Samsung, purveyor of the one severe foldables accessible on a worldwide scale, is taking a victory lap with the Galaxy Fold 4. As is custom, the corporate has introduced full particulars after a parade of teases and leaks, confirming what we strongly suspected: it’s not an enormous replace.

The general design is ever so barely sleeker, with a slimmer hinge and bezels. This is generally beauty and doesn’t make a lot of a distinction to how compact the telephone folds down — simply the distinction of a fraction of a millimeter (15.8mm thick on the hinge and 14.2mm the place the edges meet). It weighs rather less: 263 grams in comparison with the Z Fold 3’s 271 grams. It’s nonetheless a heavy telephone, which is to be anticipated for one thing that doubles as each a telephone and a small pill.

I can’t say it was noticeably slimmer or lighter than I anticipated, however the end is becoming of a flagship system. It doesn’t really feel prototype-y, both. It’s reassuringly stable, and I don’t really feel prefer it must be dealt with with additional care. I’m a bit of nervous about the way it will cope with the dusty surroundings that’s the backside of my purse, however there’s only one option to discover out, so keep tuned.

The hinge remains to be considerably stiff by design so that it’s going to keep put in Flex mode, however the opening-closing movement feels easy, at the very least within the demo models Samsung had on show final week. The Fold 4 stays IPX8 rated for water resistance. And like a real 2022 flagship, it features a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset with 12GB of RAM, beginning with 256GB of storage and going all the best way as much as 1TB.

The Fold 4 will get a more moderen 50-megapixel fundamental digital camera, a extra helpful 3x telephoto digital camera, narrower bezels, and a slimmer hinge. There’s a bit of extra actual property on the entrance show because it’s just a few millimeters wider. It’s not a lot, however it does make the show really feel rather less cramped and a bit of extra like a traditional telephone. There’s nonetheless a niche when the telephone is folded closed; Samsung hasn’t achieved optimum foldable flatness but.

A handful of software program updates purpose to enhance the multitasking expertise, and a few adjustments to the show construction and its all-important display protector ought to make it extra sturdy in the long term. But that’s the gist of it; the $1,799 worth is sticking round one other 12 months, making it an costly, barely extra mainstream flagship choice.

With this replace, the Fold 4 lastly has a digital camera array becoming of a flagship telephone. Last 12 months’s 12-megapixel fundamental digital camera has been swapped out for a 50-megapixel sensor that matches what’s accessible on the S22 and S22 Plus, together with an f/1.8 lens and optical stabilization. It needs to be a noticeable enchancment, however it’s not but as much as the extent of what you get within the S22 Ultra.

The Z Fold 3 included a 2x telephoto lens, which has fortunately been upgraded to a 3x optical zoom — 2x doesn’t get you very far. Space zoom is offered now, too, so you should utilize digital zoom all the best way out to 30x despite the fact that you in all probability shouldn’t. These aren’t a lot upgrades — extra just like the Fold 4 catching as much as what the remainder of Samsung’s flagships provide.

The Z Fold 4’s cowl display nonetheless measures 6.2 inches diagonally, however it’s three millimeters wider so as to add a bit of extra respiratory room to a really slim show. The fundamental display remains to be 6.7 inches, however it’s extra sturdy — 45 % stronger, in line with Samsung, because of a stronger ultra-thin glass. The crease remains to be there. It’s not a distraction with the telephone totally unfolded, however you’ll see it whenever you search for it. The adhesive on the preapplied display protector is stronger this time round in an try and alleviate the nasty bubble problem owners of earlier Fold models commonly encountered.

Both screens are nonetheless OLED panels with 120Hz adaptable refresh charges. The fundamental display remains to be appropriate with Samsung’s (bought individually) foldable-specific S Pen — nonetheless no Note-style silo, although, simply an S Pen-friendly case. And you continue to can’t use the S Pen with the quilt display. The Fold 4’s under-display digital camera is hidden a bit of bit higher this time round. It’s nonetheless a 4-megapixel sensor, however Samsung says that adjustments to the pixel array on high of it make it much less of a distraction and likewise enhance picture high quality.

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

The Fold 4 ships with One UI 4.1.1 primarily based on Android 12L, with some software program tweaks aimed toward bettering the multitasking expertise. The taskbar has been moved from the aspect to the underside of the display. There’s a brand new touchpad characteristic in Flex mode, too, which provides you a bit of cursor to pull across the high half of the display like a tiny laptop computer. It’s cute, however I’m unsure I’d ever use it.

Preorders for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 begin in the present day, with availability on August twenty sixth from Samsung, carriers, and third-party retailers — in every single place abruptly. There shall be gray-green, beige, and phantom black colours, with an additional burgundy choice bought solely by Samsung.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Related: