Galaxy S25 • Unlocked vs Galaxy Z Fold4 • Unlocked

The Samsung Galaxy S25, a flagship smartphone released in 2025, represents the evolution of traditional smartphone design, offering a powerful and refined experience. In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, launched in 2022, provides a unique foldable form factor that transforms a compact phone into a larger, tablet-like display. Both devices operate on the Android platform with Samsung's One UI, but they cater to distinct user preferences regarding design, screen utility, and overall interaction.

When considering the long-term usability of these devices, their release timelines and design philosophies are key factors.

• Software Support: The Galaxy S25, being a more recent model, benefits from Samsung's commitment to extended software support, offering up to seven years of major Android updates and security patches, ensuring longevity through approximately 2032. The Galaxy Z Fold4, released in 2022, has fewer major OS updates remaining, with its software support likely concluding around 2026 or 2027, providing 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates from its release.
• Physical Durability: The Galaxy S25 features a traditional slab design, incorporating Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both its front and rear panels, along with an IP68 rating for comprehensive dust and water resistance. The Galaxy Z Fold4, with its folding screen, offers an IPX8 water resistance rating but lacks official dust resistance due to its hinge mechanism. The foldable display itself, while designed for flexibility, is generally considered more delicate than a rigid screen.
• Repairability: Repairing a standard smartphone like the Galaxy S25 is often more straightforward for common issues such as screen or back glass replacement. The intricate folding mechanism and dual-screen setup of the Galaxy Z Fold4 can make repairs more complex and potentially more involved.

The processing power and overall responsiveness differ between these two generations of Samsung smartphones, impacting how they handle demanding tasks.

• Processing Capabilities: The Galaxy S25 is equipped with a significantly newer processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, which provides enhanced speed and efficiency for demanding applications and multitasking. The Galaxy Z Fold4 utilizes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which was a top-tier processor at its release, capable of handling most tasks smoothly, but it is an older generation.
• System Responsiveness: Users of the Galaxy S25 will experience faster app loading times, smoother transitions between applications, and more fluid performance in graphically intensive games due to its advanced internal components. The Galaxy Z Fold4 offers a responsive experience for everyday use and multitasking, particularly benefiting from its larger display for running multiple apps simultaneously.
• Battery Behavior: The Galaxy S25 features a 4000 mAh battery, designed to provide a full day of mixed usage and up to 29 hours of video playback. The Galaxy Z Fold4, with its 4400 mAh battery, offers good endurance for a foldable device, with users reporting 10-12 hours of screen-on time and up to 35-40 hours with balanced use of both screens.

The display experience is a primary differentiator, with the S25 offering a premium single screen and the Z Fold4 providing a versatile dual-screen setup.

• Display Technology and Clarity: Both devices utilize Samsung's Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology, known for vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast. The Galaxy S25 features a single 6.2-inch display with a 2340 x 1080 (FHD+) resolution, offering clear visuals. The Galaxy Z Fold4 has a 6.2-inch cover display (2316 x 904 pixels) and a larger, foldable 7.6-inch main display (2176 x 1812 pixels) when unfolded, providing an expansive viewing area.
• Brightness and Refresh Rate: The Galaxy S25's display can reach up to 2600 nits peak brightness, ensuring good visibility in various lighting conditions, and features a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate for smooth scrolling and animations. The Galaxy Z Fold4's displays also support a 120Hz refresh rate, with the cover screen offering good outdoor visibility, though the main screen's peak brightness is generally lower than the S25.
• Viewing Experience: The Galaxy S25 provides a consistent, high-quality viewing experience on a traditional form factor. The Galaxy Z Fold4 offers the flexibility of a standard smartphone experience on its cover screen and a tablet-like immersive experience on its main foldable display, ideal for media consumption and multitasking, though a visible crease is present on the main screen.

Both smartphones offer capable camera systems, but the newer Galaxy S25 incorporates more recent advancements in imaging technology.

• Rear Camera System: The Galaxy S25 features a triple rear camera setup with a 50MP wide-angle main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, all benefiting from optical image stabilization (OIS) on the main and telephoto lenses. The Galaxy Z Fold4 also has a triple rear camera system, including a 50MP wide-angle main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, which was comparable to other flagship devices at its release.
• Photography Performance: The Galaxy S25 leverages improved software, better AI, and a newer image signal processor (ISP) for enhanced image quality, particularly in detail retention and color reproduction. The Galaxy Z Fold4 delivers good everyday photography with vibrant shots, and its camera system was a significant upgrade over its predecessor.
• Video and Front Cameras: The Galaxy S25 supports video recording up to 8K at 30 frames per second and features a 12MP front-facing camera. The Galaxy Z Fold4 can record video up to 8K at 24 frames per second and includes a 10MP front camera on its cover display, alongside a 4MP under-display camera on the main screen, which is generally noted for lower quality, especially in challenging lighting.