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 24)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: Release date and possible prices
We don’t have to guess about release dates for much longer. Samsung is hosting a Galaxy Unpacked event on August 10 that starts at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT. We’d expect both the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to debut there, especially with a foldable device figuring prominently in the event invitation.
For what it’s worth, Samsung has confirmed that foldable phones will be the focus at the August event. “I can’t wait to show you the potential of our new Samsung Galaxy foldables as the ultimate tool for both productivity and self-expression,” wrote Samsung president and head of mobile TM Roh in a blog post promoting the event (opens in new tab).
That launch date fits in with leaker Jon Prosser’s claims about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 launch. Additionally, Prosser expects the full retail release on August 26.
Foldables figure to be one aspect of the August 10 event. Here’s a Samsung Unpacked Event August 2022 preview that covers all the potential product news Samsung could unleash.
As for Galaxy Z Flip 4 price, we not expect Samsung to deviate from what it charges now. After all, one of the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s defining benefits was its more affordable $999 starting price.
However Sudhanshu Ambhore, who has a decent reputation for accurate leaks, has posted prices of Samsung’s next Flip that indicate the foldable phone is getting pricier rather than cheaper.
The prices are in Euros, with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 tipped to start at €1,080 for the 128GB version, €1,160 for the 256GB model and €1,280 for the 512GB flip phone. Comparatively, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 started at €1,049. Do bear in mind that with European taxes converting these precise conversions to dollars won’t give accurate prices, but it would indicate that the best Flip 4 could cost $1,097 rather than $999.
Another price leak by a European retailer shows that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 could get a small price hike. Similar to Sudhanshu Ambhore prediction, this leak also suggests the Flip 4 could start at €1,080 — which is a rise of about $31.50.
You can already register at Samsung.com (opens in new tab) to reserve your right to pre-order whatever Samsung announces on August 10. If you bundle your phone purchase with a watch and earbuds, you can get up to $200 in credit. Just get the phone, and Samsung promises $100 in credit to be used on purchases in its online store.
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.