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Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Fold 4: The Differences Between Samsung's Foldable Phones

Samsung's recently launched foldables may both have bendy displays, but each is distinct in look and feel. We unpack the similarities and differences.

Sareena Dayaram Senior Editor
Sareena is a senior editor for CNET covering the mobile beat including device reviews. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with more than a decade's worth of experience producing stories for television and digital publications across Asia's financial capitals including Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. Prior to CNET, Sareena worked at CNN as a news writer and Reuters as a producer.
Expertise Huawei, Oppo, smartphones, smartwatches Credentials
  • More than a decade of journalism experience
Sareena Dayaram
2 min read
samsung's new z fold 4 phone and nz flip 4 phone held side by side

Samsung's luxurious new foldable phones -- the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 -- officially launch on Aug. 26.

Samsung

Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 at its annual Unpacked event in August, marking a continuation of the phonemaker's efforts to take foldable phones to the mainstream. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 starts at $1,800 (£1,649, AU$2,499), while the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will start at $1,000 (£999, AU$1,499) -- each the same price as its predecessor. 

While both phones have a foldable design, the specific look and feel is different for each. The Z Flip 4 is a clamshell-style flip phone popularized by Motorola's Razr. It's compact, nostalgically cool and it targets online content creators, among other demographics. The Z Fold 4, on the other hand, is Samsung's heftier book-style foldable. It's nearly double the height of the Z Flip 4 when both are folded "closed." When unfurled, Z Fold 4 expands into a tablet-sized interior screen that Samsung says is a powerful tool for multitasking, which is given a boost by 12GB of RAM. 

With the Z Fold 4's larger size (and higher price), comes a corresponding set of features. There are three rear cameras including a telephoto lens, compared with just two on the Z Flip 2. The Z Fold 4 also manages to cram in a larger battery. Their front displays are different, too. The Z Flip 4 has a petite display on the lower portion of the cover, which Samsung has made more useful with this iteration. The Z Fold 4's display is nearly the size of a regular phone screen. 

Despite their physical differences, perhaps Samsung's biggest flex was software, and the changes affected both new models. Like the Z Fold 4, the Flip 4 gets the bottom-screen trackpad feature in its Flex Mode -- that's the feature that splits apps between top and bottom portions of the screen when it's folded halfway. With the updates, you'll be able to use the bottom half of the screen as a trackpad for navigating the top portion of the screen, supposedly making it easier to manipulate apps in Flex Mode. 

Each model also receives nighttime photography improvements that were launched with the Galaxy S22, including night portrait-mode photos. These changes seem to underscore Samsung's efforts to convince shoppers to switch to a foldable phone -- or at the very least generate some interest in one.

For more information on how the Z Flip 4 stacks up against the Z Fold 4, take a look at CNET's specs chart below for a side-by-side comparison.

Z Fold 4 vs. Z Flip 4


Galaxy Z Fold 4 5GGalaxy Z Flip 4
Display size, resolution, aspect ratio Internal: 7.6-inch AMOLED (2176 x 1812 pixels) External: 6.2-inch HD Plus (2,316 x 904)Main Screen: 6.7-inch FHD+ (2,640 x 1080 pixels; 22:9) Cover Screen: 1.9-inch (260x512 pixels)
Pixel density TBCTBC
Dimensions (Millimeters) Folded: 67.1x155.1x15.8mm (Hinge) ~14.2mm (Sagging). Unfolded: 130.1x155.1x6.3mmFolded: 71.9x84.9x17.1mm (Hinge) ~15.9mm (Sagging). Unfolded: 71.9x165.2x6.9mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 9.27 oz; 263g187g; 6.59 oz
Mobile software Android 12LAndroid 12
Camera 50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)12-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide)
Front-facing camera 4-megapixel (under display), 10-megapixel (front cover)10-megapixel
Video capture 4K 4K
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen Plus 1Snap 8 Plus Gen 1
RAM/Storage 12GB + 256GB/512GB/1TB8GB+ 128GB/256GB/512GB
Expandable storage NoneNone
Battery/Charger 4,400 mAh 3,700 mAh
Fingerprint sensor SideSide
Connector USB-CUSB-C
Headphone jack NoneNo
Special features Foldable phone, 30x optical, 30x space zoom, IPX8, 25-watt fast-charging (no in-box charger)IPX67, 5G enabled, foldable display, wireless charging, 25W fast charging
Price (USD) $1,800 (256 GB); Pricing for other models TBC$999
Price (GBP) £1,649 (256GB)£999
Price (AUD)  AU$2,499 (256GB)
AU$1,499