Update: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 may fix the Fold 3's biggest flaw, the under-display camera

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is rumored to be getting a number of improvements and upgrades: both inside and outside the Z Fold 4, and one inside the Galaxy Z Flip 4, will have under-display cameras

The leak comes from user yeux1122 of Korean blogging platform Naver They have not yet proven themselves to be completely reliable, and further write that the situation is "not confirmed" (machine translation) However, their claims at least sound reasonable

For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung's first and only phone with an under-display camera, which can be found on the large fold-out internal display The external selfie camera is a central punch-hole model, like those found on Samsung's latest phones and many other manufacturers' latest models; the Galaxy Z Flip 3's internal selfie camera is a punch-hole model, and its only external camera is a dual main/ultra-wide sensor

Using an under-display camera means that, in theory, the user can enjoy the full screen size of the phone without the camera getting in the way However, as we have seen with both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the ZTE Axon 30, there is a tradeoff: taking a photo with a layer of pixels in the way results in a blurry image This is especially evident in our tests of the Galaxy Z Fold 3's under-display camera, which uses a low-resolution 2MP sensor and is likely to be of poor quality even when not positioned under the display

To be fair, under-display cameras are still a very new feature in smartphones, so it is not surprising that they are not up to the standard we usually expect from cell phone cameras It may still take a little while for hidden cameras under the screen to catch up, or they may be abandoned as an ineffective solution to the notch problem, like the pop-up selfie camera phones seen a few years ago [This slot could make Samsung less attractive, and it seems odd that Samsung would push it to one side

Besides the camera, yeux1122 writes that the Z Fold 4's camera could be improved and "finally contemporaneous" This quote may mean that the new Z Fold will be up to the level of the camera on that year's Galaxy S model (in this case, the Galaxy S22)

Furthermore, depending on continued development of the hinge mechanism, the fold could be lighter Water and dust resistance could also be improved, and it might even get an IP rating like regular flagship smartphones However, the battery will remain about the same size, which is unfortunate given that battery life is one of the biggest weaknesses of this phone

As for the release date, it is rumored to be the same as this year This means that the Z Fold 4 will appear in September 2022

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 may get a similar upgrade It too may replace the built-in punch-hole camera with an under-display camera, lighten the hinge, and improve water and dust resistance However, the external display and battery are said to remain the same size, which is again disappointing given the short battery life of the Galaxy Z Flip 3

The blog also says that the foldable phone will be available next year at the same time as last year, and the Samsung Unpacked event in September will probably be just as packed with products as this year