You can't keep a good feature down forever. According to a tipster on X, cited by GSMArena, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold9 will bring back the under-display camera on its inner screen, a feature the company used on four straight generations of book-style foldables before dropping it. Samsung has not confirmed anything, so treat this as a rumor for now, and GSMArena itself urges readers to take it with a hefty pinch of salt.
The timing is hard to ignore. Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, uses a 4MP under-display selfie camera on its inner display, and the same tipster claims Samsung is positioning the Galaxy Z Fold9 as a direct competitor to it. In other words, a feature Samsung pioneered in 2021 could return the moment its biggest rival ships one of its own.
Galaxy Z Fold9 rumored specs and return of the under-display camera
The under-display camera first appeared on the Galaxy Z Fold3 in 2021 and stayed through the Galaxy Z Fold6. It disappeared with the Galaxy Z Fold7, which switched to a regular punch-hole cutout, and this year's Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and wide Galaxy Z Fold8 kept that punch hole. Bringing it back would mark a full reversal of a decision Samsung made only two generations ago.
The same leak adds that the device will arrive with "major internal changes" but minimal tweaks to its overall thickness and design. Reports on that thickness, though, are where things get murky.
- They claim Galaxy Z Fold9 targets 3.9mm unfolded and 7.9mm folded.
- For comparison, the wide Galaxy Z Fold8 measures 4.5mm unfolded and 9.7mm folded.
- The tipster previously said the Galaxy Z Fold9 is already in development.
