After all the leaks and rumors Samsung has finally unveiled its new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4, both of which are powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor and go on general sale from August 26th. Besides the new CPU, the two phones feature upgraded camera setups, refined designs, IPX8 rating, and in the case of the Galaxy Z Fold 4,the addition of S Pen functionality. We've got the details for you after the break.
Galaxy Z Flip 4
First up is the Galaxy Z Flip 4 whose predecessor made up 70% of foldable sales made by Samsung in the past twelve months. With the more power efficient Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset combined with the larger 3,700mAh battery with Super Fast Charging (25W), the Flip 4 promises a noticeable improvement in battery life and can charge to 50% in around 30 minutes. It's not OnePlus 10T fast, but at least it's faster than on the Flip 3. The Flip 4 is also the first in its range to benefit from IPX8 protection. There's also Wireless Charging 2.0 and Wireless PowerShare in case you need to charge up your earbuds.
This is good news because the Flip 4 has a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz. While the selfie camera is hidden underneath the main display, the fingerprint sensor is located on the right-hand side of the phone. A 1.9-inch Super AMOLED display is on the exterior of the phone with more options in terms of customizations and functionality.
The dual rear cameras consist of a pair of 12MP sensors, with the main camera sporting OIS and Dual Pixel AF while the secondary sensor is of the ultra-wide variety. The cameras get a new trick called FlexCam which lets users partially fold the Flip 4 to take hands-free video or short full group selfies from a variety of angles. And, thanks to Samsung working with Meta, FlexCam is compatible with InstaGram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. You can also take high quality selfie pics or even videos from the cover screen by using the main camera with its upgraded Quick Shot function. You can use the cover screen to make and receive calls, reply to texts, and even access the SmartThings Scene widget. Finally, you can even use custom fonts, icons, and designs with images, GIFs, and video to make the cover screen suit your tastes.
The Flip 4 runs Android 12/One UI 4.1.1 out of the box because One UI 5 is still in the beta phase of its development. Available in Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, and Blue, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is priced from $999 in the US and £999 in the UK.
Galaxy Z Fold 4
Also powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 gains a number of enhancements over its predecessor including the holy grail of larger internal and cover displays whilst keeping with the general size. Bezels have been trimmed, and Samsung has also made use of lightweight materials to keep the weight down to 263g. Rather than being revolutionary, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 should rather be seen as a refinement over the Fold 3, and that's no bad thing when you think that many of those looking to updrage will be doing so from the Galaxy Z Fold 2. All Fold 4 configurations come with 12GB of RAM, and the choice of 256/512GB of built-in storage, with a 1TB variant available only via Samsung's online store.
Sporting a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X internal display which has a 1-120Hz refresh rate, the Fold 4's cover display is now a very usable 6.2-inches and doesn't (from my all-too-brief hands-on) feel like an afterthought. Both displays are protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus+, with the main panel also benefitting from Samsung's latest Ultra Thin Glass.
A trio of rear cameras include a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide with 123° FoV, and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x Optical Zoom and 30x Space Zoom, with the cover display featuring a 10MP selfie camera and the internal display hiding a 4MP selfie camera under it. It's less noticeable than on the Fold 3, but you can still see its location without needing a microscope.
Anyhow, a 4.400mAh battery keeps the lights on with support for 25W wired charging and also Wireless Charging 2.0. The fingerprint sensor is on the side of the device rather than under the display, and just like the Flip 4, there is IPX8 water resistance although it's not advised to take the Fold 4 swimming.
While the Galaxy Z Fold 4 runs on One UI 4.1.1, it's actually based on Android 12L which brings further optimizations for foldable devices and, when you consider the added S Pen functionality, should improve productivity levels. Speaking of the S Pen, unlike initial rumors there is no built-in storage for the smart stylus which instead needs to a compatible case to keep it safe.
Unlike the Galaxy Z Flip 4, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes in a trio of rather understated colorways which consists of Phantom Black, GrayGreen, and Beige at all retailers, with the Burgundy option only on sale directly from the Samsung store. Here's hoping that Bora Purple makes its way to the Fold 4 sooner rather than later.
Finally, we get to the pricing and spoiler alert, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 isn't cheap. The base 245GB Galaxy Z Fold 4 is priced at $1,799/£1,649 which isn't exactly bringing it into the mainstream consumer's reach, but there we are.
