The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is finally here. The new foldable from Samsung offers a lot of improvements, including the latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, upgraded cameras, and much more. But how does it fare against the last year's Galaxy Z Fold 3? In this article, let's compare the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and see if it's worth updating to the newer model.

Design

Starting off with the design, you'll notice that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Fold 3 feature quite a similar outlook. Samsung has dropped the curved-edge design for a more modern straightened-edge look, while the overall body is also a bit wider and shorter compared to the Fold 3, making the foldable feel like a traditional tablet when unfolded. It also weighs slightly less compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 (263g vs. 271g).

Samsung has also improved the hinge design compared to the previous generation, making it more durable and slimmer at the same time. The new hinge design makes it easier to use the cover screen, although it's still large and bulky compared to traditional smartphones. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, like the Fold 3, also doesn't have a built-in silo for the S Pen.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Colors

Source: Samsung

Sadly, the Z Fold 4 won't be available in the Phantom Green color (which was the best color in my opinion). Instead, Samsung is offering the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in a new Graygreen color, which is nothing but a slightly lighter shade of green compared to Phantom Green. It will also be available in Beige, Phantom Black, and a brand new Burgundy color, which first debuted with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Burgundy color variant of the Z Fold 4 is available exclusively on Samsung's website in all storage options.

Display

Samsung Z Fold 4

Source: Pocketnow

Moving onto the display, you'll notice that the overall display specs have remained the same as the last year's Z Fold 3. However, there are some subtle changes here and there. First of all, the display is wider and less tall than before (owing to slight changes in overall body dimensions).

The new hinge design also solves one of the main problems faced by foldable devices, the display crease. During the brief time with the new foldable, our own Adam Lein said, "When unfolded, the screen crease in the middle does seem to be less noticeable than it was on the Fold 3, but if you angle the light just right, you can still see it." We'll hold our final thoughts about the display until the full review (make sure you're subscribed to our YouTube channel).

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

Source: Pocketnow

Samsung also says that the durability of the Main Screen panel has been enhanced, thanks to the new optimized layer structure, which helps to reduce damage from external shock. There is one more noticeable difference between the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the previous model: the cover display is larger and features much smaller bezels.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 cameras

Source: Pocketnow

Coming to the camera department, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 offers a much-improved rear camera system in comparison to the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The triple-camera module on the back now contains a 50MP f/1.8 primary sensor with OIS and Dual Pixel AF (vs. 12MP on the Fold 3), a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto with OIS and PDAF.

Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 3's telephoto lens, which was capable of only 2x optical zoom, the telephoto sensor on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 offers 3x optical zoom and up to 30x Space Zoom (using AI to improve the zooming capabilities). Samsung also says that the new sensor lets in 23% more light for better, sharper, and brighter images.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

Source: Pocketnow

Another improvement comes in the form of a better under-display camera. While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 was the first Samsung foldable to feature an under-display camera (UDC), the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with a better UDC that is less visible under normal viewing conditions. Samsung says this has been possible thanks to a new scatter-type sub-pixel arrangement.

While Samsung hasn't specified the camera specs (we'll update this when we know more), based on the specifications alone, it looks like the company is using a similar camera array to the one found on the Samsung Galaxy S22/S22 Plus. While we're still in the process of testing the cameras of the Galaxy Z Fold 4, i

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset

Source: Pocketnow

Moving onto the chipset, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. The new chip offers a generational improvement over the Snapdragon 888 SoC, which Samsung used in the last year's Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 offers a much higher clock speed of up to 3.2GHz, resulting in a 30% improvement in CPU performance. GPU performance is also up by 10%. The new processor also provides better CPU and GPU efficiency, leading to longer battery life. You can read more about the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip used in the Galaxy Z Fold 4 right here.

More Storage Options

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 back and hinge

Source: Pocketnow

Samsung offers the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in a wider variety of storage configurations than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The Galaxy Fold 4 is available in three storage variants: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, while the Fold 3 was available only in 256GB and 512GB variants. For those who love photography and store lots of media files on their devices, the new 1TB variant might prove to be a good option.

P.S. RAM has remained unchanged. Just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, the Fold 4 also ship with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
$800 $1800 Save $1000

The latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with the most powerful Qualcomm SoC, a wider display, a better hinge mechanism, and many significant upgrades over its predecessor. You can pre-order it now and receive the Standing Cover with S Pen, up to $1,000 off with eligible trade-in, and up to $100 Samsung Credit.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs. Fold 3: Specifications

Category

Galaxy Z Fold 4

Galaxy Z Fold 3

Operating System

Android 12L, One UI 4.1.1

Android 12, One UI 4.1

Inner Display

7.6-inch, 21.6:18, 2,176 x 1,812 resolution, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1-120Hz

7.6-inch, 22.5:18, 2,208 x 1768 resolution, 1-120Hz, Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Exterior Display

6.2-inch, 23.1:9, 2,316 x 904 resolution, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 48-120Hz

6.2-inch, 25:9, 2280 x 832 resolution, 48-120Hz, Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Chipset

Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1

Snapdragon 888

Memory

12GB LPDDR5

12GB LPDDR5

Storage

256GB / 512GB / 1TB

256GB / 512GB

Expandable Storage

No

No

Rear Primary Camera

50MP, ƒ/1.8, 1.0μ, Dual Pixel AF, OIS

12MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel AF

Rear Ultra-Wide Camera

12MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.12μ, FOV: 123-degree

12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Rear Telephoto Camera

10MP, ƒ/2.4, 1.0μ, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom

12MP, ƒ/2.4, 2X optical telephoto

Front Camera (cover display)

10MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.22μ

10MP, ƒ/2.2

Front Camera (under display)

4MP, ƒ/1.8, 2.0μ

4MP, ƒ/1.8

Security

Side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner

Side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner

Connectivity

5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, MST, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2

5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, MST, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1

Ports

USB-C

USB-C

Battery

4,400 mAh
25W wired charging (advertised: 0-50% in 30 mins)
10W wireless charging
4.5W reverse wireless charging

4,400mAh
25W wired charging
10W wireless charging
4.5W reverse wireless charging

Water Resistance

IPX8 (Water resistant)

IPX8 (Water resistant)

Folded Dimensions

155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8mm

158.2 x 67.1 x 16.0 mm

Unfolded Dimensions

155.1 x 130.1 x 7.1mm

158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4mm

Weight

263 grams

271 grams

Colors

Graygreen, Phantom Black, Beige, Burgundy (Samsung Online Store exclusive)

Phantom Black, Phantom Green, Phantom Silver

Price

From $1,799.99

From $1,799.99