Samsung is expected to use a virtual event on Wednesday to unveil a new generation of its foldable smartphone lines.
The tech giant launched its first foldable in 2019 and has introduced several generations and a second form factor since with the long-term goal of offering a real alternative to traditional “flat” smartphones.
Last year, Samsung chose not to update its popular Note line of larger phablet phones and instead put more emphasis on its two foldable lines – the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip – and dropped the price of both as part of its efforts to make the devices more mainstream.
The Fold is a traditional-sized smartphone that opens horizontally, like a book, to reveal a larger tablet-sized screen inside, while the Flip is a smaller device that opens vertically to reveal an almost 7-inch smartphone screen.
Industry experts believe the company will use its summer Unpacked event to announce new versions of the Fold and Flip, with better cameras and bigger batteries, which should be part of updates aimed at attracting more new customers.
Ru Bhikha, mobile phone expert at Uswitch.com, said he expected to see a number of upgrades as part of what would be Samsung’s fourth-generation foldables.
“Since the Note series was retired, Samsung has chosen to focus on developing its Fold and Flip handsets, winning over fans of the premium and hinged-screen handsets,” he said.
“All signs point to the Galaxy Z Fold4 receiving a substantial camera upgrade, centered around a 50-megapixel primary camera, accompanied by a 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto camera at the back. back.
“This will put the camera on par with the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus. Coupled with that massive fold-out screen, it should be popular with smartphone photographers.
“A newer chipset and better support for large-screen devices coming from the Android 12L update will give Samsung’s hardware a boost this year.
“The Galaxy Z Flip4 is the most likely gadget to be showcased at the Unpacked event, as highlighted in the teaser campaign.
“Still, it’s rumored that there are only modest updates to its design and key specs. This will keep fans hoping for a price cut at a time when eye-catching mid-rangers like the Nothing 1 are pressuring Apple and Samsung to prove that high-end handsets are worth their weight in gold.
“Despite its compact size, Samsung is also expected to pack a larger 3,700mAh battery into the device – good news for users who want a single charge to last a day.”
While high-end smartphone rivals Apple and Google have yet to launch a foldable device, and other brands including Motorola and Huawei struggle to capture the public imagination with their own technologies, Samsung hopes to get ahead in what it sees. as an increasingly important market.
