Samsung is taking its foldable phone ambitions one step further with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which will be available on August 26 starting at $1,800.
The new book-style foldable phone, announced at Wednesday’s Unpacked event, has a revised design that should be easier to manage in phone mode. It also gets new software to take advantage of its foldable screen and routine upgrades to the processor and camera.
Samsung was an early entrant to the market, launching its first Galaxy Fold device in 2019. According to estimates from Display Supply Chain Consultants and Omdia, it leads the foldable phone market by a wide margin in terms of shipments. But foldable phones still have a place in the wider phone market. The new Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 are Samsung’s latest attempts to change that by correcting some of the biggest criticisms of the previous model, which could make the foldable more appealing to a wider audience.
For example, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a wider overlay screen that more closely resembles a regular non-folding phone when closed. Since the Z Fold 4’s screen isn’t as narrow, this change makes apps look more natural. Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the difference is certainly noticeable, but the display is still not quite as wide as a standard phone like the Galaxy S22 or iPhone 13.
Samsung is also doing more to make the Galaxy Z Fold 4 useful when its display is folded in half. Flex Mode, which splits apps between the top and bottom of the screen when the Z-fold is propped open, is getting a new feature. You’ll be able to use the bottom half of the screen as a trackpad to control content on the top half, similar to the trackpad on a laptop.
This should make it easier to navigate the app in Flex mode, since you don’t have to cover the top of the screen with your fingers while scrolling. The newly released Galaxy Z Flip 4 also has this feature, and Samsung said it will be evaluating bringing it to older Galaxy Z Fold and Flip devices. Samsung also says the Z Fold 4 is the first device to ship with Android 12L, a version of Android optimized for tablets. One of the most notable Android 12 additions is the Z Fold 4’s new taskbar, which should make switching between apps easier.
The overall design of the Z Fold 4 is largely the same, but Samsung claims the Z Fold 4 has a more rigid build. The exterior is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, while the interior tablet-sized display is said to be 45 percent more durable. Samsung also says that the Z Fold 4’s inner screen is brighter than its predecessor, while the built-in under-screen camera is less noticeable. Like its predecessors, the Z Fold 4 is also S Pen compatible.
Otherwise, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will get the camera and processor upgrades you’d expect from an annual phone update. The cameras are of particular note; Samsung is upgrading the Z Fold 4’s triple-lens camera system to a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens. The telephoto lens will support up to 3x optical zoom and up to 30x digital zoom. Samsung also brought the Galaxy S22’s improved low-light photography to the Z Fold 4 and Flip 4.
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