Samsung May Drop the 'Z' From Its Foldables, Though the Name Change Appears Limited for Now

In a few European countries, the foldable phones Samsung sells as the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 now appear under shorter names: Galaxy Fold 3 and Galaxy Flip 3. The Z is gone from the listings. The change surfaced on March 29, 2022, when the leaker Ishan Agarwal posted about it on Twitter.

Agarwal said Samsung had removed the letter in certain European markets and that the phones are being sold simply as Fold3 and Flip3. He also said new retail boxes have been printed to match. XDA-Developers reported the change as well, and named Estonia and Latvia among the countries where it shows up.

Samsung has offered no official explanation. On its U.S. website, both phones still carry the Z. The reason most often floated, by Agarwal among others, is the war in Ukraine. Russian forces have used the letter Z as a military marking, and Russian officials and nationalists have since adopted it as a symbol of support for the invasion.

That is the speculation, not a confirmed motive. But it fits the geography. Estonia and Latvia are close to the fighting, and the invasion has drawn near-global condemnation. A company selling consumer products there might reasonably want to avoid any echo of the symbol.

For now the shift looks narrow. It has been reported in a handful of European countries, not across Samsung's markets, and the U.S. listings are unchanged. Still, it raises the question of whether Samsung will rethink the name for the next generation. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are rumored for a late-summer release, which leaves the company room to drop the Z outright.

The Z is arguably the least essential part of either name. Fold and Flip describe how the devices work: the Fold opens like a book to reveal a larger screen inside, and the Flip resembles an old flip phone. The Z adds little, and it makes for a name that is awkward to say.

The name is also unlikely to be the most notable thing about the new phones. The Fold 4 is rumored to get a built-in stylus, like the S Pen Samsung added to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, along with a screen redesigned to suit it. Samsung is also expected to improve the under-display camera that debuted on last year's model. Rumors about the Flip 4 are less settled. A new chipset is expected, and many hope for better battery life, the Flip 3's biggest flaw. An under-display camera like the Fold's has also been rumored.

Both phones are expected in August, when Samsung traditionally holds its Unpacked event for fall devices. Whether the Z appears on them is still to be seen.