Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 2: What's Changed Over The Years

It's been a couple of months since Samsung launched its innovative Galaxy Z Fold 4. The foldable starts at $1,800 a pop -- the same as last year's Galaxy Z Fold 3. This year, however, Samsung will need to persuade people to pony up for its luxe gadgets as a recession looms and inflation hovers at record highs. But if you're determined to ride the cutting edge of foldable phone tech (and have the budget to boot), then you'd be hard-pressed to find a better option than Samsung's book-style foldables. 

The Z Fold 4, Samsung's phone-tablet foldable, is billed by the company as a "multitasking powerhouse." It houses the latest Qualcomm processor, a higher-res display, ships with Android 12L and offers a new 1TB variant. (For specific details, you can scroll to the bottom for a side-by-side spec comparison). The company says it's also worked to make multitasking more intuitive by adding features including new gestures and an improved taskbar. 

Watch this: Comparing Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4 Specs

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Samsung also upgraded the Z Fold 4's camera system. On the back, there are three cameras consisting of a 50-megapixel main sensor, 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor and 10-megapixel telephoto lens. That telephoto lens will support optical zoom up to 3x and digital zoom up to 10x. There are also two "front cameras." The most discernible one is a 10-megapixel sensor found on the main display of the Z Fold 4, and the other is a 4-megapixel under-display camera in the interior screen.

Apart from the specs changes, Samsung emphasized its aim to design more sustainable foldable phones. The Fold 4 uses components made from repurposed fishing nets, in a first for Samsung's foldables. In particular, the display's connector cap and the side key bracket are made from discarded fishing nets, and there are other recycled parts inside the phone. That said, it's hard to determine how meaningful these changes are without a teardown. 

Speaking of sustainability, Samsung says the Z Fold 4 incorporates more durable materials. Its main cover now relies on an "optimized layer structure," which offers improved damage protection. All that is backed up by the usual aluminum frames, and Gorilla Glass Victus on the cover and rear. 

Watch this: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 First Take: Bigger Cover Screen, New Cameras

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The Z Fold 4 still doesn't have dust-resistance, which is likely a tradeoff for the foldable design. It retains last year's IPX8 rating, which means it can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for as long as 30 minutes. By comparison, the Galaxy S22 lineup has IP68 water- and dust-resistance, meaning the phones can withstand dust, dirt and sand. They can also be submerged up to 1.5 meters underwater for up to 30 minutes.

There's still no S Pen storage slot, but Samsung has launched a case with an S Pen holder, which is sold separately. For more information on how Samsung's innovative Z Fold lineup has evolved over the years, take a look at CNET's specs chart below.

For more, check out how the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Watch models compare.