We’re just a few days out from the debut of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4, Samsung’s new foldables have leaked in real-life images showing off new color options, the display crease, and more.
Noh_tech on Twitter today posted a batch of images showing off the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 in the hands of what looks like a carrier employee. The images show of the Fold 4 in a blue-ish grey color, while the Flip 4 is in a blue color variant.
With the Flip 4, this leak really holds no surprises. The metal bits around the hinge appear slimmer, while the edges do appear a bit more flat compared to the Flip 3. But beyond that, this is the same design.
Meanwhile, the Fold 4 is a bit more interesting. The hinge area looks much smaller alongside the outer display, and as rumored it does appear slightly wider in the hand, but it’s hard to tell without a point of comparison. On the inner display, we can see the under-display camera, but it’s hard to tell if anything has changed from the Fold 3 with the display turned off.
The biggest thing we can see from both of these image galleries is with the display crease on the Fold 4 and Flip 4. In both devices, as rumored, the crease appears a bit smaller and less noticeable. This could just be due to these devices being fresh out of the box, but Samsung has been rumored to be cutting back on the crease this year.
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 on August 10, and reservations are open now on the company’s website with up to $200 in extra credits.
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We got a look at what the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 could look like in a set of unofficial renders last month, but now we have leaked images of what appears to be the physical device shared by YouTuber TechTalkTV (via 9to5Google). The images match up with the earlier renders and give us a closer look at the device’s display crease, which looks almost nonexistent.
One image shows the device’s display when it’s flipped open, and you can see a slight glare where the crease would typically appear. It looks hardly noticeable, but then again, it is a bit difficult to tell what the crease will look like when viewed from just one angle.
You can pretty clearly see the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s crease when you tilt the phone the right way. As The Verge’s deputy editor Dan Seifert noted in his review of the phone, “it’s not a problem in normal use” and it’s easy to forget about once you get used to the device. Samsung is rumored to further improve the crease in its upcoming phone, but we’ll likely have to wait until we get our hands on the device to see how prominent the crease really is.
Just like the renders, the leaked photos of the apparent Galaxy Z Flip 4 show a device that bears a lot of resemblance to its predecessor, featuring a two-tone color scheme, dual cameras, and a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera. While the hinge appears to be slightly thinner, there’s still a slight gap between the two sides of the device when it’s folded closed.
TechTalkTV’s source expects the device to come with the same 12-megapixel main and ultrawide cameras and a 10MP selfie camera, which is a bit disappointing if true — one of the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s biggest weaknesses was its camera quality. The source also says that the upcoming device could come with a larger 3700mAh battery and an upgraded 25W fast-charging capability.
Samsung will likely reveal both the Galaxy Z Flip 4, along with its horizontally-folding counterpart, the Z Fold 4, in August.
The newest foldable on the scene is a China-exclusive, but it has enough to keep us interested even if we may never buy one. The Vivo X Fold, with a 6.53- or 8-inch unfolded screen, packs a Snapdragon Gen 1 processor and two ultrasonic fingerprint readers, built into, well, both screens. Sure, not a huge deal.
Vivo
I’m more interested in the zirconium alloy floating middle plate, which sounds like an Avengers McGuffin but is actually Vivo’s pitch to ameliorate that center crease on most foldable phones. This plate lifts up gently when you open the hinge, helping, hopefully, to smooth out the wrinkle. We’ll let you know once we see it for real, but for these expensive foldable devices, which often show their age through wrinkles built up over a month or two, it’s a cosmetic problem in need of a solution.
— Mat Smith
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Wii Sports came out more than 15 years ago, and oddly, Nintendo never made a proper sequel, until now, after skipping the Nintendo console that should not be named. Sam Rutherford got to check out Nintendo Switch Sports ahead of its official release on April 29th, and it looks like the formula hasn’t changed too much.
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Apple Support told some users to bring their monitors in for repair.
Some owners of the new Apple Studio Display have reported problems updating to the latest firmware. As MacRumors points out, after multiple failed attempts, users were told by Apple support to bring their display to an Apple Store or authorized facility for repair.
Apple is reportedly begun re-signing an older iOS 15.4 firmware version, allowing the Studio Display to resume updates.
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Sonos has acquired Mayht, a Dutch startup best known for co-creating a Bluetooth speaker powered by light. Mayht specializes in an audio technology called Heartmotion. The company claims to have reinvented “the core of speaker drivers,” so speakers can be up to 10 times more compact than other models without sacrificing sound quality or bass output.
