Sanuj Bhatia / Android Authority
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TL;DR
- A new leak claims Samsung plans to retain virtually identical camera hardware on both the Galaxy Z Fold 9 and Galaxy Z Fold 9 Ultra.
- The Fold 9 Ultra is tipped to keep a 200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, and 3x telephoto (likely 10MP) camera, while the standard Fold 9 is said to mirror the Fold 8’s 50MP main and 50MP ultrawide cameras.
- Previous leaks suggested that Samsung could expand its foldable lineup to counter growing competition. This leak suggests upgrading the existing lineup with better camera hardware doesn’t seem to be on the cards.
Anyone holding out hope for a massive camera shake-up on Samsung’s next foldables might want to temper their expectations. Despite growing competition in the foldable arena, Samsung may stick to what it knows best for its next generation of book-style foldables. If you were hoping next year’s camera hardware would dramatically alter the trajectory we noted in our Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review, early signs suggest the company will likely continue with its cautious approach.
According to a leak from Korean leaker Lanzuk (yeux1122) on Naver, Samsung plans to retain its existing camera hardware and configuration across both the Galaxy Z Fold 9 and the Galaxy Z Fold 9 Ultra. Rather than introducing larger sensors or overhauling the setup in other ways, the leak claims the camera hardware specifications will remain virtually identical to their predecessors.
For the premium Galaxy Z Fold 9 Ultra, the report points to a familiar three-camera setup on the back: a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and an optical 3x telephoto shooter. The MP count of the telephoto is not mentioned in the leak, but since the configuration is said to remain the same, it could be the same 10MP 3x telephoto from the Fold 8 Ultra. The retention of a 3x telephoto module will likely disappoint enthusiasts who have spent years trying to convince Samsung to fit a periscope lens or at least improve the optical reach into its priciest foldable.
Meanwhile, the standard Galaxy Z Fold 9 appears slated for the same treatment. The leak suggests the camera setup will simply mirror the current Fold 8’s hardware configuration without any spec bumps. For reference, the Fold 8 comes with a 50MP main and 50MP ultrawide camera.
This conservative approach comes amid rumors that Samsung is planning to diversify its foldable portfolio to include the Fold 9 Plus or Fold 9 FE as well as the Fold 9 Pro and Galaxy Z Slide, to counter the increased competition in the foldable space, both from Apple and from aggressive Chinese rivals.
If this latest leak holds, Samsung seems content to recycle camera hardware for another year, and a lot of Samsung Galaxy users are already used to such mediocre efforts from the company.
