More than meets the eye

• Source: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

  The best foldable yet

  $1600 $1800 Save $200

  The Galaxy Z Fold 4 makes the right improvements to make this the ultimate smartphone experience. The cameras are great, and the battery life is fantastic. Combine these factors with everything already impressive about Samsung foldables, and you have the most compelling foldable yet.

  Pros

  • Solid battery life
  • Improved hinge

• 

  Source: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

  Still great

  $1000 $1800 Save $800

  The Galaxy Z Fold 3 finally brought a level of durability to foldable phones thanks to its IPX8 water resistance rating. While the battery life and cameras leave a lot to be desired, the Fold 3 remains a multitasking powerhouse that gets things done.

  Pros

  • Often discounted
  • Similar experience for a lower price

  Cons

  • Subpar battery life
  • Cumbersome hinge

Foldables are the exciting new form factor that many people are excited about. When you look at Samsung’s foldables, it’s impressive to see how stable the company has made this particular product category within only four generations. On paper, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 doesn’t seem like much of an upgrade over the Z Fold 3, but the differences may be more significant in person. A spec sheet only tells half a story, so let’s dig deeper and explore how each phone compares.

Price, availability, specs

With the Fold 4 approaching a year old, both phones can frequently be found for less than their $1,800 launch prices. The Fold 3 is usually around the $800 mark these days, and for Prime Day, the Fold 4 was down to just $1,000. As the launch of the Z Fold 5 approaches, expect to see more frequent price drops. Like most Samsung products, you’ll find these devices in most major retailers almost worldwide.

While specs don’t tell the whole story, they are important, so you can see how they stack up below:

• 	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
  SoC	Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
  Display	7.6″ 2176 x 1812 120Hz OLED primary, 6.2″ 2316 x 904 120Hz OLED cover display	6.70-inch OLED @ 2268 x 832, up to 120Hz, 1,500 nits peak (external); 7.6-inch OLED @ 2208 x 1768, up to 120Hz, 1,200 nits peak (internal)
  RAM	12GB	12 GB
  Storage	256GB, 512GB, or 1TB	256 GB, 512 GB
  Battery	4,400mAh	4,400 mAh dual-cell
  Operating System	Android 13 (One UI 5.1)	Android 13 (One UI 5.1)
  Front camera	4MP f/1.8 under-display camera (80˚ FoV, 2.0μm pixels), 10MP f/2.2 cover display camera (85˚ FoV, 1.22μm pixels)	10MP f/2.2 (cover); 4MP f/1.8 (internal)
  Rear cameras	50 MP f/1.8 wide-angle (85˚ FoV, OIS, 1.0μm pixels), 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123˚ FoV, 1.12μm pixels), 10MP f/2.4 telephoto (36˚ FoV, OIS, 1.0μm pixels)	12MP f/1.8 main w/ OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123°), 12MP f/2.4 2x telephoto w/ OIS
  Dimensions	67.1 x 155.1 x 15.8 mm folded (tapering to one edge), 130.1 x 115.1 x 6.3 mm unfolded, 263g	128 x 158 x 6.4mm (unfolded); 67.1 x 158 x 16mm (folded); 271g
  Colors	Graygreen, Phantom Black, Beige, Burgundy	Phantom Black, Phantom Green, Phantom Silver
  Charging	25W Super Fast Charging wired, 15W wireless (Qi)	25W wired, 15W wireless (QI)
  Price	$1,800	$1,200

Design

Unless you memorize which colors each model comes in, it can be hard to tell them apart, but if you hold them side-by-side, the difference becomes more apparent. The Fold 4 is slightly wider and shorter than the Fold 3, and the camera module has grown to accommodate the new 50MP main camera. Also, the hinge is smaller on the Fold 4, so the cover screen can move over closer to the edge of the phone. That extra space, combined with the broader phone, makes both displays wider than before, but not enough to make a significant difference when in use. Both Folds still look like chunky TV remotes.

