Why I'm glad Samsung ditched the under-display camera on the Fold lineup

Samsung’s decision to ditch the under-display camera (UDC) on the Galaxy Z Fold lineup this year was, frankly, a smart one. When it first showed up, it sounded like the next big thing: a camera hidden under the screen so you could enjoy an uninterrupted display. But the UDC’s quality was noticeably poor because of the lowly 4-megapixel resolution, and it didn't really get better in the three years Samsung used it.

A lot of people shrugged and said, “So what? Just use the camera on the cover display.” And sure, you can use the outer screen for selfies or video calls. But here’s the catch: when you use a Fold in Flex Mode, the cover display turns off, and the phone automatically switches to the inner screen. Flex Mode is great for hands-free video calls and photography, but it also forces you to use the inner camera unless you unfold the phone at a less-than-90-degree angle.

And yes, you can technically take selfies with the rear camera, but honestly, that process is a pain. You have to enable the cover display preview option in the camera viewfinder, flip the entire unfolded phone around, and then try and hold it steady. That's not exactly convenient.

That’s why the quality of the inner display camera matters, and it's a good thing Samsung gave the UDC up with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The camera on the Fold 7's foldable display isn't just much better in quality: it also has a wider field of view than the front-facing camera on the cover screen and every other Samsung flagship. That means you can fit more people in the frame, which is especially useful for group video calls with friends and family.

So yeah, the hidden camera is gone, but I don’t miss it. It was a neat experiment, but it was also a huge compromise. Maybe Samsung will revisit it someday when it can match the quality of a regular camera, but for now, removing the gimmick was the right move.