Samsung's next big product launch event is officially August 10. After an earlier leak from Evan Blass, aka Evleaks, nailed down this date, Samsung's Twitter account more or less confirmed the report with a puzzle with "081022" as the answer. Expected at the show are the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5, and the Buds2 Pro earbuds. Samsung has great timing because more leaks have also come out today. Blass and 91Mobiles have posted official renders of both the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4.
The exterior design of both devices hasn't changed much, but rumor has it we're looking at a lot of dimension and internal changes. Leaker Ice universe claims the Galaxy Fold is once again expected to get a bit shorter and wider. The exterior Fold 3 screen is very short and skinny, which can lead to layout problems, a general cramped feeling, and a small keyboard. Going shorter and wider with the Z Fold 4 will get the front screen closer to a normal phone aspect ratio. On the inside, shorter and wider should help with media and split-screen content, where the split will be closer to two normal smartphones next to each other.
Don't believe the claims that Fold4 and Fold3 are very similar.
The Fold4 design has changed a lot, especially the hinge. pic.twitter.com/aHKSQ5Cmoq— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) June 1, 2022
If you want to see the Z Fold 4 from more angles, these unofficial renders from Onleaks and Smartprix are your best bet. There are conflicting reports about the device's thickness. The Onleaks render has the Z Fold 4 dimensions at 155×130×7.1 mm. That's shorter, wider, and thicker than the 158.2×128.1×6.4 mm Fold 3. Meanwhile, Ice Universe keeps saying the Fold 4 is "thinner" than the Fold 3 while still keeping a 4400 mAh battery (same as the Fold 3).
We're not usually ones to complain about phone thickness—more battery and less camera bump is usually a good thing—but thickness is a tough issue for foldable phones. Those dimensions are the phone when it's open, so folded up, you're doubling up that thickness for at least a 14.2 mm-thick device. Samsung's hinges don't fold flat, so on the 6.4 mm-thick Fold 3, you're actually looking at a 16 mm wedge when folded up. If you're trying to fit that into a pocket, it's a lot to carry around.
Most reports contain some kind of vague whisper of Samsung reworking the hinge design with the goal of either lightening the weight of the phone or trying to reduce the display crease. I haven't seen any concrete explanations of what Samsung is up to, though. The specs should be the usual flagship fare, with a Snapdragon 8 Gen1 SoC coming to all countries. We'll know a lot more about what's going on inside this phone in just a few weeks.
reader comments
45