When Samsung launched its first Unpacked livestream in early August, we got only a tiny glimpse of this stunning foldable’s capabilities. At Unpacked Part 2, Samsung highlighted all the captivating features of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 — and it’s the cameras that stole the show.
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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 camera specs
There are five — yes, you read correctly — five cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. On the front cover, you’ll find a 10-megapixel camera with an F/2.2 lens, a 1.22µm pixel size and an 80-degree field of view. When you unfold the phone into its expansive tablet form, you’ll find another lens with the same specs. On the back of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, you’ll find a triple-camera array with 12MP lenses. The ultra-wide top camera has a 123-degree field of view, an F/2.2 lens and a 1.22µm pixel size. The wide-angle middle camera offers an 83-degree field of view, an f/1.8 lens, a 1.8µm pixel size, super-speed autofocus and optical image stabilization. The bottom camera, dubbed the “telelens,” packs a 45-degree field of view, an f/2.4 lens, a 1.0µm pixel size, tracking and phase-detection autofocus, optical image stabilization and 2x zoom. So now that we’ve got the specs out of the way, let’s get to the fun part: the awesome things can you do with the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s cameras.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 can autofocus on two subjects during video recordings
In a feature called “autoframing,” the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 can recognize when a human is the subject of the video. As a result, the Avante-Garde foldable will auto-follow the subject and optimize the shooting frame to highlight the target in the best possible way. If another human walks into the frame, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 can focus on both subjects simultaneously. The camera will also automatically zoom out to provide a wider, inclusive shot to ensure both subjects are fully visible in the frame.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 cover display as a viewfinder for rear-camera selfies
Samsung admitted that users preferred to use the high-quality rear cameras on the last-gen model. However, it was inconvenient to use the rear cameras to take selfies because there was no viewfinder in the user’s line-of-sight. With the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Samsung has rectified this issue by adding a viewfinder to the cover display. Users can now take a selfie using the rear cameras and a preview will appear on the cover panel. “You no longer have to ask friends or strangers to take your photo to get high-res results,” Samsung’s Global Sales and Marketing Director Victor Delgado said. “After all, when you can see your photos before you take them, you have a better shot at taking a better shot.”
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 now offers dual preview
Let’s say you’ve opened up the Galaxy Z Fold 2 into tablet mode. You’re taking a picture of your friends, and you can see a preview of the image spanned across the display. From your friends’ perspective, they can see your phone’s three-camera array on the top hemisphere, and on the bottom hemisphere, they can see the same image preview that you’re viewing. Samsung calls this “dual preview” — both you and your subjects know exactly how the shot will turn out before it’s taken. When you flip the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 into “flex mode,” you can preview your photos on the top half of the display while finagling with controls and camera settings on the bottom half.
Video calling with the Galaxy Z Fold 2
Speaking of flex mode, this orientation is also useful for making video calls. Video calling on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is similar to the Z Flip experience, according to Samsung, but the Galaxy Z Fold 2 offers a larger and wider display for virtual meetings. The top hemisphere displays the video call and the bottom hemisphere features options to control the call, including access to video effects and adding friends. Samsung partnered with Google to offer Duo, a videoconferencing platform that will provide 1080p video with “lightening-fast” 5G capabilities to Galaxy Z Fold 2 users. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is now available for pre-order and it will set you back a whopping $1,999.
