Samsung remains the only smartphone manufacturer that can hide a camera under the display of a commercially available smartphone. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 was the first to feature UDC (Under Display Camera) technology developed in-house by Samsung, and three years later, the new Galaxy Z Fold 5 does the same. Has UDC improved?
As far as the hardware is concerned, Samsung is using the same 4MP UDC camera for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 as it did for the previous two models, i.e., the Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 3. The 4MP Under Display Camera has an f/1.8 aperture, 2.0-micron pixels, and a field of view of 80 degrees.
As the name implies, the Under Display Camera sits behind the Galaxy Z Fold 5's 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It's hidden behind a circular area that's only partly covered by display sub-pixels, and as a result, it can capture light and create photos while staying almost invisible.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5's UDC sensor is the same
The inherent issue with UDC technology is that sensors hidden behind a display have a lower resolution and capture less light than traditional cameras. Thus, they can't (yet) match selfie shooters in terms of image quality. But as far as its Z Fold line goes, Samsung believes the UDC technology's shortcomings are a worthy trade-off if it can create a foldable display with no interruptions and intrusive punch hole cutouts.
Upon announcing the brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 5 at Galaxy Unpacked in Seoul, Samsung hasn't talked much about the UDC camera but confirmed that the new foldable flagship uses the same 4MP UDC sensor as before. However, whether or not photo quality and (in)visibility have improved is to be determined.
Last year, even though the Galaxy Z Fold 4 reused the 4MP UDC that debuted in 2021, Samsung elevated the experience through advanced AI techniques for image restoration and rearranging the foldable display's sub-pixels around the UDC area. These advancements brought the quality of UDC photos to a higher level and better hid the Under Display Camera behind the foldable panel.
