While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung’s current foldable king, there’s long been talk of a more ambitious foldable on Samsung’s roadmap – the Galaxy Z Fold S.
Unlike the Z Fold 3, the Fold S is expected to boast an adapted hinge design and allow for a full 360-degree range of motion; creating a device that melds the functionality of existing foldables with ‘pseudo-foldables’, like Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2; akin to concepts shown off by the likes of TCL.
When does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold S launch?
With rumours and leaks being the only real acknowledgement that a device like the Z Fold S potentially exists at all, availability is wholly speculative at this stage.
The majority of Samsung’s Z Fold S rumours seemingly stopped dead after the arrival of the Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3, however, the trail has once again been picked up thanks to Dutch tech site, GalaxyClub, who have received information regarding Samsung’s 2022 foldable plans.
Along with codenames already known to be associated with the company’s existing foldable lines – ‘B4’ (‘B’ for ‘Bella’) in relation to this year’s expected Galaxy Z Flip 4 and ‘Q4’, which refers to the Z Fold 3’s 2022 follow-up – GalaxyClub was also made aware of a third unknown entry, in ‘N4’.
There’s no direct link tieing together this N4 foldable and the Z Fold S’ rumoured design specifically but it’s thought to relate to a form factor we haven’t seen from the company yet, so the two marrying up certainly isn’t out of the question.
How much is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold S?
While the leaks surrounding the Z Fold S may amount to nothing, GalaxyClub’s mysterious N4 foldable will reportedly only be made available in limited numbers, not unlike previous conceptual Samsung mobiles devices that made it to market; like the Galaxy Round, Galaxy Note Edge and even the original Galaxy Fold.
Like those boundary-pushing devices, a foldable like the Z Fold S, which debuts new display technology and a new form factor, paired with potentially limited availability, would likely sport a considerable price tag, as a result.
For context, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 started from £1,599/US$1,799/€1,799 when it hit the market in August 2021, which for what it offered was considered extremely competitive. The original (relaunched) Fold, however, was more ambitious in the context of the market it released in and, as such, came with a more demanding price tag of £1,900/$1,980/€1,999.
What features does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold S potentially offer?
Initially sourced from relatively unknown tipster Fold Universe (meaning we can’t vouch for the information’s validity), the Z Fold S was first described as possessing a 360-degree hinge, allowing it to fold both inwards and outwards, in a similar fashion to Microsoft’s Surface Duo series.
Samsung rumored to have a 3rd foldable family member next year, tentatively known as Z Fold S.
It has got 360° hinge that enables outfold and infold and works similarly like the Surface Duo.
The Fold S is a fully single flexible OLED screen unlike the Surface Duo dual screen. pic.twitter.com/S9HtkMQh20— Fold Universe (@folduniverse) September 5, 2020
Unlike the Duo line, however, the Fold S reportedly sports a single continuous OLED screen, rather than two separate displays, much like the Fold 3; giving the user a larger seamless canvas that, when folded, can either wrap around the exterior of the device or remain protected as the inside face.
Fold Universe also shared a clip from Chinese display manufacturer, Visionox, which shows a foldable concept demonstrating the “Innie + Outie” form factor, as described to be used by the Galaxy Z Fold S.
Visionox’s Innie + Outie concept @DSCCRoss @theMrMobile pic.twitter.com/5OMEFaUlXN— Fold Universe (@folduniverse) August 4, 2020
Visionox made headlines in 2020 by partnering with Huawei on future foldable products, as well as helping ZTE release the Axon 20 5G – the first commercially available smartphone with an under-display front-facing camera.
While things have remained relatively quiet since the above 2020 rumours first emerged, and in the face of growing information on Samsung’s other potential foldables – like the rumoured Galaxy Z Fold Scroll – Samsung Display’s showcase during the Display Week exhibition in May 2021 pointed to a number of other possible future foldables Samsung might have since continued to develop.
As spotted by SamMobile, Samsung Display showcased a range of concepts at the time, and although none featured a 360-degree hinge design, there were OLED configurations that don’t yet have an attachment to any of Samsung’s other rumoured foldables.
A bi-folding design that’s said to expand up to a 7.2in panel was seen – wrapped within the guise of a mobile device, while a larger book-style folding display transformed from a tablet to a monitor. A scrollable concept and a laptop concept with a UPC (under-panel camera) were also on show.