For a few years now, Samsung has found its own niche with its folding devices. Now it’s time for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4. The first is the device that unfolds like a glasses case and then takes on a regular-sized smartphone, while the Fold opens like a book and turns an elongated phone into a square tablet. The gadget desk is testing the Fold this time.
Compared to the Fold 3, hardly anything has changed in terms of appearance; the subtle differences are only visible when the two devices are placed next to each other. For example, the 4 has a slightly smaller hinge, so that the screen is slightly larger on the outside. But of course it only gets really interesting when the device is unfolded. There is still a crease, but it feels very quickly disappears during use.
The Fold 4 is no longer a revolution; the hardware improvements are more like an iPhone 14 surpasses its predecessor. Think of better cameras (in total there are no less than five, both on the inside and outside), a screen that is less vulnerable according to Samsung and a faster Snapdragon processor. The latter ensures that everything runs even smoother and faster, although there are no major differences.
In all honesty, with the previous Folds it was a bit of a search for the great utility, apart from the folding pleasure. After all, the weird square format is not necessarily suitable for video, so that the advantage of a larger screen is hardly there. Maybe as an e-reader? Could be. But the real advantage emerges when the beautiful and crystal-clear display is used to use multiple apps at the same time.
With the latest Android software specifically intended for tablets and folding phones, multitasking really comes into its own. The new taskbar works very nicely and allows the user to easily open different apps side by side, where he can choose their size. It is then easy to, for example, drag a photo from the photo app into an email.
Folding phones do not dominate the streets yet, but Samsung itself has sky-high expectations. In three years’ time, the origami variants more than half of all top model sales. Then Samsung will have to remove one big hurdle: the price.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4– from 1799 euros