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DisplayWe put the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 through our rigorous DXOMARK Camera test suite to measure its performance in photo, video, and zoom quality from an end-user perspective. This article breaks down how the device fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases and is intended to highlight the most important results of our testing with an extract of the captured data.
Overview
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 50MP sensor, 1.0µm pixels, 23mm equivalent f/1.8-aperture lens, dual pixel PDAF, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 12MP sensor, 1.12µm pixels, 12mm equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens
- Tele: 10MP sensor, 1.0µm pixels, 66mm equivalent f/2.4-aperture lens, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
Use cases & Conditions
Use case scores indicate the product performance in specific situations. They are not included in the overall score calculations.
Outdoor
Photos & videos shot in bright light conditions (≥1000 lux)
Indoor
Photos & videos shot in good lighting conditions (≥100lux)
Lowlight
Photos & videos shot in low lighting conditions (<100 lux)
Friends & Family
Portrait and group photo & videos
54th
44th
Pros
- Good exposure and fairly wide dynamic range
- Fairly good detail and low noise in bright light
- Decent detail in long-range tele shots
- Good depth estimation in bokeh shots
- Mostly accurate video exposure with wide dynamic range
- Good video detail in most conditions
- Nice color in video
- Effective video stabilization, especially when recording while standing still
Cons
- Some luminance and chroma noise indoors and in low light
- Autofocus errors in low light
- Occasional white balance casts and inaccurate color rendering
- Luminance noise in ultra-wide shots
- Underexposed subjects in flash-off night shots
- Exposure and color instabilities in video
- Unstable autofocus and refocusing in video mode
- High levels of video noise, especially in low light
- Some video artifacts, including ringing and color quantization
The Galaxy Z Fold6 is Samsung’s latest device with a foldable form factor in the Ultra Premium segment. Previous generations of Galaxy Z Fold devices lagged slightly behind their Samsung Galaxy S-series counterparts in terms of camera performance. With this latest model, the South Korean manufacturer has made an effort to close the gap by adding a 3x optical tele-zoom camera to the mix.
In the DXOMARK Camera tests, the Z Fold6 did well for a foldable device, with good performances in the photo and video categories. However, at its price point the best conventional, non-foldable smartphones still offer better still image and video quality.
Test summary
About DXOMARK Camera tests: DXOMARK’s Camera evaluations take place in laboratories and in real-world situations using a wide variety of subjects. The scores rely on objective tests for which the results are calculated directly by measurement software on our laboratory setups, and on perceptual tests in which a sophisticated set of metrics allow a panel of image experts to compare aspects of image quality that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. Photo, Zoom, and Video quality are scored separately and then combined into an Overall score for comparison among the cameras in different devices. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera protocol, click here. More details on smartphone camera scores are available here. The following section gathers key elements of DXOMARK’s exhaustive tests and analyses. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us on how to receive a full report.
Photo
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169
For scoring and analysis, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2,600 test images both in controlled lab environments and in outdoor, indoor and low-light natural scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The photo protocol is designed to take into account the main use cases and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as portraits, family, and landscape photography. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements on images of charts captured in the lab under different lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
In our tests, the Galaxy Z Fold6’s photo performance was close to the predecessor Z Fold5, but our testers noticed improvements in some areas. Exposure was generally accurate, but subjects could be underexposed in backlit scenes. Occasionally slight white balance casts could be noticeable, and the Z Fold6 could not quite match the best-in-class devices in the noise category. In addition, our testers observed some autofocus instabilities.
Exposure
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130
Color
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
130
Exposure and color are the key attributes for technically good pictures. For exposure, the main attribute evaluated is the brightness of the main subject through various use cases such as landscape, portrait, or still life. Other factors evaluated are the contrast and the dynamic range, eg. the ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas of the image. Repeatability is also important because it demonstrates the camera's ability to provide the same rendering when shooting several images of the same scene.
For color, the image quality attributes analyzed are skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, and repeatability. For color and skin tone rendering, we penalize unnatural colors but we respect a manufacturer's choice of color signature.
Autofocus
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125
Autofocus tests concentrate on focus accuracy, focus repeatability, shooting time delay, and depth of field. Shooting delay is the difference between the time the user presses the capture button and the time the image is actually taken. It includes focusing speed and the capability of the device to capture images at the right time, what is called 'zero shutter lag' capability. Even if a shallow depth of field can be pleasant for a single subject portrait or close-up shot, it can also be a problem in some specific conditions such as group portraits; Both situations are tested. Focus accuracy is also evaluated in all the real-life images taken, from infinity to close-up objects and in low light to outdoor conditions.
Texture
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124
Texture tests analyze the level of details and the texture of subjects in the images taken in the lab as well as in real-life scenarios. For natural shots, particular attention is paid to the level of details in the bright and dark areas of the image. Objective measurements are performed on chart images taken in various lighting conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The charts used are the proprietary DXOMARK chart (DMC) and the Dead Leaves chart.
