Galaxy Z Flip4 and Fold4 officially announced. Full details: specifications, price and release date. VIDEO

Samsung has officially announced its new foldable screen phones, a new range of smartwatches and a pair of true wireless headphones, in what looks to be the company’s last big launch of 2022. Last week I went to London to see all of these devices for the first time and came back with full details about them. Let’s get acquainted with the Galaxy Z Flip4, Z Fold4, the new Galaxy Watch5 and 5 Pro, as well as the Galaxy Buds2 Pro.

Galaxy Z Flip4 comes with a major battery upgrade

The first of two foldable-screen smartphones we saw was the Galaxy Z Flip4, Samsung’s fourth clamshell model. This design has proven to be the more popular of the two, and Samsung seems to be working hard to bring this phone to market at a lower price point, while improving several aspects in terms of capabilities.

First, we have the metal and glass construction. Samsung says the metal frame around the screen and Victus+ glass on the back cover will ensure that the new Galaxy Z Flip4 will be significantly more durable than other similar models on the market. It’s also waterproof to IPX8 standard, and should generally withstand everyday use and likely small accidents. This does mean, however, that the phone isn’t dustproof, and Samsung clearly mentions that it doesn’t recommend use at the beach or in the pool.

Screens haven’t changed much from one generation to the next. We’re again talking about two OLED panels, one just 1.9″ on the outside and a 6.7″, foldable, Full HD resolution, LTPO technology, with between 1 and 120 Hz on the inside. It’s still protected by a plastic film and still displays a rather obvious crease down the centre. Even though Samsung has tweaked the phone’s hinge a bit, it still doesn’t fold completely, leaving a small gap between the two halves.

The internal hardware starts with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, Qualcomm’s most powerful model, 8 GB RAM and 128, 256 or 512 GB internal storage. The battery gets the biggest upgrade though, from 3,300 to 3,700 mAh, as well as faster charging, at 25W wired and 15W wireless.

The cameras get a significant upgrade too, especially in terms of low-light performance. We get two 12-megapixel cameras again, and the main one should be able to capture 65% more light than the previous generation in night mode. The ultra-wide camera is probably similar to last year’s.

Galaxy Z Flip4 specifications

• Main screen: 6.7-inch FHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Infinity Flex Display (2640 x 1080, 22:9), 120Hz adaptive (1~120Hz)
• Secondary Display: 1.9-inch Super AMOLED Display, 260 x 512 pixels
• Size Folded: 71.9 x 84.9 x 17.1mm (Hinge) – 15.9mm (Folding)
• Folded Size: 71.9 x 165.2 x 6.9mm
• Weight: 187g
• Main chamber: 12MP Ultra Wide Camera F2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 123˚ + 12MP Wide-angle Camera, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.8, Pixel size: 1.8μm, FOV: 83˚
• Front Camera: 10MP Selfie camera, F2.4, Pixel size: 1.22μm, FOV: 80˚
• Processor: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4nm, Octa-Core
• Memories: 8GB RAM
• Storage: 128/256/512GB
• Battery: 3,700 mAh, dual battery, 25W wired, 15W wireless charging
• Water resistance: IPX8
• Operating system: Android 12, One UI 4.1.1
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth® v5.2
• SIM card: Nano SIM + eSIM
• Colours: Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, Blue

On the software front, Samsung says Flex Mode is now more useful in more apps, and the outer screen has received new, improved features. For example, you can display a plane ticket for quick airport access there, or pay via Samsung Pay without opening the main screen. Most users will most likely still use it for selfies or to see the exact time.

The Galaxy Z Flip4 isn’t very different in design from its predecessor, and it doesn’t feel very different either. It’s a minor hardware upgrade that brings the newest processor and better battery life in a design that’s proven to be successful, and Samsung doesn’t seem to want to mess with something that already works very well. Being a foldable phone, I wasn’t expecting a low price, with the base model of the Flip4 starting at 5,399 lei in stores in Romania.

The new Galaxy Z Fold4 looks almost identical to the previous model

If the Flip is the foldable phone for a mass audience, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is definitely the phone for the picky. And in the case of this model, the upgrades are more noticeable on the internal hardware, as on the outside, it’s almost identical to last year’s Fold3.

