Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 4 connected Wednesday during its Unpacked event arsenic portion of its latest effort to popularize foldable phones. The Z Flip 4 has caller bundle that takes vantage of its foldable design, improved cameras with amended low-light photography and a bigger battery. It goes connected merchantability connected Aug. 26 and starts astatine $1,000 (£999, AU$1,499). 

The Galaxy Z Flip has proven to beryllium the most fashionable foldable yet according to marketplace probe estimates. But crossed the industry, precocious prices, subpar cameras and artillery beingness compared to modular phones and a deficiency of compelling features person hindered the wide entreaty of foldables. With the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung is addressing immoderate -- but not each -- of those concerns. More importantly, it's besides making advancement successful knowing the assemblage for foldable devices similar the Z Flip.

Samsung is trying to beryllium there's much to the Z Flip 4's entreaty beyond its compactness. That's wherefore it's leaning into Flex Mode -- the diagnostic that splits apps betwixt the apical and bottommost portions of the surface erstwhile folded halfway. Now, you'll beryllium capable to usage the bottommost fractional of the surface arsenic a trackpad for navigating the apical information of the surface -- an update that should marque it easier to manipulate apps successful Flex Mode. 

This diagnostic is caller to some the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, though Samsung said it would measure bringing it to older foldables arsenic well. In the abbreviated clip that I spent with the Z Flip 4, this seemed to enactment beauteous easy aft toggling the diagnostic connected successful the settings menu. 

The Z Flip 4's screen surface is besides getting a fewer caller additions. You'll beryllium capable to nonstop speedy replies to substance messages, marque telephone calls and instrumentality representation mode photos from the outer display. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 4's screen screen.

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

Taken together, these upgrades are a measurement successful the close absorption for the Z Flip 4. It's unclear whether the enlargement of Flex Mode and the screen display's other functionality are going to beryllium capable to person those who aren't already funny successful foldable phones. But it shows that Samsung is paying person attraction to the bundle successful summation to the hardware, which is important for proving the committedness down foldable phones. 

Otherwise, the Z Flip 4 is getting a fistful of regular updates you'd expect to spot successful immoderate caller smartphone -- foldable oregon not. It'll tally connected Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, a somewhat upgraded mentation of the spot that powers the Galaxy S22 lineup. Although the main camera solution is the aforesaid arsenic it was successful the Z Flip 3 (12-megapixel wide and ultrawide lenses), the Z Flip 4 inherits the Galaxy S22's improved nighttime photography. That means it volition person a brighter wide lens and larger pixel size successful summation to enactment for representation mode photos successful the dark. The Z Flip 4's artillery size is besides getting an summation to 3,700-mAh capableness compared to its predecessor's 3,300-mAh battery.

These are each invited changes that chopped down connected the compromises you person to marque erstwhile choosing betwixt the Z Flip and Samsung's non-folding Galaxy S phones. The erstwhile Z Flip 3's artillery beingness was underwhelming, and the camera strategy felt similar the "equivalent of the cameras you'd find connected a $700 phone," arsenic my workfellow Patrick Holland enactment it. 

The Z Flip's plan hasn't changed each that much, speech from immoderate refinements. The hinge is somewhat smaller and present has a glossier decorativeness than the Z Flip 3. The Z Flip 4's interior show is 45% much durable portion the exterior is coated successful Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus Plus. Color options see the caller bora purple, which Samsung just introduced for the Galaxy S22 on with pinkish gold, bluish and graphite. These differences aren't instantly noticeable erstwhile you prime up the device, but you tin spot them erstwhile looking astatine the Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 4 side-by-side.

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

The Z Flip 4's $1,000 terms is inactive apt excessively precocious for galore people, particularly since determination are truthful galore compelling modular phones connected the marketplace that outgo hundreds of dollars less. With a fewer caller bundle improvements and regular upgrades to the camera, processor and battery, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 doesn't look similar a monumental upgrade. 

But it inactive represents a turning constituent for Samsung's foldables. Samsung has moved past simply making apps enactment smoothly crossed bendable screens. It's yet trying to find caller ways to interact with apps that you wouldn't beryllium capable to get with a non-folding phone.