Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has been officially released. The fourth generation of Samsung’s foldable was released in the latest Galaxy Unpacked event. The phone was released along with Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and its smartwatches, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Z fold 4 comes with a similar styling seen on Galaxy Z Fold 3 released last year. The phone comes with some improvements over its predecessor. The major improvements can be seen in the performance and the camera of the phone. Apart from this, the phone has carried most of the features of its predecessor with minor upgrades.
Let’s get into the details of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Specifications
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 155.1*130.1*6.3 mm Folded: 155.1*67.1*14.2-15.8 mm Weight: 263 grams |
| Display | 7.6-inch foldable dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits Cover display: 6.2-inch dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz |
| Resolution | 1,812*2,176 pixels |
| OS | Android 12L, One UI 4.1.1 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 730 |
| RAM | 12 GB |
| Memory | 256/512 GB/ 1TB |
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm wide, dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 123 degrees ultrawide 10 MP, f/2.4, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom telephoto |
| Selfie camera | 4MP, f/1.8, under display 10MP, f/2.2 24mm cover camera |
| Battery | 4400mAh, non-removable li-po 25W Fast charging 15W Fast wireless charging 4.5W Reverse wireless charging |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted) Accelerometer Barometer Gyro sensor Geomagnetic sensor Hall sensor Proximity sensor Light sensor |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 Bluetooth 5.2 NFC USB Type-C 3.2 |
| Colours | Grey-green, Phantom black, Beige, Burgundy |
| Expected price | Rs 240,000 (12/256GB) |
Design and display
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a similar design as last year’s Z Fold 3. Just like its predecessor, it is a tall and thick device. The phone comes with a glass front (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back and an aluminium frame build. Gorilla Glass Victus+ protects the back and front of the phone. Samsung has focused on perfecting the old design rather than innovating. There is a side-mounted fingerprint sensor on the phone for biometrics. The phone is also IPX8 water-resistant certified, which means it is vulnerable to dust.
The phone gets a little lighter this time weighing around 263 grams and is 6.3mm thick when unfolded. It is available in grey-green, phantom black, beige and burgundy colour options.
On the front is a large 7.6-inch foldable dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It offers a resolution of 1,812*2,176 pixels and 373 PPI density. The display also supports up to 120Hz refresh rate. The phone also has a second display. The 6.2-inch dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display also supports a 120Hz refresh rate and has a resolution of 2,316*904 pixels and a greater 402 PPI density. The main display also supports the HDR10+ feature which enhances the colour and contrast of the media. Similarly, 1200 nits of brightness should be great, especially during daytime use.
Cameras
Samsung has marketed that one of the main improvements on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is its camera performance. The phone has a larger sensor this time and also offers a larger resolution. The main 12MP camera on the phone has been replaced by a 50MP sensor this time. The main camera also has features like dual-pixel PDAF and OIS for faster and more stable shots. The main camera is accompanied by a 12MP, 123 degrees ultrawide and a 10MP telephoto lens that offers up to 30X space zoom. On the front is a 4MP under-display camera with an aperture of f/1.8 and another 10MP cover camera.
The camera modes on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 include single take, photo, video, pro, panorama, food, night, portrait, portrait video, pro video, super slow-mo, slow motion, hyper-lapse, director’s view and capture view. The camera also offers intelligent features like scene optimiser, shot suggestions and scan QR codes.
The main camera on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 can record up to 8K resolution videos this time, which was limited to only 4K last time. However, the video is limited to 24fps only. For higher frame rate videos, the user has to record in either 4K resolution or 1080p resolution. At 4K resolution, the user can record up to 60fps. The front camera on the phone is also capable of recording videos at 4K resolution.
Performance and storage
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 runs on One UI 4.1.1 based on Android 12. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm) chipset, the best performing chipset from Qualcomm to date. The graphics on the phone is handled by Adreno 730. With the given features, the performance should not be an issue for this phone.
For the storage, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with a single 12GB RAM option coupled with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of internal storage. The phone does not support external cards for storage expansion.
Battery life, connectivity and others
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has the same battery backup as its predecessor. It comes with the same 4400mAh non-removable li-po battery, split between two cells. It also gets the same 25W fast charger which does not seem convincing for a smartphone of this calibre. The phone also features 15W fast wireless charging and supports reverse wireless charging.
In terms of connectivity, the phone supports dual sim cards with 5G network connectivity. The phone supports Wifi 6, dual-band wifi for better and prompt wifi connection. Furthermore, it also supports NFC and GPS systems. It has Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless pairing with other devices while using a USB Type-C 3.2 cable for charging or wired connectivity. There are two dual speakers on the phone, tuned by AKG for audio. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack on the phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z fold 4 is priced at USD 1,799 for the base 12/256GB variant. Due to the existing luxury import ban, the phone is currently not available here in Nepal. The phone should be available as soon as the ban is removed and one can expect a starting price range of Rs 240,000.
