Lanh Nguyen / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple’s foldable iPhone will apparently have an under-display camera on the folding screen.
- Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold devices have offered this feature since 2021.
- This camera is nearly invisible but has noticeably inferior image quality compared to a conventional selfie camera.
Apple is widely tipped to launch its first foldable iPhone next year, and we’ve already seen a few rumors about this device. Now, it sounds like this new foldable phone could adopt a rather interesting camera borrowed from Samsung.
Frequent tipster Digital Chat Station has claimed on Weibo that Apple’s upcoming foldable phone will feature an under-display selfie camera on the folding screen. Meanwhile, the cover display is said to have a camera in a cutout.
In other words, Apple would be copying Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold devices by adopting an under-display selfie camera for the folding display. 2021’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 was the first foldable with this camera and last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 maintained this feature.
Under-display cameras hide under the screen and are nearly invisible, making for a more immersive screen viewing experience. However, these cameras have poor image quality compared to conventional selfie cameras. This is because the display blocks a lot of light from hitting the camera sensor. So you really shouldn’t expect this camera to take great photos on Apple’s foldable. For what it’s worth, we thought the under-display shooter on the Z Fold 6 was only good for video calls and that the cover display camera was better.
Digital Chat Station reiterated that the foldable iPhone will have a 7.76-inch folding screen and a 5.49-inch cover display. However, they also revealed that the folding screen would have a 2,713 x 1,920 resolution while the cover display is poised to have a 2,088 x 1,422 resolution. Either way, it sounds like Apple is adopting a squat form factor like the original Pixel Fold and OPPO Find N2 rather than the tall and narrow form factor adopted by Samsung.
