With regards to Samsung’s next-generation foldable phone, what they could and should be doing
If the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is any indication, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 will have a difficult time following in its footsteps. However, the foldable phone formula hasn’t yet been mastered, so there’s still opportunity for development.
While speculations about the Z Fold 4 are beginning to circulate, there is still a great deal we don’t know. All the leaks and speculations we’ve heard so far have been collated here and we’ve weighed in with our opinions on what the Z Fold 4 has to improve on if Samsung wants to retain the greatest folding phone crown with its next version.
Take a peek at the speculated features (and what we’d want to see) with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 below.
A possible release date for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Our expert assumptions and the leaks we’ve seen so far agree on the expected release date of the Samsung Z Fold 4. Since the release of the Z Fold 3 in August and the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in September, the past two generations of Galaxy Z Fold have been released in late summer or early autumn. As a result, we may anticipate the Z Fold 4 to be released by the end of August or the beginning of September.
The iPhone 14 is expected to be released in mid-September, and we believe that Samsung would want to avoid a mid-September launch date conflict.
There’s a chance the next Fold may go by a different name when it debuts. As a possible protest to Russia’s adoption of Z as a sign of support for their invasion of Ukraine, Samsung has renamed its Galaxy Fold 2 to the Galaxy Fold 3. Suggestions that Samsung may remove the Z from its Galaxy Fold 4 nomenclature have been spurred by this.
Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
In light of the Z Fold 3’s $1,799 price tag, a rumour from Korean leaker yeux1122 on Korean portal Naver and another from Ross Young claims that the phone will be less expensive.
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. However, as the gap narrows, more and more phone customers are likely to choose a foldable over a phablet-style smartphone.
Samsung’s Z Fold 4: A New Folding Smartphone
For the Z Fold 4, we anticipate Samsung to keep with the same fundamental design as the previous model. In spite of this, one leaker has already hinted at certain modifications that may be coming.
Naver claims that Samsung is looking at methods to lower the phone’s weight by revising its hinge and increasing its waterproofing and dustproofing. Having a phone that is less vulnerable to water and dust damage seems like a good idea to us.
Similarly, leaker Anthony, aka @TheGalox on Twitter, claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will only have a single hinge in the middle, as opposed to the dual hinges on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 that were employed. The Z Fold 4 might be made smaller and lighter while also being more robust as a result.
According to Ice Universe, the internal display of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will feature a new aspect ratio that is squarer than the 5:4 aspect ratio of the Z Fold 3’s display. Consequently, the panel may be both shorter and longer.
If the report is true, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 will not feature a space for the S Pen, which is a little disappointing. Ice Universe, a leak site, has confirmed that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will not have an integrated S Pen. It’s possible the design may be a bit smaller and a little thinner, which is a positive development.
According to another report, Samsung has been tinkering with the aspect ratio of the front display of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 prototypes. Chunv8888, a well-known Twitter tipster, reports that Samsung will choose from a variety of options, including ones that are almost identical to the current edition of the Z Fold 3.
According to leaker yeux1122, Samsung may be replacing the present Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) material with a superior one for the interior display. Even if a S Pen pen isn’t incorporated into the phone, the upgraded material is expected to be more durable and of greater quality, making it easier to operate.
When it comes to the fold format, Samsung may certainly go in numerous paths. Three different types of foldable portable gadgets will be shown at CES 2022 by Samsung Display. There are two s-fold designs, which generate three panels instead of two, and a “slidable,” which increases the screen’s width at will.. Maybe Samsung will take up on these concepts for Z Fold phones in the future, but seeing the Z Fold 4 adopting the s-fold form seems a feasible possibility.
According to a report in a South Korean media outlet, According to Elec, Samsung may be developing a Galaxy Z Fold 4 with an integrated S Pen. Since the Galaxy S22 Ultra also has one, this would make a great deal of sense (like the Galaxy Notes of old). This would imply that the stylus would be housed in a separate compartment on the Fold 4. Since the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a storage problem for the attachment, this would make travelling with the S Pen a snap.
