Last year, you may have decided to skip the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and keep using your Galaxy Fold 4. Maybe the sequel felt too much like a mild refresh, featuring a new chip wrapped in a samey design with more or less identical hardware specifications. Well, this year might be different, and you may end up wanting to leave your Galaxy Z Fold 4 behind for the 2024 model.
Samsung appears to be preparing a more significant update for its Galaxy Z Fold series this year. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but preliminary leaks and rumors indicate that the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 won't be as mild of an upgrade as the Z Fold 5 was to your Fold 4.
Why you may want to upgrade your Galaxy Z Fold 4 this year
By far, one of the biggest reasons why you may want to trade-in your Galaxy Z Fold 4 for the Z Fold 6 later this year is a new design. If early leaks are correct, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will introduce the most significant design change to the series since the Fold 2.
Fan-made renders, supposedly based on leaked dimensions and specs, suggest that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will have flatter surfaces and sharper corners. In a way, it's almost like the Fold 6 borrows from the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
And according to another rumor, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 might become Samsung's thinnest foldable to date, measuring only 11mm at the hinge when folded. In contrast, your Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a 15.8mm profile.
Samsung's upcoming flagship could borrow a couple more other design characteristics from the Galaxy S24 Ultra. First, it will likely have Gorilla Armor protection for the cover display, which offers higher scratch resistance and improved anti-reflective properties. The foldable phone might also have a titanium frame.
Better firmware and Galaxy AI
As you probably already know, your Galaxy Z Fold 4 won't have access to Galaxy AI. These features went live with the Galaxy S24 series and are now coming to select 2023 phone models, but that's where Samsung draws the line. Your Galaxy Z Fold 4, along with other phones released in 2022 or earlier, will not get Galaxy AI.
As a result, if you want to use Samsung's new tools powered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and large language models, you will want to upgrade to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 later this year. Or, at the very least, pick up a Galaxy Z Fold 5.
However, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 may offer more advantages. For starters, it might introduce new Galaxy AI features that are not yet available to the S24 series. A recent patent application revealed that Samsung is working on an upgraded AI-powered summary tool, and industry watchers say it might debut with the next-gen foldable phone.
Last but not least, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to take advantage of Samsung's new firmware support policy. In other words, while your Galaxy Z Fold 4 will receive only two more major Android OS upgrades, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will promise seven major OS upgrades and eight years of security patches.
In conclusion, if you feel like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is becoming stale, or you want a change in design and access to Galaxy AI features, the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 might be just the right upgrade for you. Samsung should announce it in early July, so it's only a few months away.
