The all-new camera features on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung’s best foldable to date with great improvements such as water resistance, support for the S Pen, and slightly better ergonomics than its predecessor. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 replaces last year’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra since Samsung decided to exclude the Note series from its portfolio. While this may disappoint many, it is now understood that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 offers a larger canvas with the same usability and features as the Note. Of course, this is quite expensive, but it is mainly due to all the engineering that made the phone fold as a tablet.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 excels in terms of functionality and productivity and is a true flagship in many segments, one area where it falls short of the other major phones are the cameras. Samsung’s own Galaxy S21 Ultra has a great camera setup with a periscope lens, while the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a standard 2X telephoto lens with only 12MP primary and 12MP ultra-wide cameras. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 may not have the best camera hardware, but it does have some unique software tricks that will help you make the best use of onboard cameras.

Here are some great camera features in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 that you can take advantage of.

Flex mode
Galaxy Z Fold 3 Flex mode for camera

This feature first started with the Galaxy Z Flip and then was introduced on the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Now it has also reached the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Flex mode is a feature that you can use on many different apps, you can make good use of it on the camera app. To activate Flex mode, all you have to do is fold the display of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The hinge of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 can stop at an angle, so you can angle the phone in any way.

Selfie on Galaxy Z Fold 3

Ideally, if both of your parts are perpendicular to each other, you can rest your phone on the base and use it as a tripod to take photos or pictures with the front facing camera or rear cameras. Another advantage of Flex mode is that it moves the viewfinder to the upper half of the screen with the relevant controls like shutter, preview, camera mode, etc. This ensures a clear view of the image you are about to capture. The position of the button is actually set by the accelerometer, so you can set the phone straight and reset it in half again.

Next, you can also move the other half of the viewfinder display, if you want to open the phone at an angle less than 45, let you hold the phone for shots that would otherwise be difficult to operate. For example, in the shot below, the Pikachu toy is placed on a low-rise storage drawer. Using the flex mode, you can take shots from a low perspective, giving the toy a bigger personality than life.

Using the rear camera for selfies

Samsung introduced an under-display camera on its phone for the first time with the Galaxy Zold Fold 3. The interior display has a 4MP UDC that almost fades in the background when you don’t look at it. This gives an already large display an immersive look. However, since tech is still in its infancy, under-display cameras aren’t great in terms of image quality. The UDC on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 creates a blurry image that doesn’t look very attractive.

If you want a better looking selfie, you can use the rear camera for some crisp shots! All you have to do is open the camera app from the cover display and press the “Selfie” button in the top right corner. This will then let you unlock the phone and retain the camera control and the viewfinder on the cover display.

Unlocking the phone can be a little awkward, especially if you only use one hand. The camera shutter button is in the lower right quadrant, so you can still manage.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 cover screen preview mode

After unlocking the Galaxy Z Fold 3, open the Camera app and click on the icon in the top right corner. This will enable cover screen preview. This will duplicate the viewfinder on the cover display, while the viewfinder and camera controls will remain on the main display.

Now, you can point the device’s rear camera to itself and frame your shot using the preview on the cover display. You can combine this with a palm gesture or voice command to take a hands-free selfie.

Split screen preview mode
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 almost feels like the two parts of the phone fit together and the next trick is to use those two parts perfectly. When you open it on the main display, you can activate the preview mode by pressing the button in the upper left corner of the camera app. This will split your view into two separate sections – with the camera preview on the right and all your usual controls, and a preview of all the images you clicked with the thumbnail on the left.