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Do you have to purchase the Galaxy Z Fold Three now or look forward to Galaxy Fold 4?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (left) and rumored Galaxy Z Fold 4 (right) Source: Pocketnow, Renders by Twitter: UniverseIce

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 was announced last year in August at the Samsung Unpacked event. It’s one of the best-selling foldable smartphones on the market today, and it has an excellent camera setup, great display quality, S Pen support, and water resistance. Today, we take a closer look at the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and see if you should buy the current flagship, or wait for the upcoming Fold 4 to be announced later this year. The new Samsung foldable flagships are expected to be announced sometime in August.

We have other similar “Should you buy” guides for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series, and the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 series.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is the latest foldable flagship from Samsung. It has an IPX8 certificate, supports the S Pen, and comes with the powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset.

You should buy the Galaxy Z Fold 3 today if…

You want to save money

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Source: Pocketnow

If you’re not in a hurry, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is still an excellent purchase, and it’s cheaper than ever. Samsung and carriers are offering massive discounts on the best foldable flagship on the market today, and you could save up to $1,000 on the Fold 3, depending on the carrier, and bundle you decide to go with. These deals are always changing, and many companies will try to get rid of their stock before the Galaxy Z Fold 4 arrives in August. Expect even more deals after the new flagship is announced. If you want to save money and don’t mind not being on the cutting-edge technology, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is still an excellent device.

You don’t mind the display crease

Selfie Prompt Source: Pocketnow

The display crease on the Fold 3 is one of the deal-breaking factors for many people, and if you can’t live with the thought that you’d touch it on a daily basis, the Fold 3 isn’t for you. As a Fold 3 user, I don’t find it a deal-breaker, but it’s certainly noticeable, but only after you purposely look for it. You don’t notice it while playing games, browsing the web, or watching videos and movies.

You’re fine with an OK battery life

Source: Pocketnow

The battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is decent, but far from amazing. It gets the job done, and it can last about a full day of mixed usage, switching between the internal and external displays, but if you plan on gaming and watching videos, or taking a few photos here and there, you’ll likely have to top up during the day. The phone also doesn’t have a great fast charging option, and it only supports 25W fast wired charging, which is decent, but far from the most rapid technologies out there.

You should wait for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 if…

You want a wider front display

Source: Pocketnow, Renders by Twitter: UniverseIce Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (left) and rumored Galaxy Z Fold 4 (right) Source: Pocketnow, Renders by Twitter: UniverseIce Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (left) and rumored Galaxy Z Fold 4 (right)

The aspect ratio on the fold 4 is expected to change slightly, and as a result, it will be wider. The external display is rumored to pack a 6.2-inch HD+ AMOLED panel with 120Hz, while the internal screen will have a 7.6-inch AMOLED 120Hz display. The sizes match up with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The Fold 4 won’t be as tall as the Fold 3, which will improve the device’s usability, and applications will support it better than the narrow display on the current foldable.

You want a more durable device

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 was a significant upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and it improved the durability of the device in many different ways. The display was better, the hinge mechanism was sturdier, and for the first time the device was water-resistant. It was one of the first foldable devices to receive the water-resistance certificate, but it lacked dust resistance, making it a no-go to beaches and other dusty places.

We’re unlikely to see such massive improvements on the Fold 4, but we expect to see a different hinge mechanism that will also make the display crease less noticeable. It’s unclear if we’ll see any dust resistance this time, but the durability will certainly receive a lot of improvements.

You want a longer-lasting foldable

The next generation of Galaxy foldable devices are rumored to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset. The new SoC brings improved performance, and power efficiency. The Fold 4 is expected to pack a similar 4,400 mAh battery inside the device – which is relatively small for a device with two displays – however, the chip upgrade and presumably Android 12L (reportedly One UI 4.1.1) will likely improve the endurance. We don’t have any numbers when writing this, but we expect a longer-lasting device and, hopefully, 45W fast charging on-board, although recent rumors suggest that we might see the same 25W fast charging technology.

You want a less noticeable display crease

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 leaked on a few live images a few days ago, giving us a first look at what to expect on the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Flip foldable flagship devices. The image shows a nearly identical design to the Z Flip 3, but it has a less noticeable crease. Samsung is expected to use the same display panel, and likely a near-identical hinge mechanism on the Flip and Fold devices, suggesting that we’ll see a minimal crease, one that is barely noticeable when using the display, or looking at it from different angles.

You want a better camera

Source: YouTube: Waqar Khan

The camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 wasn’t breaking any records, even though it was an excellent camera setup, providing high-quality resolutions in all environments. It wasn’t as good as the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which disappointed a lot of people who expected a superior quality given the high price tag.

The recent rumors indicate the Galaxy Z Fold 4 may be getting a camera upgrade this time around, and the news suggest the same camera setup that can be found on the Galaxy S22 series. We’re still expecting three cameras, a 50MP primary, a 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. The under-display camera remains unchanged, and it’s rumored to be a similar 4MP sensor. The outer selfie camera will be a 10MP unit.

Conclusion

If you decide to stick with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, you’re in for a treat, as the device held up exceptionally well. As a Fold 3 user, I haven’t experienced any significant bugs, and the durability is something I never had a problem with. There are a few software issues here and there, but those are expected to be ironed out in Android 12L (rumored to come alongside the Fold 4) and Android 13 when it’s finally released to the public, likely in December or January.

If you have the budget, and you don’t mind waiting until mid-August, I recommend holding tight, waiting a few more months, and picking up the Galaxy Z Fold 4 when it comes out. The different aspect ratio will make it an appealing upgrade, and if you’re considering jumping into the foldable world, the Fold 4 will likely be one of the best smartphones in 2022.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is the latest foldable flagship from Samsung. It has an IPX8 certificate, supports the S Pen, and comes with the powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset.

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