Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 case leak highlights one potential design change

We’re expecting both the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 to show up at some point in August, and now we have a new leak from a reliable source that points to a design change for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable.

Regular tipster Ice Universe (opens in new tab) has posted some shots of a case purportedly designed with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in mind and there’s one key difference compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 version – when the case is closed, it’s slightly wider.

One of the minor complaints that users had about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 was that the external display (the one you see when the phone is closed shut) was very tall and narrow, so it looks as though the new model might go some way to fixing that.

Year-on-year improvements

What we don’t get here is anything in the way of actual screen measurements or indeed much detail at all – we’re going off the text of the tweet and the visuals in the image, so it’s perhaps not the most solid of leaks about Samsung’s upcoming foldable.

However, it does suggest that Samsung is taking criticisms of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 on board and is prepared to deal with as many of them as possible with the Galaxy Z Fold 4. We’ve previously heard that the new model will have a less noticeable crease running down the center of the screen, for example.

There has also been talk that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is going to be slimmer and lighter than its predecessor – because even foldable phones need to go in a pocket sometimes. We should find out exactly what Samsung has been working on within the next few months.

Analysis: Samsung continues to try to perfect the foldable

We’re fast approaching the launch of the fourth iterations of Samsung’s foldable phones now, and – as you would expect after four years – these devices are transitioning from innovative experiments into phones that can be relied upon for everyday use.

While the likes of Apple and Google keep their folding phone plans under wraps, Samsung is pushing ahead, and getting better all the time. If the Galaxy Z Fold 4 does indeed come with a more user-friendly aspect ratio in terms of its external display, then that’s another step in the right direction.

There are likely to be many more welcome improvements as well. The phones should be faster than the ones that came before them, the folding mechanisms should be even more reliable, and there have been rumors of a rear camera upgrade as well.

As with every smartphone, a lot of the appeal of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is going to depend on the price points that Samsung is able to get them too. Another advantage of being in the foldable business for many years is that manufacturing processes should get cheaper – or at least that’s what we’re hoping.