Galaxy Z Fold 4 rumored to get some much-needed upgrades

(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)

What you need to know

• A new report claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will use at least one of the Galaxy S22's cameras. 
• The most likely camera to be adopted is the 10MP 3x telephoto lens.
• Another report claims that Samsung will redesign the hinge for its next foldable.

It's been a little more than seven months since the Galaxy Z Fold 3 was released, but it was immediately apparent that Samsung still has some work to do. While the company did finally bring proper S Pen support to its 2021 foldable phone, things like the camera and crease continue to cause a divide in the community.

A new report from GalaxyClub.nl (translated) suggests that Samsung is gearing up to fix a couple of the biggest complaints when it launches the Galaxy Z Fold 4. For one, the report claims that Samsung will be bringing at least one of the cameras from the Galaxy S22 lineup to the Fold 4. Early indications are that the most likely upgrade will come via the implementation of the 10MP 3x telephoto lens. 

Currently, the Z Fold 3 uses a 12MP 2x telephoto camera, so it may seem like this is a downgrade. Despite the lower 10MP resolution, Samsung's 3x telephoto lens from the Galaxy S22 performs quite well and gives users a bit of added flexibility compared to the 2x lens on the Fold 3. Unfortunately, GalaxyClub could not confirm whether Samsung would also bring the 50MP main lens and 12MP ultra-wide camera to the Z Fold 4. 

A separate rumor from @TheGalox_ on Twitter claims that Samsung is also gearing up to redesign the Galaxy Z Fold 4's hinge. Instead of the two-hinge design found in every previous Galaxy Fold, Samsung has developed a new, single hinge mechanism. This could result in a foldable phone that is lighter and more durable as opposed to previous iterations, along with hoping to cut down on the crease that is seen in the middle of the screen. 

The crease continues to create a divide amongst users, as some have woken up to a broken screen despite no actual damage being suffered. Meanwhile, others have not experienced anything of the sort with their Galaxy Z Fold 3 models. Nevertheless, we've seen other foldable phones released with creases that are much less pronounced than what Samsung has implemented into its phones. While Samsung ended 2021 with a 96% market share in foldables, we're keeping our fingers crossed that competition from Oppo's Find N and the rumored Vivo X Fold is putting a bit of pressure on Samsung. 

Rounding out the latest set of rumors, GalaxyClub claims that Samsung will debut its next lineup of foldable phones sometime in August. This matches up with the last few years of releases, bringing a Summer flagship to the masses now that the Galaxy Note line is officially gone.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

If you want the most futuristic and interesting smartphone, look no further than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. This phone includes S Pen support, along with a more durable hinge, and even an under-display selfie camera on the main screen. 

Andrew Myrick is a Senior Editor at Android Central. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is collecting different headphones, even if they all end up in the same drawer.