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REUTERS/Kelly West
The US Justice Department has issued several measures restricting the sale and distribution of “ghost guns,” including a requirement for federally licensed dealers and gunsmiths to serialize any unmarked firearm (such as a 3D-printed gun) before selling it to a customer. Those that print a gun at home would not be able to sell it to a store without some ability to trace its origins.
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There’s a new foldable phone in town: The Oppo Find N. After teasing its new foldable last week, the Chinese electronics-maker launched its latest Find N foldable phone on Wednesday, during the second day of its “Inno Day” event.
The new phone, which will be sold only in China starting on Dec. 23, is a little smaller than rival foldable devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line. The Find N has a similar design to the Z Fold, but sports a 5.49-inch outer display and a 7.1-inch inner screen. Samsung’s phone, by contrast, has a 6.2-inch screen on the front and a 7.6-inch display when opened.
The front screen on the Oppo Find N.
Eli Blumenthal/CNET
Similar to classic clamshell phones, the Find N has a wider 18:9 aspect ratio that makes it more natural to use as a regular phone when closed. Samsung, meanwhile, has a more narrow front display on its Z Fold line.
Like the Z Fold, there are five cameras on the Find N. Both the inside and front screens have 32-megapixel hole-punch cameras for selfies and video chats, while the rear adds three additional sensors: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 13-megapixel telephoto.
The rear cameras on the Oppo Find N.
Eli Blumenthal/CNET
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and 12GB of RAM power the device, which is running Oppo’s ColorOS 12, based on Android 11. As you’d expect, Oppo’s fast wireless and wired charging are here, with the Find N supporting the company’s 33-watt SuperVOOC Flash Charge for wired charging and 15-watt AirVOOC for wireless charging (as well as regular Qi wireless chargers). There is also 10-watt reverse wireless charging, so it can charge other devices wirelessly.
The company says that using the SuperVOOC wired charging, the phone and its 4,500-mAh battery can go from dead to 55% in 30 minutes and to 100% in 70 minutes.
Although the Find N isn’t IP68-rated for water- and dust-resistance, Oppo says that it “does go through rigorous water-resistance and durability testing to ensure the device can easily cope with things like sweat, moisture and light drizzle that are regularly encountered in everyday usage scenarios.”
Discover the latest news and best reviews in smartphones and carriers from CNET’s mobile experts.
A foldable phone, with a minimal crease
It’s hard to find a crease on the Find N.
Eli Blumenthal/CNET
Oppo’s first foldable isn’t as notable for its design as it is for its comparatively premium feel. The hinge on the Find N takes advantage of what Oppo calls a “water-drop” design, allowing for the phone to more evenly fold closed. This means that not only is there no wedge or gap when the screen is folded, but there’s also a much less noticeable crease when you use the inside display.
Oppo, citing testing lab TUV, says the Find N has a crease that’s “up to 80% less noticeable” than other foldable devices. I’ve briefly used the Find N and the statement did seem to hold true. Compared to the Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 2, the crease on the Find N isn’t just harder to see, regardless of angle, it’s also harder to discern by touch.
When I drag my fingers across the 7.1-inch display, it feels like a regular tablet. Like Samsung’s recent foldables, the display incorporates a layer of ultrathin glass for added durability.
Oppo’s ColorOS software, however, means the overall experience — at least outside of China — is far from perfect.
The closed Find N is thicker than a deck of playing cards.
Eli Blumenthal/CNET
As this is a China-only product, the Find N lacks Google services, including the Play Store. I had some issues but was eventually able to get a Play Store APK to install. I could even download some apps, but a few had issues properly displaying or taking advantage of Oppo’s enhancements for multitasking. Some, like ESPN, wouldn’t open in the Find N’s split-screen mode.
In an interview with journalists, Pete Lau, the OnePlus founder who’s now Oppo’s chief product officer, says the lack of third-party app support for foldable devices is part of the reason why Oppo is focusing solely on China for the release of this device.
“If the apps that users use most in their daily life are not well adapted on a foldable, then a foldable will not be delivering the value that it should be delivering,” Lau says. In China, he adds, Oppo is contacting individual developers to optimize their apps for the new design. “And that’s really a big, heavy workload.”
OnePlus and Oppo are two sub-brands (among many) owned by Chinese conglomerate BBK Electronics.
The issue of proper app support isn’t unique to Oppo or the Find N. It’s something that both Samsung and Google have been working to address.
Google, in particular, has been working to better optimize Android for foldable devices and most recently announced plans to release Android 12L early next year. The search giant says this update is designed for foldable phones and tablets, it should include improvements that make it easier to multitask and use apps on larger screens.
