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This is the main event of Galaxy Unpacked, the first new form factor in Samsung’s smartphone library since… well, since last year’s Galaxy S25 Edge. Let’s hope things go better with this one.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a reinvention of Samsung’s foldable formula but not something that we’ve never seen before – the squat, passport-shaped design is very reminiscent of the original Google Pixel Fold. Still, it’s new ground for Samsung and it’s great to see something different in an industry that relies so heavily on iterative generational upgrades.
And different, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is. In addition to being a different shape to previous Galaxy Z Fold devices, it pares back certain features – a less powerful processor and no telephoto camera being the main culprits – to achieve a much lower price. With prices rising everywhere, could these compromises prove a coup for Samsung in the foldable fight this year? Let’s dig in and find out.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Specifications
- Processor: 4.47GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
- RAM: 12GB, 16GB
- Storage options: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Internal display: 7.6in, 2,584 x 1,828, 120Hz, LTPO AMOLED 2X
- External display: 5.5in, 1,264 x 1,828, 120Hz, LTPO AMOLED 2X
- Rear cameras: 50MP (f/1.8), 50MP (f/2.2) ultrawide
- Selfie cameras: 10MP (f/2.2) x2
- Battery: 4,800mAh
- Charging: 45W wired
- Dust and water resistance: IP48
- Dimensions (WDH): 82 x 9.8 x 124mm (folded); 161 x 4.9 x 124mm (unfolded)
- Weight: 199g
- Colours: Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Pistachio
- UK price: £1,699 (256GB); £1,869 (512GB); £2,119 (1TB)
- UK release date: 7 August, Preorder now
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Design and first impressions
I had some serious misgivings about the utility of the Z Fold 8’s design when the whispers began circulating of a new, wider foldable, and I’m still not completely sold that this is anything more than a gimmick – but I do have to say, it feels refreshing to use a phone that’s a different shape.
When folded up, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 measures 82 x 124mm (WxH) – that’s roughly as tall as a passport and a little slimmer. It’s not quite as thin as a passport, of course, but the 9.8mm thickness is still very good for a foldable phone. And it’s amazingly light, too – at 199g, it’s the lightest foldable yet.
Sitting on the front is a squat, 5.5in AMOLED 2X display with a 1,264 x 1,828 resolution and an LTPO refresh rate that tops out at 120Hz. Using this display, I immediately see the appeal of the Z Fold 8 – and anyone who has been frustrated about not being able to reach the extremes of their phone display will understand why. This aspect ratio – roughly 16:10 – makes it much easier to reach all parts of the display when holding the phone one-handed.
The phone unfolds to a wide and slim 161 x 4.9 x 124mm (WDH) with a 7.6in AMOLED 2X display. The aspect ratio of 4:3 feels slightly closer to a tablet than previous foldable phones (which traditionally have a more square shape) but I’ll dispel any notions of this being the ideal media display right now – you’ll still have to put up with black bars above and below your content, though they are a fraction slimmer than those on other foldables.
Both displays have a 10-megapixel (f/2.2) selfie camera – same as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 before it – but the rear cameras are a little different. The tough blow here is that there’s no telephoto camera, nor do you get the massive 200-megapixel main lens that’s sitting on the Ultra.
Instead, we have two 50-megapixel sensors on the rear: a main shooter and an ultrawide. The latter is the same new ultrawide that you get on the Ultra model, and is quite a bit more pixel-packed than the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s ultrawide, which was only 12-megapixels.
The other big concession is that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, instead of the flagship 8 Elite Gen 5 like its Ultra sibling. I say concession – this is still a very powerful chip, clocked up to 4.47GHz and backed by 12GB of RAM, and will likely prove plenty nippy when it comes time for our benchmark tests.
The battery here isn’t bad either, with a total capacity of 4,800mAh. That’s larger than the 4,400mAh on last year’s Z Fold 7 and just shy of the 5,000mAh capacity on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Wired charging is better than last year, too, up from 25W to 45W – though again, the Ultra goes one step further, with 60W wired charging and 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging as well.
Software is Samsung’s OneUI, built on Android 17, and just like all the brand’s flagships, the Z Fold 8 is due seven years of software support. Unsurprisingly, the focus with this latest upgrade is once again on AI, with improvements to Now Brief and Now Nudge aiming to offer more agentic personalisation, retrieving contextual information when you’re texting, for instance.
Considering the £200 difference in their prices, I don’t find the list of “downgrades” compared to the Ultra to be too much to stomach. Indeed, most of the competition (we’ll have to wait and see how Google’s pricing looks in a few weeks) start higher than this, so the £1,699 Galaxy Z Fold 8 could prove to be the best value foldable of the year.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Early verdict
I’ll be getting my hands on a review sample in the very near future so we’ll have a more definitive answer to that once I’ve run the Galaxy Z Fold 8 through our rigorous testing gauntlet. My first impression, however, is that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 simply isn’t going to be for everyone.
The new form factor, while fun, is unlike essentially any other smartphone right now, and some will likely find it cumbersome or fiddly to get used to. There’s also the lack of premium features like wireless charging, a telephoto camera and the top-end processor to consider; these seem fair enough when compared to the more expensive Ultra model but the bottom line is you’re still spending £1,699 here – shouldn’t that net you all the bells and whistles?
I’ll have my final verdict soon, so be sure to check back to see if the wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the foldable you’ve been waiting for.
