It’s not a day for giant updates or surprises from Samsung, and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is holding the road. It’s the newest technology of Samsung’s smaller foldable, and it comes with some small however significant upgrades, like an even bigger battery, upgraded digital camera {hardware}, and a stronger most important show. There are some new colours, too, which you’ll combine and match to create your individual “bespoke” Flip 4. But in the event you have been holding your breath for a value drop, then we’ve obtained some unhealthy information for you: it nonetheless begins at $999 — reasonably priced by foldable requirements however nonetheless within the higher echelons of smartphone pricing.

Naturally, there’s an up to date chipset: the Flip 4 comes with a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 (paired with 8GB of RAM), which you’ll discover on mainly each flagship Android cellphone not made by Google launched this 12 months. The hinge is somewhat slimmer, and Samsung straightened out the beforehand curved edges of the cellphone, shaving off a few millimeters in width and peak. The thickness stays the identical, although: 17.1mm on the hinge and 15.9mm the place the ends of the show meet, so the hole when the cellphone is folded is identical measurement.

The most important display continues to be 6.7 inches with a 120Hz variable refresh charge, and it’s a claimed 45 p.c stronger this time round because of adjustments within the show construction and stronger ultra-thin glass. The adhesive that retains the (extremely vital) display protector in place can also be stronger this 12 months. As all of us discovered, bad things happen when that glue loses its grip. The general sturdiness score hasn’t modified. It’s nonetheless IPX8 with sturdy water resistance and also you’re-on-your-own mud resistance.

At 1.9 inches, the quilt display continues to be just a bit man. You can do extra with the quilt display, although; there shall be an non-obligatory SmartThings widget for fast entry to good house controls, and you’ll ship fast replies to texts or use it to entry Samsung Wallet. The cowl display will even present selfie previews with the identical photograph ratio as the ultimate picture.

The beauty variations between this 12 months’s mannequin and Samsung’s prior efforts are small, however they do make an impression. The Flip 4 feels just a bit extra like an everyday, very good flagship cellphone that occurs to fold in half — not one thing that made numerous concessions for its capability to fold. The shiny aluminum rails, the straighter corners and edges, and the flatter hinge all left me with impression. For this fashion-focused cellphone, it looks like what the Flip ought to have regarded like from the beginning. It simply took Samsung an additional iteration to get there.

Last 12 months’s 3,300mAh battery will get a lift as much as 3,700mAh. In our testing, the Flip 3 obtained by way of a full day of use simply sufficient, however extra battery capability actually isn’t a nasty factor. Wired charging speeds are somewhat quicker: 25W, up from 15W. Wireless charging continues to be obtainable on the similar 10W pace.

Last however not least, the principle digital camera will get some upgraded {hardware}. It’s nonetheless a 12-megapixel chip, however this 12 months’s sensor is larger (Samsung doesn’t say by how a lot), and the pixels are bigger (1.8μm in comparison with 1.4μm). You nonetheless get optical stabilization, which you completely ought to from a $999 cellphone. The 12-megapixel ultrawide stays, as does the 10-megapixel selfie cam.

The Flip 4 is obtainable for preorder beginning right now and shall be obtainable on August twenty sixth. Colors embrace bora purple, graphite, and new pink-gold and blue choices.

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