Throughout its first three generations, Samsung’s flagship foldable telephone has made large leaps and enhancements. Simply placing collectively the unique Fold with its versatile OLED display was a triumph of engineering, though it had some apparent flaws. Then on the Z Fold 2, Samsung removed the selfie notch, elevated the scale of the Cover Screen and redesigned the hinge to raised face up to on a regular basis put on and tear. And with the Z Fold 3, we acquired native stylus help and water resistance on a foldable for the primary time.

But with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, it seems like Samsung has slowed down to shine the blueprint it has been revising over time. We’re speaking sharper cameras with an extended zoom, higher battery life, a renewed concentrate on multitasking and extra. So whereas it won’t look all that totally different, the Z Fold 4 feels prefer it’s 5 to 10 % improved throughout virtually each metric. Yeah, it’s nonetheless type of cumbersome, and with a beginning worth of $1,800, it is far more costly than a typical glass brick. But that’s the tax you pay for a cutting-edge machine that’s truly prepared for the mainstream.

Pros

• Brighter principal display
• Upgrade principal and telephoto cams
• Sleeker hinge
• Polished design
• Noticeably higher battery life

Cons

• Still type of cumbersome
• No built-in stylus storage
• Very costly

Design and sturdiness

Weighing 263 grams or 9.28 American yeehaw models and measuring 15.8mm at its hinge when closed, the Z Fold 4 is lower than 10 grams lighter and 1mm thinner than the earlier mannequin. That’s a distinction that’s nearly not possible to discern – even when holding each telephones on the identical time. But that doesn’t imply all the things is identical.

The bezels and body across the 6.2-inch Cover Screen have been trimmed down, permitting for a show that’s about 3mm wider than earlier than. That won’t sound like a lot, however it makes a huge impact. Typing fast replies or searches on my Z Fold 3 typically felt cramped, leading to common typos. But even with out actually rising the Fold’s bodily dimensions Samsung has improved the typing expertise and reduce on mishits.

On prime of that, the hinge is a bit flatter and thinner and the entire telephone has barely sharper edges, nearly as if Samsung honed its design with a whetstone. And it’s an identical story on the within, the place the plastic bezels surrounding the 7.6-inch versatile OLED show have been trimmed down too. The impact is refined, however all the things is a bit sleeker and toned up, though the telephone is definitely a contact wider than earlier than. You nonetheless get a side-mounted fingerprint reader, which is quick and responsive and the only option for this machine till somebody figures out find out how to make an under-screen sensor for versatile shows.

The Z Fold 4 sports activities Gorilla Glass Victus+ in back and front, together with the corporate’s signature Armor Aluminum alloy holding all the things collectively. Samsung additionally says it has modified the development of its versatile show to be 45 % extra sturdy than earlier than, whereas the addition of latest steel plates and sponges behind the show assist forestall it from turning into mushy over time – not that it was actually a problem on earlier gadgets.

Of course, the one exception to the surprisingly rugged construct on latest Folds’ is Samsung’s built-in display protector, which as soon as once more comes with a warning on first boot that it shouldn’t be eliminated by anybody apart from an authorized technician. Now, I’ve been very open concerning the effervescent points I’ve skilled on each my Z Fold 2 and Z Fold 3, and this stays one in all my greatest considerations. This yr, Samsung says it switched to a stickier adhesive and a brand new manufacturing facility utility course of meant to forestall the display protector from peeling away or effervescent prematurely. Naturally, I haven’t had time to see how this transformation will maintain up over time, however you higher imagine I’m going to revisit this down the road.

Display

Next, let’s speak concerning the star of the present: the Z Fold 4’s show, or on this case shows. Both the 6.2-inch Cover Screen and the 7.6-inch principal display help a 120Hz adaptive refresh fee and glorious brightness. Using a light-weight meter, I measured the Cover Screen hitting simply shy of 700 nits on an all-white display, whereas the inside show did even higher at round 750 nits. And with Samsung claiming a peak brightness of over 1,000 nits, all the things from video games to motion pictures simply look higher.

Honestly, this versatile principal show remains to be the factor I like most concerning the Fold. You get a small vibrant display on the skin that’s straightforward to make use of one-handed, so you may shortly lookup instructions or textual content a buddy whereas strolling round. Then when you’ve got an opportunity to take a seat down, you may open up the telephone to disclose an enormous and much more colourful show for all of your productiveness or leisure wants. And all this comes on a tool that simply suits in your pocket.

Yeah, there’s nonetheless a crease, and it’d be good if it wasn’t there. But after utilizing a Fold for even a short while, you cease caring about it and also you begin having fun with the display for all of its strengths. When you need to bury your self in a e-book, setting one thing just like the Kindle app to show white textual content on a pure black background transforms the Fold 4’s OLED display into the perfect e-reader round. Comics arguably look even higher because of wealthy, punchy colours. And as a result of there’s a lot display area to make the most of, you get room for immersive viewing in tight quarters like on the subway, or potent productiveness if that’s what you want.

Before I overlook, whereas it’s nonetheless straightforward to see once you’re searching for it, the brand new subpixel matrix on prime of the Fold 4’s under-display-camera does an excellent higher job of camouflaging its 4MP sensor. Just don’t count on an enormous improve in picture high quality, as a result of this factor isn’t good for rather more than exhibiting your face throughout video calls.

Performance and software program

When it involves efficiency, there isn’t actually something that may lavatory the Z Fold down. Recent video games like Diablo: Immortal and Warhammer 40,000: Lost Crusade run tremendous clean. Same goes for when you’ve got three totally different apps on display on the identical time. It packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, as much as 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (or 1TB in case your order direct from Samsung). And in exams, the Z Fold 4 even flexes on its little brother, with multicore scores in Geekbench 5 of 4,036 versus 3,441 for the S22 Ultra.

