Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 compared to the past: all the differences, one by one

Yesterday, during the Unpacked event, Samsung renewed the range of its best products. The Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro smartwatches, Galaxy Buds 2 Pro earphones, and especially the two flagship leaflets for a good part of 2023 and what remains of 2022, that is Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4.

We were able to try them both briefly and in this article you will find our first impressions, but both Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 are already in our hands and in a few days we will soon tell you what we think. In the meantime we help you to do clarity on what the generational shift has brought with it again, from the differences in terms of construction / design, price list passing through those of a strictly technical nature.

A kind of guide to discovery of new products (we hope complete and, as far as possible, also rapid), which on this occasion seemed even more important than in others, since the differences between one generation and another are few and some nuanced, so you need a magnifying glass. We hope to be yours.

With Galaxy Z Fold 4, Samsung has preferred to avoid upsetting a project in which a lot of resources have been invested, part of which probably has yet to return in the form of earnings. However, the company has optimized the products, but perhaps in a perceptible way only by those who have been using a Fold for a long time. Z Fold 4 is more “square” compared to the predecessor: the external display is in 23: 9 format instead of 24.5: 9, the internal one in 21.6: 18 instead of 22.5: 18, all with the same or almost equal width and with a few millimeters saved in height.

Modifications that increase the active surface with the same diagonal, promote multitasking (and the main strength of “book” leaflets) and have little or no effect on size. For the rest, the construction remains of a high level (we told you about it in the preview), there is once again the IPX8 certification for resistance to liquids but not that to dust (a complicated matter due to the hinges), and more attentive will not escape even this time the fold on the display with the Fold open, a defect (aesthetic but not functional) that in the current state of technology must be swallowed when you approach a fold.

In terms of technical specifications, after removing the obvious differences related to the different scaffolding at the base, that is the chip, and the different proportions, little remains to be examined. The external display is more defined (402 vs 387 pixels per inch o ppi), Bluetooth is in version 5.2 (a less subtle change in the future than it may seem at first) while three aspects deserve some more consideration:

• there main wide camera is all new. It maintains the optical image stabilization and the focal aperture value, but the resolution of more than four times higher than in the past implies two novelties:
  • with pixel binning (previously absent for the “low” resolution) the individual pixels are slightly larger (2 μm instead of 1.8 μm)
  • 8K videos can be recorded

• also new tele camerawhich achieves a 3x optical and a 30x hybrid zoom (previously 2x and 10x, respectively)
• the battery capacity did not go down but it did not go up either. However, the great efficiency of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 compared to the predecessor’s Snapdragon 888 it could however allow for greater autonomy.

From one generation to the next the price has gone up, fortunately not by much. Despite the difficult period that the industry is going through, between the poor availability of components and almost out of control inflation, Samsung has managed to keep the attack price almost stable: 30 euros more for the 12 + 256 GB access version, 50 euros more for the one with the same RAM and 512GB of storage.

The 1 TB version, new this year, is an exclusive of the official shop and requires a considerable economic effort: 2,249 euros price list, it is difficult for the price to drop over time because there is only one retailer, namely Samsung. The price of the other variants, on the other hand, could also go down, but do not expect dizzying drops: the profit margins have been thinned by the increase in costs, without considering that historically the Z Folds have shown to hold their value well.

The generational shift between Galaxy Z Flip 3 and 4 was approached by the designers in the same way as the Fold: no upheavals, few targeted changes. Indeed, considering that the format of the displays and consequently of the body has remained the same, here there are even fewer constructive innovations. Samsung, however, has allowed itself a slight optimization of the spaces, which with the same diagonals of the screens has led to a Galaxy Z Flip 4 slightly more compact but slightly heavier (4 grams).

The differences between meter and scale in the hand could be partly related to new hinge, smaller and probably more robust too. As on the Z Fold 4, the construction of the Z Flip 4 has remained of a high standard, there is once again the IPX8 certification for resistance to liquids but not that to dust, and the crease on the display when Flip open is still noticeable, in spite of the false illusions created by the rumors of the past weeks.

On a technical level, Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Flip 3 are close relatives. Dimensions aside, on this year’s project Samsung offers an extra memory cut (512 GB), a new wide but always 12 MP main camera, and two other novelties that could reveal themselves game changer compared to last year’s model.

The chip Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, much more powerful and above all efficient than the Z Fold 3 Snapdragon 888, and the batterywhich at the same size obtains the beauty of 400 mAh more: a gain, which exceeds 10% in terms of capacity, totally “free” for the user in terms of overall dimensions. The most efficient chip and the 3,700mAh battery together they could finally guarantee a satisfactory autonomy. Galaxy Z Flip 3 disappointed us in this respect:

The 3300 mAh does not promise miracles on paper and does not perform them in the field. I struggled to get there in the evening as soon as I started putting it under stress – we told you at the time of the Z Flip 3 review. […] On the other hand, we know the processor, it is tough, you pay for 120 Hz and the external screen is a small beacon, unfortunately the accounts add up. For the lovers of statistics we are on the 3 hours and 30/4 of active display, spread in about 24 hours of operation.

The accounts could come back again. But positively. Appointment to the review.

More substantial increase in percentage terms for Galaxy Z Flip 4, even if by far the tax is not excessive: 50 euros on the list of all versions, with the third of this year – the one with 512 GB of storage – which is unpublished and costs a lot, well 1,329 euros. The price of the access variant may also fall with the weeks and months, but the mega scissors like the one for over 600 euros in January on the Z Flip 3, if the conditions of the industry remain the current ones, they should remain a historical event, not replicable.

(updated August 12, 2022, 00:12 am)