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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Battery test

OTHER AVAILABLE TESTS FOR THIS DEVICE

We put the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 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, 1812 x 2176, 120 Hz, OLED display
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 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 Fold4
99
battery
94

221

104

195

98

198

104
Charging
105

224

103

212

110

205

92

194

Key performances

Charging Time
2 days 1h
Battery life
Charging Time
0h56
80% Charging time
Charging Time
2h04
Full charging time
Quick Boost
2h36 autonomy
after 5-minute charge

Pros

  • Decent autonomy when streaming video and calling, with low discharge currents
  • Good autonomy when scrolling on social apps on-the-go (device folded)
  • Excellent charger efficiency
  • Low residual consumption of the charger

Cons

  • 3.33% lost per night on average
  • Poor autonomy when gaming and streaming music
  • Poor autonomy when using GPS navigation and 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

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4’s battery performance was at the low end of our global ranking, which is usually the case for devices in our Ultra-premium segment. However, the Z Fold4 showed battery performance improvements in all our subscores over its predecessor the Z Fold3 5G.

In moderate use, the Z Fold4’s autonomy was better than the Z Fold3 5G. When testing some use cases separately, such as calling and video streaming, the Z Fold4 showed decent autonomy and low discharge currents, meaning that the device has been well-optimized for such usage. However, when the device was tested outside and unfolded to take to photos and videos, the battery drained very quickly. The autonomy when using GPS navigation was low, too.

The small 25W charger kept the charging pace slow, and a 5-minute charge only provided 2 hours and 36 minutes of autonomy. In addition, the charge efficiency was low. However, the residual consumption of the charger was well-managed. Wireless charging wasn’t any better and showed very high residual consumption.

Compared with other Ultra-premium devices in our database, the Z Fold4’s autonomy was slightly above average, which is decent for a foldable phone.

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 Fold4 4400mAh 25W
(not included)
15W AMOLED
1812 x 2176
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G 4400mAh 25W
(not included)
11W OLED
1768 x 2208
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon) 5000mAh 45W
(not included)
15W AMOLED 2X
1440 x 3088
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

Autonomy

97

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

197

Honor X9c
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
69h
Light Usage
Active: 2h30/day
Moderate Usage
49h
Moderate Usage
Active: 4h/day
Intense Usage
31h
Intense Usage
Active: 7h/day

Home/Office

94

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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

104

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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

98

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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

104

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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
48%
in 30 min
0h56
0 - 80%
2h04
Full charge
Wireless
Wireless
20%
in 30 min
1h50
0 - 80%
2h15
Full charge

Full charge

105

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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

103

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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

98

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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 Fold4
4.2 kWh
Efficient
Good
Bad
Inefficient

Charge up

110

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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

92

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

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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