Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 review: if you’re not impressed by this, you may never buy a folding phone

The latest folding smartphone addresses a lot of complaints, from screen size to basic cameras. Is it finally time to unfold a phone?

IT’S 2022. Who wants a boring black rectangle?

That’s the question posed by Samsung’s latest folding flagship phone that’s designed to tackle second thoughts potential buyers might have had about the technology until now.

The fourth generation of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold isn’t so much about redesigning phones with flexible screens as it is about refining them; removing the pain points and the speed bumps, and addressing omissions.

And, as a result, if you don’t appreciate this fourth generation folding phone, you might never make the leap to one.

So is the Galaxy Z Fold4 worth an investment? We borrowed a pre-release handset to find out before its September 2 launch.

WHAT’S NEW?

The biggest change to Samsung’s top folding phone is one of the biggest features on any smartphone: its camera kit.

Samsung's fourth generation folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold4, features more powerful cameras.

Early folding phone investors had to put up with basic cameras, even though they could be used in innovative ways (employing the phone’s front screen as a viewfinder for the phone’s rear lenses).

Samsung finally fixes this problem with the Z Fold4 by adding a three-camera system like that in the Galaxy S22. It features a 50-megapixel main camera, backed up by a 3x telephoto camera and an ultra-wide option.

In our tests, this set-up was capable of producing print-worthy photographs and took a huge step up from its 12-megapixel predecessor, both in quality and variety of photographic options.

The new cameras don’t do as much as the lenses in Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra, of course, which offers more than double the megapixels and a 10x optical zoom.

The Fold4 also doesn’t support Samsung’s Expert RAW app, that captures more photographic detail, though hopefully this can be rectified in future.

WHAT’S BETTER?

The biggest issue with the first Z Fold was its small front screen with chunky borders. Samsung has improved in subsequent models and does so again here, reclaiming another 2.7mm for the display.

Samsung's fourth generation folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold4, is compatible with S Pens.

The main 7.6-inch display is also 3mm wider in the Fold4, making its format slightly different and better suited to some apps.

The new model also drops some weight — eight grams — and its hinge is smoother and smaller in a major engineering feat.

But arguably the biggest enhancement this year is to the Fold’s software.

Samsung has added a Taskbar to the Fold’s screen in a format that will be familiar to anyone who’s used an Apple Mac, iPad or Windows PC.

Pinned apps appear in miniature at the bottom of the screen, alongside two recently opened apps. It’s a small addition, and is unlikely to sell a phone, but an incredibly handy timesaver.

In addition to working with Google, Samsung has also improved teamed with app developers. Apps like Instagram, TikTok, Netflix and Disney+ all use this phone’s giant screen in smarter ways than they did before — users won’t feel like they’re compromising.

WHAT’S MISSING?

If you were waiting for a major overhaul in this year’s Fold, you’d be disappointed. Samsung doesn’t break the mould here.

Samsung's fourth generation folding phone, the Galaxy Z Fold4, on show at a New York event. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson

This phone also fails to add space for a memory card, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, or a built-in stylus like the Note (though it is compatible with them).

It also retains but doesn’t improve on the IPX8 water-resistant rating of the Fold3, which means it can withstand 1.5 metres of water for 30 minutes but is not rated for dust.

IS IT TIME TO FOLD?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 offers compelling reasons to pocket a folding phone and shows a clear evolution from the original model.

Curious potential buyers who delayed a folding investment due to screen issues, camera concerns or questions of longevity should be reassured by what they see in this fourth-generation package.

That said, the Fold4 won’t be for everyone: its $2499 starting price is still a lot to ask (even if it buys a lot of tech) and there are still more boxes to tick on the ultimate phone-tablet hybrid wishlist.

THE COMPETITION IS FOLDING TOO

Motorola: Just one day after Samsung revealed its latest folding phones, Motorola launched its newest RAZR with a flexible screen. A caveat? It’s only in China so far. The 2022 model features a 6.7-inch flexible screen and a clamshell body.

Oppo: The Chinese phone maker is strongly tipped to release two folding handsets in spring — the Oppo Find N Fold and the Oppo Find N Flip, similar to Samsung’s Fold and Flip models. Its earlier flexible phones were only released in China but details of European listings have recently leaked.

Xiaomi: The Mix Fold 2, announced earlier this year, could be one of the slimmest folding phones to date, measuring just 5.4mm thick, and folding out like a book to show off an eight-inch OLED screen. Like it Samsung rival, this Fold will also feature a 50-megapixel main camera.

Originally published as Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 review: if you’re not impressed by this, you may never buy a folding phone