Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Fold3 – What awesome upgrades and differences do they have?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 was a hard act to follow for the competition as it featured water resistance, crisp 120Hz AMOLED displays and an exquisite level of polish that set the standard for foldable phones in themarket but its successor the Galaxy Z Fold4 aims to take its predecessor’s proven formula and take it to new heights. 

What is impressive here is that in just four generations of devices, Samsung has spearheaded a foldable phone revolution that has seen them sell over 10 million foldables across the globe in 2021- a stunning 300% increase from 2020. Seeing what the Galaxy Z Fold4 has to offer, Samsung looks set to score an easy lead for 2022. Of course, the question remains though, what differences do the Galaxy Z Fold4 and the Galaxy Z Fold3 have between each other?

When viewed at a glance, both phones look somewhat similar to each other but the Galaxy Z Fold4 hosts an array of subtle upgrades that elevate its capabilities significantly. After our Galaxy Z Fold4 first look, we sum up just what differences their latest foldable has to offer compared to its predecessor in our feature – Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Fold3 – What upgrades and differences do they have?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Fold3 – Slimmer, sleeker and lighter design

In broad strokes, the Galaxy Z Fold4 has a similar layout to the older Galaxy Z Fold3 with a side mounted power button and volume rocker, a rear triple camera, a front-facing selfie and under display camera as well as a front cover and main folding cover display.

Closer inspection reveals that the Galaxy Z Fold4 weighs 263g, making it lighter by 8g than the Fold3’s original 271g. The Fold4 is also slightly wider by 2mm to accommodate the wider aspect ratios of both its displays while also being slightly shorter and squarish which makes it more practical to tote around.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 retains the use of their patented Armor Aluminium alloy for the chassis and hinge housing. For the uninitiated, Armor Aluminum is one of the strongest aluminium alloys available for smartphones today and reduces the odds of it getting nicked or dented.

According to Samsung, the new material is 10% tougher than the standard aerospace-grade aluminium used in other smartphones and first saw service in the  Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3. The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 also retains their Gorilla Glass Victus+, a formulation currently unique to Samsung phones of recent vintage sheathing the backplate and the front cover display for added durability.

The Galaxy Z Fold4 also retains the same industry-leading IPX8 water resistance which means that the phone can survive immersion in up to 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. In Malaysia, you can acquire the Galaxy Z Fold4 in Phantom Black, Beige, Graygreen and a new shade of Burgundy which is exclusive to the online Samsung store.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Fold3 – Wider, squarer cover and main displays

While both the new Galaxy Z Fold4 and older Galaxy Z Fold3 use Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels for both the cover and main folding display with a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, HDR10+ support and similar screen sizes with both having a 6.2-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main folding display, they differ slightly in terms of aspect ratios. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 in general has slightly shorter but wider and more squarish displays rather than the taller, narrower ones seen in the Galaxy Z Fold3 without any compromise in performance, brightness or refresh rate. The Galaxy Z Fold4 achieves this by shaving down the screen bezels to retain the same aspect ratios as the older Galaxy Z Fold3.

The older Galaxy Z Fold3 has a taller 25:9 aspect ratio for the 6.2-inch cover display while the newer Fold4 has a wider 23.1:9 aspect ratio. In effect, this makes the cover display shorter and wider.

The main 7.6-inch folding display for the Fold3 had a 22.5:18 aspect ratio while the Fold4 has a slightly more practical and wider 21.6:18 aspect ratio. 

Up front, the Galaxy Z Fold4 uses a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 904 x 2,316 pixels resolution that is 2.7mm larger than the older Fold3. Unfolding it reveals a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 1,812 x 2,176 pixels resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate while being 3mm larger than the Fold3. 

Like its predecessor, the main folding display has support for an S Pen Pro or a specialised S Pen for the Z Fold4; not just any S Pen stylus will work with the phone as it requires a special variant with a spring inside that ensures the nib doesn’t scratch the display which only the aforementioned models have. Both the S Pen Pro and the smaller S Pen which ships with a case are available on the Samsung online store and at Samsung Experience stores nationwide.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Fold3 – Better performance and more storage options

In terms of overall performance, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Galaxy Z Fold3, the former has a sizable advantage as it uses the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 processors over the latter’s Snapdragon 888 processor that was released in 2021. 

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 is built on a more efficient 4nm process versus the Snapdragon 888’s slightly larger 5nm process and is rated for about 13% higher clock speeds and has better performing Adreno 730 graphics over the latter’s Adreno 660 graphics.

What this ultimately translates to is better performance and more efficient power management which in turn impacts on better battery life. Better yet, the newer Galaxy Z Fold4 runs the newer tablet optimised Android 12L which has been optimised for the tablets and foldables which also lends it an edge in functionality with a taskbar at the bottom for easier multiscreen tasking..

Both phones max out at 12GB RAM and both have a 256GB and 512GB storage option available but the Galaxy Z Fold4 has a massive 1TB model available. Both phones feature a 4,400mAh batteries with the Galaxy Z Fold4 having improved and faster 15W fast wireless charging versus the older Galaxy Z Fold3’s slower 11W wireless charging. Both phones retain 25W fast wired charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Fold3 – More powerful rear triple camera system

One of the biggest gripes with last year’s Galaxy Z Fold3 was its camera system. While it’s a sound design that uses a triple camera array, all with 12MP sensors, it only maxed out at 2X optical zoom, 10x digital zoom and 4K@60fps video. This was capable of tackling most day to day scenarios.

In the case of the Galaxy Z Fold4, they’ve upgunned the rear triple camera array with a similar setup to their flagship Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ which were surpassed only by the top of the line Galaxy S22 Ultra which had a far more powerful 108MP triple camera array.

In effect, you get a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a secondary 10MP camera with 3x optical zoom as well as OIS and a 12MP ultra wide angle camera. WIth this setup, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is capable of 3x optical zoom, a whopping 30x digital zoom and 8K@24fps video capture which is a huge step up from the older Fold3. The front 10MP camera on the cover display and the 4MP under display camera retain otherwise similar performance. If you prize camera performance, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is a clear winner.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Fold3 – Price 

In Malaysia, Samsung is still offering the Galaxy Z Fold3 with the 256GB model available at RM6,699 and the 512GB model at RM7,099. The spanking new Galaxy Z Fold4 is priced at RM6,799 for the 256GB model, RM7,299 for the 512GB model and RM8,299 for the 1TB model.

 

For the base 256GB model, the Galaxy Z Fold4 costs RM100 more than the Fold3. The pricier 512GB Fold4 retails for RM7,299 while the older Fold3 is slightly cheaper at RM7,099. Only the Galaxy Z Fold4 has a 1TB storage option. Better yet, buying any storage variant of the Galaxy Z Fold4 nets you a free Galaxy Watch4 worth RM799 and a Samsung Care+ 1 year extended warranty programme whereas the older version lacks any extra goodies at this point in time.

You can check out our Galaxy Z Fold3 review here and our long term review here. We’ve just gotten our hands on the Galaxy Z Fold4 but you can check out our first look here. To purchase Samsung’s flagship foldables, check out their official Galaxy Z Fold3 store link here and their Galaxy Z Fold4 store link here.