The Most Exciting Rumors About Samsung's New Foldable Phones
By Pauline Vu, Senior Reporter | Mon, July 8, 2024 at 2:25 AM EDT· 4 min read
Samsung will unveil its newest products at its summer Unpacked event on July 10, streaming live from Paris. The tech giant is expected to introduce the newest iterations of its foldable lineup, the Z Flip6 and the Z Fold6.
Here are some of the biggest rumors out there about the phones’ expected new features:
Artificial Intelligence
Back in January, Samsung made a big splash by introducing the Galaxy S24 lineup as its first AI phone, and the company promises that will continue with the new foldables.
"The introduction of Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S24 series was only the start," Won-joon Choi, Samsung's executive vice president of mobile business, wrote in a recent blog post. "To deliver a completely new and unique AI experience, we will further optimize the Galaxy AI experience for the upcoming foldable devices."
Both the Z Fold and Z Flip will utilize Samsung’s Galaxy AI model, which supports features such as a “Live Translate” tool for real-time translations for the S24 phones. A potential AI feature specific to the foldables could be real-time translation — using both halves of the phone.
Galaxy Z Flip6
While the Z Flip6 isn’t expected to have as many design changes as the Z Fold6, it’s still rumored to have a larger cover screen (the screen that’s visible when the device is folded and closed) of 3.9 inches, compared with 3.4 inches for the Z Fold5; a heftier design to accommodate a larger battery; and a less visible screen crease.
Expected new colors are Light Blue, Mint, Silver Shadow, and Yellow, while additional exclusive colors may include White, Peach, Crafted Black, and Lavender.
One of the biggest rumored changes is an upgraded 50MP main camera, up from 12MP. The Z Flip6 will also have an improved Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset to provide better performance and longer battery life.
Both the Z Flip6 and the Z Fold6 will likely use "Ironflex" technology that will improve the durability of its internal foldable screens.
Rumors have the Galaxy Z Flip 6 starting at $1,100 for the 256GB model, which would be a $100 bump up from the Z Flip 5's $1,000 starting price.
Galaxy Z Fold6
The Galaxy Z Fold6, which folds vertically like a book, will see a significant design change to bring it more in line with the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s more angular appearance. The Z Fold6 should be thinner and lighter, thanks to a possible titanium frame, and will have a larger cover screen of 60.2mm, up from 57.4mm. It should also have an Ironflex screen.
Additionally, both the main and cover screens could reach up to 2600 nits of brightness (up from 1,750 in the previous iteration).
The Z Fold6 will likely have an improved Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, an increase in RAM up to 16GB, and a slightly larger 4,600mAh battery (up from 4,400mAh).
The rumored new color offerings are Navy, Pink, and Silver Shadow.
One thing that's not expected to change from the Z Fold5: the camera specs, which will stay at 50MP for the main camera, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto.
One of the more intriguing rumors about the Z Fold6 is that Samsung may offer different versions of it, such as a cheaper version or even a premium model that would potentially be called the Galaxy Z Fold6 Ultra.
The base 256GB model is rumored to start at $1,899, a $100 increase from the Z Fold 5's starting price.
Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Buds
Samsung is also expected to unveil an update to its smartwatch lineup with the Galaxy Watch 7, which will have new health features, a sleeker design, and a new processor. There might also be a high-end Galaxy Watch Ultra so Samsung can compete with the Apple Watch Ultra.
The company may also introduce the new Galaxy Buds 3 with improved sound quality and battery life, as the current Buds 2 Pro is already two years old.
Rumors have it that Samsung may also launch its first smart ring, the Galaxy Ring, at Unpacked. The company teased the ring at its event back in January. The Galaxy Ring is expected to have health-monitoring features, and sleep tracking tools and would integrate with the Samsung ecosystem. It may be priced between $300 and $350.
Will these rumors pan out? Tune in to Samsung’s presentation to find out.
This article was written by a Currently Media editorial contributor and was produced in part with the assistance of artificial intelligence. The statements in this article don’t reflect the positions, strategies or opinions of AT&T.