It’s time for foldable phone manufacturers to prioritize camera hardware over device thinness
Referential image of the OPPO Find N5. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Foldable phones, once a novelty, are becoming more mainstream, but one area that has consistently lagged behind is camera quality. However, Samsung’s move to include a 200MP camera in a special edition of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and rumors of a similar upgrade for the upcoming Z Fold 7, suggests a potential shift. This comes at a time when other manufacturers, such as OPPO, are still prioritizing thinness over camera capability, as seen in the Find N5.
For a long time, manufacturers seemed to treat foldable devices as secondary when it came to camera technology. They focused on the folding mechanism and the display, often relegating the camera system to a lower priority. This resulted in foldable phones that with less noticeable creases, but couldn’t quite keep up with their traditional slab smartphone counterparts in image quality. The thinking appeared to be that the folding aspect was the main selling point, and camera performance was a secondary consideration.
However, as the foldable market matures, it feels like consumer expectations might be changing — at least in my point of view. For example, I, for one, am no longer willing to compromise on essential features like camera quality. I want a device that can do it all: fold, unfold, and take great pictures.
