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Samsung announced two new foldable smartphones quite recently, and we’re here to compare them. We’ll compare the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. These two phones are both foldable, but they’re very different in comparison. They’re definitely aiming at different types of consumers. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is more oriented toward regular users, who want a compact phone when folded. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is more aimed toward power users, that’s for sure.
They do come with completely different form factors, but they do have plenty in common as well. Their internals are similar, to a degree, and the same goes for their software builds. There are differences, though, of course. That’s what we’ll talk about in this comparison, and hopefully help you choose the device that suits you best. We’ll kick things off by listing their specs, and will then move on to compare the two phones across a number of categories.
Specs
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 | |
| Screen size | Main: 6.7-inch fullHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display (foldable, 120Hz) Secondary (Cover): 1.9-inch Super AMOLED display (flat, 60Hz) |
Main: 7.6-inch fullHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (foldable, 120Hz) Secondary (Cover): 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (flat, 120Hz) |
| Screen resolution | Main: 2640 x 1080 Secondary (Cover): 260 x 512 |
Main: 2176 x 1812 Secondary (Cover): 2316 x 904 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| RAM | 8GB (LPDDR5) | 12GB (LPDDR5) |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB/512GB (UFS 3.1), non-expandable | 256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 3.1), non-expandable |
| Rear cameras | 12MP (f/1.8 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.8um pixel size, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF) 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 123-degree FoV, 1.12um pixel size, ultrawide) |
50MP (f/1.8 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.0um pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, 67mm lens, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 123-degree FoV, 12mm lens, 1.12um pixel size) |
| Front cameras | 10MP (f/2.4 aperture, 26mm lens, 1.22um pixel size) | Main: 4MP (f/1.8 aperture, 26mm lens, 2.0um pixel size, under-display) Secondary: 10MP (f/2.2 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.22um pixel size) |
| Battery | 3,700mAh, non-removable, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 4.5W reverse wireless charging | 4,400mAh, non-removable, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 4.5W Wireless PowerShare |
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 165.2 x 71.9 x 6.9mm Folded: 84.9 x 71.9 x 15.9-17.1mm |
Unfolded: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3mm Folded: 155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8mm |
| Weight | 187 grams | 263 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | Side-facing fingerprint scanner | Side-facing fingerprint scanner |
| OS | Android 12 One UI 4.1.1 |
Android 12 One UI 4.1.1 |
| Price | $999.99 | $1,799 |
| Buy | Samsung | Samsung |
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Design
Both the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4 have an armor aluminum frame, and a glass back. They both include Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the back, and on top of their cover displays as well. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a clamshell foldable, so it folds vertically, while the Galaxy Z Fold 4 folds horizontally. Needless to say, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a lot larger phone here, it’s a proper tablet when unfolded, and a large phone when folded.
What’s interesting, however, is that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is noticeably taller when unfolded. It’s also a lot lighter at 187 grams. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 weighs 263 grams, which makes it lighter than its predecessor, but still quite heavy. Both devices offer IPX8 certification for water resistance, and they’re both quite slippery. That is not surprising considering they’re a combination of glass and metal.
As mentioned earlier, they’re aimed at completely different types of consumers. People interested in one device likely won’t be interested in the other, well, unless you’re a tech aficionado. If you like large phones in every shape and form, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a better choice for you. If you want something more practical, but still quite flashy, get the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Display
There are some considerable differences here, display-wise. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 features a 6.7-inch fullHD+ (2640 x 1080) main display. That is a foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10+ content, and gets up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness. The cover display on the phone measures 1.9 inches, and it’s a 260 x 512 Super AMOLED panel with Gorilla Glass Victus+ on top of it.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4, on the flip side, features a 7.6-inch 2176 x 1812 Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display. That display offers a 120Hz refresh rate, does support HDR10+ content, and offers a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. The cover display on the phone measures 6.2 inches, and offers a resolution of 2316 x 904. That is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display as well, and it also offers a 120Hz refresh rate. Gorilla Glass Victus+ protects it.