We have the same premium metal and Victus+ glass construction with IPX8 water resistance, with the same high-quality OLED screens. On the outside, the Galaxy Z Fold4 offers a 6.2″ ultra-high-format panel at 120Hz, while inside we get a 7.6″ LTPO panel display. The camera inside is hidden behind the screen, and the transparent area has received a small upgrade. It’s not big enough to make the lens completely invisible, but it’s clear that Samsung is working to completely hide this element under the screen.

And the Galaxy Fold4 uses a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, configurations with 12GB RAM and 256, 512 or 1TB internal storage, and a dual 4,400 mAh battery that also charges at 25W on the cord and 15W on the cable. In many ways, Samsung’s new foldables offer comparable performance, with users encouraged to just choose their preferred folding format.

Where we see a bigger upgrade over the Fold3, however, is in the camera department, where the Fold4 inherits the cameras from the Galaxy S22. We’re talking a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 10-megapixel 3x optical zoom camera, which also integrates Space Zoom technology that zooms up to 30 times. The exterior front camera is 10 megapixels, and the interior, under-screen camera is just 4 megapixels, the same as last year. We couldn’t test the cameras much, but the main camera should offer a major upgrade, especially in low light over the one on the Fold3.

Galaxy Z Fold4 specifications

• Main screen: 7.6-inci QXGA+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Infinity Flex Display (2176 x 1812, 21.6:18), 120Hz adaptive (1~120Hz)
• Secondary display 6.2-inch HD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, (2316 x 904, 23.1:9), 120Hz adaptive (48~120Hz)
• Size Folded: 67.1 x 155.1 x 15.8mm(Hinge) ~ 14.2mm(Fold)
• Folded Size: 130.1 x 155.1 x 6.3mm
• Weight: 263g
• Main room: 50MP Wide-angle Camera, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.8, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 85˚ + 12MP Ultra Wide Camera, F2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 123˚ + 10MP Telephoto Camera, PDAF, F2.4, OIS, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 36˚
• Front Camera: 10MP Selfie Camera, F2.2, Pixel size: 1.22μm, FOV: 85˚
• Camera under display: 4MP Under Display Camera, F1.8, Pixel size: 2.0μm, FOV: 80˚
• Memory: 12GB RAM
• Storage: 256/512 GB / 1TB
• Battery: 4,400mAh, dual battery, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging
• Water resistance: IPX8
• Operating system: Android 12L, One UI 4.1.1
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth® v5.2
• Other: Capacitive fingerprint sensor (side), Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor
• SIM cards: up to 2 Nano SIM + eSIM
• Colours: Gray Green, Phantom Black, Beige

On the software side, Fold4 will receive app compatibility enhancements, with Microsoft adding extended support for this model. Samsung comes with a new interface for navigating through multiple apps, with a taskbar at the bottom of the screen that allows quick access to them, just like on a tablet. Of course, you can still group apps two or three at a time in various orientations for multitasking. However, it seems to me that the “clutter” on the screen hasn’t been solved yet.

Neither is the Fold4 a big design upgrade over its three predecessors, with Samsung adding small upgrades to the internal hardware over the years. Certainly, those who have become accustomed to the Fold design will appreciate the improvements on the new model, but it’s not exactly clear if they’re enough to justify an upgrade from Fold 2 or 3. With a price starting at 8,899 lei, presumably those who choose such a phone expect to use it for the long term, and the performance of previous models is not yet an issue.

Release date and pre-order

This seems to be a soft launch for Samsung, offering small improvements in some key areas for their foldable devices, while introducing a new top category of smartwatches and headsets with the improvements we’ve come to expect in order to stay competitive in the market. However, I can’t help but notice that I had a sense of deja vu when testing all of these devices.

They are very similar to last year’s, and the hardware upgrades are not immediately obvious. So we’re dealing with an “S” generation from Samsung that retains the design and improves performance, but pretty much the same thing has happened with foldable models pretty much since they came out. With no real competitor in the market, the Galaxy Z series, which once seemed to be the biggest innovation since the launch of the iPhone, is kind of stagnating.

Of course, I can’t draw a conclusion after a first contact with these devices, and we’re definitely going to be testing them at go4it in the coming weeks. Pre-orders in the UK for the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Flip4 start today, 10 Augustand the official launch will take place on 26 August. Samsung also promises a few pre-order bonuses, such as vouchers of €200 and €150 respectively, as well as a free year of Samsung Care+ for accidental damage protection.