The Galaxy Z Fold was one of the first true foldable smartphones made available to consumers, but a sky-high price tag and numerous durability issues prevented it from being a mainstream success. Samsung has since refined its ambitious handset, with last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 being a reliable – but still expensive – hybrid device for people who want a phone that can also be their tablet.
The new Galaxy Z Fold 4 continues this pattern of consistent refinement, this time focusing on an improved software experience that takes better advantage of the phone’s unique versatile display. It’s still a luxury buy at $1,799, but for those looking to invest in a phone that can also be a giant screen of productivity and entertainment, the Z Fold 4 looks like the best version of the formula yet. . Here’s what we think after spending some time in the field.
The $1,799 Galaxy Z Fold 4 is available for pre-order now at samsung.com and major retailers, and will begin shipping August 26. If you pre-order through Samsung by August 25, you’ll get double the storage at no extra cost, a standing sleeve with pen case, $100 Samsung credit, and more at $900 off with a qualifying trade-in.
If you use our exclusive linkyou’ll get up to $200 in Samsung credit as well as up to $300 in credit if you bundle the Z Fold 4 with a pair of Buds 2 Pro or a Galaxy Watch 5 or Watch 5 Pro.
For the uninitiated, the Galaxy Z Fold is a hybrid device that functions as a slim 6.2-inch smartphone when folded and turns into a 7.6-inch tablet when you open it. It feels noticeably heavier than a typical phone, but not uncomfortably. It also looks pretty slick, offering an eye-catching trio of colors: Graygreen (which looked a little bluish up close), Beige, and Phantom Black.
That formula hasn’t changed much for 2022, other than some screen and hinge durability improvements as well as an IPX8 rating that should see it survive an accidental drop in the pool. But you’ll notice the Z Fold 4’s biggest upgrade once you open it up and start playing around with the software.
The Z Fold 4 is the first smartphone to arrive with Android 12L, which is a custom version of Google’s operating system designed specifically for foldable devices. The most noticeable change here is the taskbar at the bottom, which gives the phone a PC-like interface for quickly opening and switching between apps. I found this new interface to be very intuitive and it didn’t take me long to share the giant screen between a website, a YouTube video, and the notes app. The taskbar will even keep track of these app groups, making it easy to open multiple programs you use together at the same time.
The Z Fold 4’s main display has gotten slightly larger and brighter than last year’s model, and as a newcomer to this type of phone, I had a great time using it. The 120Hz refresh rate made scrolling and swiping delightfully smooth, and the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor inside let me use three apps at once without any lag. Taking notes with an S Pen was also intuitive, although you had to buy the stylus separately – a big disappointment for a device that already costs $1,800. I’m especially looking forward to testing out the Z Fold 4’s gaming capabilities; titles like Genshin Impact can take advantage of the full 7.6-inch screen size, offering what could be a much better mobile gaming experience than your average phone. The new foldable also has a less visible under-screen camera at the top, which means it should be easier to immerse yourself in movies and games when using the big screen.
On the camera front, the Z Fold 4 features an improved 50-megapixel wide lens with a brighter sensor and 30x Space Zoom – the same ultra-detailed zoom technology that really wowed us on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. While Capture View mode isn’t a brand new feature, I really like that it activates when you bend the screen slightly. In this mode, you’ll get an immediate preview of your shot on the left side of the screen while taking your shots on the right, making it easy to review your shots on the fly. As on the smaller Z Flip 4, you’ll again be able to take advantage of Flex Mode, which optimizes apps when you fold the screen and use the bottom half of the screen as a stand, whether you’re watching Netflix or shooting a TikTok video. Apps like Microsoft Office and Google Meet are also optimized for the larger screen, whether you want to share a YouTube clip on a video call or get a nice wide view of an Excel sheet.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 brings subtle and clever improvements to a very good, but also very specialized and expensive foldable phone. The software upgrades hold great promise for those who do serious multitasking, and the better camera should appeal to those who are serious about their Instagram and TikTok wallets.
That said, there aren’t many compelling reasons to upgrade if you already own last year’s Z Fold 3, and the phone’s $1,799 starting price – which doesn’t include an S Pen – is about double what you’ll pay for a traditional high-end flagship phone. The Z Fold 4 has some appeal for business users and people who just want a phone and tablet all in one, but we think everyone is better off with the more compact and affordable one. Turnaround Z 4. We’ll have a clearer idea of how the two new foldables stack up when we put them through our full review process later this month.
Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 specs
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Main display |
6.7-inch 2640 x 1080 dynamic OLED display, 120Hz refresh rate |
7.6-inch 2176 x 1812 Dynamic AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate |
| Cover screen |
1.9-inch 260 x 512 Super AMOLED display |
6.2-inch 2316 x 904 Dynamic AMOLED display |
| Processor |
Snapdragon 8+ gen 1 |
Snapdragon 8+ gen 1 |
| Memory |
8 GB |
12 GB |
| Storage |
128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB |
256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB |
| Battery |
3700mAh |
4400mAh |
| Water resistance |
IPX8 |
IPX8 |
| Colors |
Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, Blue (Customizable bespoke edition also available) |
Gray green, Phantom black, Beige |
| Size and weight (unfolded) |
6.4 x 2.8 x 0.27 inches, 6.5 ounces |
6.1 x 5.1 x 0.62 inches, 9.2 ounces |
| Price |
$999 |
$1,799 |