The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is an upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 in many ways, but while it includes a faster chipset and other hardware tweaks, some of the best features are on the software side, and at least one of these software tricks can show up on older Galaxy models With Fold.
It’s according to leaker @Galox_ (opens in a new tab)who claimed on Twitter that previous Samsung Galaxy Z Fold models would receive a new taskbar feature along with the One UI 4.1.1 later this year.
The taskbar they mentioned is a new bar that is located at the bottom of the screen and is visible in applications. It contains shortcuts to your favorite applications as well as icons for recently used applications. You can drag any of them to open them in split-screen mode, which simplifies multitasking.
Previous Galaxy Z Fold devices will receive a new taskbar introduced with the Z Fold4 alongside One Ui 4.1.1 “later this year” pic.twitter.com/PUBxGpyfNIAugust 13, 2022
This is a very useful feature to help you get the most out of the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s big screen, so it would be a useful update for older models if they got it as well.
The wording of the tweet above does not fully explain whether every previous Fold model will receive this feature or just a part, but considering that even the original Samsung Galaxy Fold has been upgraded to One UI 4, we think there is a high chance it will receive a One UI 4.1.1, with an attached taskbar.
Of course, as with any leak, we’d take it with a grain of salt, especially since the source doesn’t have as many achievements as some. But it’s a plausible claim as we don’t think there’s any reason Samsung couldn’t update older models to add a taskbar.
Analysis: Adding a taskbar could mean switching to Android 12L
The taskbar feature found in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is actually a feature of Android 12L – which is Google’s version of Android 12, which was designed specifically for tablets and other large-screen devices such as foldable phones.
This works on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, so if Samsung is adding a taskbar to other Fold models, it could mean they’ll get Android 12L as well.
This would make sense as the Android experience has always been a bit imperfect on tablets and foldable and companies like Samsung had to catch up and tweak Android to make it better for them.
So switching to Android 12L would provide a better experience with less work required from manufacturers. In the case of the Galaxy Z Fold line, this could also make some of the best foldable phones even better.