The Galaxy Z Flip 4 will have a tough act to follow after the Galaxy Z Flip 3 arrived last summer. With that model, Samsung refined its clamshell-style foldable phone by making improvements across the board and introducing a much more reasonable $999 starting price.
But there’s always room to grow, especially among the still emerging category of foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is far from perfect, so Samsung has plenty of ways to make a better device when a new version arrives later this year. From battery life to durability, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 could be a game-changer like its predecessor.
We’re learning more about the next affordable Galaxy Z foldable, though there are still questions about what’s allegedly coming from Samsung in another month or so. We’ve gathered what have heard and what we’d like to see from the Galaxy Z Flip 4 for it to become one of the best foldable phones.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 latest news (updated July 18)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: Possible price and release date
Given the history of Samsung’s product releases, we’d guess that Samsung will host an Unpacked in August for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4. The Galaxy Z phones took the Galaxy Note’s place as Samsung’s mid-year device launch, and Samsung probably wants some lead time before the iPhone 14 arrives in its usual September launch window.
Our suspicions fit in with what leaker Jon Prosser had to say about the Z Flip launching. He’s claiming August 10 will be the day we first see the handset, with the full retail release happening a little while after on August 26.
That August 10 launch claim has been further supported by Evan Blass, who published what seems to be a promotional image of the Z Flip 4 which features that very date.
Samsung has yet to formally confirm an Unpacked event will happen in August, but you can read our Samsung Unpacked Event August 2022 preview to get a sense of what to expect from that potential product launch.
As for Galaxy Z Flip 4 price, we can’t imagine Samsung deviating from what it charges now. After all, one of the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s defining benefits was its more affordable $999 starting price. If Samsung wants to convince more people to try foldables, the price has to be right. Perhaps the price could drop further though, according to a tweet posted by reliable leaker Ross Young.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 design
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 was a gentle revision of the original Galaxy Z Flip (Samsung skipped the second generation so it could line up with the Galaxy Z Fold line), and from what we’ve seen and heard, the Z Flip 4 could be another slight tweak of the current model’s design.
A batch of renders shows this off well. The Z Flip 4 will apparently have a familiar size and shape, with a larger outer display size. On the inside, leaker Ice Universe says that the crease in the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s display will be much less visible, which would answer one of the biggest complaints people have about foldable phones.
Another set of leaked images allegedly of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 have surfaced on TechTalkTV (opens in new tab), and they further back up that rumor. In this shot, at least, the crease is barely visible.
Like the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the Z Flip 4 could get a redesigned hinge that could make the phone slimmer. We suspect that’s a bigger deal for the larger Fold, as that will make Samsung’s foldables more portable, but we’re never going to object to a more streamlined design.
The thinner hinge is visible in leaked Galaxy Z Flip 4 images posted by Evan Blass. Those reported images, shared at 91mobiles (opens in new tab), show off a more prominent camera bump — could Samsung be improving the cameras on this phone? — and a less tapered design.
For color choices, the only rumor we’ve got to go off of has claimed there will be four to pick from. Those are apparently going to be gold, silver, light blue and light violet.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: Rumored specs
Initial leaks surrounding the Galaxy Z Flip 4 paint the picture of a phone that will be very similar to the current model. A rumor claims that Samsung could keep the same 6.7-inch internal and 1.9-inch external displays of the Galaxy Z Flip 3. That would make sense — the Flip 3’s design is pretty good and the external display is definitely useful.
However, Ross Young says that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 might sport a larger cover display, measuring at least two inches, with Yogesh Brar later saying it’ll specifically be 2.1 inches.
We’ve also heard rumors that Samsung has tested (opens in new tab) a version of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 with an under-display camera. Considering the shoddy one in the Galaxy Z Fold 3, we sure hope that’s not final. The source of this leak claims that Samsung is hoping to lighten the Galaxy Z Flip 3 by adjusting the hinge design. We just want to see a gapless design like the one offered by the Oppo Find N.
