Samsung Ends Update Support for Galaxy Z Fold 3, Flip 3 and Watch 4 as Apple's First Foldable iPhone Looms

Samsung has closed the book on software support for three of its 2021 devices. The Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, and Galaxy Watch 4 series have all been removed from Samsung's official security update list, according to SammyGuru. That means no more regular security patches for any of them, ever.

This isn't Samsung breaking a promise. It's Samsung keeping one. When the Fold 3 and Flip 3 launched in August 2021, Samsung committed to four years of major Android upgrades and five years of security patches, according to PhAndroid and Android Central. Both phones got their last big OS bump (Android 15) back in 2024, then rode out quarterly security updates until now. iTechPost reports the final patches landed September 3 for the Fold 3 and September 4 for the Flip 3 in the U.S., both carrying the August 2026 patch level, before Samsung pulled them from the support page this week.

Droid-Life, which tracked the actual firmware build numbers (F926USQSHKZH2 for the Fold 3, F711USQSIKZH2 for the Flip 3), confirmed the phones were dropped from Samsung's update site the same morning the last patch went out. If you're still carrying one of these as a daily driver, it'll keep working. It just won't get patched if a new vulnerability turns up. Samsung will still take a Fold 3 in trade, but Droid-Life pegs its current trade-in value at roughly $130.

Watch 4 Gets the Same Treatment

SammyGuru is the only outlet in this cycle to flag that the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic hit the same wall. Samsung's watch policy guaranteed four years of updates, and the Watch 4 series has now completed that window alongside the Fold 3 and Flip 3, according to SammyGuru's reporting on Samsung's device list.

SammyGuru also notes Samsung demoted the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 to a quarterly update cadence after four years of monthly patches. Official support for those two is expected to run out around September 2027.

Current Policy Extends to Seven Years

Samsung's current policy, covering devices like the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, promises seven years of updates, according to Android Central. That's a two-year jump from the five-year window the Fold 3 and Flip 3 got. Samsung didn't shortchange the 2021 devices; it used to offer less. Anyone weighing an upgrade now is buying into a materially longer support runway than five years ago.

Fold 8 Gets Cheaper the Same Week Apple Enters the Ring

Separately, and on a faster timeline than typical for a Samsung flagship, Amazon dropped the price of the 512GB Graphite Galaxy Z Fold 8 to $1,849.99, a $250 cut off MSRP with no trade-in required, according to Tech Times. The Fold 8 launched August 7, 2026, roughly six weeks after Samsung showed it off at Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22. Tech Times notes Samsung's premium folds usually hold launch pricing for two to three months, making this discount unusually early.

The timing lines up with Apple's own foldable debut. Apple held its "Surprise and Shine" event at 1 PM ET today at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, where it was expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra. Apple has not published an official price. TrendForce's estimate, cited by Tech Times, puts the starting price between $2,099 and $2,299, which would make it $250 to $450 more than the discounted Fold 8.

That estimate is a supply-chain forecast, not a confirmed retail price, and it should be read that way until Apple states its own number. Buyers weighing a foldable purchase now have a genuine two-platform decision for the first time, but only one side of that comparison, Samsung's, is backed by an actual receipt.

For Fold 3 and Flip 3 owners, the open question isn't about Apple at all. It's whether they upgrade before a serious, unpatched vulnerability turns up on a five-year-old phone that Samsung has now permanently stopped fixing.