So, it’s almost here – Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – the Korean giant’s most ambitious phone, and arguably the most exciting 2022 smartphone in general. Now that its release is closing up and we know a good deal about it, it’s time to do a preview based on all our intel.
Is this upcoming phone that unfolds into a tablet shaping up to be as awesome as any tech enthusiast is inclined to expect? Let’s find out…
What’s new about the Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Slightly different screen aspect ratio
- Slimmer and lighter build
- New hinge design
- Dual-sided fingerprint sensor
- New camera system from the Galaxy S22 line
Galaxy Z Fold 4 specs (unconfirmed)
| Specs | Galaxy Z Fold 4 |
|---|---|
| Display | 7.6″ OLED, 120Hz refresh rate |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Cameras | Main camera – 50MP 3x telephoto camera – 12MP Ultra-wide camera – 12MP |
| Battery Size | 4270 mAh |
| Price | starting from $1,799 |
Galaxy Z Fold 4 Design & Colors
Galaxy Z Fold 4 design (Image credit – OnLeaks)
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 will supposedly be lighter, at 263 grams, which is about 10 grams less than its predecessor. And it’ll also be slimmer, thanks in part to a redesigned, slimmer hinge, and the fact that its display will be shorter and a bit wider, making it a tad better for consuming content. This, of course, will slightly change its display aspect ratio.
We’ve also heard reports of a less pronounced crease – where the Z Fold 4’s folding display actually folds in half – that line should be less visible now. Other than that, it’s going to be a similar, premium, book-like foldable phone (or pretty much a tablet, when unfolded) as before.
As for the color options, we expect nothing flashy – the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will come in black, gray, and beige. Okay, beige might be a bit flashy and perhaps not everybody’s favorite “cool” color, but to be fair, anything is better than just boring black and grey, right?
Galaxy Z Fold 4 Displays
Galaxy Z Fold 4 folding display and double-sided under-display fingerprint sensor (Image credit – LetsGoDigital)
Galaxy Z Fold 4 outer display and holepunch selfie camera (Image credit – Ice Universe)
The main piece that makes this phone as cool as it is – it’s large, folding display, will come in a different aspect ratio, making it ever so slightly better for media consumption. Because, we expect a bit wider and shorter foldable display, as opposed to the more squarish screen of the Z Fold 3.
Both the Z Fold 4’s big folding display and its smaller outer display will be 120Hz AMOLED ones, which means a super-smooth Android interface, smooth gaming (and on a rather big screen, too!), and best of all – vibrant, rich colors with pitch blacks. So, a perfect gaming phone, and arguably a fantastic media consumption device too, in addition to all the productivity you can accomplish with it.
Stay tuned for our display measurements and real life usage impressions when our Galaxy Z Fold 4 review is ready – right here.
Galaxy Z Fold 4 Camera
The intel is a bit murky on the camera situation we should be expecting for the upcoming Z Fold 4. We’ve heard rumors that it’ll get the S22 Ultra’s camera array, which is headed by a 108 MP main camera, but those haven’t been backed up by enough reputable sources.
Realistically, we can expect at least a 50 MP main camera, and basically the exact same camera module as the Z Fold 3’s, which was a vertical, pill-shaped one, holding three cameras and a flash.
Galaxy Z Fold 4 Android version
Multitasking on Z Fold phones has been powerful for years (Image credit – PhoneArena)
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is going to be a productivity powerhouse, just like its predecessors, but we can expect new, even better multitasking features, or at the very least – improvements over the old ones. Running three apps at a time in split view, with even more in popup windows if you wish to, and having a fixed dock are guaranteed optional features we’ll have.
And of course, my favorite – Samsung DeX – is guaranteed to be on the Z Fold 4 also. DeX is a neat productivity feature that completely changes your Samsung phone’s interface from that familiar Android one to something more akin to Windows or Mac. Especially useful when you connect your Z Fold 4 to an external display, and wish to take full advantage of that larger screen real-estate.
Galaxy Z Fold 4 Battery
As we mentioned, Samsung has been working on making the Z Fold 4 slimmer and lighter than its predecessors, so a huge bump in battery size isn’t a realistic expectation. In fact, the Z Fold 4 is presumably getting a small battery decrease to 4,270 mAh (from its predecessor’s 4,400 mAh).
That small reduction in its battery size shouldn’t be an issue, though, since the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s predecessor comfortably lasted us a full day. More accurately, in our separate battery benchmarks, it lasted 8 hours and 15 minutes of web browsing, nearly 7 hours of video streaming, and about 5 hours and 20 minutes of gaming. And that’s at 120Hz screen refresh rate, which we could always decrease to a more traditional 60Hz, in order to extend the battery life a bit.
So, while the Z Fold 4 might fall a bit short of its predecessor’s battery endurance benchmarks, we can still expect a day’s worth of battery life. Nothing amazing, but well useable for such an extravagant phone, powering a huge 120Hz display.
Galaxy Z Fold 4 Audio Quality
Galaxy Z Fold 4 concept render showing a familiar dual speaker set up (Image credit – Waqar Khan)
For now, we can base our expectation on the Z Fold 4’s predecessor, since it’s almost concretely certain that they’ll share the exact same speakers.
The Z Fold 4 will feature dual speakers, one on each side of the phone, for a perfect stereo experience while gaming or watching videos and movies. We can expect very competent sound, albeit with less mids and even lesser bass than what we hear from a large, modern iPhone or an iPad.
Thankfully, Samsung always gives the option to tune your Z Fold’s sound with an equalizer that’s built into OneUI, so you can boost the different sound frequencies however you please, or just choose a preset (Normal, Pop, Classic, Jazz, Rock).
