We subjected the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G to our rigorous SBMARK battery test suite to measure its performance in terms of battery life, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we’ll analyze how it performed in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key Specifications:
- Battery Capacity: 4400mAh
- 25W charger (not included)
- 7.6-inch OLED display, 1768 x 2208, 120Hz
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm)
- ROM / RAM combination tested: 256GB + 12GB
Pros
- Decent battery life while gaming
- Discreet efficiency of the charger
- Low residual battery charger consumption
Versus
- High consumption during the night
- Low battery life when testing each use separately (video, music and calls)
- Low autonomy on the move, especially when using the camera
- Long charging time, both wired and wireless
- Low autonomy recovered after a 5-minute recharge
- Low charging efficiency
- High residual consumption of the wireless charger itself
- Above-average discharge currents, except when playing games
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G’s overall battery performance was at the low end of our database, hampered by poor battery life, long charge times, and poor efficiency.
The autonomy of the Z Fold3 5G lasted less than 2 days with moderate use and the device used a lot of energy during the night; as a result, its runtime was among the lowest we’ve tested. When testing each use separately (video, music and calls), the autonomy of the device also struggled due to its giant screen. The only exception was when gaming (tested open), where the runtime was slightly above average and the discharge current was below average.
When tested outdoors, however, taking photos and videos with the device open drained the battery very quickly—much faster than any other device we’ve tested to date.
Charging speed was slow due to the small 25W charger. A 5 minute charge boost could not provide more than 2 hours and 19 minutes of run time and the charging efficiency was low. However, the residual consumption of the charger was well managed. The wireless charger did no better and showed very high residual consumption, unlike the wired charger.
Trial summary
Learn about SBMARK battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, SBMARK engineers conduct a series of objective tests over a one-week period both indoors and outdoors. SBMARK’s battery performance protocol was designed based on the classic single-screen smartphone design. However, the multiple ways of using certain apps and features on foldable devices required the Battery team to adapt the protocol and test certain use cases with the phone folded or unfolded, depending on the most likely use. See our introduction and articles on how we test for more details on our smartphone’s battery protocol.
The following section compiles the key elements of our extensive testing and analysis performed in the 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 Fold3 5G | 4400mAh | 25W (not included) |
11W | OLEDs 1768 x 2208 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 | 4400mAh | 25W (not included) |
15W | AMOLED 1812 x 2176 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) | 5000mAh | 25W (not included) |
15W | OLEDs 1440×3200 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
Autonomy
88
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
188
Honor X7a
Honor X7a
How the Autonomy score is composed
The Battery Life Score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Home/Office, On the Go, and Calibrated Use Cases. Each subscore includes results from a full range of tests to measure range in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
61 hours
Light use
Active: 2h30/day
43 hours
Moderate use
Active: 4h/day
27h
Intensive use
Active: 7h/day
Home office
82
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
213
Honor X7a
Honor X7a
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a series of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, streaming video, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16 hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep”. The robot repeats this series of actions every day until the device runs out.
In movement
97
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
195
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
Using a smartphone on the go has a negative impact on range due to additional “hidden” demands, such as continuous signaling associated with cellular network selection. SBMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a series of precisely defined activities following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device
Calibrated
94
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
198
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and to ours bots repeatedly perform actions related to a specific use case (like gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting with an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have used at least 5% battery power.
Reload
101
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
181
Realme GTNeo 3
Realme GTNeo 3
How the recharge score is composed
Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where range is at its lowest, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The SBMARK Battery Charging Score consists of two subscores, (1) Full Charge and (2) Fast Boost.
Charge complete
105
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
184
Black Shark 5Pro
Black Shark 5Pro
The full charge tests evaluate the reliability of the battery charge indicator; measure how long and how much energy it takes for the battery to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the user interface, and to an actual full charge.
The charging curves, in wired and wireless mode (if available) showing 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) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the energy consumption in watts during the charging phases towards full capacity.
Quick push
98
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
182
Realme GTNeo 3
Realme GTNeo 3
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), the Quick Boost tests measure how much charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The graph here compares the average range gain with a 5-minute quick charge.
Efficiency
87
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
154
Oppo Reno6 5G
Oppo Reno6 5G
How the efficiency score is composed
The SBMARK Energy Efficiency Score consists of two subscores, charge rate and discharge rate, which combine both data obtained during a typical robot-based usage scenario, calibrated testing and charge rating, taking into consideration battery capacity of the device. SBMARK calculates the product’s annual energy consumption, shown in the graph below, which is representative of overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.
Charge Up
107
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
205
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, relating to the amount of energy required to recharge the battery compared to the energy the battery can supply; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the remaining 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
78
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
194
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
The sub-discharge score evaluates how quickly a battery discharges during a test, which is independent of battery capacity. It is the ratio between the capacity of a battery and its autonomy. A small capacity battery may have the same run time as a large capacity battery, indicating that the device is well optimized, with a low discharge rate.
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