Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 could have an under-display camera

There’s been talk of under-display cameras coming to smartphones for years now, but so far only the ZTE Axon 20 5G has one. However, 2021 might be the year when they become more mainstream, with a new report suggesting that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be the first Samsung phone to have one.

That’s according to South Korean site ETNews, which claims that Samsung is planning to include an under-display camera in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, a phone that’s likely to land towards the end of 2021. So if you were hoping for this tech in the Samsung Galaxy S21 range, you’re probably out of luck.

While we’d take this report with a pinch of salt, @UniverseIce (a leaker with a reasonable track record) recently made the same claim, so there’s certainly support for it.

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At the same time, leading Samsung will release Fold3, which will bring a lot of innovative technologies. CUP (Camera under Panel), S Pen, second-generation UTG, etc.November 18, 2020

An under-display camera means there’s no need for a notch, bezel, or cut-out to hide the selfie camera lens, as it sits hidden under the screen. As a result, you can have a totally uninterrupted display without relying on a pop-up camera – which is a less elegant solution.

It’s something we’d expect most smartphone companies are working towards, and now that there’s a ZTE phone out in the wild with one it’s surely only a matter of time before others follow suit, so Samsung might not be alone in launching a phone with an under-display snapper in 2021.

We don’t know much else about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 yet, but rumors suggest it might come with an S Pen stylus like the Samsung Galaxy Note range, while a Samsung patent details a foldable phone with a light strip on its hinge, so that’s a possible feature too.

We’d expect plenty more leaks and rumors to roll in over the coming weeks and months, and TechRadar will be sure to cover all the credible ones, so stay tuned for updates.