Even though we're still most definitely several months away from Samsung's next big Unpacked product launch event, the world's largest smartphone manufacturer doesn't appear to have done a much better job than usual keeping the protagonists of said shindig a secret.
Of course, you can never be 100 percent certain of anything concerning an unreleased device like the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 until their makers actually hold a formal announcement, but those recently leaked renders and a freshly revealed benchmark clearly fall into the "99.9 percent confirmed" category.
Yes, boys and girls, we finally have (unofficial) confirmation today of one of the Galaxy Z Flip 4's most significant upgrades over its predecessor, as well as a key advantage the next-gen foldable flagship is expected to hold against all of the best phones available right now, Galaxy S22 Ultra included.
So... much... raw... speed
Benchmarked under the SM-F721U model number, the ultra-high-end handset we're looking at today is surely the Z Flip 4, following in the footsteps of the SM-F711, aka Z Flip 3. Like the actual phone it's powering, the SM-F721U "motherboard" is hiding under a seemingly cryptic "taro" codename, although it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out exactly what processor we're dealing with here.
With its octa-core CPU comprised of one quad cluster clocked at 1.8 GHz, three 2.75 GHz cores, and a final single 3.19 GHz nucleus, this ARM-based bad boy clearly aims to improve on the 1.7 + 2.4 + 3 GHz configuration of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 found inside the likes of the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra.
As such, it can only be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ SoC Qualcomm is expected to properly unveil and fully detail as early as tomorrow, May 20, after months of rampant speculation and gradually increasing excitement.
Naturally, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is pretty much guaranteed to share this state-of-the-art silicon with its Z Fold 4 cousin, similar to how last year's Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 came packing the same processor. But that was the "regular" Snapdragon 888 rather than the Plus version, which matched the specification of the S21 family.
While we can't rely on Geekbench scores to provide an accurate picture of a phone's real-world performance (especially when it comes to Galaxy devices), the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ is widely rumored to bring significant enhancements to the table compared to the non-Plus processor, in part thanks to the CPU clock speeds listed above and in part due to TSMC replacing Samsung itself as a chip manufacturer.
All the other Galaxy Z Flip 4 specs in one place
By no means surprising, today's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus "confirmation" is joined by a few even less surprising tidbits, including Android 12 and the same 8GB RAM count used on the Z Flip 3 to save costs compared to the 12 gig memory-packing Z Fold 3.
Of course, the Z Flip 4's display, battery, and camera information remains up in the air... if you choose to rely exclusively on this pre-release performance evaluation, with numerous reports and credible leaks in recent months however leaving very few questions unanswered.
We basically know already that the Z Flip 3 design will not be changed much, with the Z Flip 4 gaining just a little bit of girth to accommodate a considerably larger 3,700mAh battery than last year's 3,300mAh cell. Both the primary 6.7-inch and secondary 1.9-inch screens are likely to go largely unchanged, and unless Samsung reconsiders at the last minute, any kind of S Pen support seems out of the question.
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The Super UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) technology tipped to beef up the durability of the Z Fold 4 is also unlikely to be integrated into the Z Flip 4, which may not get any big camera upgrades either. That all sounds just a tad underwhelming, making the processing power enhancement that much more crucial for the mainstream success of this device, especially if a (somewhat vague) rumor about a lower price than that of the Z Flip 3 ends up materializing.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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