Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Fold owners get superb free Android features upgrade

There's no doubting that the best foldable phones in the world are made by Samsung, and now any owner of a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3, as well as Galaxy Z Fold 2, Z Flip and Z Fold, is getting a great free upgrade.

That's because Samsung has officially confirmed that these devices are getting some of the great new One UI 4.1.1 Android features that debuted on the recently released Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Writing on the official Samsung Newsroom, the South Korean maker confirms that it is expanding "the latest One UI 4.1.1 from Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 to previous generations of Galaxy foldables." And that "the software updates will start with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 beginning on September 5 and roll out gradually to global countries. One UI 4.1.1 will be also extended to Galaxy Z Fold2, Z Flip and Z Fold."

As such, any Samsung Galaxy foldable phone owner with one of these devices is about to get a bunch of new awesome. Here's what they're getting.

Sweet multitasking and camera upgrades on Fold

The One UI 4.1.1 upgrade delivers great new productivity and camera features, with a all-new Taskbar a highlight. The new Taskbar allows Galaxy Fold owners to switch between aps faster than ever, with more of a PC experience on offer. While there's also a new ability to open a multi-window from anywhere, with drag-and-drop support enabled from the new Taskbar.

Here's how it works. If you drag an app to the edge it now opens a split view, while dragging the app to the centre opens it inn pop-up view. Thanks to the One UI 4.1.1 update you can also now add pairs or groups of apps together to the Taskbar, allowing the user to open them all at once rapidly.

Multitasking is also enhanced in One UI 4.1.1 on Galaxy Fold folding phones thanks to new gestures, which allow users to instantly switch full-screen apps to pop-up windows or split the screen in half.

In terms of Galaxy Fold camera upgrades, the One UI 4.1.1 update adds a new Dual Preview feature that allows both the picture taker and the subject see the intended shot at the same time before it is taken, with the Fold's Main and Cover Screen made use of at one time.

Flexible camera and Cover Screen upgrades on Flip

Samsung Galaxy Flip owners also get new awesome courtesy of the One UI 4.1.1 update, with the phone's Quick Shot feature upgraded so that the Z Flip series now lets you "see the preview and take photos in their true ratio on the Cover Screen while allowing you to access Portrait Mode to make every moment photogenic."

The Galaxy Flip Cover Screen also gets upgraded, too, with the handset now allowing you to make calls to favourite contacts, return missed calls, reply to texts with voice-to-text and emoji messages directly from it. The Cover Screen also now offers additional Quick Setting options, including flashlight, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and airplane mode.

The T3 take: Samsung delivers big for Flip and Fold users

The fact that Samsung seems increasingly committed to support owners of its past generations of hardware is fantastic and something the South Korean firm deserves a big hat tip for, as not every company has the same attitude.

If a new version of a product launches with new features and there's no technical reason why those features can't be backward introduced to previous gen products then I think we can all agree that they should be.

Right here, Samsung is rewarding its foldable phone early adopters by delivering new features and functionality to their devices years after they've been released. It closes the gap, too, between the current Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 devices and the previous gen variants, making those handsets a better second hand purchase.

Indeed, a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, for example, equipped with this new One UI 4.1.1 update will be very, very close in functionality to the new Galaxy Z Flip 4, making it potentially a folding phone bargain.