There are a handful of issues Apple’s iPhone Duo and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 have in widespread. They each function a passport-size design, two rear cameras and roughly the identical battery capability. They’re additionally two of my favourite telephones I’ve reviewed this 12 months.
The compact, book-style configuration seems like the way forward for foldables, and Apple and Samsung have every nailed their choices. Each telephones are extremely versatile, providing you with the choice to shortly swipe via apps on the palm-sized cowl show or confide in a extra sprawling 7.6-inch inside display that’s nice for watching movies and multitasking. That innovation comes at a value, although, with the Duo beginning at $1,999 for 256GB and the Z Fold 8 beginning at $1,900 for a similar storage stage.
There are some drawbacks to having a extra compact design, particularly with regards to the rear cameras. There’s no telephoto digital camera on both cellphone, which might make the excessive value tags a bit of more durable to swallow. Plus, the broad and ultra-wide cameras aren’t fairly as succesful as what you’ll get on premium non-folding telephones such because the iPhone 18 Professional and Galaxy S26 Extremely, which have extra superior optical zoom capabilities and bigger main-camera sensors.
Nonetheless, the iPhone Duo’s and Z Fold 8’s cameras are nothing to scoff at. The Duo has a 48-megapixel broad and 48-megapixel ultrawide digital camera, in addition to a 12-megapixel selfie digital camera on the quilt display and a FaceTime digital camera on the inside show (Apple hasn’t shared the decision). In the meantime, the Z Fold 8 has a 50-megapixel broad and 50-megapixel ultrawide digital camera, plus 10-megapixel selfie cameras on the quilt and inside shows. Meaning you need to nonetheless get images that impress, whether or not you’re within the brightly lit outside or in a darkish, moody setting.
To check the cameras, I took the iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 8 to Filoli, a historic home and backyard within the San Francisco Bay Space. These are a few of my favourite photographs, highlighting the strengths and distinctive traits of every cellphone’s cameras.
Each telephones do an amazing job depicting the vibrancy of the plush background, however the iPhone Duo has the sting right here. It higher preserves the element within the stone bench and flooring, and the greenery takes on a deeper, extra satisfying hue.
These images turned out very equally, and each are equally dazzling. However the Z Fold 8 picture is barely sharper, as seen within the strains on the tree bark and the brighter, extra pigmented greenery and flora. So I’m giving this one to the Z Fold 8.
These portrait photos spotlight among the key variations in colour and tone between the iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 8. I choose the richer blacks and extra vibrant colours captured by the iPhone Duo. It additionally does a greater job of maintaining the raven in focus, permitting the chook to face out extra distinctly towards the background and making a extra putting total picture. By comparability, the Z Fold 8 produces a softer, gentler look, with a extra subdued total tone.
I just like the brightness of the iPhone Duo picture, and whereas the Z Fold 8 shot has barely deeper shadows, the hydrangeas are additionally extra vibrant. The blues and greens pop extra on the Z Fold 8, as does the sky, which is a bit of washed out on the Duo. So this one goes to the Z Fold 8.
I maintain flipping on this one, however in the end, the richer colours and texture on the Duo picture have gained me over. The iPhone’s digital camera tends to solid a hotter glow, as you may see within the stone benches, whereas the Z Fold 8 takes on a extra impartial tone. Ultimately, the variations are refined and a matter of non-public desire.
And eventually, right here’s me unwinding with a e book. By default, the iPhone Duo applies a satisfying background blur, which I respect for the added dramatic impact. (This impact could be disabled when taking a photograph, however I not often select to take action.) The Z Fold 8, by comparability, retains the distant lawns and forested hills in sharper focus, preserving these particulars remarkably properly. In the end, I choose the Duo’s strategy, which retains the e book in sharper focus and makes it stand out from the background. That stated, I do respect the Z Fold 8’s means to seize finer particulars all through the scene, significantly the crisp particular person blades of grass.
Ultimate ideas: Which digital camera is best?
As a result of I’m a fan of each the iPhone Duo and the Galaxy Z Fold 8, it’s troublesome to wholeheartedly suggest one digital camera over the opposite. Every has its strengths, and there are moments the place one preserves element and colour higher than the opposite.
Generally, images from the iPhone Duo are likely to have hotter tones and richer, deeper colours, which might additionally result in extra pronounced shadows. In the meantime, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 usually produces brighter photos, although this could generally come on the expense of finer particulars. However these outcomes can fluctuate relying on elements corresponding to lighting and angles.
In the end, each foldable telephones ship spectacular outcomes, and the selection comes right down to which picture traits you worth most. Fortunately, you actually can’t go fallacious with both.
