We were given an early opportunity to try and test the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, the Korean giant’s latest foldable smartphone now on its fourth generation. While it seems that there were no major changes made in the hardware, the magic of the Z Fold 4 still exists thanks to its unusual form factor.
Table of Contents
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Specification
Main Screen | 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display (2176 x 1812, 21.6:18) 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz) |
---|---|
Cover Screen | 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display (2316 x 904, 23.1:9) |
Dimension & Weight | Folded - 67.1 x 155.1 x 15.8mm(Hinge) ~ 14.2mm(Sagging) Unfolded - 130.1 x 155.1 x 6.3mm Weight - 263g |
Processor: | Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Adreno 670 |
Storage / Memory | 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 3.1 internal storage; 12GB memory |
Wireless Connectivity | 5G, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS |
Ports | USB Type-C |
Rear Camera/s | 12MP Ultra Wide Camera F2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 123˚ 50MP Wide-angle Camera Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.8, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 85˚ 10MP Telephoto Camera PDAF, F2.4, OIS, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 36˚ |
Front Camera/s | Cover: 10MP Selfie Camera F2.2, Pixel size: 1.22μm, FOV: 85˚ Front: 4MP Under Display Camera F1.8, Pixel size: 2.0μm, FOV: 80˚ |
Battery Capacity | 4,400 mAh |
Price | 256GB/12GB: P98,900 512GB/12GB: P105,990 1TB/12GB: P119,990 (Exclusive to Samsung.com Only) |
The Build
It’s pretty noticeable that the design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is similar to its previous generation. However, Samsung made a major improvement by increasing the display’s width and reduced bezels. It doesn’t look as tall as the Z Fold 3, though the differences aren’t that obvious. They made this change because many people were complaining that it is cumbersome to use due to its weird size. We think the Z Fold 4 is now better to hold when it is folded. It feels lighter and easier to hold thanks to its slimmer design.
Speaking of improvements, the Z Fold 4 now has 10% display durability and the hinge can last up to 200k folds. The construction of the phone’s body is made with a material they called Armor Aluminum, originally used in the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. It is comes an IPX8 rating meaning the phone is water resistant up to 1.5 meters deep at 30 minutes max. Unfortunately, it still lacks dust resistance, but that is understandable due to the folding aspect of the phone. It is impossible to have it certified with the additional dust resistance rating.
The volume rocker of the Z Fold 4 is located on the right side corner and the power button has a built-in fingerprint sensor on it. On the left side of the phone is the SIM card tray slot. It can only accommodate one Nano SIM Card but it also supports eSIM, making it possible to use two phone lines on the Z Fold 4. Too bad it doesn’t support MicroSD cards for expanded storage. Found at the bottom are the USB Type-C port, speakers and microphone. As expected, the 3.5mm headphone jack is non-existent.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 comes in Phantom Black, Beige (Samsung E-Store Exclusive), and Graygreen.
The Display
Like the previous generation, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is still equipped with a 7.6-inch 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED Display with a resolution of 2176 x 1812. The under-screen front camera is still noticeable but Samsung added more pixels to blend with the screen.
Nothing has changed with the smaller cover screen display. It still comes with 6.2 inches Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 2316 x 904.
The Camera
Nothing much was changed with the cameras of the Z Fold 4. It still has the wide, telephoto, and ultrawide configurations of cameras with the main camera bumped up to 50 Megapixels from 12 Megapixels.
Photos taken with the rear camera were great. Giving us good quality photos that are quite accurate representation on good lighting. Due to the limited time and space we didn’t able to try to stress test the camera.
Here are some sample photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4:
The System
The Z Fold 4 is now better at multitasking. It’s easier and less tedious compared to the previous generation and it immediately shows you the apps that you might need to use right away.
The issue with previous generations of the Fold are the compatibility of the apps. We are happy to say that the Z Fold 4 has optimized these popular apps to work really well with the foldable phone’s unique display. Using Google Duo, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom were such a joy to use now on the Z Fold 4.
Despite the lack of new innovations on the foldable phone, we think the improvements on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 made it more solid and durable than ever before. We are expecting a review unit to come our way soon, and once we have it, we will post a full review pretty soon.
No word yet on the Philippines launch date. For the meantime follow Samsung Mobile Philippines Facebook page for updates.
I am still a bit disappointed that they took away some of the features such as a headphone jack and expandable memory. With the size of the phone, they could easily fit it.