Samsung has two foldables on the market, the larger is the Galaxy Z Fold 4. At first glance, there are few differences to the predecessor – is that enough for a good test result?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 (test report) is in the small case, normal-sized display category of folding smartphones. With the Z Fold 4 it’s the other way around: normal-sized case, twice the display. Strictly speaking, there are still two displays: one on the outside in a size that is not much smaller than most other smartphones on the market, but when opened it resembles a small tablet – two birds with one stone.
The main problem: smartphones with folding displays are still quite expensive. Samsung still demands a proud 1800 euros in the RRP for the Fold 4, more for more memory. With other models such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (test report) , you get even more technology despite less money. So it is not surprising that, in contrast to the fold, the flip has been sold much more frequently – after all, the model is available for less than 1000 euros shortly after the market launch, the fold stays above that for a very long time. Is there perhaps more reason to spend so much money on the new Fold 4 than on its predecessors?
design and processing
During the presentation, Samsung attached great importance to the fact that the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 is no longer quite as long, but wider. That improves the handling tremendously, so the claim. In fact, we hardly noticed it. The device still looks quite thick when folded, when it’s actually only about 1.5 times that of a typical Barren smartphone. Together with the still elongated form factor, that somehow doesn’t quite fit, in relation to this, the Fold 4 is still simply too thick when folded. When unfolded, it looks completely different again. Here, the device, which is then twice as large, convinces with an enormously thin case in relation to it, looks almost graceful and at the same time much higher quality.
It’s not about the design or workmanship per se – both are again excellent and exactly what you can expect from such an expensive smartphone. It’s about the form factor – it’s not really convincing in the fourth version of the foldable either. The rest is OK. The three camera lenses on the back protrude from the case, but are not particularly noticeable in our black test device. The shiny, slightly black anodized metal frame is extremely high-quality and the glass back is very subtle. Not much has changed compared to its predecessor. Be careful with the IP specification: Thanks to IPx8, the fold is waterproof, but not dustproof. Users have to be particularly careful here because of the folding hinge.
screen
This also applies to the two displays. Sure – because of the changes in width mentioned at the beginning, the pixel ratio has also shifted slightly, but you can only see that on the data sheet. Instead of 2208 x 1768 pixels, there are now 2176 x 1812 pixels when opened – for free. After all, the OLED screen now displays 1 to 120 Hz, the predecessor had a minimum of 48 Hz. The image quality is still convincing. Color reproduction, contrasts and viewing angle stability are exemplary, the brightness is even slightly higher than the predecessor at almost 800 cd/m². Because only plastic is still used as the screen surface here, the operation not only feels different than the outer glass display, but the inner screen is also more susceptible to scratches.
In contrast to the Z-Flip models, the external display has real added value, as it is quite a usable size at 6.2 inches. The chubby form factor of the smartphone itself is annoying here again, so that most users will usually open the device anyway when using it. This also applies to the external display: The quality is good, the display is now beautifully sharp with 2316 x 904 pixels. At 850 candelas, the brightness is slightly lower than that of the predecessor, but it is still very good.
Nevertheless, we are a bit disappointed: In contrast to Huawei, whose Mate 2 Xs (test report) hardly has any visible or tangible folds, Samsung’s can still be seen and felt unchanged. Even if you hardly notice it in everyday life when you look directly from above, there should have been more progress here.
camera
There is already more progress to be made with the camera. Samsung has now passed the old 12-megapixel optics to the Flip 4 (test report) , the Fold 4 now uses optics with 50 megapixels and aperture (f/1.8) including optical image stabilizer (OIS). This allows for excellent photos that are definitely in the top league in the important areas of sharpness, image dynamics, color reproduction and white balance. To absolute upper class models like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (test report)but then the last little bit is missing. However, the night mode also delivers appealing results in the fold. With the wide angle and unfortunately also with the triple optical telephoto lens, the difference to the camera elite is even greater, but without becoming too bad. The sharpness of the image is the limiting point here – the photos look decent overall, but they can’t keep up with the best smartphones, especially in detail.
Worse, however, is the “front” camera when opened. At first glance, it is hidden in the display, but it is particularly noticeable with monochrome content thanks to a rough display grid in front of the lens. As with the predecessor, this is meant to be nice, but poorly implemented. It snaps pictures with 4 megapixels and is doubly useless: on the one hand, its quality is surprisingly bad, on the other hand, the UI of the camera allows you to take selfies with the main camera, at least in a roundabout way – why not do without the more poorly camouflaged camera right away? But then the operation should have been better: First activate the external display on the large display, then activate the selfie function on the external display,
Guessing game: Where could the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4’s internal front camera be hiding? Image: TechStage.de
At least the front camera, which snaps selfies when folded, is better. Like its predecessor, it takes usable pictures. A small highlight at the end: The video function of the main camera is very good, both in terms of image and sound, as is now the case with Samsung. Overall, apart from the 4-megapixel snaps, the cameras are decent and will satisfy most users.
