Samsung is the go-to brand in the world right now for foldable phones. And the company unveiled its flagship foldable smartphone for 2022, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, today.
It brings some improvements over last year's Galaxy Z Fold 3, but are those improvements important to you? Or should you settle for last year's Galaxy Z Fold 3 at a lower price? Let's find out by comparing their features and specifications.
Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Are the improvements enough to warrant an upgrade?
At first glance, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 looks extremely similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, featuring a metal body, Gorilla Glass on the front and the rear, and a foldable display on the inside. However, the improvements start to appear when you look at the phone closely. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 features a stronger Gorilla Glass Victus+ panel on the front and the rear.
Samsung has made the phone thinner and lighter without sacrificing its strength. It is still water resistant. And, the new phone has a slightly wider display to make the cover display easier to use. Samsung continues offering S Pen support, stereo speakers, and a 120Hz refresh rate (cover and foldable display).
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a faster and more stable Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. While there is no change in RAM and storage space, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is Samsung's first phone running Android 12L out of the box, featuring UI and UX improvements for the foldable screen.
The camera is where most of the improvements have been made. The new phone now has a bigger, higher resolution (50MP) sensor for better image and video quality. The telephoto camera has been improved, too. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. In comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a 12MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom.
Samsung has also improved the 4MP under-display camera. Thanks to the new sub-pixel arrangement of the screen, the under-display camera doesn't get in the way as much, making media consumption more immersive. The South Korean firm has made no improvements in connectivity, battery capacity, and charging speeds.
So, if you want a better camera experience or a thinner and lighter body, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 could be the upgrade for you. But if you don't, you can stay with your Galaxy Z Fold 3 for a year more. If you have an even older phone, you can get the Galaxy Z Fold 3 for a lower price.
You can see the detailed specifications comparison of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in the table below.
General Information
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Model Name
Galaxy Z Fold 3
Galaxy Z Fold 4
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Model type
Foldable
Foldable
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Colors
Cream ()Green ()Lavender ()Black ()
Gray ()Green ()Phantom Black ()Beige ()Burgundy ()
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Announced
2021, August
2022, August
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Released
2021, August
2022, August
Physical specifications
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Dimensions
Unfolded: 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 mmFolded: 158.2 x 67.1 x 14.4~16 mm
Unfolded: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3 mmFolded: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3 mm
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Weights
271g
263g
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IP rating
IPX8
IPX8
Operating system
-
Operating system
Android 11
Android 12L
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One UI version
3.1.1
4.1.1
Networks
-
SIM
Dual SIM model
Dual SIM model
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SIM card sizes
Nano-SIM (4FF)
Nano-SIM (4FF)
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Networks
5G2G3G4G
5G2G3G4G
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eSIM support
Yes
Yes
Display
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Kind
Main Display
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Name
Infinity Display
Infinity Display
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Technology
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
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Size
7.6 inch / mm
7.6 inch / mm
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Resolution
QXGA+ / 2208x1768 pixels
QXGA+ / 2176x1812 pixels
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Pixel density
374 PPI
374 PPI
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Refresh rate
120Hz
120Hz
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Kind
Cover Display
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Name
Infinity-O Display
Infinity-O Display
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Technology
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
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Size
6.2 inch / mm
6.2 inch / mm
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Resolution
HD+ / 2268x832 pixels
HD+ / 2316x904 pixels
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Pixel density
387 PPI
387 PPI
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Refresh rate
120Hz
120Hz