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I like foldable phones, but I havent bought one.
When Im spending my own money, I buy phones like theGalaxy S24 Ultraand theiPhone 15 Pro Max.
The OnePlus Open camera bump
Why havent I bought a foldable phone?
It isnt a question of durability.
I go easy on my phones, and sometimes I dont even use a case.
The OnePlus Open camera bump
Im not a fan of the way most foldables look, but its not my biggest issue.
I think theGalaxy Z Fold 5is, well… just wrong.
Its aspect is wrong; its too narrow on the front display.
The OnePlus Open camera bump
No foldable yet has shipped with a great camera.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has cameras similar to the base-modelGalaxy S23, and not theGalaxy S23 Ultra.
The latter was ourbest camera phoneuntil the Galaxy S24 Ultra supplanted it.
Foldable phones make for interesting photo opps
The OnePlus Open uses the newSonyLytia stacked sensors to great effect, but the cameras arent the best.
The reason is depth.
A great camera system needs room.
You need space for the sensor, the lens, and ideally some room in between for depth.
And thats just the main camera.
If you want to zoom, you need even more space.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is 6.1mm thick, which is not a lot of space for a camera.
To compare, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is 2.5mm thicker, at 8.6mm.
Thats a lot more room for camera tech.
TheGalaxy S24is 7.6mm thick, and its camera specs are nearly identical to the Z Fold 5.
That would be huge news.
OnePlus managed better photography with the OnePlus Open, but the camera module protrudes significantly.
If Samsung can keep its current design and add a huge new camera sensor, Id be very impressed.
Titanium, too, but about that camera…
But its the camera that has me the most excited.
A foldable phone, especially a tablet-sized foldable, needs an amazing camera.
The foldable design lends itself to amazing photography.
The main camera is also the selfie camera, thanks to the dual displays.
Photography is just more fun with a foldable, except that no foldable has yet excelled at photography.
I care about portraits, and selfies, and group shots, and night scenes.
All of those are photos that look better from a big, high-resolution camera.
