In this rumor round-up, we’ve gathered all of the information we could find about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and summarized it for you. The next generation of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has leaked extensively in the past few weeks and months. Most of the important bits and pieces have already been uncovered in recent leaks, leaving nothing to the imagination, which would explain why Samsung started a war on leakers and sent out warnings.
When will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 launch?
Samsung has confirmed it will hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event on August 11th at 10 AM ET (2 PM UTC). The teaser itself clearly suggests we’ll see the introduction of the next Galaxy foldable flagships, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 devices.
How much will the Galaxy Z Fold 3 cost?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is rumored to cost somewhere between $1,655 – $1,741. For comparison, the previous generation of Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched at $1,999. The price difference isn’t massive, but it may be enough to be more affordable for a lot more people out there. Given the number of discounts, perks, and other deals Samsung has given to Galaxy Z Fold buyers in the past, the company might try it again to entice more users into trying out a foldable device.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is expected to cost less than last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 2, which was simply not affordable by a lot of people. The foldable flagship series are still niche products, so hopefully Samsung has managed to lower some of the prices to offer them at a slightly more affordable price range, giving more people an opportunity to buy it and try it out for the first time.
Design
We’ve seen a number of renders of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 in the past few weeks and months, and all of them confirm basically the same thing. A triple camera setup on the rear, a large front cover display, and the inner foldable display. The design is rumored to be more compact and slightly smaller and thinner than the previous generation, the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The Z Fold 3 will be 6.4mm thick when unfolded, and it’ll feature a much-improved hinge design, which will remove the air gap between both sides of the device, which will result in a thinner form factor. The dimensions are 128.1 x 158.2 x 6.4 when it’s fully folded.
The cover display is expected to be 6.2-inches, while the inner foldable screen will have a 7.5-inch AMOLED display and support 120Hz high refresh rate. The 7.5-inch display will be slightly smaller than last year’s 7.6-inch display, but it’s really negligible.
In Black
In Green
In Silver
Recent rumors suggest the Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be available in three color options, including Black, Silver, and Green. It’s unclear if the hinge will be customizable as in previous years, and if there will be other special colors available at launch, at special retailers or carriers, or during special events and holidays.
Power & Connection
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be a flagship smartphone, so it’s unsurprising to see it’ll come with high-end chipsets and internal configurations. A Geekbench benchmark has confirmed the upcoming foldable will be equipped with the Snapdragon 888 chipset and have 12GB of memory. The storage wasn’t unveiled, but there will likely be 128/256GB and 512GB storage variants available.
Due to the high-end chipset, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will also have 5G, NFC and stylus support, but more on that later. The 4,275 mAh should be large enough for daily use, and it will also support 25W fast charging through a wired connection.
Camera & Under-Display Selfie Camera
(Image Credit: @UniverseIce)According to the rumors, there will be a triple 12MP rear camera setup on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Rumors say that the camera setup will be the exact same one as on the previous generation, that is a 12MP f/1.8 main sensor, a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide sensor with a 123-degree viewing angle. Apparently, Samsung focused so much on improving the foldable display, that it couldn’t improve the cameras this year, which would explain why it may have the best hinge technology and even S Pen support. The question is, was it worth the sacrifice? Will users be happy with the changes? It remains to be seen, but it’s certain the displays are one of the main reasons why most people consider picking up a foldable flagship.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 may also be Samsung’s first device to support an under-display selfie camera. The sensor is rumored to be a 16MP camera. Not much else is known at the moment, but we’ve seen a few designs of how it could look, as you can see in the image above.
Will the Galaxy Z Fold 3 support the S Pen?
A recent FCC certification listing has confirmed the new foldable smartphone will indeed feature S Pen support. Some rumors have also suggested the new S Pen that would be included with the Z Fold 3 would be different, compared to the one that’s provided with the Galaxy Note 20 devices. The listing in fact confirms a yet unreleased S Pen Pro device, which may have additional features built-in, which we don’t yet know about.
This new S Pen Pro will also be compatible with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Note 10 Lite, Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, as well as the Galaxy S21 ultra, Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S6 devices. The new S Pen Pro has Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) connectivity, which means it may also support Air Actions and have an internal battery. It’s currently unclear if this will be bundled or perhaps built-in, or sold separately as an optional accessory.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: What we want to see
Samsung has already proved it can make great, sturdy, and reliable foldable smartphones, but it’s yet to release a device that has water and dust protection, S Pen support, and an actual flexible glass display for the foldable screen – one that can’t be scratched with long fingernails – and the removal of the crease.
For the majority of people, having a flexible glass that’s far more durable than the one on the previous Galaxy Z Fold 2 would be a huge win. Of course, it would still require attention and a lot of care, but it could prevent accidental scratches in the long run, and potentially save you hundreds of dollars of repair costs. The second nitpick most people seem to have is the crease. It’s understandable why, and I can only hope Samsung has managed to make it less noticeable. I doubt they’ve managed to completely remove it, which in my opinion would make it more widely acceptable.
The price also plays a significant part. If the Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs less than the Z Fold 2, but not too much to make it more affordable for the vast majority, it won’t have a big impact on the industry, although it may sell better than the previous generation. It would certainly be great to see the Galaxy Z Fold 3 at a slightly more affordable price, but with all the stuff that’s going on in the world, including the shortage of chipsets, it may remain very similar.
Roland Udvarlaki
Roland is a technology enthusiast and software engineer based in United Kingdom. He is also a content creator and writer, and is best known under the name “Techusiast”.