Now the S22 launch is out of the way, seems like it's time for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 leaks season to begin.
Even though we're still dissecting the three Galaxy S22 phones that were revealed earlier this week, leakers Doyhun Kim and Chunvn8888 (via Notebookcheck) have given us some details about the next Samsung foldable. And if these rumored changes are true, then the Z Fold 4 is going to be another strong effort from Samsung.
The first thing we'll look at is Kim's claim of Samsung making improvements to the Z Fold 4's under-display camera, one of the worst parts of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. This has already been rumored, but these improvements are so strong according to Kim that these under-display cameras could also appear in the Galaxy S23 series in a year's time. Adding these cameras to its most popular phone would be quite a mark of faith in its new tech if Samsung did so.
These improvements may be more modest than this sounds however. Chunv8888 replied to Kim's original tweet, saying that a friend of theirs who had tried the Z Fold 4 prototype said any boost to the under-display camera's photos wasn't that large. This seems more likely based on current under-display cameras, which while functional can't compete with the clarity of sensors contained in punch-holes or notches.
Giving a reality check about the under-display cameras wasn't all that Chunv8888 had to say though. They also claim that the front display could be changing too, with Samsung playing around with its aspect ratio in the Z Fold 4 prototypes. Which version Samsung will pick isn't certain, but Chun does say there are versions with no difference to the Z Fold 3 ranging to those with a much different shape.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3's front display, while perfectly usable, is much skinnier than the average smartphone screen. This combined with the phone's thickness when folded up means it's not ideal for sustained use or typing long messages on compared to the unfolded screen. Making this display wider would mean an overall larger phone, but given how much we liked the bigger front screen on the Oppo Find N, and how it looks on the Honor Magic V, this would be a welcome change for the next Z Fold.
The Z Fold 4 is expected to drop later this year based on Samsung's previous timings for foldable launches. Among the rumors so far are that the next Z Fold could see a small price drop, could have a lower weight and enhanced water/dust resistance due to a new hinge design.
However, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 may still not have a slot to store a compatible S Pen. That last one's especially disappointing given the Galaxy S22 Ultra that was just announced, which comes with an integrated S Pen.
