The Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 was arguably the tipping point for consumers when it came to foldables. It was more accessible and also provided features and experiences that made sense to consumers. This year, with the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4, we’re expecting Samsung to bring a more tailored experience while maintaining the familiar form factor of the Flip series.
With the increasing popularity, it comes as no surprise that Samsung is looking to make their foldables more mainstream and give each model its own identity. To that end, it looks like the Galaxy Z moniker will be laid to rest. The newest generation of foldables is seemingly being rebranded as the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4 and the Galaxy Fold 4 with no “Z”s in sight.
Same, Same But Different
It looks like the Galaxy Flip 4 will be retaining the design of the Flip 3 with minor tweaks. This isn’t new when it comes to Samsung. They’ve already done this with the S22 and even their new Galaxy A series. It seems to be their MO at the moment releasing a smartphone with a new design every few years and tweaking it for the following. This tick-tock strategy may help in the long term as more people become more familiar not only with the brand but also each line’s design cues.
The Galaxy Flip 4 will be retaining the dual coloured design of the Flip 3. However, there will be minor differences that adapt to the updated tech in the smartphone. The most obvious is apparently the redesigned, slimmer hinge. While it doesn’t look like Samsung is making major changes to the hinge, according to Ice Universe on Twitter, the hinge is now significantly narrower than the Flip 3.
Rumours also point to the Galaxy Flip 4 being launched with four colour options: Bora purple, Light Blue, Gray and Gold. The colours are a welcomed update to the colours of the Flip 3 but there are also inklings that there will be a Bespoke edition which will allow for more than 70 colour combinations.
Better Tech. A True Flagship.
While the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 3 were flagships in their own right, their insides left a lot of enthusiasts wanting. The Z Flip, in particular, came with a dated processor and specifications that left us scratching our heads. That seems to be changing with the Flip 4. The Galaxy Flip 4 is rumoured to be coming equipped with the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. That’s a major upgrade which puts it on par with other flagships that have just been released in the past few months.
That said, the Flip 4 seems to be a little more conservative when it comes to RAM and storage. Rumours indicate that the foldable will be coming with a max of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It looks like there will be no support for microSD cards. The lack of microSD card support seems to be an industry standard with smartphones anyways. While there are some rumours that point to a larger 512GB version being available, nothing has been corroborated yet.
The Flip 4 is also rumoured to get a bump in battery capacity as well. While there isn’t anything solid at the moment, it looks like the battery capacity will be rated at about 3,400mAh. However, there are rumours that it may be a larger 3,700mAh. Samsung also looks to be using the same approach to battery technology as the previous Flip smartphones with the battery comprising of two units.
More Cover Display, Same Cameras?
The cover display is also getting a small upgrade. It will be a tad larger at 2.1-inches compared to the 1.5-inches previously. However, the cover display has always depended on its software not its size when it comes to functionality.
On the camera end of things, it looks like Samsung is keeping to the status quo with the dual camera setup we’ve become accustomed to on the Flip. It seems like they will also remain at 12-megapixels with a wide and ultra wide sensor. On the front, we may see the same 10-megapixel sensor or maybe a bump to a larger 32-megapixels as we’ve seen in other Samsung flagships. It also looks like the fingerprint sensor will continue to be integrated into the power button with the Flip 4.
More Affordable? More Premium?
The Galaxy Flip has historically become more affordable with each iteration. The Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G came at such a premium that it wasn’t the most appealing foldable. However, Samsung changed that with the Z Flip 3. With the Galaxy Flip 4, rumours point to the price getting even more affordable with prices starting at about GBP£900 (MYR4,885.79). That said, more recent rumours indicate a price increase in Europe. We’ll have to wait and see.
Availability
The latest editions of these smartphones are expected to be unveiled later this month on 10 August 2022 during Samsung’s Fall Unpacked press conference. If history is any indication, we can expect pre-orders to follow immediately after the announcement. In fact, Samsung is giving customers an MYR200 voucher to put towards their purchase of the Flip 4 or Fold 4 if you register your interest for the device at Samsung.com.
We’re expecting that the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4 will be commercially available towards the end of August; probably around the 25th of August. This is based on previous announcements of the Galaxy S22 and Fold3.