Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 review

Z Fold3 meets S22 when it comes to camera hardware

The Galaxy Z Fold4 comes with a very similar rear camera setup to the one found on the Galaxy S22 and S22+. The selfie situation, meanwhile, is the same as on the previous Fold - an under-display unit masked by a checkered pattern of pixels on the flexible panel, and a conventional punch-hole style module on the cover display.

The rear camera trio is lifted straight off the S22, you'd think at first glance, but that's not entirely so. The fine print starts with the fact that the main camera on the Fold4 is based on the Samsung GN3 sensor, whereas the S22s have an GN5 at the core. Both sensors have a 1/1.56" optical format, 50million 1.0µm pixels, and a Tetrapixel filter array (Quad Bayer in Sony speak).

Where the two differ is in the autofocusing - the GN5 uses Dual Pixel Pro, while the GN3 in the Fold4 relies on a slightly less sophisticated Dual Pixel method. This official Samsung video illuminates the difference, but the gist of it is that Fold will be less susceptible to detecting phase differences top to bottom - just left to right. While the 'Pro' versions is much appreciated, however, we wouldn't say that the plain Dual Pixel has ever left us wanting.

The lens in front of this sensor has a 23mm equivalent focal length (so plenty wide), the aperture is f/1.8, and there's optical stabilization.

For the ultrawide, our Fold reports the Sony IMX 258 - a fairly ancient imager with a 1/3.06" optical format and 1.12µm pixels. Its native resolution is 13MP, but Samsung lists it at 12MP, and that's the size of images it outputs. While the sensor itself has AF capability, the camera as a package doesn't support it. The lens covers a 123-degree field of view, as per Samsung's specs, and has an f/2.2 aperture. That's the Fold3's contribution to the rear setup, while the S22 uses a nicer 1/2.55" sensor with 1.4µm pixels.

By all accounts, at least the tele has to be lifted off the S22. It uses the same S5K3K1 sensor (1/3.94", 10MP, 1.0µm) with the same stabilized lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The actual focal length is the same, too (7.0mm), but the Fold reports an equivalent focal length of 66mm now (69 or 70mm on the S22, depending on who you ask).

Either way, you'd be getting 3x (ish) optical zoom, which is a much-needed upgrade over the 2x zoom on the Fold3. We wouldn't have complained if there was a 10x periscope like on the Mate X2, but maybe next year. Ah, there's also the matter that the telephoto shots will come out at 12MP, too, for the sake of standardization.

On the selfie side of things, we have a traditional 10MP punch-hole unit on the cover screen. That one dates to the Fold2 and is based on the Sony IMX 374 (1/3", 1.22µm) paired with a fixed-focus lens with an equiv. focal length (as per EXIF data) of 25mm and an f/2.2 aperture.

Then there's the under-display camera that hides behind the folding screen. A chessboard array of display pixels and transparent patches lets just enough light for the 16MP sensor underneath (IMX 471, 1/3", 1.0µm) to output 4MP still images and 1080p video. The lens reports the same 25mm equivalent focal length and an f/1.8 aperture.

Camera app and making use of the form factor

If you keep the Z Fold4 folded, its camera app UI is essentially the same as on any other Samsung, with only the unusual aspect ratio making things appear slightly different. Swiping left and right will switch between all available modes, and there's an option to re-arrange or remove some of the modes from the viewfinder. Vertical swipes in either direction will switch between the rear cameras and the cover selfie camera.

The settings icon is located in the upper left corner of the screen, and you don't get separate setting screens for photos and videos since the options aren't that many in total. Grid lines, location data, Screen optimizer, etc. - the usual stuff can be found there. The full resolution mode on the primary camera is triggered from the aspect options, which is a rather unintuitive bit, but that's how Samsung does it.

There's a Pro mode, too, where you get granular exposure controls (ISO and shutter speed, plus exposure compensation) and manual focus with peaking, but no live histogram or the option to operate anything but the main cam.

Camera UI

The one thing that sets the UI apart from other Samsungs is the 'Selfie' icon in the top left corner above the settings cogwheel - that enables the rear-camera selfie mode. It asks you to unfold the phone, after which it transfers the UI and viewfinder on the cover screen for easy operation while mostly disabling the now-unfolded main display - which now faces away from you.

Holding the phone in this mode with one hand and tapping on the UI isn't super convenient, but you can just about work your way to pressing the shutter release with the right index finger or left thumb - more complex operations are best done with both hands. Naturally, 'palm shutter' is available, and, if you're serious about this whole thing, an additional Bluetooth remote release is always an option.

Then there's the viewfinder on the large screen. Taking pictures this way does transport you into that frowned-upon territory of tablet photography, but it does allow the other useful aspect of the form factor - letting your subjects preview the picture as it is taken. Enabling the cover screen is a tap away, and in that mode, there are no actionable controls on it - just a live feed from the sensor. That is to say, there's only one button - for going into the rear selfie mode, with controls on the cover screen (that's not available on the Fold3, mind you).