Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 may get this welcome display upgrade

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 hands-on review
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

You may not need to flip the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 as often as before if this rumor of an upgraded outer display has it right.

Display expert and leaker Ross Young recently tweeted that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will be blessed with at least a 2-inch outer screen, rather than the current 1.9-inch one on the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Young doesn't give us a specific measurement unfortunately, so we can't tell how big a difference this size increase will actually make for now.

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The outer display of the current Galaxy Z Flip 3 isn't meant to be a fully usable method of controlling your phone, as it is on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but a notifications window that can act as a camera viewfinder or let you access media controls. But even for these limited uses, it's still a bit small, especially if you want to check what's on it from a distance.

While this sounds like a welcome upgrade, there are changes we'd rather see. Longer battery life is chief among these, which may be addressed by a rumored larger battery capacity. If Samsung could fix this, add an extra camera on the back and make the display crease less visible, then the Galaxy Z Flip 4 would be pretty close to a perfect foldable. We've not heard any rumors about changes to these last two things though.

What we have heard is the Galaxy Z Flip 4 could still use a side fingerprint sensor on the power button, which is a fair thing to keep the same, even if an under-display sensor would be more like a regular Android flagship. The other big rumor is that Samsung could drop the Z Flip 4's price from $999 to an even lower one, cementing its status as the cheapest route to folding phone fun.

Samsung should clue us all in on what's in store for the new Galaxy Z phones in late summer or fall, if we go by the last couple of years of foldable reveals. We'll probably get the larger Galaxy Z Fold 4 at the same time as the Z Flip 4, which has been rumored to be getting smaller, lighter and cheaper.

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.