The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 goes big on screen and style
Bigger battery and a cleverer cover display for Samsung's 4th-gen clamshell
Samsung’s compact clamshell is back for a fourth generation. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 has been given a design overhaul, beefier hardware and and an even cleverer cover screen, which the firm hopes will cement it as the mainstream foldable of choice.
The overall shape might stay the same, but Samsung has given the Z Flip 4 a flatter, matte-er makeover. The frame isn’t quite as ruler-straight as an Apple iPhone, but things aren’t as rounded-off as they were before, and have a more blingy finish. The whole thing is IPX8 water resistant, and has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus front and rear to keep scrapes and scratches at bay. Samsung reckons the hinge is good for 200,000 folds, too.
The outward-facing cover screen sticks with a 1.9in, 512×260 OLED panel, but has been given plenty of love on the software side, with lots more customisation options and a whole bunch more widgets. You can toggle quick settings, reply to texts using pre-set responses, direct dial your favourite contacts and activate any SmartThings-compatible smart home tech without having to flip the phone open. Device themes apply to the outer screen as well as the internal one now, and you can have the cover screen clock match the one on your Galaxy Watch if you’re a sticker for consistency.
On the camera front, Samsung is promising brighter selfies and a portrait mode accessible through the cover screen, along with wider third-party support for apps like Instagram for getting funky angles using Flex Cam. There’s a 12MP, f/1.8 main snapper and 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide, with the former having optical image stabilisation. A 10MP, f/2.4 punch-hole camera lurks inside.
Inside, Samsung has squeezed in a larger 3700mAh battery (up from 3300mAh in the last-gen phone) which should help increase its lifespan away from the mains. That’s despite having a more powerful CPU running the show: it’s rocking a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, paired with 8GB of RAM and as much as 512GB of on-board storage.
Samsung’s OneUI interface gets more multi-tasking optimisations this time out, with a two-finger swipe from the bottom of the screen able to launch multi window. Third-party apps like YouTube have been tweaked too, so the video stays up top while the comments sit below the fold.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is going on sale on the 26th of August, in a choice of Graphite, Pink Gold, Bora Purple and Blue colours. Prices start from £999 for a 128GB model, rising to £1059 for 256GB and £1199 for 512GB.
Samsung’s Bespoke Edition service is also set to make a return, letting you mix and match from five front panels, five rear panels and three frame/hinge materials for 75 different combos.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
