This is what Samsung’s upcoming foldable phone may (and should) look like.
If the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is anything to go by, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a lot of ground to make up. However, the foldable phone formula has not yet been perfected, so there is still opportunity for improvement.
GALAXY Z FOLD 4 RUMORED SPECS
- Interior display: 7.6-inch QXGA+ AMOLED, 120Hz
- Exterior display: 6.2-inch HD+ AMOLED, 120Hz
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/1TB
- Rear cameras: 50MP main; 12MP ultrawide; 10MP telephoto (3x zoom)
- Front cameras: 10MP (exterior), 4MP (under-display)
- Battery size: 4,400 mAh
Even if the Z Fold 4 rumor mill is currently in full swing, there’s still a lot we don’t know. Following are all of the leaks and rumors that have surfaced so far, as well as our thoughts on how the Samsung Z Fold 4 can keep its title for best foldable phone for the foreseeable future.
Take a peek at the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s alleged specs (and our wish list) below.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Possible release date
Our expert assumptions and the leaks we’ve seen so far agree on the expected release date of the Samsung Z Fold 4. After launching in August, this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 was followed by last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 2, which launched in September of the previous year. We believe that Samsung would like to avoid competing with the iPhone 14 by launching the Z Fold 4 around the end of August or beginning of September, therefore we expect a similar debut date for the Z Fold 4 as well.
Z Fold 4 is expected to be unveiled on August 10, according to leaker Jon Prosser’s assertion (and a couple of other devices). Pre-orders are expected to begin on the same day as the retail launch on August 26, and will last until then.
The next Fold might go under a different moniker when it makes its appearance. Galaxy Fold 3 is being sold by Samsung in various European nations as a response to Russian officials’ use of the letter Z as a symbol to encourage their invasion of Ukraine. Samsung could be planning to drop the “Z” from the Galaxy Z Fold 4 name as a result of this, according to rumors.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Price speculation
According to Korean leaker yeux1122 on Korean site Naver and Ross Young, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be cheaper than the Z Fold 3, which would be excellent news given the Z Fold 3’s $1,799 price tag.
In 2020, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 was priced at $1,999, which may indicate that the Z Fold 4 will be priced at $1,599 in two years. This would still be more expensive than even the most fully-specced phablet-style phone, but as the gap between the two closes, more and more people will be enticed to buy a foldable phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Design
The Z Fold 4’s prospective design has been getting a lot of attention recently, and we’re seeing a lot of major leaks.
As of Ice Universe’s latest leak(opens in new tab), the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is said to feature less of a crease(opens in new tab) than the Z Fold 3. In addition, the tipping weight is 8.9 ounces. This would be lighter than the Z Fold 3’s 9.5 ounces and comparable to the 8.5 ounces of the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
OnLeaks and Smartprix have also released a series of Galaxy Z Fold 4 renders. These renders, presuming they’re real, show the anticipated phone from nearly every aspect and reveal a slew of information regarding the foldable.
In contrast to the Z Fold 3, Samsung’s new Galaxy S22 Ultra features rear cameras that look more like those on that phone’s predecessor.
It’s unclear from these images whether the hinge design has been altered by OnLeaks and Smartprix.
According to the same sources, the screens will be 6.2 inches on the outside and 7.6 inches on the inside, just like the Z Fold 3. Also, the 120 Hz refresh rates of both devices are likely to be preserved.
Finally, according to the leakers, the phone will measure 6.1 x 5.1 x 0.27 inches when unfolded (155 x 130 x 7.1 mm). To be more precise, it would be narrower and thicker in comparison to its predecessor.
Those leaked graphics are in line with a number of other rumors. It was reported on the Korean blogging site Naver that Samsung is looking into methods to lighten the phone by redesigning its hinge and increasing its waterproof and dustproof properties. [*] We’d like a phone that’s less prone to water and dust damage in general.
Same as the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s two hinges in the center and @TheGalox(opens in new tab) claims the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will only have one hinge in the middle, unlike its predecessors. This would allow the Z Fold 4 to be smaller and lighter while also increasing its durability.
For the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the internal display will have a new aspect ratio that’s more square than the 5:4 for the Z Fold 3, according to Ice Universe(opens in new tab). Thus, the panel can be shortened and expanded at the same time. According to a more recent leak from IU, the ration will be 6:5, which is more or less square.
The outside is expected to remain quite narrow and tall, but not nearly as tall as previously. Another leaked image shows the redesigned shape of the Z Fold 3’s casing, which was shared by IU.
According to an unverified report, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 may not feature a space for the S Pen. According to Ice Universe, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will not feature a S Pen built-in. He does, however, claim that the design would be smaller and thinner, which is encouraging.
According to another rumor, Samsung has been tinkering with the aspect ratio of the front display of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 prototypes. According to Chunv8888, a Twitter user who claims to be an insider for Samsung, the company is considering a variety of alternative designs for the upcoming Z Fold 3.
According to leaker yeux1122, Samsung may be replacing the present Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) display panel with a more advanced one. Even if a S Pen stylus isn’t incorporated into the phone, the upgraded material is expected to be more durable and of greater quality, making it easier to operate.
