Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 during an event on 10 August 2022, alongside the Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

The Z Fold 4 is a book-style folding phone, following in the footsteps of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, while the Z Flip 4 is a clamshell folding phone following in the footsteps of the Z Flip 3.

How do the two differ aside from their designs though? We've put their specifications up against each other to help you work out which is the right Galaxy foldable for you. We've also seen both so you can read our Galaxy Z Fold 4 initial review and Galaxy Z Flip 4 initial review for our first impressions of the two handsets.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
$899 $999 Save $100

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 keeps what works about its clamshell foldable form factor — its adorable, space-saving design and overall versatility — and improves everything else. The display, cameras, and overall resilience of the hinge are better this year, and the new colours are just divine.

Z Fold 4 vs Z Flip 4 design

  • Z Fold 4: Book style folding, S Pen support
  • Z Flip 4: Clamshell folding

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 offers a very similar design to its predecessor - compare the differences to the Z Fold 3 in our separate feature. It therefore offers a book style design, with a vertical fold, an external display on the front and three camera lenses on the rear. 

The rear camera lenses sit within a slim pill-shaped camera housing on the rear, like the 2021 device, though the edges are slightly more angled overall. On the front, when closed, there is a centralised punch hole camera at the top, while on the inside display, you'll find an under display camera.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes in Gray Green, Beige, Burgandy and Phantom Black colour options and it is compatible with the S Pen Fold Edition stylus, which is available in the same colour options.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 meanwhile, is a clamshell device folding device, with a horizontal fold instead, meaning these two handsets differ vastly in terms of design. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a dual camera with an external display next to it, taking up just over a third of the back, like the Z Flip 3 - read how it compares to its predecessor in our separate feature.

On the inside, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a punch hole camera at the top of the display - there's no under-display camera here. Four colour options are available as standard in the form of Graphite, Bora Purple, Pink Gold and Blue, though there are also 75 colour combinations available through the Bespoke Edition.

Both the Z Fold 4 and the Z Flip 4 have squared off frames and both offer IP water and dust resistance ratings. The two devices also have protection from Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and enhanced durability from shock. The Z Flip 4 doesn't offer S Pen functionality though.

Z Fold 4 vs Z Flip 4 display

  • Z Fold 4: 6.2-inch external, 7.56-inch internal, 120Hz 
  • Z Flip 4: 1.9-inch external, 6.7-inch internal, 120Hz

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a 6.2-inch external display and a 7.6-inch internal display. The internal display offers a wider and squarer screen than previously, and both the inner and outer display on the Z Fold 4 have a 120Hz refresh rate, though the internal has an adaptive refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz, while the external has between 48Hz and 120Hz.

In terms of resolutions, the inner display is a Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 2176 x 1812 pixel resolution and Ultra Thin Glass (UTG), as well as support for the S Pen Fold Edition like we mentioned. The outer display meanwhile, is a Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 2316 x 904 pixel resolution and Always On Display technology.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 meanwhile, has a 6.7-inch main display when unfolded, while the outer display is 1.9-inches. The main display offers a Full HD+ resolution and an adaptive refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz, and there is a punch hole camera at the top of the screen, much like the Z Flip 3 offered.

The outer display has a 260 x 512 resolution and it offers more options than its predecessor, bringing themes from inside the phone to the outside.

Z Fold 4 vs Z Flip 4 specs

  • Z Fold 4: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 12GB RAM, 256/512GB or 1TB storage, 4400mAh battery
  • Z Flip 4: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 8GB RAM, 128/256/512GB storage, 3700mAh battery

Both the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Z Flip 4 run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has 12GB of RAM and there are storage variants of 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 meanwhile, has a more modest 8GB of RAM and a choice of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB of storage.

The battery capacity for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is 4400mAh, while the capacity for the Z Flip 4 is 3700mAh. While smaller though, that battery has a lot less work to do on the Flip 4 compared to what the battery within the Fold 4 has to achieve so keep that in mind. Both offer 25W wired charging, offering 50 per cent battery in 30 minutes, and both support wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

Both devices are 5G capable and they both have physical fingerprint sensors rather than under display options.

Cameras

  • Z Fold 4: Triple rear (50MP + 12MP + 10MP), 10MP front snapper, 4MP UPC
  • Z Flip 4: Dual rear (12MP + 12MP), 10MP front camera

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a triple rear camera that matches that of the Galaxy S22. That means there's a 50-megapixel main sensor, 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3x zoom. On the front, there is a 10-megapixel snapper, while the inside front camera is an improved under-display camera compared to the Z Fold 3 but still offers a 4-megapixel resolution.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 meanwhile, has a dual rear camera with specifications the same as the Z Flip 3. This results in two 12-megapixel sensors - one of which is a wide angle lens with f/1.8 aperture and the other is an ultra wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture. It's a 65 per cent brighter Wide sensor compared to the Z Flip 3 though with the pixel size increasing from 1.4µm to 1.8µm.

On the front, the Z Flip 4 has a 10-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.4 aperture.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

More of a refinement than a reinvention when compared with last year's Z Fold 3, the latest foldable is greatly improved in some crucial areas.

Price

When it comes to price, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the more expensive of the two, as it has been in the past. The Z Fold 4 starts at £1649 in the UK and $1799.99 in the US.

The Z Flip 4 meanwhile starts at £999 in the UK and $999.99 in the US so it's quite a lot cheaper than the Z Fold 4, especially in the US.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 are quite different devices. The Z Fold 4 is much larger and for those that want a foldable that delivers a larger screen when unfolded, while the Z Flip 4 is for those that want a normal screen when unfolded but in a smaller and more pocketable format when folded.

Both run on the same hardware, though the Z Fold 4 has more RAM and offers a more advanced camera system. It also offers support for the S Pen Fold Edition. The Z Flip 4 meanwhile, continues to be a solid device like its predecessor, but aimed at a different audience to the Z Fold 4, and offers a cheaper price point too.