Samsung's new folding phones will "be armed with more durable, stronger materials" and will have a special S Pen designed for the foldable devices, Samsung Electronics President TM Roh writes in a blog post today.
The company also confirmed a Galaxy Note 21 is off the calendar. "Instead of unveiling a new Galaxy Note this time around, we will further broaden beloved Note features to more Samsung Galaxy devices," Roh says.
Samsung is announcing its new Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip phones at 10 a.m. ET on Aug. 11, and Roh's blog post gives away a few details while keeping some of the innovations under wraps.
"The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold combines the very best that smartphones and tablets offer and delivers completely new ways of working, connecting and creating, while the upcoming Z Flip exhibits an even more refined style, armed with more durable, stronger materials," he says.
Reading between the lines, Roh keeps almost saying that the new phones will be less expensive than last year's $1,449 Galaxy Z Flip 5G and $1,999 Galaxy Z Fold 2, but he never quite says it. "We want to enrich everyone's life, not just the lives of a select few," he says, along with "Samsung is bringing more people into the fold" and that the phones are for "even more people."
Leaker Evan Blass has already tweeted out many of the features of the new phones, along with GIFs showing a closer look at them.
Leaker Ice Universe notes that the Z Fold 3, however, will have the same camera as the Z Fold 2. In my tests of the Z Fold 2, I found that phone didn't have great image quality when using its rear zoom lens, or with the front camera in low light. Hopefully, newer software that takes advantage of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor will improve things, even if the hardware is the same.
Folding phones were the talk of the mobile industry in 2019, but the trend slowed in 2020 as supply-chain problems and COVID-related economic issues drove buyers to lower-cost devices, such as the hugely successful Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. On Aug. 11, we'll see if Samsung can restart the foldable engine.
You can reserve one of the new phones now. If you reserve early, Samsung will throw in 12 free months of Samsung Care+ and up to $100 trade-in credit. Samsung also promises an "an extra, special offer towards Galaxy products during pre-order."