Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 rumored to feature a big design change

The Galaxy S22 series has finally been announced, and you can preorder all three handsets right now, with delivery starting next week. But that also means that it’s time for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 rumors to start. The company confirmed that the second half of the year will belong to foldable devices, as the Galaxy Note series has been retired.

It so happens that the first Fold 4 design rumor is already here, offering an exciting detail about this year’s new Samsung foldable flagship. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 isn’t getting the design change you’ve been hoping for, especially after Oppo unveiled the Find N.

The Chinese smartphone maker released a device that uses the same foldable concept as Samsung’s Fold models. The handset folds like a book. The main foldable screen is placed inside the phone. A secondary display is found on the exterior. But Oppo chose a different aspect ratio for its external display, making the Find N a lot more usable in one-handed operation.

Specifically, the Find N external display isn’t as tall as the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s screen. And it’s wider than Samsung’s screen. Put differently, the screen looks a lot like a regular smartphone’s display, as you can see below. That should make it a lot more comfortable to handle when you only need the smaller screen.

If you’ve been hoping for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to “fix” this Fold 3 design issue, you’re not going to like the first Fold 4 rumor.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 design rumors

Korean news site The Elec reports the first details on the Fold 4 design. Samsung will apparently keep in place the Fold 3 display sizes.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s foldable screen will measure 7.56-inch. That’s imperceptibly smaller than the 7.6-inch Fold 3 screen. The external display has a 6.19-inch diagonal, similar to the Fold 3’s 6.20-inch secondary screen. That means the Fold 4 will offer the same overall experience as its predecessor. That includes having to deal with a very tall and narrow external display.

Samsung does plan a significant change for the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The Elec claims the phone will come with a built-in stylus. The Fold 3 is the first foldable to support the S Pen, but the phone can’t house the stylus. You’d need a special case for that.

The Korean giant is reportedly focusing on improving the Fold 4’s stability without making significant design changes. Well, except for placing the stylus inside the foldable handset.

These are just early rumors, however. Samsung should unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in August, which gives us plenty of time to find out all of the phone’s secrets.