Some rumors have said that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 could have the same 3,300 mAh battery as the Flip 3. However, two leaks have said that Samsung is actually planning to increase the total capacity by 400 mAh. That’s a decent bump, but given how bad the battery life is on the current Z Flip, Samsung needs to do more to improve the phone’s efficiency.
To run the phone, Samsung could turn to the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, rather than the current standard 8 Gen 1 found in phones like the Galaxy S22 series. That would give it a nice performance boost compared to last year’s model and many phones launched already this year, as these leaked benchmarks seem to indicate.
The Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro was the first Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1-powered phone we had the chance to test. And if the ROG Phone 6 Pro benchmarks are any indication, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 could be in line for a nice performance boost over its predecessor should Samsung turn to Qualcomm’s latest silicon.
Another similarity with the older model could be a power button-mounted fingerprint sensor. Samsung has been working on an under-display fingerprint sensor for its foldables, but it’s decided the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 are better off without that for now.
The phone might debut under a different name later this year. In some European countries, the current model is now being sold as the Galaxy Flip 3, an apparent response to Russian officials appropriating the letter Z as a way to support the Ukraine invasion. It’s possible Samsung might drop the Z entirely for the next version of the phone, calling it the Galaxy Flip 4 instead.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: What we’d like to see
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 was a pretty good improvement over the original Galaxy Z Flip. But it was very far from perfect. We think Samsung could stand to address some of those glaring issues when it releases the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Better battery life
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 had abysmal battery life. In the Tom’s Guide battery life test, it didn’t even last 6 hours in the adaptive refresh rate mode. That’s not good. We think that was due in part to the 120Hz internal displays and larger cover display, all of which drain more power. In our review, we recommended keeping a charger handy if you went with the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
For the Galaxy Z Flip 4, we want to see better battery life. Simple, but that might be a tall order unless Samsung puts in larger power packs. The improved power efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset gives us some additional hope about the Z Flip 4’s prospects for lasting longer on a charge, though.
Improved durability
While Samsung made great strides in improving the durability of the last round of its foldables, we’ve read reports that Galaxy Z Flip 3 units are breaking a few months into ownership. While we can’t verify these reports with our own experience, it’s nonetheless concerning to hear about phones not making it through their first year. It’s another area where foldables have a long way to go.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 would ideally see continued improvements in durability and longevity. No one wants to spend $999 on a phone for it to break and/or become inoperable within a year, let alone a few months. Perhaps the rumored change to the hinge can help in this regard.
Gapless hinge
While Samsung may have pioneered the foldable phone form factor, it turns out that Oppo one-upped the Korean phone maker in one key area: hinge design. The Oppo Find N has a truly gapless hinge. That means there is no gap between the displays right at the hinge, which should help to protect the internal screens from dust and damage.
We’d like to see the Galaxy Z Flip 4 (and Galaxy Z Fold 4) adopt a gapless hinge design. Samsung, just take a page out of Oppo’s playbook.
Faster charging
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 topped out at 15W wired charging, which is pathetically slow compared to the rest of the industry, let alone phones that push or exceed the $1,000 mark. When phones like the OnePlus 9 Pro can charge at 65W, we wanted to see the Flip 3 charge much faster, especially with how bad the battery life was.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 should come with 25W at the very least, which is what the Galaxy S22 clocks in at. (The Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Plus charge at 45W wired.)
A telephoto lens
Likely in the attempt to keep the costs down, Samsung opted not to include a telephoto lens on the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The phone had two cameras, a main sensor and an ultrawide. When the $999 Galaxy S22 Plus comes with a 3x telephoto lens, we think the lack of one on the Flip 3 is quite noticeable.
For the Galaxy Z Flip 4, we want to see a telephoto lens added, even if it just features a 2x or 2.5x zoom. While there are sacrifices to be made when going with a foldable, losing out on camera capabilities seems like a harder one for Samsung to justify.
