One amazing photo showed me what’s wrong with Samsung’s cameras

I ’ve expose what ’s wrong with theGalaxy Z Fold 6 ’s camera . naysayer claim it ’s nothing special , and while I both agree and disagree ( as I ’ll explain ) , it read one single photo from a comparison with another folding earpiece for me to truly empathise where the root of the problem lie .

The pic in enquiry was require with theVivo X Fold 3 Proat an eve car meet , and looking at the equivalent Z Fold 6 photograph , it ’s clear why Samsung ’s cameras are n’t follow as we all think they should .

Life, above all else

I like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 a lot , and I do n’t conceive the television camera is bad at all — render you analyze it in context . It ’s not designed to compete with theGalaxy S24 Ultra , but more with phones like theGalaxy S24 Plus . I get the negativity that surrounds it , and using it alongside the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro show me precisely what it call for .

You see , the XTC close down 3 Pro ’s wonderful camera takes affectional , evocative , vivacious photos that arefull of life , and the Z Fold 6 just ca n’t get closelipped . The picture above is the one that made me really realize . I spent a lot of fourth dimension looking at and photographing this marvellous panoptic - body RWB - modify Porsche 911 ( 964 ) , wanting to capture all that made it so unparalleled .

This exposure made me say “ wow ” when I first look at it and I continue to be astounded at how well it came out . I took it using the Vivo Fold 3 Pro ’s Portrait modality , tapping to rivet on the headlamp . The deepness of field , the sharp focus , the beautiful colors and demarcation , the HDR effect , and the way it bewitch the limit sun are all sensational .

Promotional image for OuttaFocus. Hand holding three smart phones.

It ’s not that the Z Fold 6 ’s photo , which you’re able to also see here , is terrible . It ’s fine , and some may even like the less litigate looking , but when you put it next to the X Fold 3 Pro ’s photo , it ca n’t help but look matt , softened , and exanimate .

There ’s no subtlety to the portrayal impression and it does n’t seem to empathize the subject in the same fashion as the Vivo phone . The reflection do n’t punctuate the madness of the car ’s form , and the sundown is thin to a hint in the ground . I ’d pay heed the Vivo phone ’s exposure on my wall and consign the Samsung one to the depths of my Google Photos account . What the Z Fold 6 ’s television camera lacks is animation , which is there in copiousness in the X Fold 3 professional .

Not just a one-off

As the evening went on , the more photos I choose , the more I could see what was missing from the Z Fold 6 ’s television camera . I wish that I could open both phones up and see the photos I ’d just taken on a large concealment and , despite the differences in display , assess and compare them on the go . It ’s a big advantage of a folding headphone and one that only the X Fold 3 Pro ’s photographic camera manage to truly exploit .

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is a portrait manner superstar with a natural depth of field of battle that avoids looking fake while continue masses of color and definition . I love experimenting with it because I trusted the results , safe in the cerebration that it would copy what I had in my judgment ’s eye . I lack that same trust in the Z Fold 6 , and while it often technically did the job well , the photos do n’t have the same sonorousness and — I ’m going to say it again — lifeto them .

take care at the shot of the pink and black Porsche Boxster against the side of the conveyer . Rather than only boosting the colors to make the photo pop , the X Fold 3 Pro ’s tv camera bring forth the white balance and picture slur - on , revive the picture by nature , but also throw it a life and excitement of its own . The Z Fold 6 ’s pic is dull by comparison . Nothing aboutanyof the subjects that night was dull or average , yet the Z Fold 6 seemed to see only cars in a car park .

A photo taken with the Vivo X Fold3 Pro.

Vivo X Fold3 ProAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

Is it all because of the specs?

By the end of the evening I felt I ’d found out all there was to know about the Galaxy Z Fold 6 ’s camera , but had only just begun to explore what the X close up 3 Pro ’s tv camera could create . You may be wondering if it ’s all down to a massive difference in specifications , and admittedly , the Vivo does have the edge .

The pair both apply a 50 - megapixel main camera with ocular effigy stabilisation ( OIS ) , but the Vivo phone has a 64MP periscope telephoto camera for a 3x optic zoom rather than the Z Fold 6 ’s 10MP telephoto driving its 3x opthalmic zoom . The X Fold 3 Pro ’s 50MP ultrawide television camera is a whole step up from the Z Fold 6 ’s 12MP ultrawide sensor , too . However , I do n’t think the X Fold 3 Pro ’s succeeder is down to the numbers .

Vivo has a partnership with electron lens expert Zeiss , and the hug drug Fold 3 Pro ’s television camera have Zeiss optics , plus a host of Zeiss camera sweetening in the software , notably in the portrait modes . Zeiss has been operate on cameras and tv camera lens for more than 100 days , and its experience and understanding of picture taking glint through here . Zeiss ’ partnership with Vivo come along to match that ofXiaomi and Leicain terms of create photographs with a roving headphone that stage the stigma ’s inheritance , manner , and unequalled shade .

A photo taken with the Vivo X Fold3 Pro.

Vivo X Fold3 ProAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

An engineering (but not a camera) marvel

When you look at the Galaxy Z Fold 6 ’s exposure in isolation and ignore the phone ’s sky - high price , they ’re dependable . You ’d likely be felicitous with the one lead , and I know I was during my review period . But when you see what other stigma are doing to make their cameras their lawful selling points , Samsung ’s deficit in this area becomes obvious .

It performs well on a technical grade , but this almost pro forma performance robs it of emotion , which the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro serve up in almost every photograph it take up . The last time I find as strongly about pic taken with a earphone , I was using theXiaomi 14 Ultra and its Photography Kit . The Vivo folding phone gives me the same vibraharp , and I need to research its potential every time I use it , while I ’m OK with just taking snap with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 .

Samsung ’s top headphone range is fairly simple , and each model has its own space within it , but the cameras ca n’t compete with those on devices like the X Fold 3 Pro or theXiaomi 14 Ultra . The collection of photos take at the railroad car sports meeting establish me one of the central reasons why , and it has nothing to do with the technology or spec .

A photo taken with the Vivo X Fold3 Pro’s Portrait mode.

Vivo X Fold3 Pro, Portrait modeAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

Samsung ’s engineering on the Z Fold 6 is fantastical , and this extremely precise , but necessarily cold approach has bleed through into the camera and the photograph it takes . But as the X fold up 3 Pro proves , engineering is n’t what make a camera special at all . Until Samsung decides to deepen that , it ’ll continue to get against the competition .

A photo taken with the Vivo X Fold3 Pro’s Portrait mode.