The Galaxy Fold 7 is proof that no one at Samsung actually opened the foldable

Source: Android Authority

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a big upgrade over Samsung’s previous foldables with a few controversial changes. The S Pen is gone, something that is sorely missed by many of us, and the selfie camera on the inner screen went back to being a punch‑hole after the Z Fold 3‑6 used an under‑display camera (UDC). While the new selfie camera does take better photos, it’s turned into a UX nightmare that’s driving me crazy.

Do you like the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s new selfie camera?

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Previous Galaxy Folds had “invisible” selfie cameras

Zac Kew‑Denniss / Android Authority

The UDC was introduced with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. It placed the inner selfie camera beneath the display, with the intention of providing a more immersive experience. I was skeptical when I first saw it, but during my time with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, I grew to love it. The UDC isn’t completely invisible — the pixel density of the display is much lower in this area, so when you look for it, the color is slightly different from the surrounding screen, and anything shown there won’t look sharp.

Even so, it was far better looking than the punch‑hole camera. It was noticeable when you looked for it, but while using the phone normally it faded into the background, and I stopped noticing it. In the photo above it’s hard to see where the UDC is unless you know where to look, even though it shows up on camera more clearly than to the eye. So, why did Samsung get rid of it?

Objectively, in all of our tests, the UDC wasn’t a good camera. Samsung only managed to squeeze a 4 MP sensor under the display, and the display above the sensor reduced photo and video quality even further. After four generations, that never improved.

What’s wrong with the Fold 7’s selfie camera?

The problem with the new punch‑hole camera isn’t quality — it’s miles ahead of the UDC in our testing (see review). The issue is its placement. Unlike the Pixel 9/10 Pro folds, the camera sits in the center rather than the corner. When the phone is rotated to landscape, the camera cuts off text and UI elements in apps, including Samsung’s own apps (Clock) and third‑party apps (Amazon, Reddit). Using the Fold 7 in landscape, especially with split‑screen, becomes infuriating.

It also interferes in portrait orientation. Several apps have text cut off in full‑screen, most notably Samsung Notes. In the screenshots below, the blue “a” tool icon is completely hidden by the Fold 7’s punch‑hole, whereas the Fold 4 has no issue. The area over the camera is still touch‑sensitive, but the experience is poor.

Joe Maring / Android Authority

It feels as if nobody at Samsung bothered to check whether the new punch‑hole would disrupt apps or interface elements. This isn’t a hard problem to solve. Samsung could ensure its own apps work correctly, or relocate the camera to a corner where developers won’t need to redesign UI. Google’s foldables do this, placing the selfie camera in the far‑right corner, away from important content.

Other than updating its own apps, there’s little Samsung can do to fix this for the Fold 7, and it’s unlikely that third‑party developers will redesign their UI for a single phone model. Hopefully Samsung will address this properly for the Galaxy Fold 8 later this year.