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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G Battery test

OTHER AVAILABLE TESTS FOR THIS DEVICE

We put the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging, and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.

Overview

Key specifications:

  • Battery capacity: 4400 mAh
  • 25W charger (not included)
  • 7.6-inch, 1768 x 2208, 120 Hz, OLED display
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
  • Tested ROM / RAM combination: 256 GB + 12 GB

Scoring

Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
92
battery
82

221

97

195

94

198

101
Charging
105

224

98

212

107

205

78

194

Key performances

Charging Time
1 day 19h
Battery life
Charging Time
0h57
80% Charging time
Charging Time
1h59
Full charging time
Quick Boost
2h19 autonomy
after 5-minute charge

Pros

  • Decent autonomy when gaming
  • Decent charger efficiency
  • Low residual consumption of the charger

Cons

  • High consumption during the night
  • Low autonomy when testing each usage separately (video, music, and calling)
  • Low on-the-go autonomy, especially when using the camera
  • Long charging time, whether wired or wireless
  • Poor autonomy recovered after a 5-minute charge
  • Low charge efficiency
  • High residual consumption of the wireless charger itself
  • Higher-than-average discharge currents, except when gaming

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G’s global battery performance was at the low end of our database, brought down by poor autonomy, long charging time, and weak efficiency.

The Z Fold3 5G’s autonomy lasted less than 2 days in moderate use, and the device drained a lot of power during the night; as a result, its autonomy was among the lowest that we’ve tested. When testing each usage separately (video, music, and calling), the device’s autonomy also struggled because of its giant screen. The only exception was when gaming (tested unfolded) , where the autonomy was slightly above average, and the discharge current was lower than average.

When tested outside, however, taking photos and videos with the device unfolded drained the battery extremely fast, much faster than any other device we’ve tested so far.

The charging speed was slow because of the small 25W charger. A 5-minute charging boost couldn’t provide more than 2 hours and 19 minutes of autonomy, and the charge efficiency was low. However, the residual consumption of the charger was well-managed. The wireless charger didn’t do any better and showed very high residual consumption, unlike the wired charger.

Test Summary

About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. DXOMARK’s Battery performance protocol was designed based on the classic one-screen smartphone design. However, the multiple ways of using certain apps and features on foldables required the Battery team to adapt the protocol and test certain use cases with the phone folded or unfolded,  depending on what the most likely usage would be.  See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.

The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.

Battery Charger Wireless Display Processor
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G 4400mAh 25W
(not included)
11W OLED
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 OLED
1440 x 3200
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888

Autonomy

88

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

195

Honor X7b
How Autonomy score is composed

Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Home / Office, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.

Light Usage
61h
Light Usage
Active: 2h30/day
Moderate Usage
43h
Moderate Usage
Active: 4h/day
Intense Usage
27h
Intense Usage
Active: 7h/day

Home/Office

82

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

221

Honor X7b

A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.

Typical Usage Scenario discharge curves

On the go

97

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

195

Samsung Galaxy M51

Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device

Autonomy for on the go use cases (full charge)

Calibrated

94

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

198

Samsung Galaxy M51

For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.

Autonomy for calibrated use cases (full charge)

Charging

101

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

218

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
How Charging score is composed

Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.

Wired
Wired
44%
in 30 min
0h57
0 - 80%
1h59
Full charge
Wireless
Wireless
20%
in 30 min
2h07
0 - 80%
3h09
Full charge

Full charge

105

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

224

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)

Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.

Power consumption and battery level during full charge
The charging curves, in wired and wireless (if available) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during the stages of charging toward full capacity.
Power consumption and battery level during wireless full charge
The charging curves, in wired and wireless (if available) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during the stages of charging toward full capacity.
Time to full charge
Time to full charge

Quick boost

98

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

212

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)

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 chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.

Average autonomy gain for a 5 minute charge (wired)

Efficiency

87

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

154

Oppo Reno6 5G
How Efficiency score is composed

The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.

Annual Consumption Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
4.8 kWh
Efficient
Good
Bad
Inefficient

Charge up

107

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

205

Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro

The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.

Overall charge efficiency

Discharge

78

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

194

Apple iPhone 14 Pro

The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.

Average discharge current

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