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Three months in, Galaxy Z Fold 8’s cameras aren’t enough, and Fold 9 might not fix it [Gallery]

Published: 11/04/2026, 04:00 PM

I’ve been enamored with my Galaxy Z Fold 8 since I started using it roughly three months ago, but its one big downside has been the cameras, so I’m not exactly thrilled to hear that the Galaxy Z Fold 9 might now make any progress here. In my review of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, I called the cameras “the biggest mistake in this whole package,” and that opinion hasn’t changed after three months. The duo of 50MP sensors get the job done, but not as well as I want for such an expensive smartphone. What I’ve found as I’ve continued to use this device that is that I don’t want to use these cameras. I’ll use them for cases where quality isn’t as important, like snapping pictures of my meals for my nutrition app, scanning documents, and things like that, but I’m always reaching for the phone in my other pocket for any other snaps. And that’s a privilege that not everyone has, nor should they be required to do so on their pricey foldable. The downsides I’m most frequently running into include a lack of any quality zoom range – quality falls off a cliff beyond 2x – and problems with framing. The short design of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 means that, often, I’m capturing my finger at the bottom of the shot unintentionally. The results through the main lens are perfectly fine, and I’m actually rather enjoying Samsung’s saturated colors as the Fall foliage cranks up, but I’m still constantly underwhelmed. Foldable cameras have always been lesser compared to standard smartphones, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s lack of a third lens just makes that a tiny bit worse. And yet, it sounds like Samsung is happy with the status quo. Some leakers are claiming that the Galaxy Z Fold 9 won’t make any changes to the camera sensors. A 50MP main and a 50MP ultra-wide. Fold 9 UItra might get a new main sensor, but no major changes to the hardware either. To say that’s disappointing is an understatement, but if I can make one plea to Samsung, it’s to at least change the camera layout next time around. “Core identity” excuses aside, constantly needing to readjust my grip on the phone just to avoid taking a picture of my finger is frustrating, and having a new layout also opens the door to improvements on the table wobble and the whole Qi2 debacle. If we’re not getting new sensors, at least let’s get some physical improvements to the layout. Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.