Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review: fine-tuning for the multitasking master
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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 represents the spearhead in the portfolio of foldable smartphones and, with the current generation, improves in important areas such as display, performance, software and camera. The taskbar in Android 12L in particular is a successful innovation. The price remains very high and the device remains very thick.
Table of Contents
1 Fine-tuning for the multitasking master
Starting price is as before 1,799 euros
Technical data of the Galaxy Z Fold 4
A smaller, very large smartphone
Xiaomi shows what with disadvantages
Processing at a very high level
Displays with narrower edges
The under-display camera remains poor
Durability cannot be assessed in the test
Very bright OLED displays with 120 Hz
2 performance and software
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 from TSMC production
256 GB of storage for the basic model
Galaxy Z Fold 4 in the benchmark
Performance and throttling under constant load
UFS 3.1, especially fast when reading
< li>Android 12L with One UI 4.1.1
Taskbar makes multitasking much easier
Five years of software support
3 battery life and camera
The Fold 4 naturally consumes more
Average is worth more with the Fold 4
With intensive use, you can get through the day
Three cameras like in the Galaxy S22
Fold 4 takes good photos day and night
Thanks to the folding mechanism, there are many camera modes
Video mode supports up to 8K24
4 Conclusion
Around three and a half years ago, Samsung pioneered what was then a completely new product category of foldable smartphones with the first Galaxy Fold. The company learned a lot, especially at the start, but the devices have been further developed since then and have been solid companions since the third generation at the latest, which are even protected against water. The new Galaxy Z Fold 4 continues this evolution and improves on its predecessor in several areas such as design, display, cameras and processor.
>As before, the starting price is 1,799 euros
On the other hand, nothing has changed at the starting price of 1,799 euros, so that the latest iteration is also a luxury model for those who combine smartphone and tablet into one product and want to pay a lot for it. Samsung wants to sell around half a million foldable smartphones in Germany this year.
From the outside, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Fold 3 look confusingly similar, even areas such as the camera bezel are already known. However, Samsung has fine-tuned and slightly changed the format of the smartphone, cutting the height from 158.2 to 155.1 mm. When closed, the device is still 67.1 mm wide, but opened it is 130.1 instead of 128.1 mm wide due to a slightly modified hinge. Samsung has reduced the depth of the Fold 4 by an irrelevant 0.1 or 0.2 mm.
The overall depth with the gap remains a disadvantage
IPX8 despite the folding mechanism
The Galaxy Fold has never looked fragile, but that's exactly what it was, especially up to the second generation. Since the Fold 3, the smartphone has had IPX8 protection, which means it is protected against water but not against dust. As a technology enthusiast, you can only take your hat off to the fact that a foldable smartphone with so many moving parts could be made waterproof at all. No other smartphone manufacturer has done anything comparable in this category to date.
Xiaomi shows what is possible with disadvantages
Xiaomi recently showed what would be possible without these robust properties with the particularly thin Mix Fold 2, which measures only 11.2 mm in height when closed and only 5.4 mm per side at the thinnest point when opened. However, the foldable smartphone from Xiaomi comes without water protection and the hinge cannot be locked freely, as the first hands-on videos from China show. With the Fold 4, Samsung offers the foldable device that is better designed for everyday use, but with the Mix Fold 2 it shows where the journey for the Koreans has to go with the coming generations. Subjectively, the Fold 4 has the same dimensions as the Fold 3. The next “Fold 5” would have to be significantly thinner in order to reduce the disadvantages of a foldable smartphone, but retain the stability including IPX8 of the current model, so that the lead over the Chinese competition is maintained can be.
Processing at a very high level
The Fold 4 is once again a well-made smartphone that proves that Samsung hasn't just been building foldable devices since yesterday. Small gaps, high-quality materials and precise workmanship ensure that the 1,800 euros invested are also felt by the buyer. Above all, Samsung has once again done an excellent job with the hinge, since it is neither too easy nor too difficult to move, can be infinitely adjusted and closes with a rich folding noise. Sometimes, however, one wishes for a notch in the frame to be able to grip the two halves better when opening.
The hinge feels sturdy and locks freely
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The fingerprint sensor is in the power button
Displays with narrower borders
Samsung offers the large glass surface on the back in the colors “Gray Green” (test device), “Beige” and “Phantom Black”. “Burgundy” is also available exclusively in the manufacturer's online shop. The front is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, which is used to cover the still 6.2-inch screen. The diagonal may not have changed, but the manufacturer has reduced the display edges again, especially to the left towards the hinge, so that there is space for 2,316 × 904 instead of 2,260 × 832 pixels on the OLED panel.
