Update: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 could get a big camera upgrade.
From the rumors so far, a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is coming, but it might not be upgrading on key features when it does.
While the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra may support 45W fast charging, it seems the Galaxy Z Fold 4 might stick with the tried and tested 25W charging speeds.
This piece of information comes from a Chinese 3C certification (via GSMArena), which claims the Z Fold 4 will charge at 9 volts and 2.77 amps. This works out to around 25W of power, while USB Power Delivery speeds are said to hit 15W.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 could handle up to 25W fast charging, so this isn’t a downgrade by any stretch. However, with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra supporting a 45W charger, some people might have hoped that the Z Fold 4 would do the same.
It is worth pointing out that Chinese sales do still include a charging brick, something Samsung has stopped doing in the U.S. and elsewhere. This certification only covers said charger, and doesn’t necessarily confirm a lack of faster charging support.
At the very least we can presume that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will support something in the region of 25W charging. But that’s not to say it definitely won’t offer faster speeds, likely provided you’re willing to pay extra for the appropriate charger.
In the grand scheme of things 25W charging isn’t such a deal breaker. Other phone makers may be in a race to offer faster and faster charging speeds, some of which are in triple figures, but it’s not what we’d call necessary. The fastest speeds in the world are useless if the phone is terrible, after all.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is also a very particular kind of device. Anyone buying one will likely do so because it’s a foldable, with all the benefits that has to offer, rather than an arguably a gimmicky-fast charging speed; looking at you Oppo Find X5 Pro.
Of course the Galaxy Z Fold range is expected to be Samsung’s new mid-year flagship, and likely to have a price tag to match. While you’re spending money for the privilege of having a foldable phone, you’d still expect premium features to match the premium pricing. You’d at least hope the Z Fold 4’s charging abilities to match the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which charged noticeably faster with a 45W charger during our testing.
25W charging has been a staple feature on Samsung’s flagship phones for a while, and isn’t really what you’d consider premium. Here’s just hoping that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will have enough other upgrades to make it a worthwhile purchase.
So far rumors suggest that the foldable may come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chip, a respective 6:5 and 23:9 aspect ratios on the internal and external screens, and the same 4,400 mAh battery as the Z Fold 3.
