Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 & Fold4 Preview – Major releases with minor improvements
Samsung will release the fourth version of the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip this month. These devices have of course some improvements, but the differences seem to get smaller with each iteration. The company invited us to London to already touch the devices and we gratefully took advantage of that. We have already tried the Fold4 and, very briefly, the Flip4.
The first thing we noticed when we started working with the phones is how little has changed on the devices at first glance. They look pretty much the same as the previous generation. The well-known ‘hideaway hinge’, with the middle part between the two halves that is hidden when you open the device, and the option to leave the hinge open halfway, seems a bit smaller. The screen edges seem a bit thinner.
According to Samsung, the inner screen is even sturdier, but we didn’t feel much difference with the previous generation. The soft screen didn’t bother us though. The folding edge is also present again and did not bother us either, although it is clearly visible in some lighting conditions. We saw the same with the Flip4.
The screen proportions of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are different than with the previous generation. The device is slightly shorter and slightly wider, so that the screen on the outside comes out at 23.1:9 instead of 24.5:9. Samsung told us that the extra pixels that have been added are now used to fully display all elements that fell just outside the screen or were cut off on the previous model. This is about twenty extra pixels. The screen now has a resolution of 2262×882 pixels.
The screen on the inside is also slightly wider; it comes out 0.3cm wider and thus becomes slightly less square. The diagonal remains rounded to 7.6″.
The screen of the Z Flip 4 is the same size. The small screen has a number of new functions, such as being able to call contacts and more answer options for notifications. In addition, previews of photos are easier to see on the screen.
| Samsung Mini Tablets | Fold4 | Fold3 |
| Size collapsed | 155.1mm 67.1mm 14.2-15.8mm 263g |
158.2mm 67.1mm 14.4-16mm 271g |
| Size expanded | 155.1mm 130.1mm 6.3mm |
158.2mm 128.1mm 6.4mm |
| Screen inside | 7.6″ OLED, 120Hz 2176x1812px, 10.8:9 |
7.6″ OLED, 120Hz 2208x1768px, 11.3:9 |
| Cover screen | 6.2″ OLED, 120Hz, 2316x904px, 23.1:9 |
6.2″ OLED, 120Hz, 2268x832px, 24:9 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Snapdragon 888 |
| Memory and Storage | 12GB RAM 256GB/512GB/1TB Storage |
12GB RAM 256GB/512GB Storage |
| Cameras | Primary: 50Mp, 1/1.6″, 50mm², f/1.8 Secondary: 12Mp, ultra wide, 1/2.9″, 15mm², f/2.2 Third camera: 10Mp, tele x3, 1/3.5″, 10mm² , f/2.4 Front: 10Mp Bottom screen: 4Mp |
Primary: 12Mp, 1/1.8″, 39mm², f/1.8 Secondary: 12Mp, ultra wide, 1/2.9″, 15mm², f/2.2 Third camera: 12Mp, tele x2, 1/3.5″, 15mm² , f/2.4 Front: 10Mp Bottom screen: 4Mp |
| Battery and charging | 4400mAh, 25W | 4400mAh, 25W |
| Release and price | August 2022, 1799 euros | August 2021, 1799 euros |
The Galaxy Z Fold4 has become slightly lighter than its predecessor and therefore slightly smaller. The new model is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The Fold4 has just as much RAM and storage as the Fold3, but there will also be a copy available with 1TB of storage. The Z Flip has just become a few grams heavier and at the same time slightly smaller; we are talking about tenths of millimeters. Just like the Fold3, the Z Fold4 has support for the S Pen. According to Samsung, it can now detect 4000 different pressure levels, making drawing and writing feel even better. In addition, the tip of the S Pen is softer and gives it a bit more to prevent damage to the flexible inner screen.
Samsung has provided the new foldables with Android 12L with OneUI 4.1. This software has a few new features, the most notable of which is the taskbar. This bar is permanently on view and makes the operating system look more like a desktop system. All apps on this bar remain open in the background, making switching between apps very fast. It is also possible with this version to have different apps open side by side. On the Z Flip4 that is a maximum of two apps and on the Z Fold4 you can have a maximum of three apps open at the same time.
Samsung has also expanded the Flex Mode further. If you unfold your smartphone at an angle of 90 degrees and put it on the table, for example, there are more apps that automatically fill the lower part of the screen with control elements and show the media on the upper screen. In addition, Samsung has added the ability to apply Flex Mode to apps that do not yet support it. This can be enabled in the advanced settings menu.
| Samsung flip phones | Flip4 | Flip3 |
| Size collapsed | 84.9mm 71.9mm 15.9-17.1mm 187g |
86.4mm 72.2mm 15.9×17.1mm 183g |
| Size expanded | 165.2mm 71.9mm 6.9mm |
166mm 72.2mm 6.9mm |
| Screen inside | 6.7″ OLED, 120Hz 2640x1080px, 22:9 |
6.7″ OLED, 120Hz 2640x1080px, 22:9 |
| Cover screen | 1.9″ OLED, 260x512px | 1.9″ OLED, 260x512px |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Snapdragon 888 |
| Memory and Storage | 8GB RAM 128GB/256GB/512GB storage |
8GB RAM 128GB/256GB/512GB storage |
| Cameras | Primary: 12Mp, 1/1.8″, 39mm² , f/1.8 Secondary: 12Mp, ultra wide, 1/2.9″, 15mm², f/2.2 Front: 10Mp |
Primary: 12Mp, 1/2.5″, 23mm², f/1.8 Secondary: 12Mp, ultra wide, 1/2.9″, 15mm², f/2.2 Front: 10Mp |
| Battery and charging | 3700mAh, 25W | 3300mAh, 15W |
| Release and price | August 2022, 1099 euros | August 2021, 1049 euros |
Conclusion
The Galaxy Fold4 and Flip4 look good, but are very similar to their predecessors. That’s not a bad thing, it indicates that the market of foldable smartphones is maturing. The improvements are mainly found under the hood. The differences will only really become clear when we have the devices in and put them on the rack here. That will happen soon.