Samsung introduces the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4. They look very similar to their predecessors, but are better equipped in some areas. Among other things, the cameras are more powerful and the expensive devices have become more robust.
Smartphones with flexible displays are still not mass-produced, but their niche is slowly expanding. Samsung wants to sell half a million of its foldables this year. Compared to the sales figures for the Galaxy S smartphones with up to 40 million devices sold per year, that's not much either, but the South Koreans are convinced of the long-term success of their folding and folding smartphones.
Part of Samsung's concept is not to reinvent the foldables every year, but to consistently develop them further. You have to look twice at the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 presented today to see differences from their predecessors, but they are actually better equipped in important areas.
The dimensions of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 are almost unchanged, and the inner and outer displays are the same at 6.7 and 1.9 inches. However, the small screen is now protected by the more robust Gorilla Glass Victus, and the flexible panel is said to be 45 percent more resistant thanks to a new layer structure.
Since the device is also waterproof according to IPX8, it can withstand a lot for a folding smartphone. However, the X in the certification indicates that it is not protected against dust or sand.
A slimmer hinge allows, among other things, that the battery could grow and now holds at least 3700 instead of 3300 milliampere hours (mAh). The battery can now also be quickly charged with a suitable power supply unit, so it is up to 50 percent full in 30 minutes.
In addition to the short runtime, the camera equipment was also criticized on the previous model. The resolution of the main and ultra wide-angle camera is again only 12 megapixels (MP) and the aperture sizes have also remained unchanged at f/1.8 and f/2.2. The same applies to the front camera with 10 MP and aperture f/2.4. Nevertheless, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 should be able to take better videos and photos. This could be mainly due to the more powerful processor, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 (Gen.1), which can access 8 gigabytes (GB) of RAM as before.
That is to be hoped for, because the device has a few special camera talents with the folding function. Among other things, it is partially opened in the so-called FlexCam mode. In it, it is possible to take videos or group selfies hands-free from different angles.
Prices have stayed high. With 128 GB of storage, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 costs around 1100 euros, with 256 GB 1160 and with 512 GB 1280 euros. However, Samsung's foldables have been enjoyed for a long time, as they have already proven that they can withstand at least 200,000 folding movements. And the manufacturer grants four major OS updates and five years of security updates. The folding smartphone comes onto the market with the current Android 12.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is available for pre-order now and will be available from August 26th.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has received a significant camera upgrade. Because the main camera (f/1.8) with optical image stabilization (OIS) now has a resolution of 50 instead of 12 MP. In addition, its sensor is 23 percent brighter than its predecessor. In addition, there is an ultra-wide-angle camera (OIS) with 12 MP and aperture f/2.2 and a telephoto snap with 10 MP and aperture f/2.4 on board.
The inner display still measures 7.6 inches and, like the Flip 4 screen, offers an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hertz (Hz). The 4MP selfie camera hidden under the display is now a little less visible than before due to denser pixel coverage. The front display has also stayed the same size at 6.2 inches, and like the Fold 4, both screens are now more resilient.
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 is also at work in Samsung's new folding smartphone, with 12 GB of RAM. The more efficient processor could increase the mileage a bit, but the battery capacity has remained unchanged at 4400 mAh.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with Android 12L, an operating system version specially adapted for large displays. A new taskbar provides quick access to favorite or recently opened apps. In addition, there are the well-known multitasking advantages such as a split screen, pop-up windows or drag-and-drop.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 with 256 GB of storage costs just under 1800 euros, for the variant with 512 GB you have to shell out 1920 euros. If you want a terabyte (TB), you have to pay 2160 euros.
The Galaxy Z Fold can also be pre-ordered now and will be available from August 26th.
