We fully expect Samsung to release a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 on August 10th, but while these two phones are still expected, it looks like they might land with slightly unexpected names.
According to the leaker SnoopyTech (opens in new tab)Samsung won’t include the letter Z in their names, so they’ll arrive as the Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 and Galaxy Flip 4. The company’s future folding phones also apparently won’t include a Z in the name.
This is supposedly because the letter Z started to be used by the Russian military and can be seen as a symbol of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Samsung Electronics is trying to get rid of the letter “Z” in its foldable phone series. Starting with Flip/Fold 4, the letter will no longer be printed on the boxes. That’s because the Russian military is using the letter.August 2, 2022
While this is just a rumor for now, it’s very believable, especially since Samsung has already removed the Z-branded Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 in some Baltic countries.
We’d still take this with a pinch of salt for now, but we’ll know one way or another very soon as Samsung is holding a big launch on August 10th where we expect to see these two phones along with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
Analysis: A good move, even without the Russia factor
Samsung’s current foldable phone naming convention makes some sense. You instantly know that anything with a Z in the name is foldable, which could be even more useful if Samsung expands beyond its current two folding lines.
What’s more, most other Samsung phones also contain a letter in their names – there’s an S for mainstream flagships and an A for more affordable phones, for example.
But on the other hand, there are exceptions to this. The now-deceased Galaxy Note line didn’t have a letter, for example, and it didn’t make sense that it would need one, because being a note told you what you needed to know.
Likewise, knowing a phone is Flip or Fold says a lot about it, so the Z is superfluous and makes the name longer than necessary. Even having Galaxy in the name is a bit unnecessary, but we can’t see the best Samsung phones ditching that anytime soon.