Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Everything You Need to Know

While it isn’t the revolutionary new foldable you may have hoped for, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 aims to fix all the problems of its predecessor. Its screen is wider, its hinge has a smaller air gap, and finally, its cameras seem appropriate for a flagship device.

Note: Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z Fold 4 during its August 2022 Unpacked event. The phone was accompanied by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5, and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

But are these iterative improvements worth the $1,799 price tag? Here’s everything you need to know about Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4.

The Raw Specs

For all you spec-heads out there, here are the raw Galaxy Z Fold 4 specs:

• Cover Display: 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
• Inner Display: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
• Processor: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
• Operating System: Android 12L (One UI 4.1.1)
• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
• RAM: 12GB
• Main Cameras: 50MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide) 10MP (3x telephoto)
• Cover Display Selfie Camera: 10MP
• Inner Display Selfie Camera: 10MP (under display)
• Battery: 4,400mAh
• Wired Charging Speed: 25 watts
• Wireless Charging: Fast Wireless Charging 2.0
• Reverse Wireless Charging: Yes
• Fingerprint Sensor: Capacitive (side of phone)
• Networking: 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Headphone Jack: Nope
• SIM Support: Up to two Nano SIM and one eSIM
• Protection: IPX8 water resistance

If these specs look familiar, that’s because the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is an incremental upgrade over last year’s phone. Still, the devil’s in the details. Read on for a more detailed analysis.

Broad Details: Release Date, Colors, and Pricing

Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 opened after an Unpacked event on August 10th of 2022. The phone debuted alongside Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5 lineup, and Galaxy Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 starts at $1,799 and comes with 256GB of storage. This is the same launch price of its predecessor—clearly, rumors of a price hike were incorrect. Those who are willing to pay extra can buy an upgraded model with 512GB or 1TB of storage, but notably, all configurations include 12GB of RAM.

Samsung sells the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in Beige, Phantom Black, or Graygreen colorways. There’s also a Burgundy model sold exclusively through Samsung’s website. At the time of writing, Samsung sells several cases for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 (including an S Pen case), though they are quite expensive.

The Design: Wider and Flatter (In a Good Way)

At a glance, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 looks identical to its predecessor. But Samsung made a few small changes that should dramatically improve the user experience and “feel” of this phone.

The most notable change, at least in our opinion, is the device’s aspect ratio. This phone is wider than its predecessor, with a new 2.3:9 aspect ratio for the cover display (previously 24.5:9) and a 6:5 ratio for the inner screen (previously 5:4).

The cover and inner screens are still 7.6 inches and 6.2 inches, respectively. But their new aspect ratio should dramatically improve usability, as the narrow cover display was our biggest complaint when we reviewed the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Additionally, Samsung upgraded the cover display with a 120Hz adaptive panel. It seems that the company is finally putting its claims to the test—if the cover display is that useful, then it shouldn’t be skinny or underpowered.

And as with every generation of foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 uses a new hinge. Samsung calls this one the “Slim Hinge,” as it reduces the phone’s thickness and gives it less of an air gap when closed. The Galazy Z Fold 4 is 15.8mm thick (when closed) and weighs just 254 grams—for comparison, the previous model was 16mm thick (when closed) and weighed 271 grams.

Other design aspects remain unchanged. Samsung is still using an under-display camera, for example, and the side-mounted fingerprint sensor isn’t going anywhere. There’s still a triple rear-camera array, an IPX8 water-resistance rating, and a 4,400mAh battery.

Those who were hoping for an integrated S Pen slot will be disappointed. As with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 cannot hold an S Pen without an add-on carrying case. But this year’s case looks like an improvement, as it doesn’t place the S Pen over the phone’s hinge.

Spec Talk: A Flagship-Level Processor

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 is leaping ahead of the game with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. This is a more powerful chipset than what Samsung included in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is quite interesting.

Comparing the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s processing power to the Galaxy S22 Ultra probably isn’t worth the effort. These are two very different phones. But for what it’s worth, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 should offer a noticeable improvement over the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s Snapdragon 888 chipset.

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with 12GB of RAM. Its base model includes 256GB of storage, and customers can upgrade to 512GB if they need the extra space. But there’s also a new 1TB storage configuration—perfect for travelers who save a ton of movies or work-related files on their phone.

Samsung is shipping this phone with Android 12L, which should offer a better day-one experience than a standard version of Android. The “L” variant is specially optimized for phones with larger displays, especially foldable phones. (As with other Samsung flagships, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 gets four years of OS updates.)

Plus, Android 12L powers the new Galaxy Fold Taskbar. It’s basically the same idea as the Windows Taskbar—shortcuts sit at the bottom of your screen, giving you easy access to your most important apps, files, and contacts.

Battery-wise, we’re looking at a 4,400mAh capacity (the same as last year), plus 25-watt wired charging with a compatible power adapter (Samsung doesn’t include one in the box). This phone also includes Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 and Samsung’s reverse wireless charging technology.

Networking features should also sound familiar. There’s 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2 support. Customers can use up to two Nano SIM cards and one eSIM. (Samsung hasn’t clarified mmWave 5G support—we’ll update this when we know.)

All About Cameras: Finally, a Flagship Lens

Last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 relied on some pretty small camera sensors. The main camera was especially disappointing—it was just 12MP! Once again, a small-yet-frustrating mistake that Samsung wants to address with the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Instead of a measly 12MP main camera, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 packs a 50MP lens. It isn’t up to scuff with the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 108MP camera, but it’s a massive improvement over the previous foldable.

Additionally, there’s a 12MP ultra-wide (same as last year) and a “downgraded” 10MP telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom. (This telephoto lens does support Samsung’s 30X Space Zoom, by the way.)

The cover display still uses a 10MP selfie camera, and the 4MP under-display camera is here to stay. Until we test the phone in person, we won’t know if the under-display camera offers any improvements in design or photo quality.

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Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 open August 10th, 2022. The phone starts at $1,799 and is available through all major carriers and retailers. Samsung offers special trade-in discounts for this device and sells it in an exclusive Burgandy colorway.

We will update this article with any new Galaxy Z Fold 4 information. Be sure to join our free newsletter for future updates, news, and reviews!