Overall, however, these seemingly small changes make for a noticeable improvement in comfort. The Z Fold 4 is more pleasing to hold than the Z Fold 3, and it offers a wider keyboard when typing with the front display and no longer digging into your palms when opened. Combined with the squared-off frame, the Z Fold 4 feels noticeably different from its predecessor when you hold it, but it isn’t a night and day difference.

Displays

The Z Fold 4 has all-new display panels. Both are the same size diagonally, but the aspect ratios have changed, which makes a more meaningful difference than you’d expect. Two millimeters doesn’t sound like much, but both of the Z Fold 4’s displays feel more spacious when used in portrait. In addition, the cover screen is easier to type on — although many people wish it were even more expansive — and the inner display is better at split-screen multitasking than ever before, giving up-to-three apps more room to breathe.

Aside from the shape, the technical qualities are quite similar. For example, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 can reach a higher peak brightness on both panels, but the Z Fold 3 was already capable of searing your corneas.

Performance and battery life

This is where all the magic happens. The Z Fold 4 uses the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 instead of the 888, and the improvements in performance, especially battery life, are vast. The Snapdragon 888 wasn’t a bad chip; it was just less suited to this type of device than the newer chip.

The Fold 3 was plenty fast, but only in short bursts. Multitasking or gaming would make it heat up quickly, throttling the chip’s performance. This also ruined battery life. Thankfully, the 8+ Gen 1 focussed on improving cooling and efficiency, so the Z Fold 4 lacks this issue. Despite using the same 4,500mAh cell as the Fold 3, the Z Fold 4 lasts much longer, consistently beating our Exynos S22 Ultra. Performance is fast and lasts longer, thanks to the better cooling. The 8+ Gen 1 is a chip that stays cool no matter what you throw at it. Gaming outside in the hot sun couldn’t get the Z Fold 4 to warm up, which means sustained performance won’t be an issue, and the device will continue to feel smooth under prolonged workloads.

Software

Both phones now use One UI 5.1 after being updated earlier this year when the Galaxy S23 series launched. That counts as the first major update for the Fold 4 and the second for the Fold 3. Both devices were promised four years of Android updates, with a fifth for security patches. So, the Fold 3 will get updated to Android 15 next year, with a final round of security patches in 2026. The Fold 4 will see Android 16 and patches through to 2027.

Aside from the taskbar, a new gesture lets you swipe up from the bottom of the display with two fingers to enable split-screen, which now applies to all Samsung phones with One UI 5.

Cameras

The selfie cameras on the cover display are the same on both phones, but that can’t be said for the rest of the cameras. The under-display selfie shooter inside the main screen has twice the number of pixels covering it on the Z Fold 4, making it harder to see. That and the arrangement of the pixels make anything in the UI that sits over the camera less pixilated. It’s not perfect, but it melts away from your notice after a little while.

Around the back, the Z Fold 4 borrows the 50MP primary and 10MP 3X zoom sensors from the Galaxy S22+, a significant upgrade to the old 12MP sensors found in the Fold 3. The 12MP ultrawide appears unchanged, though that was the one sensor we didn’t find much to complain about. While the Z Fold 4 might not be our favorite phone camera, it’s much better than last year’s and more befitting a device this expensive.

Should you upgrade?

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a bigger upgrade than we thought, and the improvements are enough that it’s the foldable we recommend above all others. As for whether you should upgrade from your Fold 3, we’d say no. It was worth it at launch when trade-in deals were prevalent, but you’ll find less of those now, and the release of the Z Fold 5 is likely only five months away.

If you don’t have a foldable yet, the Z Fold 4 is an excellent choice even though it’s been around for a while now. The performance and battery life have remained consistent thanks to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and the software experience has only gotten better since it was updated to One UI 5.1, which brought a ton of software optimizations over from the Galaxy S23 series.

The Z Fold 3 has an almost identical software experience as the Z Fold 4. It’s only let down by the poor thermal and battery performance of the Snapdragon 888, and it struggles to make it through a day on one charge. On the other hand, its age means that it’ll see heavier discounts as we progress through the year, so if Prime Day or some other event discounts it enough, it could make for an excellent secondary device.