All of these displays are quite compelling for what they are. They’re more than sharp enough, and are also quite bright, and offer good viewing angles. They’re also quite vivid, and there’s not much to complain about here. The crease is still visible on the foldable panels, but noticeably less than on their predecessors, that’s for sure. Samsung opted for water resistance rather than a waterdrop hinge which would make the crease even less visible.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Performance
Both of these phones are immensely powerful hardware-wise. Does that translate to good performance? Well, yes, that, in combination with the software optimization, of course. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC fuels both of these smartphones. That’s Qualcomm’s most powerful chip to date, and a noticeable improvement over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It’s a bit more powerful, but it offers better power consumption, and heats up less.
Both phones also include LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 does have more RAM, but that’s not something you’ll notice in everyday use. 8GB of RAM is more than enough for the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Their performance is actually quite similar, which is not surprising considering very similar performance-related internals, and also similar software builds. Android 12 is included on top of the Galaxy Z Flip 4, while Android 12L comes pre-installed on the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
In regular, everyday performance, they’re immensely fast. Regardless of what you do, really, ranging from browsing the web, streaming content, taking pictures, editing images, or whatever else, it doesn’t matter. The same can be said for gaming, actually. You likely won’t notice any slowdown, as these two phones will perform just about as well as other phones in the same class. An occasional hiccup here and there is expected, but you can expect smooth and overall reliable performance in general.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Battery
What about the battery life? Well, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 did have rather poor battery life, but the Galaxy Z Flip 4 improves upon that. Samsung included a 400mAh larger battery in it this time around, and with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, it makes a considerable difference. That phone includes a 3,700mAh battery. The Galaxy Z Fold 4, on the flip side, includes the same 4,400mAh unit as its predecessor.
The battery life on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is now considerably better. It’s not one of the best we’ve seen, but this phone can now easily get you to the end of the day. Well, most of you, at least. That was not the case with the Galaxy Z Flip 3, not at all, at least for most people. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 does offer slightly better battery life than its predecessor, which is to say it’s good enough. You can still kill the phone before the end of the day, but you’d have to use it heavily and rely on the main display a whole lot.
Both phones support 25W wired charging, but do not include a charging brick in the box. That’s something you’ll have to get separately, if you don’t already have one. 15W wireless charging is supported by both smartphones, and the same goes for 5W reverse wireless charging. So, this time around, their charging specs are basically identical. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 will charge faster due to the smaller battery, though, of course.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Cameras
Samsung improved cameras on both the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4, compared to their predecessors. The thing is, these two phones do have completely different setups. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 still includes two 12-megapixel cameras on the back, though the main sensor is better now. It comes with larger pixel size, and a different lens. The pictures do turn up more vivid now, and a bit brighter as well, which is noticeable in low light.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4, on the other hand, gets a major boost when it comes to the main camera. It now includes a 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, OIS, and Dual Pixel PDAF. That does equate to more detailed images, and they also do seem better balanced than before. The ultrawide camera has been improved mostly via software, while the telephoto does a really good job as well.
All in all, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is technically a more versatile camera smartphone, but both of them do a good job overall. They’re not the best camera smartphones out there, but not many people will have complaints here. Well, other than on the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s 4-megapixel selfie camera on the main display, but the 10-megapixel selfie unit on the cover display does make up for it.
Audio
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4 both include stereo speakers. Those speakers are also really good, they’re tuned by AKG, and they are rather full-sounding. The distortion is barely noticeable at the highest of volumes. They’re also really well-balanced, and offer clear vocals. We can’t really complain all that much here.
An audio jack is not a part of either phone, so you’ll have to either use Bluetooth, or that Type-C port at the bottom of each phone. Bluetooth 5.2 is included on both devices, as is A2DP and LE. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 also offers aptX HD, by the way.