Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 may not feature a larger outside screen like the Galaxy Z Fold 2. According to new rumors, the outer screen of the upcoming foldable will be 5.4 inches, nearly an inch smaller than the 6.2-inch display of the previous model.

This is according to @chuvn8888 on Twitter, who posted spec sheets for various upcoming foldable phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, and Huawei Mate X2.

For what it's worth, the 5.4-inch display is the same size as the iPhone 12 mini, making it a relatively small device. Especially with the trend of many recent flagships offering screens larger than 6 inches. On the other hand, leaks indicate that the Galaxy Z Fold 3's inner display will be larger than before, at 7.7 inches.

If the leak is accurate, it means that Samsung will not downsize the entire phone, but only the outer display.

To me, this suggests that Samsung expects that most people will focus on the Z Fold 3's large tablet display. If the outer display is not that important, the company could get away with shaving a bit off the screen.

A 5.4-inch screen is more than enough for basic phone operations, which is what the Z Fold series' outer display is for. Anything beyond that can easily be done on the inner display. After all, that is the beauty of having a device that unfolds like this.

This decision is at the same time a cost-saving measure. If users don't care so much about the size of the outer display, there is no need to go to the trouble of making it larger than necessary. Especially in an expensive phone series like the Galaxy Z Fold series, keeping the price down can only be a good thing.

Of course, this is all assuming @chuvn8888's information is correct. It is not impossible that someone mistakenly typed in 5.4 instead of 6.4. We won't know for sure until there is an official announcement or a more reputable leak provides evidence to the contrary. [Past rumors have suggested that the Z Fold 3 could have a 4-inch display. This would be the same size as the iPhone 5 and would require a much larger bezel.

At this time, it is not clear what we can expect from the Galaxy Z Fold 3 other than the typical foldable Z Fold design. However, rumors point to S Pen support and the possibility of a camera under the display.

Until we know for sure, we will have to wait a while; the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is not expected to appear until late summer at the earliest, which would normally fall around the time of the Galaxy Note launch.