What you need to know
- Leaks suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide may use a dual-camera setup with a 50MP main sensor and 50MP ultrawide shooter capable of 8K video recording.
- The biggest compromise could be the lack of a telephoto camera, putting the Wide Fold behind the regular Galaxy Z Fold 8 in photography.
- The standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 is rumored to keep a more premium triple-camera system, including a 200MP main sensor and dedicated zoom hardware.
Samsung may finally be ready to fix the Galaxy Fold’s most awkward design problem, but the rumoured fix may come at the cost of a camera downgrade that power users will notice straight away.
New leaks about the so-called Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide (also called Wide Fold in some reports) suggest that Samsung is working on a second book-style foldable with a much wider outer display. While this is as exciting as the overall design sounds, the latest camera details suggest Samsung may be making some trade-offs.
As per a recent report by GalaxyClub, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide may have a dual camera setup with a 50MP primary sensor and a 50MP ultrawide camera.
SamMobile has a separate but related report suggesting the main shooter will apparently be paired with an f/1.8 lens while the ultrawide could get an f/1.9 aperture lens with autofocus support. Both cameras are also said to have 8K video recording support at 30fps as well.
A pair of 50MP sensors aren’t exactly low-end territory, and Samsung’s recent image processing has generally been reliable. The bigger problem is what seems to be missing.
No telephoto lens on the Wide Fold?
The reports suggest that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide will not get any telephoto camera at all. That would put it behind the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 at launch, which is rumored to retain a more premium triple-camera setup like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The regular Fold 8 was said to pack a 200MP main sensor and dedicated zoom hardware.
On the other hand, the Wide Fold could solve one of the biggest usability complaints with Samsung foldables. Images and animations of One UI 9 that have been previously leaked show a much wider aspect ratio that looks more like a traditional smartphone when closed and more like a tablet when opened.
It looks like Samsung is finally listening to the right criticism. Most people would benefit way more from a more practical, wider Fold than another giant camera sensor they only zoom into concert stages with once a year. Samsung, though, also risks making the Wide Fold look oddly “less flagship” if the regular Z Fold 8 ends up packing significantly better camera hardware. If this thing launches around $2,000 without a telephoto lens, Samsung will have a tough time convincing people that “wide” is enough of an upgrade on its own.
That would help with app scale, multitasking, and make the cover screen less awkward to use one-handed.
Other spec rumors are Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, at least 12GB of RAM and a 4,800mAh battery, which could be slightly smaller than the 5,000mAh cell expected in the regular Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Samsung is also rumored to be prepping a Dark Green finish as the Wide Fold’s signature launch color.
