The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is here and it brings some extra polish and refinement to a foldable series that was already the best foldable overall. While the improvements this year aren’t immediately eye-catching, they add up to more than the sum of their parts. These upgrades include a newly designed hinge that doesn’t stick out as much when folded, resulting in a folded form factor that’s a bit more symmetrical. The Fold 4 is also slightly lighter than the Fold 3. The cameras have also received an upgrade, to a new 50MP main camera sensor with a larger 1/1.55-inch image sensor, plus a quality 3X telephoto zoom lens. The ultra-wide camera remains as useful as ever.
One of the things that Samsung has focused on in recent years is that it wants to make the Fold 4 as durable as possible. And starting with last year’s Z Fold 3, Samsung introduced a new “Armor Aluminum” coating for the frame, plus official IPX8 water resistance.
The same features return this year for the Galaxy Z Fold 4. While Samsung claims its “Armor Aluminum” is stronger than before, the IPX8 water resistance rating is identical to last year’s Z Fold 3.
What does this mean? Well, the IP (Ingress Protection) rating is the documented level of protection provided by the device against dust or liquid. They are represented by two numbers. For IPX8, which has only one number, it means that the device is not protected against dust, but it is protected against water. An “8” rating means the device can withstand immersion in water over one meter (3.2 feet). This means that if you accidentally drop the Galaxy Z Fold 4 into a swimming pool or sink full of water, you can expect the phone to survive unscathed if you remove it within a reasonable amount of time. That means, yes, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is waterproof.
Note that no phone is waterproof and the same remains here. Although there is an official rating, it is worth mentioning that the phone’s warranties do not yet cover water damage, so you should try to avoid deliberately submerging the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in water. Look at the IP rating as “just in case” protection against heavy rain or accidental submersion in water, not as an open invitation to take the Fold 4 underwater on purpose. The lack of dust resistance is bad, so you might want to protect your investment with a case.
If you’re interested in buying the Galaxy Z Fold 4, there are a lot of deals going on right now, so be sure to check them out.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is Samsung’s latest flagship foldable phone, offering high-end specs and up to 512GB of internal storage. But you can’t expand it with a microSD card.
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