Little by little, we are getting a complete picture of Samsung's Galaxy Fold 4. And while lately there have been snippets of information, today we get a lot more. What to say about almost all of the specifications? Read more
We were somewhat surprised when Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 3. It was the most expensive Galaxy phone at the time but it did not have the best cameras. For that, you had to buy a Galaxy S22 Ultra. And it is exactly that device that Samsung is now looking at for the upcoming Fold 4.
Because if this rumor from Dohyun Kim is true, the Galaxy Z Fold4 will get the same 108MP camera as found in the S22 Ultra. That camera, at the time of writing, is in a shared spot 14 in the rankings at DxOMark but is the best scoring Samsung phone.
Possibly hefty upgrade for camera Fold4
The Fold3 with its triple 12MP camera scores spot 30 at that same DxOMark so it's not just an improvement in pixel count. Now the Galaxy S22 Ultra features more cameras than just its 108MP main camera. It also has a 12MP ultra-wide-angle and a 10MP periscope lens with up to 10x optical zoom. The former will presumably reach the Fold 4, the latter will not.
3x optical zoom
For zooming, presumably a 10MP sensor with 3x optical zoom will be used. This will make the zoom range slightly less but still larger than the maximum 2x of the current Fold 3.
Whether this rumor turns out to be true remains to be seen. The launch of Samsung's next foldable is not expected until the fall of 2022. So anything can still happen.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 was the first Fold with support for the S Pen. It seemed like the perfect marriage even though you had to store the pen outside of the device. Rumors that its successor could store the Pen inside the device sounded logical but it does not seem to be going that way.
Indeed; the Fold 4 becomes especially less hefty. And so then there's no room for a pen at all. That rumor comes from Ice universe who often provides us with correct information. He predicts that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be mostly smaller and less thick.
S Pen also from Fold 4 onwards cannot be stored in the device itself
It is still unclear whether the Z Fold4 will maintain the same aspect ratio. Oppo recently attracted attention with the Find N that is slightly wider but considerably less high. When folded, this does result in a smaller screen but one that is still usable in terms of its width. This is more convenient when entering text, something the Samsung is not good at when folded. We will have to wait and see if Samsung will use the same proportions.
S Pen in separate accessory
It is clear that the S Pen will not be placed in the phone itself, something that was possible with the Note models. Somehow that is a shame because this means that you have to keep it outside the device, just like with the current Fold 3. In a case for example which in turn makes it extra large. And the chance of losing it is a lot higher.
Not many phones are equipped with it; the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The majority has yet to be announced. Yet Qualcomm is working on a successor; the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus. This one should not only fix the overheating problems but also equalize performance with the competition. And Samsung wants it in the Fold 4.
The rumor that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus comes from @UniverseIce. This insider is more often than not right when it comes to predictions of yet unannounced phones.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus
If Samsung's next foldable phone is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus is remarkable. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was made by Samsung but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus is expected to be made by competitor TSMC. We don't know exactly why this is. Both manufacturers use a 4 nm process but they are not 100% equal. Qualcomm has yet to officially announce the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus, maybe we will a reason when that happens.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus vs Exynos 2200
Whether all Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 models will get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus remains to be seen. Samsung is also using its own Exynos 2200 processor, mainly for the European market. It is well known that the Exynos version does not perform as well as its Qualcomm counterpart. Much to the dismay of users.
In a recently published benchmark, both the Exynos 2200 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 were beaten by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000. MediaTek is mainly known for its relatively simple chipsets but has recently impressed us with very good results. However, the absolute king of mobile chipsets is Apple's A Bionic chipset, which has still not been overtaken by the competition.
Super UTG
The Z Fold 4 is further expected to feature a new version of Samsung's ultra-thin glass (UTG). This Super UTG layer is said to be stronger and therefore more resistant for use with a stylus. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 was equipped with a special version of the S Pen with a tip that would retract when too much pressure was applied.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus