Galaxy Z Fold 4: New creases, old flaws – Is Samsung’s idea of ​​the future leading to a dead end?

The Galaxy Z Fold 4… Oh wait! The Galaxy Fold 4 (apparently Samsung might drop the Z, although this is unconfirmed, so take your pinch of salt), is now hours away from going official!

Thanks to a From new leaks and extensive rumors, we already have a pretty good general idea of ​​what the Fold 4 will look like and what kind of upgrades it will bring to the table. Note, I say a “general” idea, because none of the official renders we’ve seen tell us much about things like the display crease situation on the Fold 4 or how much space the phone leaves when folded. . In case you’re behind on the notable Galaxy Fold 4 leaks and rumors, here’s a little recap for you.

• The design of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is to remain virtually unchanged from the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but with some notable improvements that Fold fans will find exciting, such as a slimmer hinge, which makes the phone thinner; an improved crease (we still don’t expect it to be as smoothed out as on the Huawei Mate XS2); and an improved under-display camera (apparently less conspicuous, though it’s unlikely to be as well camouflaged as on the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra). What’s great is that the Fold 4 should be 17g lighter than the Fold 3, which might not seem like much on paper, but it is (especially for current Fold users)

• In terms of displays, the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s interior screen should be significantly brighter than the Fold 3’s (which is already pretty good). The most interesting part is that the inner and outer screens of the new Fold 4 will increasingly become slightly shorter and wider – again, not by much. It would be a very welcome upgrade to an already great set of 120Hz AMOLED panels

• The Fold 4 is configured to be powered (exclusively) by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which brings a marginal improvement over its predecessor when it comes to power. However, the new chip is much more efficient, which can be very beneficial for the Fold, which historically hasn’t offered exceptional battery life. Speaking of battery, the Fold 4 should be able to charge faster (50% in 30 min) than the Fold 3 (30-35% in 30 min)

• Two of the Fold 4’s rear cameras should actually be new. The primary sensor is said to be taken directly from the Galaxy S22 – a 50MP shooter (compared to 12MP on the Fold 3), while the telephoto zoom camera is expected to be completely new and set to 3x optical zoom instead of just 2x like on the Fold 3

Galaxy Fold 4: Using a foldable as a “phone” isn’t ideal, and the new Fold 4 won’t change much

Now, of course, as we can see from all the leaks and rumors, the Galaxy Fold 4 won’t break new ground. It’s the very familiar Fold iterative improvement we’ve become accustomed to since the launch of the Fold 2. Samsung is sticking to its guns and (in Apple’s fashion) making small but meaningful improvements to its flagship phone. the most expensive. I’m sure that will (and probably should be) enough to convince many to upgrade to the Fold 4 or try a foldable for the first time. However, as a former Fold 3 user, I don’t quite feel the same way, and that’s because the nice upgrades to the Fold 4 don’t seem key enough for me to look past the gripes I had with the previous model.

If I have to sum up my hesitation around the Fold 3 in one sentence, I would say that (at this point) foldables don’t look like devices you’d like to take with you. If I have to be more specific:

• The Fold 3 feels like a heavy brick that can often feel inconvenient to carry in my pocket and use with one hand (the Fold 4 should improve on that)
• The Fold’s clunky front screen never really made sense (the Fold 4 should make that a bit better)
• I always thought I could drop and damage the $1,800 Fold 3 (the Fold 4 won’t be cheaper)
• The Fold never felt like a device that could last me an entire day of heavy use, like when I’m traveling and using Google Maps, Spotify and the camera all the time
• It always feels like whatever camera system Samsung can squeeze into the Fold will never be enough to justify the price of the device (especially when phones that cost half the price can give you offer better cameras)

I know I’m being judgmental, but that’s just what using a foldable phone looks like in its slab form. It’s heavy and bulky; it may seem awkward; you have to be very careful not to drop it; it doesn’t last too long on a single charge, and no matter how much the camera improves, it’ll never be the absolute premium phone camera you deserve when you’re paying close to $2,000 .

That being said, using the Galaxy Fold and other foldable phones can be super fun, useful, and even convenient. I loved reading about my Fold, watching videos, and playing games (it’s exactly as awesome as you might think). But it’s… Especially when you’re indoors and using the fold in its little tablet form…

If the Galaxy Fold is a nice tablet, why not buy a “normal” tablet and phone instead?

If it’s not clear, everything I loved doing on the Fold can be done on an iPad mini – no problem. So for many it might be a good idea to get a “regular” phone and tablet, which will likely cost less and give you even more for the money you spend.

The practical question keeps coming up… Isn’t it better to buy one Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S8? Yes, they’re two separate devices that don’t magically become one, but it does come with a ton of flexibility of its own. They’ll give you much longer battery life, more screen real estate, better cameras, and better… pretty much everything really.

Bottom line: the Galaxy Fold 4 will be the best foldable Samsung ever, but is it the future of phones or just a really fun transitional device?

But the Fold isn’t for those looking for practicality. It’s for those who want to ride the new wave of phones. So my personal advice to those who are patient enough listening to it is, “maybe you’re not buying Fold…yet”.

• It is very expensive
• Even if it is not necessarily fragile once closed, it still needs to be pampered
• For a device that combines two devices in one, the Fold could have been much more versatile than it actually is.

But if you just must try a foldable, then you can pre-order a Galaxy Z Fold 4 right now! It’s going to be the best foldable Samsung ever made, and if you can afford it, then go for it. If you can’t, just give the new Fold 4 six months until its price drops. If you can be patient, the value proposition will be very different.

I’m sure the Fold 4 will be a great foldable phone, but that’s the key word here – ‘foldable’. I still maintain that rollable phones could be the future we’ve been waiting for. Or not, who knows? Foldable? Maybe not the future. However, like I said, for the right price…they can be a fun gift! As really fun. I promise.