A new rumor about the iPhone Fold suggests that it could use the camera technology that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 just dropped this year — an under-screen camera on its main display. I’m not sure this would be a wise move for Apple.
This comes across Max Weinbach on Xwhich published a report from analysts at JP Morgan detailing the expected specifications of the first foldable iPhone. If you read the middle part of the bottom table, where analysts list the types of cameras they expect the iPhone 18 series to use next year, you can see that the “foldable iPhone” is listed as having two 24-megapixel selfie cameras, including one under-display unit.
Under-display cameras (sometimes referred to as UDCs) have been around for half a decade but have seen mixed results. The most notable user of a UDC was the Galaxy Z Fold series, which used one in its internal display between the Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 6. Some Chinese companies, such as ZTE, Nubia, and RedMagic, have also been using and improving the technology for some time.
The problem with UDC, however, is that by shooting through a layer of screen rather than just plain glass or plastic, images can end up looking blurry, with bright light sources appearing weird and pixelated. If you want good photos from the front camera, there’s nothing like a regular punch-hole. Given that Apple is usually happy to take things slowly in order to get things right (for example the fact that it is launching its first foldable phone about eight years after its competitors started), it seems strange for them to choose a component with such big trade-offs.
If Apple opts for UDC on the iPhone Fold, it may be able to mitigate some of the issues with its higher-resolution sensor. The 24-megapixel camera listed in JP Morgan’s report is of much higher quality than the 4-megapixel sensor Samsung was using, for example. It makes sense for Apple to use this camera – it’s the same camera it will apparently use in all of the selfie cameras of the regular iPhone 18 models, as well as the iPhone Fold’s external camera.
It lacks some professional camera features
The table shared by Weinbach also tells us that JP Morgan analysts expect the iPhone Fold to use 48-megapixel main and ultra-wide sensors on the back. Unfortunately, there is no telephoto camera like the Pro models.
The foldable iPhone’s main camera may also lack sensor shift stabilization — Apple’s system for avoiding shaky photos and videos by allowing the camera sensor to move to compensate for the phone’s movement. This suggests that while this is likely the most expensive iPhone yet at launch, Apple won’t be packing it with high-end camera technology.
Analysts expect, like the rumors we’ve heard before, that the iPhone Fold will arrive in the fall of next year, along with the following iPhone Air and Pro devices. The regular iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will debut the following year — a new Apple launch strategy we’ve heard other sources claim.
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