Samsung’s flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, is the premier choice for mobile productivity on a smartphone — but it also offers five different cameras that can be used while the phone is opened or closed. Though the cameras found on the Z Fold 4 aren’t the best Samsung has to offer – those are currently found on the Galaxy S22 Ultra — they get pretty close to the best of the best in smartphone camera technology. Because the Z Fold 4 opens up, the way that the cameras can be used are magnified when compared to traditional smartphones. The Z Fold 4 can even use its outstanding rear cameras for selfies, which results in better pictures. With so many cameras, it’s key to know what they are and how they are best used.
Since Samsung is crushing the foldable smartphone market — the company has virtually zero competition within the United States — it didn’t need to rush to make sweeping changes to the Z Fold line. In fact, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 features mostly incremental upgrades over the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G. The smartphone’s hinge is slightly more compact and the Cover Screen is slightly wider. For existing Galaxy Z Fold 3 users, there’s no reason to upgrade for the eye-catching $1,799 price tag. But for people waiting for the Z Fold line to mature, there isn’t a better time to jump in and try a foldable phone. If a user is ready to make the switch, it is important to know what cameras are available on the Z Fold 4.
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Samsung sorts the five cameras on the Z Fold 4 into three different categories — cover camera, front camera, and rear cameras. There are three cameras on the back of the device, one camera on the Cover Screen, and one on the main folding screen. The front camera on the folding screen is the weakest of the five cameras as it is an under-display camera (or UDC), which means the camera is actually under the display’s pixels. It’s an alternative to a notch or hole punch-style camera, but is of lower quality. The front camera has a 4-megapixel resolution, but since it is under the display, photos and videos can appear hazy. Whenever possible, it is best to use the cover camera or rear camera for these reasons.
Rear Cameras Are Upgraded From The Z Fold 3
The cover camera (on the smaller Cover Screen) is the camera that most users will use for selfies, so it is not of the under-display type. Instead, it’s a traditional punch-hole camera that appears to be identical to the one found on the Z Fold 3. The cover camera is a 10-megapixel unit that will stack up well against the Samsung S22 lineup, and is profoundly better than the under-display camera found on the main screen. Though Samsung’s software attempts to de-haze the photos from the main screen’s UDC, it is still no match for the sensor found on the Cover Screen.
Samsung improved the rear cameras on the Z Fold 4 from prior generations, allowing the bigger foldable to keep pace with the S22 lineup. It isn’t quite the best Samsung camera, but it gets close enough for most users. The primary shooter is a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, which will be used for most photos. It’s complimented by a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera as a secondary lens, and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens serves as the tertiary camera. The coalition of cameras provides a variety of apertures — from f/1.8 to f/2.4 — making it possible to capture an excellent photo. For a phone that folds in half, the five cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 can take great photos and videos in a variety of conditions.
