Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is sounding more and more like an iPad Pro rival

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

With every new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 leak, it sounds a little less like a smartphone and more like a tablet - and a new leak is more evidence of that fact.

According to SamMobile, Samsung is planning to release a version of the tablet with 1TB of storage. It's not quite clear where the site got this information, but that's double the max amount of space that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has.

If a device has huge amounts of storage space like that, it makes it really useful for professional-tier business users - you can store and edit loads of video files and photos, or play around with game assets.

These are things you'd commonly do on a tablet or other big-screen device - very few users would likely need a smartphone with 1TB of space.

In fact, most devices we see with 1TB of storage are tablets, like the iPad Pro, as it lets you store loads of files to work when you're on the go, and have loads of apps downloaded too. So in this way, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 could be an alternative to iPads - and because it's also likely to be super powerful, with a top-end chipset like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 being likely, it's most in line with the Pro-tier iPads.

Unfortunately, it's also likely that a 1TB Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 would be very expensive - giving it another parallel to iPad Pros.


Analysis: a tablet by any other name

There are a few other leaked aspects of the Galaxy Z Fold 4, aside from the ones we've detailed above, which make it sound like a small-form tablet.

Firstly, it will apparently be compatible with Samsung's S Pen stylus, and could even come with a slot for the thing.

It's also said to have one or even two under-display cameras, which would ensure the screen-to-body ratio for the device is bigger, giving you a better viewing experience.

Of course, the screen size is also an important factor in the tablet-like design - according to leaks, the main display (when the handset is unfolded) will be 7.6 inches across, or only a little bit smaller than the iPad mini (2021). That's much bigger than any standard smartphone on the market.

As a foldable phone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 definitely will be a smartphone for all intents and purposes - but it's sounding like it could have some popular tablet features too.

This could make it a tempting buy for those who want a phone that is also a tablet, and don't want to splash out on two separate devices. But we'll have to see what the device is like when it launches around August to be sure.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.

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