We are eagerly awaiting Samsung’s next foldable smartphone.
After the release of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 this past summer, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will have a lot to live up to. Samsung improved its clamshell-style foldable phone and introduced a considerably more affordable $999 starting price with that model.
However, there’s always potential for improvement, particularly in the newly growing category of foldable phones. Samsung has a lot of room to improve the Galaxy Z Flip 3 when it launches a new version later this year. For example, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 might be a game changer in terms of battery life and durability, much like the original.
If the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is to become one of the greatest foldable phones on the market, we’ve gathered what we’ve heard and what we’d like to see from it.
Release date and possible pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
We can only speculate based on Samsung’s previous Unpacked events, but we believe the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be unveiled in August. After the Galaxy Note, Samsung’s mid-year product launch was replaced by the Galaxy Z phones, and it’s likely that Samsung wants some lead time before the iPhone 14 launches in September as normal.
We don’t see Samsung changing the price of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 any time soon. After all, the lower starting price of $999 of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was one of its distinguishing features. A reasonable pricing point is essential if Samsung wants more people to experiment with foldable devices. Although the price may fall further, Ross Young, a well-known leaker, tweeted about it.
The design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
For the most part, the Z Flip 3 was a minor adjustment to the design of the original Galaxy Z Flip, and from what we’ve seen and heard, the new Z Flip 4 could be a slightly different version of that design.
An updated set of renders clearly demonstrates this. The Z Flip 4 is expected to be similar in size and shape to previous models, with just minor changes to the outer display size and total proportions. Even if Samsung hadn’t changed much about the design, we’d have been displeased if it hadn’t already been an attractive phone.
As far as colour options go, the only word we have is that there will be four options. Gold, silver, light blue, and light violet appear to be the colours of choice.
The rumoured specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
A report indicates that Samsung will preserve the 6.7-inch internal and 1.9-inch external displays of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the Galaxy Z Flip 4. As far as I can tell, the Flip 3 has a great design, and the external display is quite useful. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 might, according to Ross Young and Yogesh Brar, have a larger cover display, with a diagonal size of at least two inches.
In addition, we’ve heard rumours that Samsung is testing an under-display camera version of the Galaxy Z Flip 4. We can only hope that this isn’t the final one, given the terrible one on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. By modifying the hinge design of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung is attempting to reduce the phone’s weight, according to the leaker. To us, the Oppo Find N’s gapless design is all that matters.
Reports suggest that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 may have a 3,300 mAh battery like the Flip 3. It has been reported that Samsung plans to enhance the total capacity by 400 mAh. Even while that’s a significant improvement, Samsung still has work to do to enhance the Z Flip’s battery life.
Instead of the existing standard 8 Gen 1 CPU used in phones like the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung could use the speculated Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chip to run the phone. These leaked benchmarks suggest that it will have a noticeable performance gain over the model from last year and many other phones released this year.
Another possible resemblance to the previous generation is a fingerprint sensor that is located on the power button. Under-display fingerprint sensors for Samsung’s foldables have been in the works for a while, but they’ve been put on hold for now because of the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.
Later this year, it may be renamed to avoid confusion. Galaxy Flip 3 has been renamed in several European nations as a response to Russian officials adopting the letter Z in favour of the Ukraine invasion, according to reports. Next year’s phone, the Galaxy Flip 4, may be renamed to avoid confusion with the Galaxy Z.
What we’d like to see from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Galaxy Z Flip 3 was an enhancement over the first Flip. However, it was far from flawless. With the debut of the Galaxy Z Flip 4, we believe Samsung should fix some of these shortcomings.
Battery life is improved.
Sadly, there was no way to extend the battery life of the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Even in adaptive refresh rate mode, it failed the Tom’s Guide battery life test in under six hours. Not a good thing! Because of its 120Hz internal displays and larger cover display, we believe that this was a contributing factor. If you purchased the Galaxy Z Flip 3, we advised that you have a charger nearby.
We hope that the battery life of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will be improved. Samsung may not be able to meet this simple need unless they increase the size of their power packs. There isn’t much hope that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will improve matters on its own in terms of power efficiency.
Improved resistance
There have been instances of Galaxy Z Flip 3 handsets breaking within a few months of purchase, despite Samsung making significant improvements to the durability of its last series of foldables. In spite of the lack of personal experience, it’s alarming to hear about phones failing to last more than a year. One more area in which foldables need improvement.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4’s durability and longevity might use some work. A year or even a few months after spending $999 on a phone, no one wants it to break or become unusable.
Hinge with no gaps
A significant area in which Oppo beat Samsung in the foldable phone market is the hinge design, which the Korean company pioneered. The hinge of the Oppo Find N is completely gapless. Because there is no space between the displays at the hinge, it should protect the inside screens from dust and damage.
Gapless hinge design would be ideal for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Take a cue from Oppo’s strategy, Samsung.
faster recharging
Even at 15W wired charging, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is woefully behind the rest of the market, let alone phones costing upwards of $1,000. We expected the Flip 3 to charge more quickly, given the device’s poor battery life and the availability of phones that can charge at 65W.
At the very least, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 should have a battery capacity of at least 25W, which is the same as the Galaxy S22. A 45W wired charging is used for both of Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Plus.
A telephoto lens
Samsung may have made the decision not to incorporate a telephoto lens on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in order to save money. There was a main camera and a wide-angle camera on this phone. When compared to the $999 Galaxy S22 Plus, which has a 3x telephoto lens, the Flip 3’s absence of one stands out.
Even if it’s simply a 2x or 2.5x zoom, we’d want to see a telephoto lens on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Samsung may have to make some compromises in order to make the switch to a foldable, but the loss of camera functionality seems like a more difficult one to justify.