Lau says that while Oppo is in touch with Google about creating general guidelines for how Android operates on “different aspect ratios,” his company is not working with the search giant on optimizing Android specifically for the Find N.
There’s a new foldable phone in town: The Oppo Find N. After teasing its new foldable last week, the Chinese electronics-maker launched its latest Find N foldable phone on Wednesday, during the second day of its “Inno Day” event.
The new phone, which will be sold only in China starting on Dec. 23, is a little smaller than rival foldable devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line. The Find N has a similar design to the Z Fold, but sports a 5.49-inch outer display and a 7.1-inch inner screen. Samsung’s phone, by contrast, has a 6.2-inch screen on the front and a 7.6-inch display when opened.
The front screen on the Oppo Find N.
Eli Blumenthal/CNET
Similar to classic clamshell phones, the Find N has a wider 18:9 aspect ratio that makes it more natural to use as a regular phone when closed. Samsung, meanwhile, has a more narrow front display on its Z Fold line.
Like the Z Fold, there are five cameras on the Find N. Both the inside and front screens have 32-megapixel hole-punch cameras for selfies and video chats, while the rear adds three additional sensors: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 13-megapixel telephoto.
The rear cameras on the Oppo Find N.
Eli Blumenthal/CNET
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and 12GB of RAM power the device, which is running Oppo’s ColorOS 12, based on Android 11. As you’d expect, Oppo’s fast wireless and wired charging are here, with the Find N supporting the company’s 33-watt SuperVOOC Flash Charge for wired charging and 15-watt AirVOOC for wireless charging (as well as regular Qi wireless chargers). There is also 10-watt reverse wireless charging, so it can charge other devices wirelessly.
The company says that using the SuperVOOC wired charging, the phone and its 4,500-mAh battery can go from dead to 55% in 30 minutes and to 100% in 70 minutes.
Although the Find N isn’t IP68-rated for water- and dust-resistance, Oppo says that it “does go through rigorous water-resistance and durability testing to ensure the device can easily cope with things like sweat, moisture and light drizzle that are regularly encountered in everyday usage scenarios.”
Discover the latest news and best reviews in smartphones and carriers from CNET’s mobile experts.
A foldable phone, with a minimal crease
It’s hard to find a crease on the Find N.
Eli Blumenthal/CNET
Oppo’s first foldable isn’t as notable for its design as it is for its comparatively premium feel. The hinge on the Find N takes advantage of what Oppo calls a “water-drop” design, allowing for the phone to more evenly fold closed. This means that not only is there no wedge or gap when the screen is folded, but there’s also a much less noticeable crease when you use the inside display.
Oppo, citing testing lab TUV, says the Find N has a crease that’s “up to 80% less noticeable” than other foldable devices. I’ve briefly used the Find N and the statement did seem to hold true. Compared to the Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 2, the crease on the Find N isn’t just harder to see, regardless of angle, it’s also harder to discern by touch.
When I drag my fingers across the 7.1-inch display, it feels like a regular tablet. Like Samsung’s recent foldables, the display incorporates a layer of ultrathin glass for added durability.
Oppo’s ColorOS software, however, means the overall experience — at least outside of China — is far from perfect.
The closed Find N is thicker than a deck of playing cards.
Eli Blumenthal/CNET
As this is a China-only product, the Find N lacks Google services, including the Play Store. I had some issues but was eventually able to get a Play Store APK to install. I could even download some apps, but a few had issues properly displaying or taking advantage of Oppo’s enhancements for multitasking. Some, like ESPN, wouldn’t open in the Find N’s split-screen mode.
In an interview with journalists, Pete Lau, the OnePlus founder who’s now Oppo’s chief product officer, says the lack of third-party app support for foldable devices is part of the reason why Oppo is focusing solely on China for the release of this device.
“If the apps that users use most in their daily life are not well adapted on a foldable, then a foldable will not be delivering the value that it should be delivering,” Lau says. In China, he adds, Oppo is contacting individual developers to optimize their apps for the new design. “And that’s really a big, heavy workload.”
OnePlus and Oppo are two sub-brands (among many) owned by Chinese conglomerate BBK Electronics.
The issue of proper app support isn’t unique to Oppo or the Find N. It’s something that both Samsung and Google have been working to address.
Google, in particular, has been working to better optimize Android for foldable devices and most recently announced plans to release Android 12L early next year. The search giant says this update is designed for foldable phones and tablets, it should include improvements that make it easier to multitask and use apps on larger screens.
Lau says that while Oppo is in touch with Google about creating general guidelines for how Android operates on “different aspect ratios,” his company is not working with the search giant on optimizing Android specifically for the Find N.
