Galaxy Z Fold 9 may not fix the Fold 8’s biggest flaw
However, it’s far from perfect, with the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens standing out as a major flaw. In our otherwise praiseworthy 4.5-star Z Fold 8 review, Luke Baker described it as the phone’s “main drawback” and “incredibly limiting”.
Samsung’s camera phone pedigree means this is simple to address, and the book-style Fold 8 Ultra has shown how easy it is to add to foldables. But that doesn’t mean the Fold 9 is about to do it…
Status quo should be a no-go
Galaxy Z Fold 9 and Fold 9 Ultra rumours started almost as soon as the Fold 8 series began shipping, but they’re now starting to gain steam. The latest comes from a highly respected source — Korean leaker Lanzuk (yeux1122) on Naver — and it makes for frustrating reading.
According to a translated version of the post, the Fold 9 will “maintain current configuration” and be “just the same”. It means the phone will likely stick with the exact same hardware as the Fold 8, with a 50Mp main sensor supported by a 50Mp ultrawide.
This is disappointing on multiple levels. The lack of a dedicated telephoto lens is the obvious one, as it massively limits the device’s versatility as a camera system. Predictably, Luke’s testing found that images from the Fold 8 delivered a big image quality drop beyond 4x, which makes total sense, given it’s relying entirely on digital zoom rather than any optical sensors.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s camera system is badly hamstrungLuke Baker
His concert example is a prime example, and something I can really relate to. In 2026, it shouldn’t be too much to ask to be well away from the stage and still deliver crisp photos, especially when you’re paying at least £1,699/$1,899 for your device! Many mid-range phones have a dedicated telephoto lens while costing less than half the price.