When you look at smartphones these days, you'll realise that by and large, they all function the same. Our choice of one model over another tends to come down to preferences in design, brand, and price.
But isn't that boring? In my opinion, the average smartphone is pretty boring. A smartphone that looks different and has different functions would be a worthier purchase. That's probably why foldable devices are trending - they're different!
My personal favourite is clamshell-styled foldable phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series. Last year's Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 proved to be an excellent device, and this year's model should be better. We don't know too much for sure about it at the moment, but here are the top improvements we'd like to see in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4.
#1 Physical music playback buttons or gestures
The cover screen has simple music playback controls, but that's it
Remember the Moto Razr back in the day? It was a flip phone that had several functions tied to physical gestures. For example, you could lightly shake the phone in one direction to skip to the next track.
Wouldn't it be cool if the Galaxy Z Flip4 could do something similar? Sure, the phone already has gestures linked to the display, and the cover display also has touch controls, but physical gestures would let you control media playback without interacting with the screens.
Speaking of the cover screen, it's rumoured that this year's model could be bigger
As an alternative, physical music playback buttons would also be nice. But it would mean needing extra space in the device, plus extra control chips for the media playback functions. As such, I don't see that ever happening... but it would be nice, in my opinion.
#2 Collapsible S Pen & slot for it
Since physical buttons and gestures might be tricky to implement, an accessory like the S Pen could be another option. And if it's for a more compact device like the Galaxy Z Flip4, I hope it could be a collapsible one. Specifically, one that can fold or retract/shorten itself.
Having an S Pen would be great, maybe attached magnetically?
To keep it secure, Samsung could either make a case with a holding slot for it or the company could also make it attachable to the side of the device magnetically. Of course, a dedicated slot would be nice. But again, that's probably not going to happen.
#3 Better speakers/audio quality
If it's going to be used as a music player, it's got to have good audio! It's not just the speakers that need to be good. The device needs to be capable of High-Res Audio too. In other words, it needs improvement in hardware and software.
We can't comment much about the former, but the Galaxy Z Flip3 had pretty good speakers. They're pretty loud and clear, though the audio quality isn't quite top-tier. With that in mind, giving the Galaxy Z Flip4 better speakers or using better audio chips could drastically improve it as a media device.
Better speakers to better enjoy mobile games
As for the software, it would be great if Samsung could use audio codecs that support Hi-Res Audio over Bluetooth. And preferably with ultra-low latency, to better enjoy mobile games without that audio desync or lag.
#4 Improved main camera
For me, music playback is not the only thing that's important in a phone. Getting a great picture capturing whatever that is going on around me in whatever situation is also equally important.
Only 2 cameras at the back
As such, it would be great to see the main rear camera on the Galaxy Z Flip4 getting a major upgrade. The Galaxy S22 series offer amazing camera performance, especially the Ultra variant. In particular, the latest series excels in night photography or nightography as they put it. If Samsung can bring this level of performance to the next Galaxy Z Flip model, I could definitely see more people buying it.
#5 Longer battery life
When out and about, the last thing you want is your phone's battery dying, especially when you're nowhere near any power sockets. While having a fast charger alleviates this problem somewhat it still means you having to find those power sockets and bringing along that bulky fast charge. But what if you want to go sightseeing and rather travel light? In that case, longer battery life is the way to go.
Two small batteries that add up to roughly 3270mAh (Images via PBK Reviews)
Short battery life is a weakness of the Galaxy Z Flip3, which only comes with a 3300mAh battery. That's partly due to the size and vertical folding form factor that limits space for a battery. For the Galaxy Z Flip4, we would love to see a significantly larger one. If possible, a 4000mAh battery would be ideal. But a recent rumour suggests that we're getting a 3700mAh battery instead so this improvement at least sounds plausible in the next Galaxy Z Flip phone.
One more thing... Samsung Dex
This would definitely be something useful in the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip4
Being able to work on the go is a really big thing for us, so it would be great if the next Galaxy Z Flip phone could also support Samsung's Dex or Desktop Experience mode. These days, most Samsung Galaxy flagship phones can easily connect wirelessly to a handy monitor like Samsung's own M series Smart monitors.
Then, all you'd need for it to become your own PC desktop-like system is a bluetooth mouse or keyboard. We fully expect the Galaxy Z Flip 4 to come with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor like the SD8+ Gen 1 and at least 8 to 12GB of RAM, so we see no hardware reason why it wouldn't be able to support Samsung Dex, but then again, we're not smartphone manufacturers.
Anyway, the points above are areas we think Samsung could improve on for the Galaxy Z Flip4. Of course, we can't guarantee that all of them would happen. After all, some of them are our preferences and not yours (or Samsung's, for that matter).
What do you think? Share your thoughts on what you'd like to see improved in the Galaxy Z Flip4 in the comments below! And as usual, stay tuned to TechNave for more articles and news on the latest mobile devices.
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