Galaxy Z Fold 9 wishlist: 3 things I want from Samsung's next-gen foldable

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is without a doubt the best and most entertaining phonefold I've ever used. It really won me over, and I'd never go back to a non-foldable phone unless I had no other choice.

Even so, it isn't flawless, and I hope Samsung will upgrade the next-gen model in all the right ways, at least from my perspective.

The way I see it, next year's Galaxy Z Fold 9 wouldn't need much to improve the existing formula. It could deliver an even better experience with just a few upgrades.

Here is my Galaxy Z Fold 9 wishlist based on my experience with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 so far.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8's speakers are nothing to write home about. They're a bit of a letdown. The sound quality isn't great, and the location of the speakers doesn't facilitate the unfolded tablet experience.

In theory, Samsung could improve the Galaxy Z Fold 9's audio by upgrading the speakers and positioning them better.

Ideally, the Galaxy Z Fold 9 would have quad speakers, but that's a lot to ask from an ultra-light, ultra-thin phone-tablet hybrid. If the number of speakers can't go up, at least the quality should.

By the way, if you are using the Galaxy Z Fold 8, you can potentially improve your audio experience by choosing a different equalizer preset.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is, in my opinion, the perfect weight, size, and shape. I love the flat edges, the sharp corners, and the symmetrical design.

The only design letdown in my book is the camera housing. It's less than adequate. It's aesthetically challenged, it's made of plastic, and it looks like it was tacked on rather than blending with the back panel.

Not only that, but the camera housing's vertical orientation also gets in the way when you're trying to capture photos or videos. It's also makes the Fold 8 wobble like no other phone I've tried.

In short, the camera housing feels like an afterthought. In my opinion, Samsung must redefine it from the ground up for the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 9.

As most of you know, Apple joined the foldable phone market a few weeks ago with the launch of the controversial iPhone Duo.

I won't go into that here, but let's just say I wouldn't trade my Galaxy Z Fold 8 for the iPhone Duo.

Still, one of the most exciting things about the iPhone Duo that everyone noticed is the folding-unfolding animation set. Samsung doesn't really have anything fancy like that, and I wish the Galaxy Z Fold 9 would change that.

Or, at the very least, if Samsung doesn't want to create fancy folding-unfolding animations, then it could at least make the displays slightly more responsive when switching between form factors.

Right now, on the Galaxy Z Fold 8, there is a slight delay between folding/unfolding the phone and the screen reacting. It's not a huge discrepancy, but you will start to notice it the more you fold and unfold your phone.

Samsung may plan bigger changes for the Galaxy Z Fold 10, but I don't think the company has to go too far with the Galaxy Z Fold 9 in 2027.

It doesn't need much to perfect the formula, which arguably already is light-years ahead of Apple. Just a couple of finishing touches would be great.

Will I switch to the Galaxy Z Fold 9 next year if it brings these upgrades? Probably not. The Fold 8 is solid, and I plan on using it for at least a couple of years, partly because it helps my job. But I will celebrate if Samsung stays the course and continues polishing the Fold series the way I hope it will.

Still, the future is uncertain, especially when some of the latest rumors suggest that Samsung may offer two passport-style Fold 9 variants next year.