Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3: Camera shootout

In our evaluation, we have determined that Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are not the best camera phones in the world. Samsung’s foldable phones mainly use 12MP shooting games, and the shooting effects are average, but they may not be comparable to the top camera phones on the market (such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and its 108MP sensor). However, when the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 cameras directly collide with each other, how do they perform?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 have almost the same camera hardware. In fact, only the slightest difference can make the new foldable product unique.

Z Fold 3 has a 12MP main camera with f/1.8, OIS, dual-pixel autofocus and 1.8μm pixels. Z Flip 3 has a 12MP main camera with f/1.8, OIS, dual-pixel autofocus and 1.4μm pixels. There is only the slightest difference in the size of the pixels that separate them. Both phones are equipped with the same 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 and 1.12μm pixels. Z Fold 3 adds an f/2.4 12MP telephoto camera with OIS, 2x optical zoom and 1.0μm pixels. Z Flip 3 does not have a telephoto lens. The Gorilla Glass DX of both phones covers the lenses of these major shooting games.

related: The best foldable phone you can get

Like the main camera, the selfie camera is almost the same. Z Fold 3 is equipped with an f/2.2 10MP selfie camera with a pixel size of 1.22μm, and Z Flip 3 is equipped with an f/2.4 10MP selfie camera with a pixel size of 1.22μm. Only the aperture separates them. Z Fold 3 adds an f/1.8 4MP under-display camera, hidden under the pixels of the main internal display.

It’s not just camera hardware that virtual mirrors between two phones. Each is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, which has the same ISP to process the photographic data. Let us not forget Samsung’s software. The camera application is also shared by the two phones.

In other words, we expect the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 gun battle results to be very close. Is one more prominent than the other? Let us find out.

In this basic daylight lens, we have a lot of blue sky, green bushes and white architectural elements. Photos taken from Z Fold 3 have better blue, clearer, and less noise, especially in the large trees in the background. If you look closely, Z Fold 3 will produce better images here.

In the second day image, we have more green and gray due to the church. The greens shot by Z Fold 3 are obviously pushed more than the greens of Z Flip 3. Both images show stable exposure and balance—and noise. There is a lot of distracting noise in the leaves. Overall, the shooting of Z Fold 3 is richer and more pleasing to the eye.

You can also take a look: How to use manual mode on smartphone camera

In these color samples, you can see the bright push colors from the two phones. Samsung is known throughout the industry for improving color, and this is obvious here. I see the same color, exposure and white balance, although the Z Flip 3 sample is clearer. The colors are not very accurate with the colors in real life, but they look good and it is easy to forgive Samsung’s adjustments. Calling it a championship is too close.

In this dim photo of the waterfall taken from under the bridge, we have a lot to do. HDR is working overtime to extract the details in the bricks on the left side of the image. I like that Z Fold 3 shoots more greens, but Z Flip 3 does a slightly better job of balancing the balance between the sky and the land. Compared with Z Flip 3, Z Fold 3 is slightly better. Here, I think there is no clear winner.

More reading: The best three-camera phone

Reading the text allows us to really check the details available in the pair of images. Although the magnification is slightly different, the text in the two samples is equally clear and easy to read. Even so, because Z Flip 3 introduces some noise, the smaller text captured by Z Fold 3 is just sharper and clearer. The engraving itself looks equally good in the two photos, and the exposure and color are in between. There is no clear winner here.

Here, we are looking at photos taken from the ultra-wide-angle camera of each mobile phone. Among all the shots in this collection, these two are the most similar. Everyone has the same advantages and disadvantages. For example, the color and dynamic range are solid colors, while the small buildings in the two photos have lost details due to slight overexposure. Given that the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 share the exact same ultra-wide-angle camera, it is not surprising that the photos are almost identical.

Let’s take a look at how Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 shoot portraits. In addition to the obvious difference in magnification, the performance of these two phones in this respect is admirable. Washington’s head was captured in sharp detail, with good edge detection and pleasant background blur. The exposure of Z Flip 3 looks better, because Z Fold 3 overexposed Washington’s face slightly, which resulted in some loss of detail. The most important thing is that the portrait is not too noisy, nor does it appear reluctant.

You can also take a look: The best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 protective case you can get

Here are some self-portraits of Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. Each is a 10MP photo, Z Fold 3 with an outer cover camera and Z Flip 3 with an inner punch camera. They are beautiful selfies, but not the best I have seen. Both images have a lot of noise, especially in the background. In other words, exposure, color, and sharpness are comparable between the two. It is almost impossible to distinguish them.

There is a clear winner between these two low-light lenses. I like the way these two photos show the shadows of floodlights on the buildings. Z Fold 3 captures a clearer picture, which is clearer, more detailed, and less diluted by ambient light sources. Despite the lack of light, Z Fold 3 can produce better colors.

related: The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 protective case you can get

None of these night images are particularly eye-catching, but there is also a clear winner. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 can use the night mode tool to extract more details from the dark background. The image of Z Flip 3 hardly shows any details in the tree, and its soft colors cannot be compared with the colors produced by Z Fold 3. Samsung’s more expensive foldable device won here.

In this series, we have a comprehensive understanding of the zoom function of mobile phones. Remember, both phones have an ultra-wide-angle camera and a main camera, and Z Fold 3 adds a 2x optical camera to help zoom. Considering how they use different lens configurations to achieve the same results, the results of the two phones are surprisingly similar. Although Z Fold 3 has additional glass, compared with Z Flip 3, it hardly gets the advantages it deserves. Due to overprocessing, Z Flip 3 displays less detail than Z Fold 3 at 4x and 10x. However, considering how noisy the 10x lens is, this is not important.

Given that the hardware shared by these two phones is almost the same, I expect the results of this Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 to be closer than them. Most of the images above are close to death, only the details separate them. If I find a trend, it is that photos taken with Z Fold 3 always have better colors. The color hasn’t improved significantly, but compared to the Z Flip 3 photos, it usually looks more pleasing. Others However, compared with low-light performance, these photos are almost indistinguishable.

In this positive comparison, I will let the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 win, although this is not necessarily a meaningful advantage. The cameras are so close—given the similarity of the hardware, they should be—that it’s hard to say that one is really better than the other. Whether you spend $999 on the Z Flip 3 or $1,799 on the Z Fold 3, you will get similar images from the camera.

I think the most important thing to point out is that neither Z Fold 3 nor Z Flip 3 set standards for mobile photography. If you require the phone to have the highest camera quality, it is best to use Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (1,049 USD), or iPhone 12 Pro (999 USD) — Even Sony Xperia 1 III (1,299 USD).

More camera shootouts: