Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 just tipped for this big multitasking upgrade

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 could be a lot better at multitasking thanks to a new gesture.

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

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 could be the smartphone to get this year if you want to boost your mobile multitasking. 

That's because leaker Ice Universe has the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 foldables tipped to be equipped with a new "swipe for split screen" gesture. It sounds like this will make it easier for you to use multiple apps simultaneously, rather than the convoluted way you currently need to use to open apps in a split screen format.

The obvious way to make the most of the larger displays on foldable phones is to have more apps open at once. So making that as easy as possible to do is likely to be a great refinement. In fact, it's such a good idea that the Oppo Find N already has it; unfortunately it isn't sold in the U.S.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 already added some productivity features in the form of its optional task bar, Multi-Active Window and App Pairs. But these require a bit of set-up to get working, dragging app windows around the screen to get things just how you like them. A simple swipe would allow even an inexperienced user to benefit from their phone's enlarged display.

It makes a little less sense on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 though. Sure, the Z Flip has a pretty large 6.7-inch internal display, but that's only the same size as a regular flagship Samsung phone like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which can only fit two miniaturized apps on-screen at once. If all Samsung phones are set to eventually get this gesture, that's fair enough. If Samsung's trying to suggest you can get as much multi-tasking done on the skinny Z Flip as you can on the expansive Z Fold, then that seems too ambitious.

Hopefully, this gesture will also work with an S Pen stylus. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 offered optional stylus support, and we'd expect the Z Fold 4 to offer it too. While we may not get the S Pen included like with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, having it as an option is still welcome.

As we've heard rumored recently, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, plus the Galaxy Watch 5, could arrive in late summer, possibly August 10. So hopefully in just two months, we'll see if the rumors about the Z Fold 4's improved cameras (a 50MP main camera has also been tipped for the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which could give it a significant photography boost), and new shape, and the Z Flip 4's larger outer display, are true.

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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.