But extra importantly, Samsung and its companions (like Google and Microsoft) proceed to boost the telephone’s multitasking software program because of expanded help for Flex mode and a platform based mostly on Android 12L. Now for those who’re scrolling via a information website like say Engadget, it is even simpler to open a hyperlink in a brand new window with out dropping your house. And when the telephone is half closed, apps like YouTube and Netflix routinely alter their UI to raised fit your orientation.

That stated, my favourite enchancment is the Fold 4’s redesigned taskbar, which now lives on the backside of the display and serves as a robust extension of the standard Android Home row. When you launch an app, the underside row of icons cleverly shrinks and expands, supplying you with entry to your Home Row, together with lately opened apps and any app pairs you might have created – all with out taking on an excessive amount of area.

And whereas they’re type of hidden, for those who dive into Samsung’s Labs within the Advanced setting menu, you may activate various much more useful multitasking options and gestures. Take for instance the two-finger swipe up from the underside or sides of the display that permits you to immediately launch into break up display mode, which makes multitasking a cinch. Alternatively, in order for you a extra desktop-like method, you may toggle on the multi-window menu choice, which provides slightly tab on the prime of apps that holds one other set of spilt display choices.

However, I need to admit I’m probably not a fan of Samsung’s new Flex Mode Panel, which presents slightly laptop-like touchpad and a few fast settings on the underside of an app when the telephone is half-open. It’s type of clunky, and since some media apps like YouTube have already got their very own custom-made Flex Mode layouts, I’ve but to come across a state of affairs the place having slightly mouse cursor is definitely all that helpful.

But that’s only one small swing and a miss, and for Samsung which is type of plowing via uncharted territory with its makes an attempt so as to add highly effective multitasking options to a foldable phablet, one whiff amongst a bunch of useful hits is hardly one thing to get upset about.

Cameras

While the Z Fold 4 nonetheless can’t actually hold with telephones just like the S22 Ultra or the Pixel 6 Pro, that hole isn’t almost as massive because it was once. Not solely do you get a brand new 10MP telephoto cam with a 3x optical zoom – up from 2x on the Z Fold 3 – there’s additionally a brand new 50MP principal cam that catches 23 % extra mild than earlier than. That has a noticeable impression on low-light pics. And earlier than I overlook, there’s nonetheless a stable 12MP ultra-wide digital camera for capturing all of your group photographs and expansive landscapes.

At night time particulars are crisper, with the Z Fold capturing a shot of the NYC skyline that includes gentle, blurry lights on the buildings within the distance in comparison with an identical pic from the Pixel 6 Pro. And in one other shot of some mangos at a fruit stand, the Fold 4 arguably captured higher textures, although Samsung’s photograph processing strumbled by choosing a white steadiness that’s a bit too heat.

But if picture high quality is tremendous essential to you, telephones just like the Pixel 6 Pro nonetheless have an apparent benefit. Even in daylight the place most each high-end telephone can shoot an ideal photograph these days, the Pixel 6 Pro captured sharper focus and richer element than something the Z Fold 4 may handle.

Battery Life

Remember once I stated the Z Fold 4’s quicker efficiency is difficult to totally recognize? Well, that could be true with regards to processing energy, however with regards to power effectivity, the advance you get from the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip is obvious to see. On our native video rundown check, the Z Fold 4 posted a time of 17 hours and 13 minutes for its principal display, in comparison with 14:03 for final yr’s Z Fold 3. 

That’s greater than stable for any smartphone, not to mention a foldable with an enormous principal show. Alternatively, if for some cause you’re in a state of affairs the place you’re solely utilizing the Cover Screen all day, it did even higher with a mark of 20:45. And when it is advisable to refill, the Fold 4 nonetheless has 25-watt quick charging (which sadly is isn’t fairly as speedy because the 45-watt charging you get on the S22 Ultra), 15-watt wi-fi charging and wi-fi energy sharing for topping off different devices in want.

Wrap-up

When it involves how you are feeling concerning the Z Fold 4, I feel a number of that is determined by your opinion about foldables typically. There’s no denying that Samsung’s newest and best remains to be approach bulkier than a regular smartphone, and at $1,800 it’s much more costly too. And when you think about that its design is actually the identical as earlier than, I doubt the upgrades included on this era are actually going to sway the naysayers. For present Z Fold 3 homeowners, it’s additionally type of the identical. The enhancements are good, however probably not price shelling out a bunch of cash to improve after solely a yr.

But for individuals who have been tempted by a foldable that’s arguably essentially the most highly effective pocket-size multitasker you should buy proper now, now there are much more causes to contemplate diving in. The Z Fold 4’s cameras are higher, its efficiency is quicker and its battery life is even longer with out Samsung truly rising the scale of the ability cell inside. Also, because of new software program, it feels just like the Z Fold 4 is actually beginning to unlock the true potential for productiveness on a handheld machine. And we haven’t even talked about stylus help, which is simply as useful as ever, and is just introduced down by the dearth of built-in storage for stashing an S Pen.

Do I want Samsung had cribbed among the fancy options seen on different high-end foldables from Vivo, Xiaomi and others? Yes, completely, and I gained’t be shocked if we get some main design modifications on subsequent yr’s providing. But as a complete bundle, Samsung has tweaked and refined the Z Fold 4’s equipment with simply sufficient for it to retain its title because the flagship foldable telephone to beat.