Galaxy Z Fold 8 Gains Better Photos With 4 Camera Setting Changes

Q: Could your Fold 8's overheating issue be secretly downgrading your high-resolution photos without you even noticing?

Yes. On the Galaxy Z Fold 8, overheating can quietly cause the camera to save lower-resolution images than the 24MP setting suggests. Samsung has acknowledged that the Fold 8 can automatically fall back from 24MP to 12MP in certain conditions, including when the phone’s body temperature reaches about 45°C or higher. That matters because the phone’s recommended photo setup, including ZDNET’s advice, is to switch from the default 12MP to 24MP for better detail and stronger digital zoom. If the phone gets too warm, that benefit may disappear without obvious warning. This is especially relevant on the standard Fold 8 because it has no telephoto lens, so it relies more heavily on cropping and digital zoom. A drop from 24MP to 12MP leaves less detail for zoomed shots, indoor photos, and later cropping. Other situations can also trigger the 12MP fallback, including low light, flash use, macro shooting, burst capture, and some zoom scenarios. There are practical ways to reduce the risk. Keep the phone out of direct sun, avoid long camera sessions in hot weather, let it cool between bursts of shooting, and close background apps that may add heat. If image quality matters, check the saved file resolution after important shots rather than assuming 24MP was used. Using 24MP remains a strong recommendation, but Fold 8 owners should know it is not guaranteed in every scene or temperature condition. Samsung has said it is working on software improvements to thermal management.

Q: Is the lack of a telephoto lens on the standard Fold 8 a clever push to make you buy the Ultra model?

Probably yes, at least in part. The standard Galaxy Z Fold 8’s missing telephoto lens looks less like an engineering accident and more like deliberate product separation. Samsung is selling the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra side by side, and the camera gap is one of the clearest differences: the Fold 8 has dual 50MP wide and ultrawide cameras, while the Ultra adds a 10MP 3x optical telephoto and a much larger 200MP main sensor. For a price gap of about $200, Samsung gives the Ultra the features many premium buyers expect, especially better zoom, portraits at distance, event shots and cleaner video zoom. That said, it is not just a sales trick. The standard Fold 8 is positioned around a different shape and use case: a shorter, wider, lighter foldable focused on portability, media and multitasking. Reviews suggest that convenience and pocketability are real selling points, and some users may prefer that design enough to accept weaker zoom hardware. In everyday wide, ultrawide, close-up and indoor shots, the Fold 8 can still perform well, especially after adjusting settings like 24MP mode, Photo Softening and composition aids. Still, on a $1,900 phone, omitting a telephoto lens is a notable compromise. It matters most for travel details, sports, stage events, mid-distance portraits and zoom video, where digital crop cannot match optical reach. So the absence is both a design tradeoff and a strong nudge toward the Ultra for buyers who care about camera versatility.

3 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Aug 27

ZDNET recommends changing four Galaxy Z Fold 8 camera settings immediately, arguing the phone’s default setup leaves image quality below what its hardware can deliver.
24MP is the key switch: the Fold 8 defaults to 12MP, but setting 24MP as the standard mode should improve detail and digital 2x to 4x zoom shots without the storage hit of 50MP.
Camera Assistant unlocks most of the useful controls, including Photo Softening—recommended at Medium or High to reduce Samsung’s oversharpened skin tones—and a 2x crop zoom shortcut.
Grid lines and the level tool are also highlighted because the Fold 8’s 16:10 viewfinder can make framing harder, especially for users adjusting to the larger foldable display.
The advice reflects the Fold 8’s camera trade-off: it carries two 50MP cameras and no telephoto lens, so software settings matter more for extracting sharper, more natural photos.