Is your Galaxy Z Fold 8 taking 12MP photos in 24MP mode? Samsung explains why

TL;DR

Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold 8 can fall back to 12MP even in 24MP mode when zooming, shooting in low light, taking bursts, or overheating.

In one user report, Samsung found the phone’s surface had reached 45°C, which triggered the lower-resolution capture.

Samsung is expected to issue a software update to improve thermal management, though it has not yet answered why the phone got that hot in an air-conditioned room.

On the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the primary camera captures images at 12MP resolution by default. The phone also gives users the option to capture photos at 24MP resolution, an option that is available on other Samsung phones as well.

However, some Galaxy Z Fold 8 users have complained that the phone sometimes captures images at 12MP even after they select the 24MP option. The brand has now diagnosed the issue and explained why this happens.

On Samsung’s Korean Community, a Galaxy Z Fold 8 user complained that the phone was sometimes taking 12MP photos despite 24MP being selected. According to the user, closing and reopening the Camera app temporarily fixed the issue, but it eventually returned. The company asked the user to submit an Error Report so it could investigate the problem more closely.

According to the South Korean tech giant, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is designed to capture 12MP images even when 24MP resolution is selected in four scenarios: when using zoom, when taking photos in low-light conditions, when taking multiple photos in quick succession, and when the device overheats, with its surface temperature reaching 45 degrees Celsius or higher.

After checking the user’s device logs, Samsung found that the phone’s temperature had risen to 45 degrees Celsius while the user was taking photos. As a result, the phone automatically captured 12MP images despite 24MP being selected.

The user, however, responded that when they took the images to demonstrate the issue to the brand while submitting the Error Report, there was a gap of around 10 seconds between each shot, and the phone was in an air-conditioned room.

User questions why the phone reached 45°C

The user also questioned why the phone was reaching 45 degrees Celsius despite being used in an air-conditioned room. The company has yet to respond to the user’s question. Speaking of which, the tech giant is expected to release a software update to the phone to improve its thermal management.

So, if your Galaxy Z Fold 8 is also capturing photos at 12MP despite 24MP being selected, it could be because you are taking photos with zoom, shooting in low-light conditions, taking multiple photos in quick succession, or the phone’s surface temperature has reached 45 degrees Celsius or higher.

Abid Iqbal Shaik - Writer

First Samsung device: Galaxy S II

I’m a computer science engineer living in Hyderabad, India, who has a keen interest in automobiles and consumer electronics. My journalism career kicked off in 2017 with MySmartPrice where I wrote news, features, buying guides, and explanatory articles about technology among other things, and reviewed many products, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, PC components, smartwatches, audio devices, wearables, and smart home products. Since then, I have worked for 91Mobiles, Apple, and Onsitego, before finally landing on SamMobile.

Phone Galaxy Z Fold 8