The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is the first foldable on Google Fi

Wednesday, Samsung officially unveiled a full line of new products including its latest ANC Galaxy Buds, a beautiful new Galaxy watch that’s sporting the revamped Wear OS powered by Samsung, and of course, the next iterations of the Galaxy Fold and Flip smartphones. The latter two devices are already available for pre-order on Samsung’s website and at select retailers. Retailing for $999, the smaller Galaxy Z Flip3 can be had for as little as $399 when you trade in an eligible device and use the promotional credit that Samsung is offering during the pre-sale. While I’m not sold on foldable phones, yet, it appears that Samsung has a couple of winners with the latest Galaxy devices. This is thanks to improvements in all the right places and that includes price. Check out MKBHD and his breakdown of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 5G.

We don’t review very many phones here. Unless they carry the Pixel name or it’s some sort of crazy unicorn device, it’s really now our thing. However, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G has just found its way into the Google ecosystem, and now, it is a device that has earned our attention. As of yesterday, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G has officially become the first foldable phone sold directly from Google Fi. Fi is Google’s NVMO mobile network that runs on the T-Mobile and US Cellular networks. Samsung’s original Fold and Flip models are compatible with the Fi network but the Z Flip3 5G is the first of its kind to be offered directly from Google’s mobile service arm.

Like Samsung, Google is offering up some major savings and you can get the new Z Flip3 for as little as $499 when you trade in an old device. That’s a solid deal for one of the most innovative phones of the year that features the latest Snapdragon 888 SoC. This year’s model also adds a much-appreciated IPX8 water-resistance rating. Very impressive for a device that folds into a compact design that’s smaller than the average wallet. Currently, the Google Fi website only has the 128GB version of the Z Flip3 5G up for pre-order with the Black 256GB model listed as out of stock.

If you’re not a Google Fi user, Alphabet’s NVMO is offering a deal on the Z Flip3 5G for new users that port their number over or existing users that activate the Samsung on an existing account. Shoppers who pre-order by August 26 will also receive a credit to the Samsung Store for $150 which would be enough to get you a pair of those new Galaxy Buds2 or even the discounted Galaxy Watch 4. Here’s a rundown of the promotion and you can find the full details and qualifications here.

Get up to $400 in savings plus $150 Samsung.com credit with the purchase and activation of a Samsung Z Flip 3 5G from fi.google.com. You will receive the $400 savings in Google Fi bill credit. New Fi customers must transfer (port-in) your number to Fi from your current carrier to be eligible. Users who pre-order and purchase a device by 8/26/21 will also receive $150 in Samsung.com credit if they register in the Shop Samsung app between 8/25/21 and 9/26/21. The Samsung.com credit is valid through 11/9/21.

Google Fi Z Flip3 promo

Samsung and Google have been hanging out a lot lately. With the merging of Wear OS and Tizen, Google’s watch software could finally get the shot in the arm it so desperately needs. The addition of Samsung’s foldable Z Flip3 to Google Fi is a good indicator that Google is ready to commit to this emerging form factor. Perhaps, in time, we will finally see a Pixel Fold phone powered by Google’s new Tensor SoC that’s arriving with the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. You can find the all-new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G from Google Fi below. The phone will start shipping on or around August 27.

Galaxy Z Flip3 5G from Google Fi