Noise
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117
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure on real-life images as well as images of charts taken in the lab. For natural images, particular attention is paid to the noise on faces, landscapes, but also on dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Noise on moving objects is also evaluated on natural images. Objective measurements are performed on images of charts taken in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The chart used is the Dead Leaves chart and the standardized measurement such as Visual Noise derived from ISO 15739.
Artifacts
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82
The artifacts evaluation looks at lens shading, chromatic aberrations, geometrical distortion, edges ringing, halos, ghosting, quantization, unexpected color hue shifts, among others types of possible unnatural effects on photos. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction on the score. The main artifacts observed and corresponding point loss are listed below.
Bokeh
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85
Bokeh is tested in one dedicated mode, usually portrait or aperture mode, and analyzed by visually inspecting all the images captured in the lab and in natural conditions. The goal is to reproduce portrait photography comparable to one taken with a DLSR and a wide aperture. The main image quality attributes paid attention to are depth estimation, artifacts, blur gradient, and the shape of the bokeh blur spotlights. Portrait image quality attributes (exposure, color, texture) are also taken into account.
Preview
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93
Preview tests analyze the image quality of the camera app's preview of the image, with particular attention paid to the difference between the capture and the preview, especially regarding dynamic range and the application of the bokeh effect. Also evaluated is the smoothness of the exposure, color and focus adaptation when zooming from the minimal to the maximal zoom factor available. The preview frame rate is measured using the LED Universal Timer.
Zoom
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164
DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 400 test images in controlled lab environments and in outdoor, indoor, and low-light natural scenes, using the camera’s default settings and pinch zoom at various zoom factors from ultra wide to very long-range zoom. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting the images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements of chart mages captured in the lab under different conditions from 20 to 1000 lux and color temperatures from 2300K to 6500K.
Higher noise levels and some white balance casts mean the Z Fold6 ultra-wide camera results were slightly lower than for the predecessor Z Fold5. Still, the overall user experience when shooting with the ultra-wide was good. Tele zoom on the other hand was noticeably improved, with better overall quality, especially at long-range settings. Tele performance was among the best for foldable devices, but still lower than the best non-foldable devices in the Ultra Premium segment.
Wide
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122
These tests analyze the performance of the ultra-wide camera at several focal lengths from 12 mm to 20 mm. All image quality attributes are evaluated, with particular attention paid to such artifacts as chromatic aberrations, lens softness, and distortion. Pictures below are an extract of tested scenes.
Tele
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120
All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths from approximately 40 mm to 300 mm, with particular attention paid to texture and detail. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
Video
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
159
DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2.5 hours of video in controlled lab environments and in natural low-light, indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The evaluation consists of visually inspecting natural videos taken in various conditions and running objective measurements on videos of charts recorded in the lab under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
In our tests, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 delivered solid video quality across most test conditions. The HDR format ensured a wide dynamic range, with accurate target exposure and vivid colors. On the downside, our testers noticed frequent color casts, especially warm casts in low light, which also had a negative impact on skin-tone rendering. The autofocus system worked swiftly and accurately and the camera recorded decent levels of detail in most light conditions. However, video noise was noticeable when recording in low light. The main areas for improvement included exposure, color and autofocus instabilities, and adaptation issues in scene changes. Video stabilization was very effective when standing still while recording but could intervene a little abruptly on moving shots.
Exposure
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116
Color
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
120
Exposure tests evaluate the brightness of the main subject and the dynamic range, eg. the ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas of the image. Stability and temporal adaption of the exposure are also analyzed.
Image-quality color analysis looks at color rendering, skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, stability of the white balance and its adaption when light is changing.
Texture
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
118
Texture tests analyze the level of details and texture of the real-life videos as well as the videos of charts recorded in the lab. Natural videos recordings are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the level of details in the bright and areas as well as in the dark. Objective measurements are performed of images of charts taken in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The charts used are the DXOMARK chart (DMC) and Dead Leaves chart.
Noise
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
120
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure, temporal aspects on real-life video recording as well as videos of charts taken in the lab. Natural videos are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the noise in the dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Objective measurements are performed on the videos of charts recorded in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The chart used is the DXOMARK visual noise chart.
Stabilization
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119
Stabilization evaluation tests the ability of the device to stabilize footage thanks to software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS, or any others means. The evaluation looks at residual motion, smoothness, jellow artifacts and residual motion blur on walk and run use cases in various lighting conditions. The video below is an extract from one of the tested scenes.
Artifacts
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86
Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ringing measurements on the SFR chart in the lab as well as frame-rate measurements using the LED Universal Timer. Natural videos are visually evaluated by paying particular attention to artifacts such as aliasing, quantization, blocking, and hue shift, among others. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts and corresponding point loss are listed below.