Ryan Haines / Android Authority
After years of feeling a bit stagnant, Samsung’s rejigged Galaxy Z Fold 7 booklet foldable has found some new fans in the Android Authority team. Its wonderfully slim design, more comfortable aspect ratio, and stellar One UI software make this an ultra-premium foldable that’s truly worth the substantial investment.
One change that’s flown under the radar is Samsung’s return to a punch-hole selfie camera, in place of the under-display setup from years gone by. While under-display camera technology was heralded as the future of discrete design, I’ve never been too impressed by the image quality produced by hiding the sensor under the display lattice. The Galaxy Z Fold 7’s return to the more classic visible camera cutout could be the death knell for this once novel idea.
Was Samsung was right to ditch the under-display selfie camera? 25 votes Yes 36 % No 48 % I don't mind either option 16 %
To see why this is such a smart yet perhaps underappreciated upgrade, my colleague Paul graciously grabbed a selection of selfies in various lighting conditions from last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the new Z Fold 7. The results are, well, completely night and day.
Discretion versus image quality Attempting to tuck a camera sensor under a display poses a couple of significant problems for image quality. The first is obviously that something is in the way of the sensor, reducing its light capture capabilities and, therefore, making image quality far worse. The sensor also needs to be quite small, but the pixels need to be big enough to avoid being blocked from above — there are just 4 megapixels on the Fold 6, while the new model boosts this to 10 megapixels. The lens element also has to be made from the same stuff as the display, which undoubtedly impacts quality.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 Galaxy Z Fold 7 Galaxy Z Fold 6 Galaxy Z Fold 7
As you can see, our Z Fold 7 selfies above have far less noise and more detail. Improved contrast and dynamic range also make the shots pop with their proper vibrancy, avoiding the washed-out look we’ve come to associate with the under-display idea. If you want to post these straight on social, the Z Fold 7 is a clear winner.
Equally, the move to a cut-out setup has allowed Samsung to increase the field of view to fit more into the frame. I’m not a huge fan of ultrawide selfies due to facial distortion, but the change from a modest 26mm to a very wide 18mm does mean you can more easily fit friends and family in at arm’s reach. This puts the Z Fold 7 much more in line with the field of view capabilities of the very best camera phones.
Maybe you’re not convinced there’s a huge difference in the shots above, or perhaps not enough to consign under-display cameras to the dustbin? Well, let’s turn the lights down a bit.
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