Galaxy Z Fold 3 under-display camera rumor just won't die

By JC Torres/

A lot has already been leaked about the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but there are still one or two pieces that remain uncertain. One of those, the Unpacked 2021 date, may have been finally settled by the alleged remarks of a Samsung executive. The other big mystery is the form that the front-facing camera will take, which may be a typical punch-hole camera or Samsung's first under-display camera or UDC. A new leak seems to lean more towards the latter, and many are not amused.

Samsung has long been rumored to be developing its own UDC solution even before it yielded to the punch-hole trend. ZTE beat it to the punch with the Axon 20 5G, and that was probably for the best. Given the criticisms surrounding the first-gen UDC, Samsung may have been able to avoid making ZTE's mistakes.

The company's first UDC has been rumored on and off again for the Galaxy Z Fold 3, and even the leaks are split on whether Samsung will push through or not. Ice universe's latest render of the foldable phone suggests that UDC is in, but it might not come in the same way that ZTE's implementation did.

For one, the supposedly invisible area above the front-facing camera is circular rather than square. For another, it is actually more visible and noticeable than ZTE's attempts to hide that area of the screen, a design that isn't sitting well with some people on Twitter. That said, it is an unofficial render and might not reflect the actual device.

The render also "confirms" some disappointing news about the Galaxy Z Fold 3's other cameras. None of the three on the back show telltale signs of a periscope-style lens, limiting the phone's telephoto capabilities. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 could follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy S21 or Galaxy S21+, both of which have only three cameras on their backs.

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