Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Everything we know so far and what we want to see

That Samsung has given up on its Note lineup in favor of foldable phones is something we all know by now. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 released last year with a custom S Pen, an under-display camera, higher durability, a water-resistant design, and a $200 price cut compared to its predecessor. It’s still one of the best foldable phones you can buy right now, not only because of all the upgrades it brought but also because it offers the longest software updates in the market. However, a year out, it’s almost time for a successor, aka the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

The upcoming Samsung foldable is no stranger to us. Numerous leaks and rumors have revealed key details about Samsung’s latest efforts in the foldable arena. We’re here to bring you all that information so you are up to date about what the Galaxy Z Fold 4 may offer. We also have our own wishlist of improvements we’d like to see on the new model. So without further ado, here’s everything we know about the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and what we want to see on it.

Will there be a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4?

There’s no doubt that Samsung will release the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in 2022. The manufacturer hasn’t officially confirmed the name of the phone, but there’s nothing to suggest that it will stray from convention. Therefore, the folding device should come bearing the Z Fold 4 moniker. Moreover, there’s overbearing evidence to support the phone’s existence, including leaked specs, renders from reliable sources, and more, which we’ll get into later.

Check out: The best foldable phones

When will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 release date be?

• Samsung Galaxy Fold — March 20, 2019
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 — August 5, 2020
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 — August 11, 2021

The last two Galaxy Z Fold phones were announced in the month of August. While the Galaxy Z Fold 2 finally hit stores in September, the Z Fold 3 was stacked on shelves a little earlier, at the end of August last year. We expect the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 release date to follow a similar cycle.

There have been no concrete rumors about a specific launch date, but we think Samsung may not want to launch the phone closer to Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup that’s also expected to come in September. So in all likelihood, expect an August Unpacked event from Samsung that could also include the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

What specs and features will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 have?

We’re not expecting huge upgrades on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Leaks suggest the device may end up with incremental improvements over the Z Fold 3. Here’s what we know.

Design

Renders of the phone were leaked by reliable tipster OnLeaks, aka Steve Hemmerstoffer. You’ll notice (see images above) that the alleged Galaxy Z Fold 4 hasn’t changed much in terms of its core design. It still folds inwards and has a cover display on the outside. The biggest difference can be seen at the back, with three individually protruding camera lenses replacing the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s oval camera housing. The setup resembles that of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The leaker reported that Samsung has slightly tweaked the dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. When unfolded, the phone is expected to measure 155 x 130 x 7.1mm compared to the current model which comes in at 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4mm. This means that Samsung has shortened the device’s height and adjusted those millimeters in its length and width.

One of the earliest rumors about the phone came from The Elec. The report claimed that it’d feature a dedicated S Pen slot like the Galaxy S22 Ultra. A housing for the stylus would definitely be a step in the right direction, but we couldn’t spot one on the leaked renders. Hemmerstoffer also didn’t mention the same in the description of the phone. Either the leaker isn’t aware of the new addition, or the South Korean publication received incorrect information from its sources.

Meanwhile, a report from BusinessKorea claimed that Samsung considered adding an in-display fingerprint sensor to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. However, the firm apparently decided against using the tech and will stick to side-mounted fingerprint scanners instead.

Specs

To start, don’t expect Samsung to bring a bigger foldable. Not that it would make any sense to increase the size more than what the company already offers. Hemmerstoffer and tipster Yogesh Brar report that the phone sports a 6.2-inch exterior display and a 7.6-inch internal screen. Both the panels are supposed to have a 120Hz refresh rate.

Brar’s spec sheet for the phone also includes the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC, 12GB to 16GB of RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of storage. In other words, the top-end Z Fold 4 model could have more RAM than the top-end Z Fold 3, which offered 12GB of RAM on all variants.

It looks like the Galaxy Z fold 4 will skip Samsung’s 45W charging solution. Multiple leaks suggest the phone will retain the same 4,400mAh dual-battery layout as its predecessor and 25W charging. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Samsung’s fastest charging option is not as great as the company makes it out to be. Our testing revealed that 45W charging on the Galaxy S22 Plus and Ultra is barely faster than Samsung’s 25W charging solution.

More coverage: The best foldable phones you can get right now

The camera setup of the Z Fold 4 is where we might see some notable changes. The device is expected to offer a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide shooter, and 12MP 3x telephoto lens. This would be similar to the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, except for the higher resolution telephoto camera.

A 16MP under-display selfie camera is expected to sit on the inner screen, while the external screen might get a 10MP shooter.

What will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 price be?

• Samsung Galaxy Fold — $1,980
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 — $1,999
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 — $1,799

A rumor on the Korean site Naver suggests that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 could be cheaper than the $1,799 Galaxy Z Fold 3. Display analyst Ross Young also thinks Samsung might reduce prices this time around.

Any price cut on the Galaxy Z Fold range would be welcome for enthusiasts looking to pick up a foldable phone. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 turned things around last year with its $999 price tag. We don’t expect Samsung to price the Z Fold 4 in the $1,000 range, but a few hundred dollars shaved off definitely wouldn’t hurt, especially if the phone doesn’t gain a lot of upgrades over the current model.

As good as Samsung’s current large foldable is, the device isn’t without its flaws and areas of potential improvement. So here’s what we want to see from the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Improve the under-display selfie camera

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung’s first phone with an under-display selfie camera used on the inner screen, while a conventional front-facing camera is found on the outer display. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we thought that the under-display shooter took mushy, noisy shots even in ideal conditions.

You told us: You only want under-display cameras if image quality is good

Aside from actual picture quality, the haze produced by this camera was also highly noticeable on the foldable screen itself. Therefore, we’d like to see Samsung address the haziness and/or image quality on the rumored under-display selfie camera this year.

Minimize the display crease

One aspect that surprised many people when the first foldable phones were revealed was the display crease at the folding line. Samsung has done a solid job of reducing the crease over the three generations of foldables, but it’s still something you’ll notice today.

We hope the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s display crease is minimized even more, as rival foldables such as the Oppo Find N and Honor Magic V seemed to have made progress in this regard. We’re not expecting the crease to disappear entirely just yet, but there’s definitely scope for reducing it.

Per-screen display options

Simply put, we would love to see display options on a per-screen basis. For example, we seldom use auto-rotate on the outside screen but often use it on the main display. It would also be great if the refresh rate options varied by screen, so you could have the smartphone screen at 60Hz and the foldable display running as fast as it can (or vice versa).

Some measure of dust resistance

Unfortunately, the Z Fold 3 lacks dust resistance of any kind. This means you still have to treat it with care in some situations. We’d love to see Samsung address this by offering some sort of dust resistance on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. We’re not expecting the top-level IP6x rating, but an IP5x rating would still be great for a foldable.

Dex mode on the foldable screen

Samsung’s Dex is one of the coolest experiences around, giving you a full desktop-like user interface when connecting a flagship device to an external monitor. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 indeed has Dex as well, but we’d love to see Dex on the device itself. This way, you’ve got a full-blown desktop UI on the foldable screen, allowing you to treat the device like a netbook of sorts.

More Samsung coverage: Our guide to Samsung’s One UI Android skin

It wouldn’t be unprecedented, though, as Samsung already lets its higher-end tablets run in Dex mode on the tablet screen itself. So this is another feature we’re adding to our Galaxy Z Fold 4 wishlist, even if the foldable screen isn’t quite as expansive as a flagship tablet display.