Huawei introduced its own foldable phone almost a month earlier at MWC 2019, but Samsung was the first to invest heavily in marketing to create a lead in this category. The Samsung Z Fold 4 has improved greatly since its first version three years ago.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 is cutting-edge mobile technology. Foldable are one of the few areas of true innovation in current smartphones, allowing for novel form factors and use cases. At first appearance, the Z Fold 4 doesn’t offer much new. If you’ve seen a Fold before, you’ll know what to expect. Same dual display, quality hinge, and triple camera arrangement. Yes, the crease remains in a panel rated for 200,000 folds, enough for years.
We’re looking at iteration rather than renovation this generation, which may leave users hunting for a compelling reason to upgrade from a current Fold device – unless you want a better processor. Samsung made modest tweaks that add up, especially if you’re buying your first foldable. Our first Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 hands-on reveals new features.
You can observe how the Galaxy Z Fold has changed over four generations. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 and 3 were groundbreaking advances, but technology must mature.
Now we have the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which improves a good phone. The Galaxy Z Fold is one of the most costly and aspirational smartphones, and despite predictions that it might be cheaper or more expensive this year, it has remained at $1,799.99. You should also take advantage of Galaxy Z Fold 4 offers to save money.
Galaxy Z Flip 4 Specs
| Specification | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 |
|---|---|
| Build |
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| Dimensions & Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 |
| RAM & Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
| Rear Camera(s) |
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| Front Camera(s) |
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| Port(s) | USB Type-C |
| Audio | Stereo speakers |
| Connectivity |
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| Software | One UI 4.1.1 based on Android 12L |
| Other Features | S-Pen support on the main display |
| Colors |
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Design
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 established the series’ design. The full-size front display operates as a phone, while the larger inside display replaces a tablet. Samsung concentrated on making the tablet more portable without compromising the large display this year.
Folding the phone makes it easier to use with one hand. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 feels so great better in the hand than the previous model that everyone should like the upgrade.
It’s 3mm shorter, 2mm wider, and 0.1mm thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. These are small modifications, but they allow Samsung to make both panels wider and address aspect ratios. This means you can’t reuse a Galaxy Z Fold 3 case on the new model.
The Z Fold 4 is 8 grammes lighter than the Z Fold 3. This tiny reduction feels more substantial in the hand thanks to a smaller hinge and weight balance changes.
Improved displays and durability
The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s screens are better than the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s. The Samsung Z Fold 4 offers the finest foldable display yet, whether you use the Cover Screen as a phone or the main display as a tablet.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s main display is 3mm bigger but still 7.6 inches and delivers 2,176 x 1,812 pixels. This makes it shorter and wider, but should improve multitasking, media playing, and productivity.
The aspect ratio has altered from 25:9 to 21.6:18, however the density is still 372 ppi. The primary display supports the S Pen, however there’s no built-in S-Pen holder.
The Cover Screen is 2.8mm wider and slightly shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold 3, offering a better aspect ratio (23.1:9) for one-handed use and a better overall experience. It’s 6.2 inches, has 2,316 x 904 pixels, and an Adaptive Refresh rate between 48Hz and 120Hz.
Galaxy Z Flip 4 Camera
Previous Z Fold phones had lackluster cameras for ultra-premium devices. The 2021’s camera wasn’t horrible, but it trailed behind Samsung’s other flagships and rivals’. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 utilizes the same 50MP sensor as the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, coupled with improved OIS and video stabilization. A good update, but it won’t boost the phone’s picture prowess.
Samsung’s new sensor delivers “23% brighter” photos than last-gen, which is good for low-light photography. There’s also a new 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom (up from 2x). We’ll wait judgement till we photograph the phone. The camera won’t hold up to the 30x Space Zoom claims based on our testing with previous Samsung phones.
Samsung’s under-display selfie camera was updated. It has the same image sensor as the last generation, but a new scatter-type sub-pixel structure. It’s slightly more concealed than before, but it’s still easy to find in most lighting circumstances. It’s not distracting, but it’s a blemish on an otherwise beautiful device.
Without the Z Flip 3 to compare, I can’t say if image quality has improved. In-display cameras can’t compete with better selfie shooters since light can’t reach the sensor. Front-facing cameras are superior than internal ones.
Galaxy Z Flip 4 Price
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 offers superior hardware and every feature you could want. Given it costs $1,799.99, there are also a few areas we would have loved to see improvements but ultimately, it has the flagship specs sheet you’d expect from any top-of-the-range smartphone.