The Galaxy Z Fold 4 fixes the one thing I hated about Samsung s foldables Tom's Guide Skip to main content Tom's Guide is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 fixes the one thing I hated about Samsung s foldables By Richard Priday Contributions from Jordan Palmer published 21 August 2022 Samsung's flagship foldable finally has cameras worthy of the price. (Image credit: Future) The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is defined by its folding abilities, but its other features still have to measure up to non-folding rivals, given how much Samsung's latest device costs. It's why in previous years, I've been frustrated to see how far behind the Z Fold line's photography has been compared to its rivals. Cameras are one of the biggest selling points on top-tier phones, but on previous Z Folds, Samsung turned to some rather underpowered hardware, especially in light of how much the foldable phone cost. Now though, we have the Galaxy Z Fold 4 - its refinements include the same cameras on the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus. Thanks to this trio of effective sensors, Samsung's finally given the Galaxy Z Fold the photography abilities that it always needed to compete with top flagships. Camera comparisons Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs iPhone 13 Pro Max We've got the shots to prove it too. Just take a look at the comparisons with the iPhone 13 Pro Max, such as this photo of a garden shed. The Z Fold's image looks sharper than the iPhone's, and has a more realistic coloring on top of that. And there's this fruit tart, which looks a little... off in the Galaxy Z Fold 4's photo, especially with how warm the image is. Because the iPhone 13 Pro Max captured the proper colors and lighting, it produced the better shot. Still, the tart looks very appetizing in the Fold 4's rendition. Surprisingly in this shot of some flowers, the Galaxy Z Fold 4's attempt was dimmer than the iPhone 13 Pro Max's. The latter has a brighter and more vibrant image. At least the focus is nice and sharp in both pictures. I also compared the telephoto lens capabilities of each phone at their respective max zoom levels - 30x in the Galaxy Z Fold 4's case and 15x for the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The Fold 4's image loses a ton of detail in the fringes around the building, but the GWR sign is still legible. The iPhone has some better detail, but 15x is a far cry from 30x. Look at this night mode comparison. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 produced a brighter image overall, even if the iPhone 13 Pro Max's looks a lot more artistic. The Fold 4 also lost some detail in the reflection on the mug. As for this ultrawide image looking over a park, Samsung went a little overboard with the saturation. However, it's still an attractive shot. The iPhone 13 Pro Max's status at the top of our best camera phones guide is safe, even after we tested Samsung's new foldable. But the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is now a contender at the very least, something its predecessors certainly were not. Going up against the Galaxy S22 Ultra Interestingly, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 also produces some shots that are superior to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Samsung's top camera phone. While the Z Fold lacks the S22 Ultra's excellent 10x optical zoom camera, and only has a 50MP main sensor instead of the 108MP shooter on the S22 Ultra, the resulting shots are still within spitting distance of each other in terms of quality. Take the shot below of Christ Apostolic Church in Kentish Town, north London, which I captured using the main cameras on each phone. The Z Fold 4 managed to avoid the classic Samsung oversaturation that we see in the S22 Ultra's shot. As a result, you can appreciate the detail in the brickwork better. In this 3x telephoto camera shot looking down Kentish Town Road, we can see it's another close contest. The Z Fold 4's shot is a touch brighter, while the S22 Ultra offers richer colors, but I'd be happy with adding either image to my photo collection. I don't expect the Galaxy Z Fold line to become Samsung's main photography flagship phone going forward. That's the Galaxy S series' job for the time being. But I think it's only fair for users spending $1,799 to get something that can at least compete with the best camera phones while performing all its folding tricks. And the good news is the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has finally met that expectation. If you're as bothered about photos as you are about productivity and screen size, there's never been a better time to upgrade to a foldable.Today's best Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 deals (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$78.96 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$149.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$149.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)Show More DealsWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Be In the Know Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Richard PridayStaff WriterRichard is a Tom's Guide staff writer based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.With contributions fromJordan PalmerPhones Editor See all comments (0) No comments yet Comment from the forums MOST READMOST SHARED1Walmart Rollback sale live blog - Apple Watch 8 for $349, 55" 4K TV for $198, and more2Prime Day deals LIVE - the best from Amazon Prime Early Access sale3Over 1 million Facebook users' passwords compromised - what to do now4Google Pixel Fold tipped for an early 2023 release window 5Amazon TV sales - best Prime Day TV deals right now 1Walmart Rollback sale live blog - Apple Watch 8 for $349, 55" 4K TV for $198, and more2Prime Day deals LIVE - the best from Amazon Prime Early Access sale3Over 1 million Facebook users' passwords compromised - what to do now4Google Pixel Fold tipped for an early 2023 release window 5Amazon TV sales - best Prime Day TV deals right now