What you should know
- Samsung has made significant changes to the size of the Cover screen on its Galaxy Z Flip series, increasing it from 1.1 inches in 2020 to 3.4 inches in 2021.
- The larger Cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 allows users to customize the clock and wallpaper, run various widgets, and manage notifications.
- Despite the increase in size, the Cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 still falls short in terms of size and functionality compared to the 3.6-inch Quick View external display on the Motorola Razr+.
- According to Ross Young, co-founder and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), both the internal and external displays on the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 will be larger than their predecessors, with the Cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 expected to be close to 3.9 inches.
Full Story
Samsung’s most popular foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Flip, underwent a significant modification this year. Launched in February 2020, the initial model featured a tiny 1.1-inch Cover screen, more of a ticker than a display. With such a small size, its capabilities were pretty limited.
Fast forward to 2021, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 boasted a slightly larger 1.9-inch Cover screen, still not big enough to be super useful. However, the game-changer came this year. Samsung decided to up the ante, increasing the Cover screen size on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 to 3.4 inches.
This size upgrade meant users could now customize the clock and wallpaper. They could also run a variety of widgets, ranging from displaying their current calendar and weather to showing their recent calls list. Users could add desired contacts for Direct Dial, display current alarms, and even use a stopwatch or timer from the Cover screen.
The new Cover screen also allowed users to view a record of their current step count, run SmartThings scenes, display Google finance information, and view daily steps, active time, and calories burned. Plus, managing notifications from the Cover screen became a breeze.
Despite this considerable increase, the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s Cover screen still falls short when compared to the 3.6-inch Quick View external display on the Motorola Razr+. The Razr+’s Quick View screen is so functional that you can practically run the phone using it instead of the internal display.
However, the future looks promising. Ross Young, a highly accurate tipster and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), shared a tweet hinting that both the internal and external displays on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 would be larger than their predecessors. He even suggested that the Cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could be close to 3.9 inches, larger than the original iPhone’s display and almost as big as the iPhone 5’s.
But, size isn’t everything. If Samsung doesn’t make the Cover screen more functional, like the Quick View screen on the Razr+, it won’t matter. Making the external display larger on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 could help those who find the current 6.2-inch 23.1:9 display too narrow and tall for comfortable use.
Samsung usually takes two generations before making changes to its foldables. But if Young’s predictions are accurate, we could see some significant changes coming to the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 next year. So, stay tuned!
