While Samsung’s foldables are hard to recommend, they’re a clear blueprint for the future. But how soon will that future come? Judging by early leaks and rumors, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 could be the first foldable that’s truly worth buying—well, maybe.

It seems that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will offer iterative improvements over its predecessors. That means a tougher screen, a newer processor, and if you cross your fingers, an integrated S Pen. Here’s everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 so far.

Broad Details: Release Date and Pricing

We expect Samsung to debut the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in August or September of 2022. It will launch alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 4, plus an unnamed phone that we know nothing about. Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will probably ship two weeks after the launch event.

While we don’t have any leaks to support an August or September release date, the previous three “Fold” phones all launched in either August or September. (Though the original Galaxy Fold was first revealed in February of 2019.)

Pricing for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is still a mystery. Samsung may stick with the $1,799 price tag that it tacked on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, though some sources suggest a more competitive price.

Also, don’t be surprised if Samsung drops the “Z” from the Fold 4’s name. Some people now associate “Z” with the invasion of Ukraine, as Russians are using the letter to signal their support of the war in real life and on social media. (I should note that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is already called the Galaxy Fold 3 in some European countries. Samsung started toying with this idea before Russia invaded Ukraine.)

Design: Small But Significant Improvements

Some changes to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 design are very predictable. As with previous releases, the phone will probably feature a more durable screen (possibly called Super Ultra Tough Glass) and improved dust or water protection. An update to the phone’s outer “cover” display is also a strong possibility, given that Samsung has found small ways to improve this screen with every Galaxy Z Fold release.

And despite rumors of a new under-display fingerprint reader, patents discovered by Business Korea suggest that Samsung will stick with a side-mounted sensor.

Other changes to the phone’s design are unknown. A leak from @TheGalox_ suggests that Samsung could use a single-hinge design to make the Galaxy Z Fold 4 a bit thinner. And as reported by Android Police, the phone may have an integrated S Pen—its predecessor worked with the S Pen, but it required a bulky add-on case. (It’s worth noting that the Galaxy S22 Ultra gained an S Pen slot after its forbear went through the add-on case thing.)

That said, we’ve also seen rumors that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a larger battery (up from 4400mAh, which is already quite big). I’m not sure how Samsung could incorporate a larger battery if the phone’s getting thinner and gaining an S Pen slot, so at least one of these rumors is probably untrue. Though, to be fair, Samsung could definitely improve the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s power efficiency by utilizing a new chipset.

Spec Talk: A More Power-Efficient Chip

Samsung had a lot of trouble with the Galaxy S22’s thermals. The phone features a ton of over-the-top hardware to prevent throttling, as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset is a lot less power efficient than people first expected. Of course, when a chip isn’t very efficient, battery life is also a major concern. And it sounds like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 doesn’t have much room for a bigger battery.

So, a new chip may be the solution. Leaks from Ice Universe state that Samsung may use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chip in the Galaxy Z Fold 4. This processor could be more powerful than what’s in the Galaxy S22, but Samsung is probably more interested in the chip’s improved efficiency.

Samsung Galaxy Fold4，Flip4，Snapdragon 8 Gen1 Plus，TSMC 4nm
100% sure

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) March 24, 2022

Customers in Europe and India could get an Exynos chip in their Galaxy Z Fold 4 release. But we aren’t sure if Samsung will design a new chip or reuse the Exynos 2200 that launched earlier this year.

Other spec changes to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are unknown, possibly because people don’t care much about the phone’s storage or memory. For what it’s worth, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 base model comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, which is more than enough for an Android phone (and more than what you get with the base model Galaxy S22 Ultra).

Cameras: Déjà Vu from the Galaxy S22

Several leakers, including Dohyun Kim, claim that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will feature a 108MP main camera. That puts it on par with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which uses the same lens. Additionally, it seems that the phone will use the 10MP 3x telephoto lens that debuted in Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and S22+.

While we haven’t heard anything about the phone’s ultra-wide camera, these changes are pretty substantial. All other models of Galaxy Z Fold use a 12MP main camera, and while the 10MP telephoto lens is technically a downgrade from the old 12MP tele, it supports 3x optical zoom, which is an improvement over 2x zoom.

Oh, and if you want Samsung to abandon the under-display selfie camera, I’ve got bad news. Korean leaker Yeux1122 says the phone will use two under-display lenses. That said, the under-display cameras will be a bit less visible this time around, and the dual-camera design could improve image quality (or open the door to 3D selfies, I guess).

Again, we expect the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to launch in August or September alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and a third, unnamed phone. Pricing is still unknown.

We will update this article as we learn more about the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Be sure to join our free newsletter for future updates, news, and reviews!