I've used smartphones in both the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip series. And when it comes to the cover screens on these two foldable lineups, I have opposite preferences: I want the Galaxy Z Fold smartphones to have a larger, wider, and more smartphone-like display, and on the Galaxy Z Flips, I wouldn't exactly care if there was no cover display at all.
But the one thing I want on both of those foldable lineups is better camera hardware. The Galaxy Z Folds need to offer Galaxy S22 Ultra-level zoom capabilities while the Galaxy Z Flips need to get with the times and have a zoom camera on them.
While the Galaxy Z Folds do seem to be trending towards getting better and better camera hardware as we move forward, it seems Samsung is focused purely on making the cover display on the Galaxy Z Flip line bigger and bigger with every iteration.
Rumor has it that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 might see the largest increase in cover screen size yet — reportedly a 60% increase over the cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is on the cards. And, well, given the compact form factor of the Galaxy Z Flip devices, I'm quite worried that 2023 could be yet another year that brings us a new Galaxy Z Flip smartphone without any notable camera upgrades.
The Galaxy Z Flip line needs more cameras, and higher-quality ones
That is, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 could very well have just two rear-facing cameras like all the Galaxy Z Flips that have come before it. Because, let's face it, there's not going to be room for another camera on that phone if the outer display is going to get more than twice as big.
Even if Samsung manages to make some space, it will probably start with an outdated 2x zoom lens instead of something that makes sense in this day and age for a smartphone that costs a thousand bucks. And it makes me wonder: Should Samsung start working on a Galaxy Z Flip Ultra (or Plus or Pro or whatever name Samsung can come up with) that focuses on providing a considerably better imaging experience?
We all know the cover screen, no matter how big it gets, is going to be more or less delegated to quickly checking notifications, picking up calls, etc., the kind of stuff you can do with just a circular smartwatch-like display on the outside of the phone (or an actual separate smartwatch, if you have one).
There's no replacement for a good camera setup, though. And right now, the Galaxy Z Flip line simply does not feel like a flagship phone in that regard. It's not just the fact that the Z Flip smartphones only come with an ultra-wide camera in addition to a regular camera at the back – the quality of those cameras isn't as good as the ones we find on other Galaxy flagships, including something like a $699 Galaxy S21 FE, either.
And now that Samsung is moving into its fourth year of making flip phones with foldable displays, I think it's high time the cameras got some love, instead of features that will never truly be useful. Again, the cover display on Galaxy Z Flip smartphones is never going to replace the actual display you get when you flip open the phone, so focusing on increasing its size seems like Samsung is trying to fix a problem that doesn't need fixing.
I'm not saying a bigger cover screen wouldn't be welcome. But seriously, it's high time we got a Galaxy Z Flip Ultra or something similar that focuses on making the camera experience as good as it gets, too.
Maybe not to the level of a Galaxy S Ultra smartphone (that would require an increase in thickness that would just make the phone too uncomfortable to use and carry around), but maybe to a point where you don't instantly dismiss the device because it can't provide the camera experience you're looking for on a modern flagship-grade device.
