The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is set to be the third generation of Samsung’s flagship foldable, a large-screen device that folds shut to the size of a regular phone.
Folding phones aren’t the norm just yet but can Samsung take us a step closer with a new Z Fold? It certainly looks like it, based on rumours of an improved design and an under-display camera.
When is the Galaxy Z Fold 3 release date?
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 (pictured) only launched in September 2020, so it was no surprise that its successor didn’t launch at Samsung’s Unpacked event in January when it launched the S21 range.
According to Korean news outlet ETNews, the latter half of 2021 is when to expect one, if not two, variants of the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
The report makes mention of two “fold-type” and two “flip-type” devices – all cited as supporting 5G. The Fold 3 may be accompanied by a more affordable Galaxy Z Fold FE and it’s thought that it’ll be a similar situation with the Z Flip phones too.
Samsung has used its September Unpacked events to announce the previous Fold models too, so it would seem logical for it to stick to this 12-month release cycle. Mark September 2021 in your calendar until further notice – tentatively, at least.
On the other hand, leaker Ice Universe has made mention of a five-month wait from their February post, suggesting that we could see a pair of new folding Galaxy phones – including a new member of the Fold family – as early as July.
https://twitter.com/UniverseIce/status/1357334862622040065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank
It certainly won’t come before that. Hinge supplier S-Connect has confirmed that it enters mass production of the Z Fold 3 hinge in Q2 2021, so there’s no way the phone will launch earlier than late summer or autumn.
SamMobile echoes that timetable, predicting a Q3 2021 launch for the Z Fold 3, along with the Z Flip 2/3. There are also rumours of a Z Fold S and Z Fold Scroll, though if real they’re likely to launch later.
What is the Galaxy Z Fold 3 price?
Although the Z Fold 3 is still a way off, there are already rumours about its price. Mauri QHD, a leaker with a good track record, says that it will cost the same as the Z Fold 2.
He does say to take it with a pinch of salt at this stage, but if true, this would put the Galaxy Z Fold 3 pricing at around £1,800 or $2,000.
What are the Galaxy Z Fold 3 specs?
Considering the huge jump in innovation between the first two Fold models, don’t go expecting the same again. Samsung managed to fix a number of elements on its second-generation device, including enlarging the small 4.6in front screen and improving durability. Read our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold review to find out what we disliked about that first iteration.
The Fold 3 will likely offer more subtle improvements and refinements.
During its Samsung 2020 Investor Forum, the firm talked about how it is working on launching a thinner and lighter foldable device. This, we assume, is the Fold 3; good news considering that folding phones with this sort of design have been rather chunky so far – the Z Fold 2 isn’t far off 300g and measures 16.8mm thick when closed, for example.
SamMobile reports that the phone will have the model number SM-F926 and will ship with at least 256GB storage – no real shock. The site also claims it will run Android 11 and One UI 3.5, which is another point in favour of a late-2021 launch, as that’s when the updated version of Samsung’s OS is likely to launch.
There are also reports of a bigger change, in the form of an under-screen sensor that will be used for the selfie camera.
“It is heard that Samsung Electronics is designing a display that has wider pixel spacing in the area where UDC will be placed in order to secure opening ratio and so that there will not be an issue with taking pictures,” reports 9to5Google.
This would help solve the awkward placement of the inner camera on the Z Fold 2, which sits on the centre of one side of the panel, making it oddly placed when the screen is fully open. And if an under-display camera sounds far-fetched to you, bear in mind that Samsung has already debuted the tech in the Blade Bezel laptop, while you can also find it in a phone in the ZTE Axon 20 5G.
Leaks from SamMobile suggest that the phone will be available in black and green, and possibly more colours.
Unexpectedly, one leak points to a step back in one area of the design: the external display. A document shared by leaker Chun on various upcoming foldables claims that the phone’s external display will be just 5.4in – smaller than the 6.23in display on the outside of the Fold 2.
https://twitter.com/chunvn8888/status/1379357251807272962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank
Chun admits that he hadn’t heard that spec from other sources, and we’re a touch sceptical that it isn’t a typo or other error. That seems especially plausible since the table also reports a 4.3:2 aspect ratio for the internal display, which is nothing near the squareish display we’re expecting. With all that in mind, chalk this one up as unlikely for now.
Finally, as rumours build that the Galaxy Note 21 won’t launch at all, it’s widely expected that the Z Fold 3 will include support for Samsung’s S Pen stylus, to help push Note buyers into adopting the foldable format.
As more rumours and news emerge, we’ll update this article to let you know.