Samsung starts mass production of Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 components

Whether you've decided that this will be the year that you purchase a foldable phone, or if you're looking forward to updating your current Galaxy Z Fold or Galaxy Z Flip model, Samsung has started the process of building the next iteration of both of its foldable devices. According to SamMobile, Samsung has started mass production of the core components needed for each phone.

Samsung reportedly expects to ship 10 million units combined of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 this year. The latter is a pocketable device that features a small outer display for messages and notifications. Whenever you need to make a call, open an app, or want to play a game, you flip the screen open to reveal a large smartphone-sized display (6.7-inches on the Galaxy Z Flip 3).

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 will open from an external smartphone-sized display (6.2-inches on the Galaxy Z Fold 3) to a huge tablet-sized screen (7.6-inches, on the Galaxy Z Fold 3). While the Galaxy Z Flip is about having a device that easily sits in your pocket until a phone is needed, the Galaxy Z Fold is for those who would prefer to have a larger display at their disposal for watching streaming media, for work-related use, or for some other reason.

Because the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was the more popular of Sammy's two foldable models last year, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 could account for 70% of the company's foldable phone production this year leaving the Galaxy Z Fold 4  to account for the remaining 30% of production.

If Samsung does ship 10 million foldable phones this year, such handsets will make up 1% of all smartphones delivered worldwide for the very first time. It could be an important  watershed moment for foldables even as pricing still has a long way to decline before foldable handsets become more competitive when it comes to price. Component pricing needs to drop much more than it has and as years go by, it will.

But for now, Samsung accepts a lower 15% profit margin on its foldable Galaxy Z phones than the 20% margin it targets with the Galaxy S line. By generating a lower profit margin on its foldables, Samsung can price these phones at a figure that is more acceptable to consumers.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 could both be introduced in August.