Quick Links
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is an excellent foldable smartphone with plenty of flagship features, a beautiful rear camera setup, and large, vibrant displays. The Fold 4 improved on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in nearly every way possible, and it included a plethora of minor, but meaningful enhancements that made it the best foldable smartphone yet from the company. Now that we’re inching towards the anniversary of the Fold 4’s announcement, it’s time to take a closer look at how the Fold 4 held up, and whether you said for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.
You should buy the Galaxy Z Fold 4 today if…
You want to save money
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 isn’t a cheap device, but it’s still one of the “most affordable” foldables on the market you can get your hands on today. The Fold 4 was unveiled for $1,800, and although it’s not cheap, it can be had for $1,400 on places like Amazon. Carriers are also after your hard-earned cash, and they often offer insane bundles and deals on the Fold and Flip series, sometimes giving you up to 50% discount.
In contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is unlikely to receive any massive discounts for at least another month or two, although we suspect Samsung will try to persuade existing users to upgrade with unique and unmissable offers and deals. That said, if you want to save money, the Galaxy Fold 4 is the way to go, especially if you don’t mind the small crease. It has an excellent battery life, a great camera setup, all the features you need, and a beautiful set of displays.
You’re not interested in the Google Pixel Fold
Google is rumored to unveil its first Google Pixel Fold foldable smartphone at Google I/O 2023. We’re only about a week away from the event, at the time of publishing this post. The Pixel Fold is rumored to come equipped with Google’s latest Tensor G2 SoC, a triple rear camera setup, and a wide cover display on the front.
Whether you love or hate Google, we’d strongly recommend you wait it out and see the Pixel Fold for yourself before purchasing the Galaxy Z Fold 4, even if you’ve already made up your mind. If you’ve already decided and have no interest in the Pixel Fold, it might be a good idea to buy the Fold 4, as Samsung and carriers are offering some mind-blowing deals on the device, allowing you to save up to $500 on a brand-new smartphone.
You’re looking for a solid, and excellent foldable flagship
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 might not be the latest or the most powerful foldable flagship in 2023, but it holds up extremely well, and it’s just as beautiful and functional as it was when it was unveiled in August 2022. The Fold 4 is powerful, capable of taking breathtaking photos, and it’s a pleasure to use for multitasking and gaming. While the charging could be a lot faster, it also supports wireless charging, and it has all of the Samsung features that you’ve come to expect, not to mention, it’ll continue receiving monthly security patches and timely OS updates. If you’re looking to save some money and go for something that’s expected to last a few more years, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is an excellent device.
You should wait for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 if…
You’re using the Galaxy Z Fold 3, or an older model
Let’s face it, not many Galaxy Z Fold 4 users are expected to upgrade to the Fold 5, as it’s a rather costly upgrade, and a rather insignificant spec bump, based on the leaks we’ve seen so far. The Fold 4 was also a minor bump in specs when it came out, compared to the Fold 3, but the larger screen was enough for many to go ahead and tap the upgrade button, and shell out more than $1,700 on a new phone.
This year, we expect to see many more users from the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 series devices to upgrade to the Fold 5, and there’s a chance we could see even more first-time foldable smartphone buyers, which is set to grow by more than 44% in 2023 alone (via GSMArena).
You can wait
Samsung often unveils its foldable flagships in the middle of August, although recent leaks suggested we could see the company announce them slightly sooner, perhaps in the last week of July. With that in mind, it’s also worth noting that the Google Pixel Fold is expected to be unveiled at Google I/O 2023, taking place on May 10, which is just one week away at the time of publishing this post.
There are more companies launching foldable devices, and although the options are fairly limited in the US today, it’s almost certain that North America will receive new foldables in the near future. As it stands, users have the option to buy either a Samsung Galaxy foldable, or wait for Google to unveil its own model. OnePlus also publicly stated that it plans to launch a foldable in Q3 this year, but it’s unclear where it’ll be sold, and how much it’ll retail for. If you’re not in a rush, we recommend you wait it out and decide, after the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s announcement.
You want to try the latest foldable from Samsung
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 promises to provide you with the latest and the greatest technology that Samsung has to offer in 2023, and as a result, it’ll likely be the most advanced foldable smartphone from the company yet. The device will reportedly have a new hinge mechanism, no gap, and a crease-less display, providing a more seamless and better experience for drawing and using the phone.
If you want to see what it’s like living on the edge and experience new technology, and of course, you have the budget, it looks like it’s a device that’s worth trying out and test-driving for a while.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
The latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a powerful Qualcomm SoC, a wider display, a better hinge mechanism, and many significant upgrades over its predecessor. Trade in your current device and score up to $1,000 in savings on your new phone.
Other excellent foldable flagship devices worth checking out
-
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
$420 $1000 Save $580The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 from 2022 comes with a 6.7-inch AMOLED foldable display, a small 1.9-inch cover screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, dual-12MP cameras, and much more.
-
Honor Magic Vs
HONOR Magic Vs is a great foldable smartphone offering some of the finest hardware on the market. So, if you're looking for a gadget that you can use for several years, it won't disappoint. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and comes with a capable triple-camera array that captures great images and won't disappoint, making it a great choice.
-
Oppo Find N2 Flip
OPPO Find N2 is the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 competitor on the market. It features a big 3.26-inch cover display, a large 6.8-inch main display, dual-camera setup with a 50MP primary camera, a 4,300 mAh battery with support for 44W USB-C charging, and more.