New outer display stretches closer to the hinge
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The three colors: gray green (test device), beige and phantom black
Unfolded, the Fold 4 reveals a view of the still 7.6-inch screen , which also has a slightly different resolution of 2,176 × 1,812 instead of 2,208 × 1,768 pixels. A few pixels are missing in height, instead there are more in width. The bezels on the inner display have also been slightly reduced compared to the previous year in order to increase immersion again.
UTG has little to do with glass
The inner screen is protected by a slightly improved version of the “Ultra Thin Glass” (UTG) from the German manufacturer Schott, which, purely in terms of haptic experience, still has little to do with glass from Corning, for example, in normal smartphones. The coating feels more like plastic, and the oleophobic protection doesn't handle streaks as well as a regular smartphone display using real glass.
The under-display camera remains bad
The combination of narrower screen bezels and the second generation under-display camera (UDC) ensures that the view of the huge screen is even less disturbing this year. At first glance, nothing has changed in the key technical data of the UDC with 4 MP and f/1.8 aperture. However, Samsung adjusted the pixel structure of the camera so that it is less directly recognizable. The manufacturer is most likely to succeed in this with dark content. However, as soon as White reaches the “hole”, the camera can still be made out again, albeit in a reduced size compared to Fold 3.
UDC in preview (l.) and the final result (r.) Download
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Selfie with rear camera (f/1.8, ISO 320, 1/100s) Download YouTube with tablet-like split
However, the upgrade of the UDC primarily affects the improved integration into the screen, but not the actual quality of the recordings. It still produces fairly coarse pixel mud and should only be used in exceptional situations given the numerous other cameras available. For example, Xiaomi goes so far that the Mix Fold 2 does not offer a camera on the inside at all. A foldable smartphone does not necessarily need this camera, since selfies can also be taken with the front model in the outer display and with the primary camera. However, Samsung wants to offer a package that is as complete as possible, so that apps such as Duo, Skype and Teams can also be used via the inner display alongside other apps. Incidentally, the preview in the viewfinder looks significantly worse than the final result, since all sorts of algorithms only improve the picture after you press the shutter button.
Not longevity to judge in the test
In the area of the fold, two small T-shaped plastic components protect the open transition to the OLED panel and hinge, as in previous years. It cannot be ruled out that dust and small crumbs will eventually make it into the transmission, but cannot be conclusively assessed in a comparatively short test over two weeks. In the test, the smartphone withstood normal everyday use, stowed in trouser pockets, backpacks and storage compartments in the car, without damage. More than other types of screens, however, the inner display is a magnet for small pieces of lint that collect there throughout the day and always make the screen look a little dirty. The Fold 4 also easily coped with use in drizzle and sweaty work in the gym.
Very bright OLED displays with 120 Hz
The readability of both the inner and the outer screen was very good during the test period, even in bright ambient light, which is mainly due to the high brightness of the displays. Samsung does not come close to the measured values of a Galaxy S22+ or S22 Ultra (test), especially with the flexible panel on the inside, but achieves very good values for this type of device.
< img src="/wp-content/uploads/d6782a0d85c9c96ce39047bd62460c45.jpg" /> Large 7.6 inch inner display
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Inner display has narrower bezels
As with the current Galaxy S smartphones, a distinction must be made between three operating modes that are offered for both screens. On the one hand, the brightness can be set via manual regulation, which can also be further increased via a manually activated boost. On the other hand, there is the automatic mode, which works in relation to the brightness, which is determined via the ambient light sensor. The highest values are traditionally reserved for this mode, which is also the case with the Fold 4, which in this respect comes to just over 1,000 cd/m² for a white full screen. With a reduced “Average Picture Level”, this value can be increased to up to 1,250 cd/m² (10 percent APL) and even more in certain areas.
For the sake of clarity, the following table only shows the measurement results of the Fold 4 for brightness separately for the inner and outer display in all three modes, each with three APL levels. It can also be seen that the outer OLED panel is designed for even higher brightness than the inner panel and in this point ends up between the measured values of a Galaxy S22 and S22+.
The bottom line at Samsung is that the Galaxy S22+ and in particular the Galaxy S22 Ultra are still equipped with the best screens from the supplier Samsung Display. However, the Fold 4 does not lack much, so that when other properties such as the adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz or the solid color matching are taken into account, it has to be said that the screens are at least good, if not very good, if the foldable properties are also taken into account.
