This summer’s release of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was a difficult act to follow for the Galaxy Z Flip 4. At under $999 when it went on sale, Samsung’s clamshell-style foldable phone was enhanced by making improvements across the board.
However, there’s always potential for improvement, particularly in the newly growing category of foldable phones.. Even if the Galaxy Z Flip 3 isn’t ideal, Samsung will have plenty of room to improve it when a new model is released later this year. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 might be a game-changer in terms of battery life and durability.
If the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is to become one of the best foldable phones on the market, we’ve gathered what we’ve heard and what we’d like to see from it.
Estimated price and release date for 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.
When it comes to the Galaxy Z Flip 4 pricing, we don’t see Samsung increasing the current asking price. The Galaxy Z Flip 3’s distinguishing feature was its lower starting price of $999. Samsung has to lower the cost of its foldables if it hopes to get more consumers to buy them. Ross Young, a trusted leaker, said on Twitter that the price may decrease even more.
Rumored features of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4
A report indicates that Samsung will preserve the 6.7-inch internal and 1.9-inch exterior screens of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the Galaxy Z Flip 4. That makes sense, given the Flip 3’s attractive appearance and the usefulness of the external display. At least two inches is what Ross Young claims will be on the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s back cover display.
A variant of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 featuring an under-display camera has also been rumoured, according to the aforementioned reports from Samsung. Even if it is, we hope that it is not the final version of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. In order to reduce the overall weight of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung is allegedly working on a hinge redesign. The Oppo Find N’s gapless design is exactly what we’re looking for.
Many reports claim the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will feature a 3,300 mAh battery like the Flip 3. But according to current reports, Samsung is really intending to boost the capacity by 100 mAh. That would be a real shame if Samsung doesn’t come up with a solution, given the Flip’s battery life is now one of its main flaws.
A fingerprint sensor attached to the power button may be another resemblance. 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.
It’s possible that a new name may be given to the device later this year. Galaxy Flip 3 has been renamed in several European nations as a reaction to Russian authorities adopting the letter Z in favour of the Ukraine incursion, according to reports. It’s probable that Samsung will no longer use the Z suffix when referring to the Galaxy Flip 4 in the future.
What we’d want to see in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4:
Galaxy Z Flip 3 was an enhancement over the first Flip. However, it was far from ideal. When Samsung unveils the Galaxy Z Flip 4, we expect it to solve some of these pressing concerns.
Battery life is improved.
Using the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s battery was a waste of time. Using the adaptive refresh rate option, it only lasted 3 hours in the Tom’s Guide battery life test. Unfortunately, this is not ideal. The 120Hz internal screens and the bigger cover display, which all consume more power, were a contributing factor, we believe. If you purchased the Galaxy Z Flip 3, we advised that you have a charger nearby.
We’d want to see the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s battery life become better. Simple, but if Samsung doesn’t include bigger batteries, it may be a tough job. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s improvements in power efficiency are unlikely to make a significant difference on their own.
Increased robustness
There have been instances of Galaxy Z Flip 3 handsets breaking after a few months of purchase, despite Samsung making significant improvements to the durability of its last series of foldables. Even while we can’t corroborate these claims with our own experience, hearing that phones don’t last a year is troubling. Foldables have a long way to go in this area.
The durability and lifespan of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 should be enhanced in the future. For $999, you don’t want to buy a phone that breaks within a year, much alone a few months.
Hinges 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, this should assist to protect the internal screens from dust and other debris that may otherwise get into the panels.
Gapless hinge design would be ideal for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Take a leaf out of Oppo’s book, Samsung.
Increased speed of recharging
That’s painfully sluggish compared to the rest of the industry and phones that cost more than $1,000, much alone the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Flip 3’s battery life was so awful that we wanted it to charge significantly quicker than the OnePlus 9 Pro, which can charge at 65W.
At the absolute least, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 should have 25W of power, which is what the Galaxy S22 has. A 45W wired charging is used for both of Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra and S22 Plus.
A wide-angle lens
Because of this, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 does not come with a telephoto lens by default. There were two cameras on the phone: one for the primary camera and one for the ultrawide. We believe the absence of a 3x telephoto lens on the Flip 3 is glaring in comparison to the $999 Galaxy S22 Plus.
Even if it just has a 2x or 2.5x zoom, a telephoto lens for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is something we’d want to see. Samsung may have a hard time justifying the loss of camera capability while making the switch to a foldable phone.