Speaker 1: Foldable phones have come a long way since the first galaxy folds launched in 2019, Samsung's newest, foldables are cheaper, more durable and better designed than they were three years ago, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. And I'm hoping to see some changes in the rumored upcoming galaxy Z fold four Samsung is expected to announce the next galaxy Z fold and its unpacked event on August 10th, alongside a new galaxy Z flip and other products. [00:00:30] CNET will be covering the event and we'll be breaking down all of the products. So get subscribed. If you don't wanna miss those videos,
Speaker 1: Rumors say the phone will have a new hinge and improved camera, similar to the galaxy S 22 S and a cheaper price. I'm hoping to see these changes end more in Samsung's next big foldable phone sales foldable phones grew a lot in 2021, but one of the biggest factors holding them back is still their high [00:01:00] prices. The galaxy Z fold three usually starts at $1,800 without a trade-in making it $600 more expensive than the galaxy S 22 ultra and $700 more than the iPhone 13 pro max. That's a lot of money for a phone, although it is an improvement compared to the galaxy Z fold two, which was priced at $2,000 when it launched. But if Samsung really wants foldable phones to be the future, it needs to continue bringing those [00:01:30] prices down. Thankfully, rumors suggest Samsung will do just that. Ross young, an analyst with display supply chain consultants tweeted in April, that he believes Samsung's upcoming foldables could see a price cut.
Speaker 1: Foldable phones are all about the hardware after all. It's their flexible screens and bendable hinges that make them unique. But Samsung and other foldable phone makers need to pay more attention to the software too. The galaxy Z fold three has some neat [00:02:00] software tricks, like the ability to run multiple apps on screen at once. You can also use flex mode, which shifts compatible apps to the top half of the screen and shows navigation controls on the bottom half when partially folded, these features are somewhat useful, but they feel more responsive than innovative. Instead of pushing the software experience forward, it feels like apps are just conforming to the Z fold threes, tablet size screen. During my time using the Z fold three, [00:02:30] I actually prefer dedicating the giant inner screen to one app rather than splitting it between several apps. I think Samsung could take a page from Microsoft when it comes to software for foldable phones, the surface duo two has a lot of flaws and I wouldn't recommend buying it right now.
Speaker 1: The surface du oh, two's design is also different from the galaxy Z folds Microsoft's phone consists of two separate displays joined together, buying a hinge instead of one giant foldable screen. [00:03:00] But I saw a lot of promise in the way certain compatible apps worked across both of the surface duo screens. The Kindle app, for example, turns the surface duo into a digital book while playing mobile games made the surface duo feel like a handheld gaming console, similar to an Nintendo three DS. I hope Samsung finds new ways to tap into the Z folds potential too. Whether your phone folds in half or not, you're going to want long battery life. [00:03:30] The galaxy Z fold three was underwhelming in that regard. According to C nets review. When my colleague Patrick Holland tested it last year, the galaxy Z fold three, barely made it through the day. That's not too surprising.
Speaker 1: Considering the galaxy Z folds battery has so much more screen to power compared to a standard smartphone. There's the 6.2 inch cover screen. And of course the 7.6 inch in your screen, both of which support high refresh rates of up to 120 Hertz. [00:04:00] This is important because factors like screen brightness and refresh rate are known to be battery drainers still. It would be nice to get more out of the galaxy Z folds battery on the next version. Instead of extending battery life Sampson could also improve the Z folds power savings mode or increase its charging speeds. The Z fold three can only charge at a rate of up to 25 Watts while the galaxy S 22 plus and ultra support 45 wat fast charging. So clearly there's room [00:04:30] for improvement. However, if the rumors are accurate, the galaxy Z fold four will have the same battery size and charging speed.
Speaker 1: As it's predecessor that's according to Twitter, leaker ice universe, who has a pretty reliable track record like battery life camera quality is one of the most important aspects of a phone. The galaxy Z fold threes camera is pretty good, but it's not the best you can get on a Samsung device. The galaxy Z fold three has a triple lens main camera system [00:05:00] with 12 megapixel telephoto wide and ultra wide lenses. Once again, my colleague Patrick Holland, who reviewed the phone, says it best the Z fold three has B plus cameras at an a plus price. The under display camera on the inside of the Z fold three could also use an upgrade since it's only four megapixels. If we're taking selfies, you'll probably be using the 10 megapixel camera located on the cover screen, but the under display inner camera is still important for video [00:05:30] chatting.
Speaker 1: If the rumors turn out to be true, the galaxy Z fold four will get a boost in camera quality that brings it up to speed with the galaxy S 22 lineup. Once again, that rumor comes from ice universe who claims to have published pretty much all of the Z fold four specifications. If these predictions are true, the galaxy Z fold four will have a 50 megapixel main camera, 12 megapixel, ultra wide camera and 10 megapixel telephoto camera, foldable phones are still relatively [00:06:00] new and getting the ergonomics right. Takes some time. Samsung is almost there with the galaxy Z fold three, but there's still some work to be done. One of the Z fold three's biggest drawbacks is that it still feels kind of awkward to use as a regular phone. When it's closed. It feels abnormally bulky for a phone. Most people who have purchased a galaxy fold probably don't care about the cover screen very much.
Speaker 1: But think about how many times you take out your phone to quickly send a message or check a notification. [00:06:30] You probably don't want to unfold your phone every single time. That's why the cover screen and the way the phone feels when it's closed are so important. Thankfully, Samsung might have some improvements in store for the Z fold four. Another rumor from ice universe says a new hinge will reduce the fold fours width when closed, which could make it easier to use. In one hand, the galaxy Z fold three also supports the Spen. So I'm guessing the Z fold four will too. [00:07:00] I just wish the Spen could ally attach to the Z folds hinge. Since the phone doesn't have a storage slot, the galaxy S 22 ultra has a place to store the Spen, but that doesn't seem like a practical option for the next Z fold since it would increase.
Speaker 1: The last thing I'm hoping to see on the next Z fold is a less noticeable crease. The crease on the Z fold three isn't too distracting, but it's definitely noticeable to the eyes and to the touch. [00:07:30] Chinese tech giant APO found a way to make the crease on its find and foldable phone, more discrete by implementing what it describes as a water drop hinge. I'm looking forward to seeing how Samsung addresses the crease in future versions of the Z fold. Also foldable phones will probably require some type of trade off to keep the price reasonable for the foreseeable future. Whether it be the camera quality, the crease or the experience when the device is closed. I'm just hoping that list [00:08:00] gets smaller and smaller starting with Samsung's next foldables. What do you wanna see in the galaxy Z fold for, let me know in the comments, and don't forget to check out the links in the description for more Samsung coverage. Thanks for watching. And I'll see you next time.
