Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 concept images just surfaced — and there's a big surprise rumor

News
By published

Android 13 sounds unlikely, but it would be great if it's true

An unofficial render of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from the back lying down, open with S Pen
(Image credit: Technizo Concept)

While you take a look at these Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 concept images, you can also try to take in the weird rumor that this phone could launch with a version of Android that's not actually released yet.

It all stems from Shadow_leak on Twitter, who shared renders made by Technizo Concept as well as some claims about how the upcoming Samsung foldable will improve on the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

An unofficial render of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from the front, open with S Pen

(Image credit: Technizo Concept)

The weirdest part of the leak is the claim that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will use Android 13. While we'd expect the new Z Fold to update to Android 13 sometime in late 2022 or 2023, launching with it would be unexpected. 

Google normally saves the launch of the newest generation of Android to coincide with a new Pixel, which tends to come in October (like the newly announced Google Pixel 7). We'd have expected the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to use Android 12 initially, as it's the most up-to-date stable version of Android.

While Google's aiming to have Android 13 stable by June/July, at least a month before the expected August lunch of the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4, this would still be earlier than usual for a non-Google phone to use the latest Android version. We're skeptical of this, but if Android 13 leaves beta sooner than expected, we're willing to be proved wrong.

An unofficial render of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from the back, open with S Pen

(Image credit: Technizo Concept)

Other parts of the leak, including the renders, make more sense based on stuff we already know. The phone's matte black finish fits with the previous model's color scheme, plus the slightly shorter and wider body matches with leaks that Samsung is trying a slightly altered aspect ratio this year for a more comfortable user experience with the phone open and closed.

Those three cameras on the back could be the same as those on the Galaxy S22, a substantial upgrade from the Z Fold 3's lackluster cameras. Most notable would be a new 50MP main camera, and a 3x zoom 12MP telephoto camera. Apparently, this telephoto snapper could be even better than the one Samsung uses on any Galaxy S22 model thanks to a higher resolution.

An unofficial render of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from the back lying down, open with S Pen

(Image credit: Technizo Concept)

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is also tipped to feature a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, which is the newly announced revised version of the current Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip used in a range of flagship Android phones, including the Galaxy S22 series. We've seen alleged benchmarks for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 posted with this chip, and it does look like a notable improvement over the current chip.

Lastly, we have the mention of stylus support, which is to be expected since the Galaxy Z Fold 3 supported its own S Pen. However, we had been hoping that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 would get a built-in S Pen like the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It would be far easier to use a stylus with the S Pen's large inner display if you could store it in the phone itself, rather than in a case attachment.

As we mentioned before, we expect Samsung to pull the covers off the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 in August this year. Keep an eye on our rumor hubs for the latest details.

TOPICS
Richard Priday
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.