Foldable Camera Beats Samsung's Best Zoom

A recent test comparing smartphone super-zoom capabilities highlighted a surprising performance gap. The Motorola Razr Fold, a foldable device, delivered more impressive results than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in capturing distant subjects. Images taken with the Razr Fold were crisper, particularly compared to the blurry and splotchy output from the Samsung phone.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro also demonstrated stronger performance than the Samsung S26 Ultra in this comparison. While the Pixel 10 Pro showed a processing animation, its zoom shots were notably cleaner, especially of distant objects like a clock face from 450 feet away. The Razr Fold's images were competitive, sometimes even edging out the Pixel in texture and lighting.

Samsung's super-resolution zoom, a feature historically associated with its Ultra models, appears to be falling behind. The AI on the S26 Ultra struggled with scene recognition for unfamiliar subjects, leading to poorer image quality. In contrast, the Motorola Razr Fold's performance is notable, given it is a foldable device that often faces camera compromises.