With the original Galaxy Fold, Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to enter the foldable space in 2019. It wasn’t the most flamboyant entry, and there were plenty of catastrophic display failures, but the Galaxy Fold lineup has progressed remarkably well. With few competitors and few flimsy foldable on the market at the time, Samsung took on the task of creating an entirely new class of flagship with its Galaxy Fold series and has now created what we described as a “special type of smartphone” in our Galaxy Z Fold 3 review.
This can only mean one thing: Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4 will have a difficult task ahead of it. We’re still a few months away from the official unveiling of the Z Fold 4, but let’s go through the rumor mill and gather all the leaks to see what we know so far about Samsung’s next flagship foldable.
Release Date & Pricing
Although the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s exact release date is still unknown, we can make some educated assumptions about when it might go on sale. If past launches are any indication, Samsung will likely unveil its next flagship foldable at the end of August or the beginning of September. We say that because the Galaxy Z Fold’s most recent two generations both debuted at roughly the same time. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 was released in September, and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 followed a year later in August. Though this will vary by region, anticipate the phone to go on pre-orders shortly after the announcement and open sales to start about 2-3 weeks after the launch event.
Samsung will announce its new foldable devices on August 10, with pre-orders opening up the same day, according to information that was leaked and tweeted by renowned tipper Jon Prosser. He also mentioned that sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 would begin on August 26.
In terms of pricing, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected to launch at the same starting price as the Galaxy Z Fold 3 later this year. If this is true, the starting price in the US will be $1,799, with the higher storage variant costing $1,899. This will make the Galaxy Z Fold 4 one of the most expensive foldable on the market, if not the most expensive.
We hope Samsung leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s still a hefty price tag, but it would be more bearable if the company could check off all of our wishlist items. Those looking to save money on a foldable will have to stick with the Galaxy Z Flip or try their luck with other great foldable.
Galaxy Z Fold 4 or just Galaxy Fold 4?
There’s probably not much to talk about here, but it’s worth noting that Samsung may drop the letter ‘Z’ from its branding. In case you didn’t know, it already exists in some European countries. Samsung has not provided an official explanation for this removal, but it is widely assumed that it is due to the troubled geopolitical situation in parts of Europe. Speculations aside, we hope Samsung removes the letter “Z” from its global branding. Why? Because it would make it much easier and simpler to understand.
The “Samsung Galaxy Fold 4″ is also a mouthful, but it lacks the forcibly introduced letter. Simply call it the “Galaxy Fold 2022” or the “Samsung Fold 2022.” We’d take anything that made it easier for people to recognise these phones. Ben, an XDA Senior Editor and fellow foldable enthusiast, explains it very well in one of his tweets:
Specifications: A new chipset?
This is a section that will be updated with a fully fleshed-out specifications table in the future. There’s not much to say right now because Samsung has managed to keep much of the information about the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4 under wraps. According to rumours, it will be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 (SM8475) SoC manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm process. This chipset is more efficient than Samsung’s Exynos 2200 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, both of which are manufactured on Samsung Foundry’s 4nm process.
Design: A slimmer and shorter version
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected to look very similar to its predecessor. We have some leaked renders from a reliable source that show that the next phone in the series will look very similar in design, albeit a little boxier. Take a look at the render for yourself here:
Looking at the renders above, it’s safe to say that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will resemble its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, with a few minor differences. Samsung appears to have removed the pill-shaped camera island to make it look more like the camera array on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It’s never a good idea to judge a phone’s design based on renders, so we’ll reserve our judgment until we can get our hands on a unit for review. Read more; Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Review: Show of Ambition
Display: New aspect ratios!
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected to have two displays, similar to its predecessor, the exterior cover display and the relatively larger inner display that reveals itself as you unfold the device. As previously stated, the new foldable is expected to have slightly altered display aspect ratios. It may not appear to be a significant difference, but we believe it is sufficient to make the device appear boxier than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Take a look at this:
The internal display aspect ratio of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 was 5:4, while the external display aspect ratio was 24.5:9. If the leaked information is correct, the upcoming model will have an internal screen ratio of 6:5, and an external screen ratio of 23:9. In terms of display dimensions, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected to have a 6.2-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main display.
The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected to have the same displays as the Galaxy Z Fold 3. As of now, the Z Fold 4 is expected to have an HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel on the outside with a resolution of 2268 x 832 pixels and support for up to a 120Hz refresh rate. The internal display is expected to be a QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a resolution of 2208 x 1786 pixels and support for up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Read also; Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Everything We Know So Far
Cameras
The Galaxy Z Fold 3’s cameras were not as good as they could have been. As we mentioned in our review, this is one area where we were disappointed. Naturally, we want a more powerful camera system in the Galaxy Z Fold 4. If the leaked information is correct, it appears that Samsung is finally ready to give the Galaxy Z Fold lineup the camera upgrade it deserves. According to reports, the upcoming phone will have the same 10MP 3x telephoto zoom camera as the Galaxy S22 series. This would be a significant upgrade in the camera department for the Z Fold lineup. In case you are wondering, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 currently sports a 12MP 2x telephoto camera.
Software: One UI
Samsung’s software game is currently quite strong. The Korean conglomerate now plans to release up to four major OS upgrades for many of its smartphones, including mid-range models like the Galaxy A53 5G. We anticipate similar levels of support for the upcoming Galaxy Fold 4. We anticipate that, like the Galaxy S22 series, it will be powered by One UI based on Android 12 out of the box. More on the software will be available closer to or after the launch, as Samsung may add some additional enhancements for the foldable form factor.
