Samsung might not have been the very first brand to bring a foldable smartphone to market (it was actually the second after the essentially unknown Royole released the Flexpai out of China), but the brand’s Z Fold lineup has established itself as the first stop for anyone looking for a foldable.
Despite the exorbitant price tag of the company’s big foldable, it has never been what I’d call a true flagship—it has never been on par with the specs of the S lineup, with slower charging, a smaller battery, and a camera that simply isn’t as good. One of those is going to change, though, and could bring the Z Fold line a tiny step closer to flagship status.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Could Get the Same Camera Sensor as the S25 Ultra
If you’re big on the photographic experience that your smartphone offers you and you’re a Samsung loyalist, there’s never been a better place to be than the top model in the Galaxy S family. In 2020, Samsung’s S Ultra smartphones switched over to a 108MP primary sensor, and in 2023, that became a 200MP sensor. However, as of last year, the Z Fold 6 still had to make do with a 50MP unit, which was objectively just not as good.
That’s always been one of the reasons why I’ve never considered getting a foldable. I have some gripes with the form factor as a whole, but if I’m going to be spending close to $2,000, I want to make sure that I have the best camera that the company has to offer. Unfortunately, that has just never been the case with Samsung.
Very fortunately, it looks like that story might change this year. According to GalaxyClub, the Z Fold 7 is going to bring a major camera upgrade this year. The primary sensor is expected to be upgraded from a 50MP unit to a 200MP unit. And not just any 200MP unit, either. It is expected to be the exact same one in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which will mean no compromise whatsoever when it comes to pictures and videos.
The Under-Display Camera on the Foldable Screen Will Get an Upgrade Too
If you’ve never actually seen or used a Z Fold device, you might not know that the inner display opts for an under-display camera module—one of the few ways that Samsung has been rather forward-thinking.
However, that camera is just 4MP, so needless to say, it isn’t great (the 10MP camera on the cover display is a better choice). However, that 4MP camera is expected to be upgraded this year. There’s nothing definite regarding what we should expect exactly, but it will hopefully be a notable jump up.
Samsung Needs to Do a Lot Better to Make the Galaxy Z Fold Devices Proper Flagship Phones
In the past, certain aspects of a foldable’s spec sheet, such as the thickness, weight, and battery, were all products of the form factor. However, Chinese OEMs have demonstrated what is possible with foldables, and that’s no longer an excuse.
Samsung is still stuck on 45W charging, but despite how “slow” that is by modern flagship standards, the OEM gatekeeps it for a select few phones. The Z Fold 6 was not one of those. Pushing up to 45W is one thing Samsung needs to do. It also needs to get a bigger battery inside—at least 5,000mAh—and then it needs to work on a sleeker build.
With all of those in place, Samsung might finally have a foldable that I can buy without any compromises.
