Samsung renames Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldables! Know where and why

Samsung has dropped the “Z” moniker from its fading smartphones in certain countries. Here is all you need to know about it.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 have dropped the “Z” from their names in the Baltic countries. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Samsung has changed names of its flagship foldable phones! The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 in certain countries will now be called by a new name. The phones will now be called Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 and Galaxy Flip 3 in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Samsung is yet to explain reasons behind this change in names yet but it seems tone related to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

The “Z” alphabet has been found on the Russian invading forces' equipment. Samsung probably doesn't want its flagship foldable phones to be related to the invading forces in these Baltic countries. Hence, it may have led the company to remove the Z letter from the phone's name for the time being. It is unknown whether Samsung will bring back the Z moniker for the Fold 4 and Flip 4 generation.

Samsung drops Z from its foldable

Note that this is isn't first time Samsung's foldable flagship is without the Z moniker. The first generation Galaxy Fold was known as the Fold across all countries. It was the second generation that Samsung merged its Fold and Flip devices under the Z series.

Note that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 names will remain for all other markets, including India. Both phones were launched in August 2021 and have been treated as Samsung's absolute flagship smartphones. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the more affordable model adhering to the flip phone form factor and having a price tag of under Rs. 90,000 at the moment. However, it is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 that is considered as the absolute flagship, sitting with a higher price tag than the recently launched Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Both the Flip 3 and Fold 3 rely on the Snapdragon 888 platforms and are already running on the latest Android 12 with Samsung's One UI 4.1 skin. Samsung debuted its under-display camera tech on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 as well, wherein the inner camera on the main display hides underneath the pixels when not required.

On the other hand, rumours have hinted at the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4 already. This year's versions are expected to be focused on increased durability and lightweight build. The Fold 4 is even said to get the S Pen integrated in its body in a similar fashion to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.