the average in our database. Overall charge efficiency was low, but charger efficiency was decent. This charger used very little power when it was just plugged into a power outlet or when the device was fully charged and still plugged in. The wireless charger did not perform any better, taking 2 hours and 37 minutes to fully charge the device. Charging efficiency was very low and the residual power consumption of the wireless media itself was the highest in our database to date.
Discharge currents were low on average, which means the device is well optimized except during idle times and music streaming.
When compared to devices in the Ultra-premium segment ($ 800 +), the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 remains in the second half of our ranking, with a very low charging score and the lowest on-the-go score to date. However, the efficiency score is excellent thanks to the very low discharge currents.
Test summary
Information on SBMARK battery tests: For the score and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests over a period of one week both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory article and how we test articles for more details on our Smartphone Battery Protocol.)
The following section collects the key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyzes performed in SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
| Battery | Battery charger | wireless | Screen | Processor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 | 3700 mAh | 25W (not included) |
15W | 2X dynamic AMOLED 1080 x 2640 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | 4323 mAh | 20 W (not included) |
15W | OLED 1290 x 2796 |
Apple A16 Bionic |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon) | 5000 mAh | 45 W (not included) |
15W | AMOLED 2X 1440 x 3088 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
Autonomy
83
Wiko Power U30
Wiko Power U30
How the autonomy score is composed
The autonomy score is made up of three sub-scores of performance: Home / Office, On the go, and Calibrated Use Cases. Each sub-score includes the results of a full range of tests to measure autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
58 hours
Light use
Active: 2h30 / day
42 hours
Moderate use
Active: 4 hours a day
27h
Intense use
Active: 7 hours a day
Home office
78
Viva Y72 5G
Viva Y72 5G
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a series of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical use scenario” (TUS) – making calls, streaming video, etc. – 4 hours of active use over a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep”. The robot repeats this series of actions every day until the device is discharged.
In movement
88
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
Using a smartphone on the go puts a strain on autonomy due to additional “hidden” needs, such as the continuous signaling associated with the selection of the cellular network. SBMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a well-defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (on foot, by bus, by subway …) for each device
Calibrated
91
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and ours robots repeatedly perform actions related to a specific use case (such as games, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting at an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have consumed at least 5% of the battery charge.
Reload
105
Realme GT Neo 3
Realme GT Neo 3
How the Charge score is composed
Charging is completely part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is minimal, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a problem. The SBMARK battery charge score consists of two secondary scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Fast boost.
Full charge
103
Black Shark 5 Pro
Black Shark 5 Pro
Full charge tests evaluate the reliability of the battery charge indicator; measure how long and how much energy the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, 80 to 100% as shown by the user interface, and up to an actual full charge.
The charging curves, in wired and wireless mode (if available) show the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the energy consumption in watts during the charging phases towards full capacity.
The charging curves, in wired and wireless mode (if available) show the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the energy consumption in watts during the charging phases towards full capacity.
Fast thrust
107
Realme GT Neo 3
Realme GT Neo 3
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The graph here compares the average runtime gain from a 5 minute quick charge.
Efficiency
115
Oppo Reno6 5G
Oppo Reno6 5G
How the efficiency score is composed
The SBMARK energy efficiency score consists of two secondary scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, which combine both data obtained during a typical use scenario based on robots, calibrated tests and charge evaluation, taking into account the battery capacity of the device . SBMARK calculates the annual energy consumption of the product, shown in the graph below, which is representative of the overall efficiency during charging and in use.
To load
118
Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
The secondary charge score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, relative to the amount of energy needed to fill the battery versus the energy the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to the phone; the residual consumption when the phone is fully charged and still connected to the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The graph below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in%.
Discharge
113
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Apple iPhone 12 mini
The discharge secondary score evaluates the discharge rate of a battery during a test, which is independent of the battery capacity. It is the ratio of the capacity of a battery divided by its autonomy. A small capacity battery may have the same runtime as a large capacity battery, indicating that the device is well optimized, with a low discharge rate.
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