Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is here with redesigned hinge and larger battery

Samsung has positioned itself as the pioneer in foldable phones and the Galaxy Z Flip4 is its best attempt at a clamshell folding phone to date. It all starts with the slimmer hinge that brings a narrower gap making the phone more compact and less susceptible to damage.

Z Flip4 measures 84.9 x 71.9 x 17.1mm in its closed state and 165.2 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm when unfolded. The glass panels on the back are now reinforced with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ while the frame still features Armor Aluminum.

The bezels on the folding screen were also trimmed while the screen diagonal remains 6.7 inches. The panel is a Dynamic AMOLED with FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate like last year’s model. You get a 22:9 aspect ratio and a punch hole cutout for the 10MP selfie camera.

The AMOLED cover screen measures 1.9-inches and boasts a 260x512px resolution just like Flip3 but Samsung has expanded its functionality. You get an array of customization options including custom panels and themes that sync with the main UI of the phone. You can reply to messages with speech-to-text and emojis directly from the cover screen.

There’s a growing list of widgets and quick settings controls that allow you to dial your three favorite contacts without opening the phone or control SmartThings home devices. Samsung Pay cards will be visible directly on the small screen too.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 sits at the helm alongside 8GB RAM and 128/256/512GB storage.

The camera department features a pair of 12MP sensors – an optically stabilized 12MP f/1.8 main camera with 1.8µm pixels, which was previously seen on the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Fold3. It should bring a drastic improvement in image quality compared to the dated sensor of the Flip3.

The ultrawide snapper is the same 12MP module sitting behind an f/2.4 lens like last year.

The software side is covered by OneUI 4.1 on top of Android 12 and Samsung is bringing new FlexMode options with optimized UX for video calling apps like Google Meet, Zoom and Facebook Messenger. Flex mode touchpad with precise controls will be supported on more apps while multi-window will allow you to launch a growing list of apps on both halves of the screen.

Z Flip4 gets a 3,700 mAh battery, up from the 3,300 mAh cell on the Flip3. You can also charge at up to 25W speeds, which is a welcome improvement over the 15W speeds of last year’s Flip.

Galaxy Z Fold4 will be available in Graphite, Pink Gold, Bora Purple and Blue colors as standard. You’ll also be able to configure a Bespoke Edition model via Samsung’s website which allows you to mix and match up to 75 unique color combinations.

Pricing starts at $999/£999/Є1,099. Pre-orders are already open while shipping begins on August 26.

Head this way for our hands-on review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4.