We've only just seen the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 launch, but while we work on a full review, we tried out its cameras against its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, to see what's changed in the year since the Z Fold 5's arrival.
The usability of both Z Folds is identical — each phone offers Samsung's typical photo interface with easy-to-use options and powerful hardware underpinning it. Only one camera got an upgrade with the Galaxy Z Fold 6's release — the ultrawide lens supposed performs better in low light — though both devices feature the same basic set of 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto, 10MP outer selfie and 4MP inner selfie cameras.
Any differences in image quality we see largely come down to the firmware and software differences, such as the Z Fold 6's new ProVisual Engine. How big an impact that feature has is what we hoped to discover as we headed out to London's Hyde Park to take our shots.
For a more general overview of how these phones compare, see our Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5 face-off. But let's get into the camera comparisons here, and see which phone wins, and by how much.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Main camera
Starting as always with the main cameras, we see that the Z Fold 6 does noticeably better at balancing the dynamic range of this image of Hyde Park's Italian Gardens. The stone vase in the foreground is just as visible as the lawn, flowers, fountains and pavilion beyond, whereas the darker elements of the Galaxy Z Fold 5's image are lost in favor of the highlights.
Switching the phones to their full-resolution 50MP mode, it's a more extreme version of the same story. It's even harder to see the vase or the darker parts of the plants in the Z Fold 5 shot here.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Ultrawide
The ultrawide camera is the only camera that's changed between the two phones. The resolution is the same, but the Galaxy Z Fold 6 features an updated sensor. That could be why we see a more normally-colored shot in the Z Fold 6's image rather than the weirdly blue cast in the Z Fold 5 shot. That said, this could be due to a quirk of software processing.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Dynamic Range
Here's a tricky subject, as the sunny day contrasts greatly with the shady parts of the tree close in to the trunk. Although it's managed to show more of the shadows in this image, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 still picked up a slight rainbow lens flare in the bottom right corner. The more saturated Z Fold 5 image doesn't have that problem, but also can't show us much of the center of the tree compared to the Z Fold 6.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Colors
Focusing on this plant bed lets us examine the color reproduction abilities of the two foldables. The Galaxy Z Fold 6's shot isn't as bright as the Galaxy Z Fold 5's, but in doing so, it lets us appreciate the magenta and lilac of the flowers as much as the green of the leaves. Clearly the algorithm in the Z Fold 5 is more of a tree fan with the way it brings out the green in its shot but leaves the flowers overexposed.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Close-up
This close-up of one of the vases we saw at a distance earlier has the Galaxy Z Fold 6 providing the more dramatically-lit photo this time around. Neither shot is wanting for detail in the stonework, but I prefer the lighting in the Galaxy Z Fold 5 photo, since it's more even.
Winner: Draw
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Outer Selfie
The outer selfie cameras on the foldables gave two near-identical portraits here. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 brings out the highlights in the image a little more, but otherwise it's an impressive example of how little has changed between Z Fold generations.
Winner: Draw
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Inner Selfie
Then it was time to try the weakest camera on both Z Folds — the inner 4MP under-display selfie camera. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 produces the better shot this time around, being brighter and sharper than the Galaxy Z Fold 6's.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 5
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Portrait
A portrait shot with each of the phone's telephoto cameras has resulted in a very pale image of me from the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and a warmer one from the Galaxy Z Fold 6. My face is a little clearer in the Z Fold 5's shot without all the elevated colors, but I think I prefer the Z Fold 6 image despite that.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Zoom
Using the 3x telephoto cameras to frame this statue of vaccine pioneer Edward Jenner, we get a cartoony vibe in the Z Fold 5 version because of the extra saturation. The tamer Z Fold 6 shot has a different feel, and is able to bring out more of the sculpted detail of this statue with its more even coloring.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Panorama
Standing on the edge of Serpentine Lake, I carefully swept both phones' main cameras around to grab a super-wide panorama image. The result is both oversaturated and undersaturated in the Z Fold 5's case, making for a rather disappointing shot of the edge of the Italian Gardens. The Z Fold 6 does far better.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Low Light
We went under a bridge in Paddington to test the low-light performance of the main camera. The contrast seems to be much higher in the Galaxy Z Fold 5's image, which helps us to see the lines in the bricks on the other side of the canal. But its overall higher brightness drains out some of the color, swaying my opinion back in favor of the Z Fold 6.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 5: Verdict
The newer Galaxy Z Fold 6 wins this photo face-off, but not by much. Samsung hasn't made huge changes between the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the newer model, although the software does seem to do a better job of managing difficult lighting conditions.
If you're tempted to upgrade your current Z Fold 5 for the latest Z Fold 6, it's a decision you probably shouldn't make just becasue of image quality. However, if you're upgrading from an older hone, you can get a sense of how the cameras on Samsung's foldables hve improved.
And when you consider the improved durability, new Galaxy AI features and enhanced performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, there's little reason to buy the outgoing Galaxy Z Fold 5 unless you find it at a particularly good price.
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