The fingerprint-sensing power button appears to be the one design feature that won’t be altering. A button-mounted fingerprint sensor will be retained on the Z Fold 4, rather than the under-display module that was originally intended by Samsung for the device. However, the button-mounted sensor is already a dependable choice, so that may be preferable in the long run.
Even though the new engineering work in the phone is more interesting, color options are still vital to the phone’s appearance. Leakster Ross Young claims that the Z Fold 4 will be available in one of three neutral colors: beige, grey or black. This would be a surprising color palette for a device of this caliber and price point.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Cameras
In the newest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 camera rumors, the telephoto camera is said to have a 50MP primary sensor and 3x optical zoom. A trio of 12MP lenses and 2x optical zoom were seen in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. These weren’t terrible, but the $1,799 phone seemed a touch underpowered.
According to this leak, the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s camera performance is expected to improve significantly, and the camera arrangement is expected to be nearly identical to the Galaxy S22 (opens in new tab).
Compared to previous Samsung phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 introduced the company’s first under-display camera on the primary screen. According to a source out of Korea, the Z Fold 4 could improve on this by adding a second camera to the cover display’s under-display.
A second under-display camera wouldn’t be a bad idea, but the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s was already lacking in that department. As predicted, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will have a 16MP sensor instead of the measly 4MP that was previously on the phone.
However, not everyone agrees with the concept that Samsung is likely to add a sensor of that size to the camera on its phones. According to Ice Universe, the specifications for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 were “100 percent accurate,” although the under-display camera was listed as a 4MP sensor.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Battery and performance
It’s sad that the only rumor concerning the Z Fold 4’s power source is bad news. It’s claimed that Samsung will keep the battery size around the same as it is on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. There has been no change in the battery size from last year’s model, according to leaked information from Yogesh Brar and Ice Universe.
One of the drawbacks of foldable phones is that they have a much larger screen to power, despite having a battery the same size, or even less, than comparable devices. The battery life of the Z Fold 3 isn’t great, but if Samsung doesn’t change the capacity of the battery, the phone will have to be more efficient in other areas if it wants to last a whole day without being plugged in.
To make up for this, it appears that the Z Fold 3’s 25W charging speed will remain the same for the Z Fold 4, despite leaked regulatory documents suggesting otherwise.
As for the new foldable’s chipset, Ice Universe claims that it will include a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus. That would offer it a significant performance boost over the previous generation, as well as a minor advantage over the Galaxy S22 family.
Even more recently, there have been reports of claimed performance benchmarks for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. Single-core Geekbench 5 testing yielded a score of 1,351 while multi-core Geekbench 5 testing yielded a score of 3,808. In addition, the listing suggests that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will run on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus processor and have 12GB of RAM.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold: What we’d like to see
To quench your Z Fold 4 material thirst, we’ve compiled a short wish list for the forthcoming foldable.
The “Galaxy Flex Note” is based on a Samsung patent and was created by Technizo Design and LetsGoDigital. Samsung could do much worse than copy this tempting concept. The Z Fold series would be the natural successor to the Galaxy Note line, which may have come to an end with the cancellation of the Galaxy Note 21 earlier this year. We appreciate how this design has only one display and still has place for the S Pen stylus.
The Z Fold 4 may have some of the features we’ve seen on current Samsung phones, as well as more tipped for future models. Even while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a different form of personalization than the Z Flip 3 Bespoke Edition because one side is still all screen, the two devices may easily coexist.
Similarly, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 may use new components like the Snapdragon 898/895 processor or Samsung’s latest LPDDR5X RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S22 is likely to be the first device to feature these features if they do make an appearance this year.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold: What we’d like to see
a lot more effective cameras
Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs so much, it has the same set of cameras as the Galaxy Z Fold 2 from the previous year, but with the internal selfie camera exchanged for an under display camera.
A better overall camera on the Z Fold 4 would be fantastic, provided by Samsung. Even though Samsung isn’t focusing on photography with its foldable devices, larger or higher-resolution sensors would still be welcomed. It would also be wonderful to have a more powerful Space Zoom.
On-board storage for the S Pen is needed.
Because Samsung’s Z Fold 3 was the first folding device to have the S Pen stylus, a follow-up Z Fold model would be logical. To avoid having to carry around a S Pen separately or in a specially designed case, Samsung hopes to include the stylus into its new Galaxy Z Fold 4 design, as shown in this concept image.
As the Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to include a S Pen slot, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 should as well.
Yet another decrease in the selling price
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a good illustration of how Samsung can bring foldables into the masses by keeping the pricing in line with other high-end smartphones. This was stated in the yeux1122 report, although it has little immediate significance. Between now and the phone’s official launch, a lot can change.
Display wrinkles will be less noticeable.
The biggest drawback of watching video on foldable displays is that the evident creases in the screen might detract from the overall experience.. Although we don’t expect it to disappear, it would be wonderful if it faded into the background a little more.
A leaner body type
A foldable phone is unlikely to be very small because of the nature of folding the main display in half. However, the Z Fold 3’s most common complaint is that it’s excessively heavy and cumbersome to carry around. As far as we’re concerned, the Z Fold 4 could use a few more millimeters of reduction in size.
Battery life extension
The Z Fold 3 has to power two displays, one of which is the size of a small tablet, from the get-go. In our tests, we found a battery life of less than 8 hours, and we would like to see a battery capacity of at least 10 hours.