Furnishing
The rest of the equipment of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is exemplary: Ultra-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 with up to 3.2 GHz and extremely powerful Adreno 730, plus 12 GB of RAM and, depending on the equipment variant, 256, 512 or even 1 TB of memory – that’s it orderly. Incidentally, the largest amount of memory is only available from Samsung itself and the Fold 4 is not expandable either. In our opinion, this is only a side note for such storage volumes. With this combination of top hardware, the folding smartphone achieves an impressive 15,000 points in PCmark Work 3.0 on the large display – it doesn’t get much faster at the moment.
You notice that in everyday life, especially when you compare it to the launch of the S22 models earlier this year. Because while these Exynos models kept putting in commemorative milliseconds at the beginning and often got stuck, the Galaxy Fold 4 with a Qualcomm chip made by TSMC (and ironically no longer by Samsung …) runs like the proverbial sow. Maybe Samsung should really think about using Snapdragon chips for good in Europe too.
The rest of the equipment is also a real delight thanks to the chipset. The internal memory is fast thanks to UFS 3.1 technology, the smartphone supports USB-C 3.2, offers Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and much more. The fingerprint sensor works perfectly, even if you only get “normal” smartphones in the price range above 500 euros that are smartly and invisibly hidden in the display. The stereo speakers are also a delight, they sound full and powerful like the predecessor. Dual SIM is only available with eSIM. The rest of the data on the device can be found clearly arranged in the table.
Samsung is also not stingy with the software – or only in justifiable exceptions. Android 12 is standard, above is OneUI in version 4.1.1. However, the security patch on our test device dates back to July, which doesn’t match the new device or Samsung. The manufacturer promises four years of major updates and five years of security patches for the Fold 4 and usually delivers them promptly. Otherwise there is little to say about the software. Fortunately, bloatware is few and far between and for the big screen, Samsung delivers specialties like multi-window with three apps running at the same time plus one more in the floating window – great! Only the Dex mode is omitted, but users can also use an S Pen to increase productivity.
battery pack
The battery of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 (test report) has grown compared to its predecessor, while the Z Fold 4 has remained the same at 4400 mAh. That’s a pity, on the other hand, the improvement of the battery in the Flex was also much more necessary. Because the Fold 4 wasn’t and isn’t a long-distance runner, but in the PC-Mark Battery Test it still lasts almost 9 hours at 120 Hz and the large display is opened – that’s amazing. The power dispenser usually lasts the day without any problems, only with continuous use of the 4K video function or with continuous gaming do you reach your limits more quickly.
It’s a bit incomprehensible that Samsung once again didn’t include a power supply unit in the scope of delivery, but there was probably no more leeway given the low price of just 1800 euros (irony out). Also incomprehensible: The Fold 4 only charges with 25 watts and needs around 1.5 hours for a full drone, wirelessly with only 15 watts it even takes around 2.5 hours. Reverse wireless charging also works – with 10 watts. In terms of the mere values, this is just about mid-range level, even if wireless charging is generally still rather sparsely represented there.
Price
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is available in black, beige and grey-green. In addition, the user can choose between models with 12/256, 12/512 and (exclusively from Samsung) 12/1024 GB. The RRP of the device starts at just under 1800 euros.
In a bundle with a mobile phone tariff, it starts at around 30 euros for the smartphone. Then you get, for example, an O2 tariff with 1 GB (max. 50 MBit/s) as well as flat rates for SMS and telephony for 70 euros per month – quite expensive. Anyone who spends a little more money making a one-off payment – ​​around 60 euros for Smartmobil – also gets better tariffs.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is an all-round successful smartphone with sophisticated folding display technology. At first glance, however, it offers few improvements compared to the predecessor. First and foremost, Samsung has sanded its corners and edges even more and brought the technology up to date overall. As a result, buyers have an interesting folding model in their hands that doesn’t have any real weaknesses, but offers many strengths. In our opinion, the biggest drawback is the lousy 4-megapixel camera, which the manufacturer could have done without right away. Also, the price is still too high to penetrate the mass market. Otherwise, the Fold 4 is an all-round successful tablet for your pocket.
We have summarized the best smartphones of 2022 in this top 10 . If you want to spend less money, you might find the right smartphone in our list of the best for up to 500 euros . The predecessor Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G (test report) is a little cheaper than the current Fold 4 .
