So, which one should you get? How do Samsung’s next foldables fare against each other? Let’s have an early comparison of the two and find out together.
Design and Display Quality
Smaller or bigger, which one do you want?
Let’s start with the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The reason we called it “book-like” is because it unfolds exactly like a book. An unconfirmed rumor has suggested that it’s going to have an S Pen stylus slot, and the stylus would be included, but even if that’s not the case, we know it’ll still be supported. So again – it’s a phone for the power users, and Samsung knows it. Samsung has also been working on a dual-sided fingerprint scanner, so we might be getting one on the external display and one on the inner, folding one. Alternatively, it could still just get one traditional fingerprint scanner for unlocking, embedded into the power key.
Now onto the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It’s a clamshell phone, reminiscent of the good old clamshell days, except this is the modern version – with a large display capable of folding, and of course, no QWERTY keyboard or anything like that. It too features a smaller external display, supposedly near 2 inches in size, for accessing things like notifications and checking the time, or answering calls, without unfolding it. The foldable inner display is expected to be a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED one with LTPO variable refresh rate technology.
And for the Z Flip 4, we actually have a reliable leak of its potential available color options – those would be gold, gray, light blue and light violet. And its built is also metal for the frames, glass everywhere else.
Performance and Software
Flagship performance and Android + OneUI on both
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected to come in two storage variants – those being 256GB and 512GB, with a massive (but again – rumored) 1TB option too. In terms of RAM, we’re talking flagship numbers, 12GB at the very least.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is also likely to come with 128GB and 256GB of storage, plus potentially 512GB, but possibly less RAM – 8GB, as this is not the power user phone of the two, that has screen space for running tons of apps at once anyway.
As for the processor, both the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 have been claimed to pack the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, according to leakers.
Both phones will also be coming with Android 12 and Samsung’s own One UI 4.1 software overlay on top.
Camera
Under-display selfie cameras, maybe?
Audio Quality
There’s a clear winner here
If you love watching movies and videos, or gaming on your phone, you’ll definitely be better off wish the larger Galaxy Z Fold 4 and its true stereo sound. Its predecessor had some very good dual speakers, one on each side of the device, so you’re really getting that wide stereo effect. We can expect the same, if not better for the Z Fold 4.
As for the Galaxy Z Flip 4, it also technically has two speakers, but not really on the same level. One’s a bottom-firing speaker, the other is the earpiece. So yeah, technically it also delivers stereo sound, but it won’t be as full or wide as on the Z Fold 2. Again, this is not exactly the content-watching device of the two.
Both phones also come with Samsung’s EQ (equalizer) feature, via which you can boost certain sound frequencies (e.g. the bass) in order to tune the sound better for yourself.
Battery Life and Charging
We’re yet to know for sure what the Z Fold 4’s battery size would be like, but around 4,400 mAh like its predecessor is a safe bet. In terms of charging speeds, we’re still short on leaks and rumors, but we can expect something close to its predecessor – up to 25W fast charging (hopefully higher, though), and up to 11W fast wireless charging.
Summary and Final Verdict
Although those are both folding phones by Samsung, they’re for vastly different demographics, and the question you need to answer for yourself is – which one are you in?
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a big, almost tablet-sized smartphone that’s fantastic for working with several apps split across the screen, plus it will support the S Pen stylus for jotting down notes by hand. It’s also going to be great for gaming, with its true stereo speakers, large display, and likely a comfortable fit in two hands. It’s the power user’s phone, or the phone for the professional, who wants to do as much as possible with just one device.
As for the Galaxy Z Flip 4, it’s the smaller, trendy phone, for those more interested in fashionable devices. It’s a conventionally-sized smartphone that folds clamshell-like into a smaller form factor that you can fit in even the smallest pocket. If you’re someone who’ll find that useful, say, a jogger who wants a smaller phone – this one might be for you, while the Z Fold phones can be quite heavy and unwieldy for some.
But in any case, you likely won’t go wrong with either one, as they’re both most likely to be the best, most polished, and widely available folding phones in 2022.