The fingerprint-sensing power button seems to be the one design feature that won’t be altering. Instead of using an under-display fingerprint sensor for the Z Fold 4, Samsung is said to have chosen to stick with the Z Fold 3’s button-mounted sensor. It’s possible that the button-mounted sensor is a superior alternative altogether.
Cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Galaxy Z Fold 4 is said to be using the same camera system as the Galaxy S22. The Galaxy Z Fold 3’s telephoto lens now has a 3x optical zoom, up from the previous model’s 2x.
New rumours indicate that the Z Fold 4 will include a 108MP primary camera like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but we’ll have to wait and see whether that’s true before we can make an informed decision.
“Galaxy Z Fold4 108MP Camera” is all that’s said in his tweet, but that would be huge news and give the foldable an enormous edge over its competitors.
For the first time, Samsung has put an under-display camera on the primary display of its Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone. Another under-display camera is said to be added to the cover display of the Z Fold 4 by a Korean source.
Having said that, the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s under-display camera was one of its weakest qualities, so adding a second one isn’t ideal until Samsung improves the existing one. While said to be doing so, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is supposed to gain an improved set of under-screen camera features.
Galaxy Z Fold 4’s battery capacity
We just have one rumour to go on about the Z Fold 4’s power source: it’s bad. According to this, Samsung will maintain the battery size of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 around the same.
One of the drawbacks of foldable phones is that they have a much larger screen to power, while 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 amount of the battery, the phone will have to be more efficient in other areas if it wants to survive a whole day without being plugged in.
What we’d want to see from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold
To quench your need for more information about the Z Fold 4, we’ve compiled a short wish list.
Using the “Galaxy Flex Note” as a starting point, Samsung could do a lot worse than duplicating this appealing-looking design based on a patent submitted by Samsung. 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 just one display and yet has place for the S Pen pen.
The Z Fold 4 might get some of the same or even more features that we’ve seen on previous Samsung phones and are expected to see in the future. Even while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a different form of personalisation than the Z Flip 3 Bespoke Edition since one side is still all screen, the two devices may easily coexist.
The Snapdragon 898/895 and Samsung’s latest LPDDR5X RAM, both of which have been speculated, might feature in the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Samsung’s Galaxy S22 is likely to be the first phone to get these features, assuming they’re going to be released this year.
For the Galaxy Z Fold 4, here is what we’d like to see.
Improved camera technology
Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs so much, it contains 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.
It would be fantastic if the Z Fold 4’s cameras were better all around. Foldable phones from Samsung won’t be as camera-centric as their Galaxy S phones, but bigger or higher-resolution sensors would still be a pleasant feature. Also, a more powerful Space Zoom would be welcome.
Build in onboard S Pen storage
Next-generation foldables from Samsung would make sense if the Z Fold 3’s S Pen pen was included into the foldables. Instead of having to keep the S Pen in a separate case or carrying it about with you all the time, Samsung should be able to integrate it into the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s body, as seen in the concept design above.
For the Galaxy Z Fold 4, a S Pen slot is a logical progression from the speculated S22 Ultra.
Another reduction in the price
Foldable phones will only become commonplace if Samsung follows the lead of its own Galaxy Z Flip 3 and lowers its prices in line with standard flagship models. This was stated in the yeux1122 report, although it has little immediate significance. Much may happen between now and its public unveiling.
Display wrinkles will be less noticeable.
The primary drawback of watching video on foldable screens is that the evident creases in the screen might detract from the overall experience. Even though the crease won’t go away, it would be wonderful if it faded further into the backdrop.
Frames that are less bulky
A foldable phone is unlikely to be very small because of the nature of folding the primary display in half. However, the Z Fold 3’s most common criticism is that it’s excessively heavy and cumbersome to take about. The Z Fold 4’s overall size may stand to be reduced by a few more thousandths of an inch.
Batteries that last longer
The Z Fold 3 has to power two screens, one of which is the size of a small tablet, from the get-go. Our tests showed a battery life of less than eight hours, and we’d want to see that number rise to closer to ten hours by making use of a bigger battery and other efficiency improvements.