Now that 2023 is off to a good start, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 rumors are coming thick and fast, and the latest speculations have to do with the upcoming foldable camera setup.
According to a new report from Vietnamese technology outlet The Pixel (Opens in a new tab)The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 can replace the 50MP rear camera used by its predecessor – the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – for a much more powerful 108MP rear sensor (of the type found on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra).
Pixel also suggests that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 could have a 64MP telephoto camera (with 2x optical zoom) and a 12MP ultrawide snapper. This setup would beat the 10MP telephoto sensor on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but miss out on the 3x optical zoom capabilities of the latter.
This last point has us feeling a bit cautious about these new rumors. While it’s undoubtedly exciting to think we might finally see a foldable phone that’s able to match non-foldable devices in the photography department, it’s hard to imagine Samsung giving the Galaxy Z Fold 5 weaker optical zoom capabilities than its predecessor.
What’s more, like SamMobile (Opens in a new tab) Note that Samsung’s rare track record of implementing two major camera revisions on the trot raises another red flag. The camera setup on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a marked improvement over the equivalent Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 sensors, which makes us a bit skeptical that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will feature another significant final upgrade.
Of course, we’re expecting some form of photographic improvement from the Galaxy Z Fold 5 over the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but we’re hesitant to fully lean on rumors of a 108MP rear sensor and a 64MP telephoto lens, at this point.
Anaylsis: Collapse into more than just camera upgrades
However, we have more confidence in the rumors surrounding the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s design. Per South Korean outlet Naver (Opens in a new tab)Samsung intends to use a waterdrop-shaped hinge in the upcoming fold, which would allow the phone to fold completely flat, with no visible gaps between the two halves of the screen.
Many cell phones from Chinese manufacturers are already using this design approach for their foldable devices (with examples including the Huawei Mate X2, Honor Magic Vs, and Oppo Find N2), but at the cost of full water resistance. However, Samsung is said to be planning to add the new shape of the hinge while maintaining the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s IPX8 rating, a feature that no competitor has been able to compete with in the foldable space.
As for the phone’s release date, we expect the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 to arrive sometime in August 2023. The Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Fold 2 were all unveiled in August in their release years. So we expect the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to stick with tradition in this regard.
There hasn’t been any word yet on the phone’s price, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has been launched for $1,799 / £1,649 / AU$2,499, so it’s expected to be a similar figure to its successor. However, these upgrades may help it find a place in the list of the best Samsung phones out there.