Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Should you upgrade?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has been the best foldable smartphone since its debut last year. And because it was a very good device, many people expect its successor the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to be an even better device. So, what are the areas where the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is better than the Galaxy Z Fold 3?

Truth is, there are some subtle but important features introduced in the Galaxy Z Fold 4 that make it a good upgrade for the Galaxy Z Fold 3. So, in this Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3 specs comparison, I’ll be highlighting the differences and similarities between these two phones. Below is the specs comparison table for both devices and after the table is the detailed summary of this spec comparison.

See Also: vivo X Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: which is better?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3 comparison

Galaxy Fold 4 vs Galaxy Fold 3: Display, Design, and Durability

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 3 have the same display features and sizes. Both phones when unfolded or open have a 7.6-inches 120Hz OLED panel. And when these devices are folded or closed, both phones have a 6.2-inches 120Hz OLED panel. The display resolution on both smartphones is the same but the aspect ratio is slightly different.

On the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the display has a 90.9% screen-to-body ratio while the display of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has an 88.8% screen-to-body ratio. This means the Z Fold 4 has slimmer bezels and a wider screen. Another difference is the weight of both phones. The Z Fold 4 weighs 263 g (9.28 oz) which is lighter than the 271 g (9.56 oz) of the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Both smartphones still have the same design. The front camera is still under the screen, the triple rear camera module still looks the same, and the durability of both phones is still IPX8 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins). The Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 3 still retains the Armour aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance and have support for STYLUS or S PEN. And no, none of these phones have the S PEN built into the device.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks a little taller than the Z Fold 4 while the Z Fold 4 looks a little wider than the Z Fold 3. But, this difference is very subtle and you’ll have to deliberately look for it before you notice it.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Camera

On the rear, the camera setup of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is 12MP + 12MP + 12MP. In contrast, the rear camera setup of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is 50MP + 10MP + 12MP. Both smartphones have a 4MP under-display camera when the phones are unfolded and a 10MP front camera placed in a punch-hole in the 6.2-inches outer screen.

There is a huge change in the primary camera sensors of these two phones. Samsung upgraded the primary camera used in the Z Fold 4 to a 50MP sensor and this is very different from the 12MP sensor the company used in the Z Fold 3. The 10MP telephoto of the Z Fold 4 can also do 3x optical zoom while the 12MP telephoto of the Z Fold 3 can only do 2x optical zoom. The ultra-wide lens and front cameras remain the same.

Samsung upgraded the primary camera sensor of the Z Fold 4 to flagship grade which is just about the most significant difference in camera between the Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 3. So, this means the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will give you a better photo and video quality when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Aside from that, other camera features for photography and videography remain the same. The camera features available in both phones are Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, optical zoom, gyro-EIS, LED flash, HDR, panorama, HDR10+, decode 4k videos, and encoding videos in 4K resolution.

See Also: Honor Magic V vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: Which is Better?

Galaxy Fold 4 vs Galaxy Fold 3: Performance | Storage | RAM | 5G

Performance is another area where the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 beats the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 features the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip while the Galaxy Z Fold 3 features the Snapdragon 888 5G chipset. This Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3 specs comparison explains why the chipset of the Z Fold 4 is better even though both chipsets are 5G SoCs.

The chipset used in the Galaxy Z Fold 3 features an older octa-core CPU. It has a 1×2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 power core which is older than and not as fast as the 1×3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 power core used in the chipset of the Z Fold 4. The chipset of the Z Fold 3 also uses a 3×2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 efficiency core which is older than and not as efficient in heat management as the 3×2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 efficiency core used in the chip of the Z Fold 4.

So, the chipset in the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is not only faster but also more power efficient. This means, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is faster, smoother, and has better battery management than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The major reason is that the chip in the Z Fold 4 has new and faster CPU cores. The Adreno 730 GPU that is paired with the Z Fold 4 chipset is also more powerful than the Adreno 630 GPU that is paired with the Z Fold 3 chipset.

The base model of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 has 12GB RAM + 256GB of storage. There is also a model with 12GB RAM + 512GB of storage and rumor has it that the Z Fold 4 will have a model with 1TB of internal storage. None of these phones have space for storage expansion via a microSD card slot.

See Also: Samsung Phones now support eSIM in the U.S; Starting with Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Software

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 boots One UI 4.1 based on Android 12 out of the box. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 boots One UI 4 based on Android 11. Both smartphones will get four years of major software updates and the Z Fold 3 can be upgraded to Android 12. You can download and install apps from the Google Play store on both phones. You’ll also get software updates via OTA.

The software experience on the Z Fold 4 is smoother and better than the experience you get in the Z Fold 3. Well, maybe this is because the Z Fold 3 is running on older software and once you install the new software updates, you’ll get the same software experience on the Z Fold 3 as you would on the Z Fold 4.

See Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Price in UK and Availability 

Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 vs Galaxy Fold 3: Battery and Charging

Powering the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a 4,400mAh battery. Both smartphones have support for a 25W fast charge, fast wireless charge (11W for Z Fold 3 and 15W for Z Fold 4), and 4.5 reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 gives you a longer battery use because of its chipset has better efficiency cores.

Other features and sensors available in the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 3 are

• Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
• Bixby natural language commands and dictation
• Samsung DeX (desktop experience support)
• Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified)
• Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
• Stylus (S PEN).

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Price

The starting price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 is $1,799 for the model with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. But, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is getting a huge price cut right now and you can buy the device for $1,399 on Amazon. See details of how you can buy either device in the table below.

Buy Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 3

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Conclusion

If you have followed this Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3 specs comparison till now, you might have noticed the subtle upgrades made by Samsung in the Z Fold 4. But in case you miss it, here are the subtle upgrades.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has an upgraded 50MP camera sensor, also has an upgraded 10MP telephoto lens, its weight is lighter, has a better chipset, and slimmer bezels. But, the general design, display features, RAM size, internal storage, Stylus support (S PEN), IPX8 water resistant rating, and battery capacity still remain the same. So, should you upgrade from the Galaxy Z Fold 3 to the Z Fold 4? here is the take.

If you have the Z Fold 3 you can trade it in and add some money to get the Z Fold 4. And if you’re considering buying the Galaxy Z Fold for the first time, you should buy the Z Fold 3 because you’ll get almost the same user experience. The differences between the Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 3 are very subtle. But, if you have the money and you can afford it, then buy the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Galaxy Z Fold 3 FAQs