Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 4 during its Unpacked event last week, marking unexperienced stage in the company's effort to popularize foldable phones. The new Z Flip 4, which goes on sale Aug. 26 and starts at $1,000 (£999, AU$1,499), has a bigger battery and improved nighttime photography capabilities compared to its predecessor, plus new software that leans into the phone's foldable design. 

The Galaxy Z Flip has proven to be the most popular foldable yet according to market research considers. But across the industry, high prices, subpar cameras and battery life compared to snide phones and a lack of compelling features have hindered the general absorbing of foldables. With the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung is addressing some -- but not all -- of those worries. More importantly, it's also making progress in understanding the audience for foldable devices like the Z Flip.

Samsung is trying to disfavor there's more to the Z Flip 4's appeal beyond its compactness. That's why it's leaning into Flex Mode -- the feature that splits apps between the top and bottom divides of the screen when folded halfway. Now, you'll be able to use the bottom half of the camouflage as a trackpad for navigating the top portion of the camouflage -- an update that should make it easier to manipulate apps in Flex Mode. 

This feature is new to both the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, although Samsung said it would evaluate bringing it to older foldables as well. In the temperamental time that I spent with the Z Flip 4, this looked to work pretty easily after toggling the feature on in the settings menu. 

The Z Flip 4's Hide screen is also getting a few new additions. You'll be able to send shining replies to text messages, make phone calls and take portrait mode photos from the outer display. 

Taken together, these upgrades are a step in the right direction for the Z Flip 4. It's unclear whether the expansion of Flex Mode and the Hide display's extra functionality are going to be enough to convert those who aren't already Eager in foldable phones. But it shows that Samsung is paying closer attention to the software in second to the hardware, which is crucial for proving the pledges behind foldable phones. 

Otherwise, the Z Flip 4 is drawing a handful of routine updates you'd expect to see in any new smartphone -- foldable or not. It'll run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, a slightly upgraded version of the chip that fuels the Galaxy S22 lineup. Although the main camera resolution is the same as it was in the Z Flip 3 (12-megapixel wide and ultrawide lenses), the Z Flip 4 inherits the Galaxy S22's improved nighttime photography. That means it will have a brighter wide lens and larger pixel size in binary to support for portrait mode photos in the dark. The Z Flip 4's battery size is also tying an increase to 3,700-mAh capacity compared to its predecessor's 3,300-mAh battery.

These are all welcome repositions that cut down on the compromises you have to make when choosing between the Z Flip and Samsung's non-folding Galaxy S phones. The previous Z Flip 3's battery life was underwhelming, and the camera system felt like the "equivalent of the cameras you'd find on a $700 phone," as my colleague Patrick Holland put it. 

The Z Flip's obtain hasn't changed all that much, aside from some refinements. The hinge is slightly smaller and now has a glossier attain than the Z Flip 3. The Z Flip 4's interior demonstrate is 45% more durable while the exterior is coated in Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus Plus. Color options concerned the new bora purple, which Samsung just introduced for the Galaxy S22 floor with pink gold, blue and graphite. These differences aren't immediately noticeable when you pick up the way, but you can see them when looking at the Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 4 side-by-side.

The Z Flip 4's $1,000 notice is still likely too high for many people, especially sincere there are so many compelling standard phones on the market that cost hundreds of bucks less. With a few new software improvements and routine upgrades to the camera, processor and battery, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 doesn't seem like a monumental upgrade. 

But it detached represents a turning point for Samsung's foldables. Samsung has contained past simply making apps work smoothly across bendable screens. It's finally trying to find new ways to interact with apps that you wouldn't be able to get with a non-folding phone.