The physical dimensions of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 have changed. The changes may not amount to more than a few millimeters and grams, but they make a surprising difference to the way the phone feels – and the hinge redesign played a big part in making that possible. It’s an important step towards making foldable smartphones mainstream, a moment Samsung believes is almost here.
Digital Trends spoke to Nick Porter, Samsung’s UK and Ireland vice president of product management and commercial operations, about the new phones, mass consumer appeal and the all-important new hinge design.
It all depends on that
“We’re really listening to feedback,” Porter told me, and said that for the Z Fold 4, customers asked Samsung for improved one-handed operation and a different aspect ratio screen. It provided an internal screen with an aspect ratio of 21.6:18, which is 3 mm wider than the 22.5:18 screen of the Z Fold 3, and the aspect ratio of the covering screen changed from a 24.5:9 aspect ratio to 23.1:9.
Nick Porter, vice president of product management and commercial operations at Samsung UK and Ireland.
When folded and unfolded, the Z Fold 4 is a hair thinner and eight grams lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Although the Fold 4 is the same width when closed, the device is 3mm shorter and -small bezels make the cover screen visibility area appear larger. The change in the aspect ratio of the internal screen means that when watching a video, all the black bars will be smaller.
“The 3mm increase in width and shortening of the phone means that when it’s closed it’s more seamless and you can use it effectively with one hand without losing the benefit of opening it to a large screen,” Porter explained. “We made it thinner and lighter, changed the aspect ratio and made the phone 6% lighter, and a lot of that is due to the work we did in the hinge.”
For the first three phones, Samsung’s Fold used horizontally mounted gears for articulation, but it’s been redesigned for the Z Fold 4. “By rotating the rotary motion [of the gears] in linear motion, we’ve reduced the amount of gear needed, making it thinner and shorter so it fits in less space,” said Porter, highlighting how the hinge enabled the rest of the Z Fold 4’s changes.
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All this doesn’t come at the expense of durability either, and the hinge still has an innovative brush system inside to clean dust and add lube, plus an IPX8 water resistance rating. It has been tested to 200,000 folds, which is about the same as folding and unfolding the phone 100 times a day for the next five years.
Mainstream appeal
“I think this is when foldables go mainstream,” Porter confidently told me. “We started developing foldables in 2011, we’re now in our fourth generation, and we’ve really learned a lot. Now we’re creating foldables not just for early adopters, but for everyone.”
Although the foldable screens of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 first attract interest, we must also remember that these are the most powerful smartphones released by Samsung to date, each equipped with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen processor 1.
“Z Fold 4 has the fastest processor we’ve ever put in a phone, an improved battery, a 1000-nit foldable screen and PC-like performance,” said Porter. “When looking at the Z Flip 4, we focused on ‘pocketability’ because it’s 10% thinner, has an improved roof screen and is the best compact camera phone we could fit. We have improved the functionality and performance of these products to offer next-generation technology today.”
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Having two phones that appeal to different people is a key step toward mass adoption, which according to data Porter shared is closer than you might think.
“Last year the total foldable market was 10 million units, a 300% increase from 2020. And for the UK in the first half of 2022, we saw a 700% increase in sales compared to the first half of 2020. We are seeing this demand momentum. We’re about to make foldables mainstream. Having the right products in place, along with rapid market growth and listening to our customers, we can see the pivot now happening to the mainstream.”
Grabbing one
It’s all very well to hear about more power and a shiny new hinge, but even though Samsung has been around for four generations, many people haven’t used a foldable smartphone at all.
“What we’ve learned is that people want to experience the new technology,” Porter said. “But how do we create experiences for them to touch and feel the product, fold it, see the benefits on the screen?”
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends Andy Boxall/Digital Trends Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
One answer lies in the creation of two gigantic, fascinating and innovative pop-up shops in the center of two of the world’s busiest cities.
“That’s why we have the new Experience Stores in London and New York where people can come and try the phones, Galaxy Watch 5 smartwatches and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro headphones.” Porter also revealed that many more retail locations will have available foldable phones to try in store this year. “Last year 20% of mobile phone shops in the UK had a foldable device, but this year 80% will have a foldable device that people can try out.”
The secret to understanding the benefits and in turn the desire for a foldable smartphone is in actually using it. Samsung’s Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 are not only more “normal” than ever, but it’s easier – and if you get to one of the experience pop-ups, a lot more fun – to actually go out and try one before buy you too.
“It’s so important when technology is moving so fast,” Porter said. “Seeing is believing with these products.”
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