Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review (early verdict): The future of foldables

Samsung has just revealed a major shake-up to its line of foldable devices in the shape of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 – which I got to try out ahead of the brand's Unpacked reveal showcase.

This is no iterative upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 7 – for that, you'll need to look to the also-new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra – but a totally new aspect ratio model, with its aim to deliver the best media consumption experience above all else.

I've tried (almost) every folding phone in recent years, where the format has become generally similar. Samsung has sometimes been criticised for its 'tall and narrow' Z Fold previously – but the new Z Fold 8 flips that on its head and addresses the critics head-on.

Given that 2026 is widely thought to be the year that Apple will reveal its 'iPhone Fold' – or 'iPhone Ultra' as many are now calling it – this landmark move from Samsung is a major step towards folding phones' wider acceptance. But with a price tag that remains an obvious hurdle, is that ever going to be feasible?

Price & Availability

So just what sort of price are we talking about? The Z Fold 8 will retail from £1,699 when it goes on sale this August. That's £200 less than the £1,899 Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Note that's for the base storage model, with 256GB on board. There are 512GB and 1TB upgrade options for yet more cash.

At the time of writing, I don't possess the US or Australian prices for this handset. But this is an international product and will launch in all regions.

What's New?

• Totally new aspect ratio unlike previous Z Fold devices
• 10:16 cover display; 4:3 aspect unfolded
  • 5.5-inch external, 7.6-inch internal
  • Flex Titanium for minimal crease
• Samsung's first silicon-carbon battery
  • 4300mAh, 45W charging
• Dual camera system, not triple
  • 50MP main and wide
• Lightest Fold yet, at 201g

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Samsung has been making folding phones since 2019, making 2026 the eighth generation – and it has not missed out one single year in that production cycle and evolution of its Z Fold product.

Some years the step up from one generation to the next would be minor. The Z Fold 8, however, changes absolutely everything – as you can see from my gallery of images above (next to the Ultra model). It's a radically different size and shape to what's come before it – and the lightest Samsung foldable yet, too.

It also marks the first appearance of a silicon-carbon battery type (Si-C) from Samsung, helping to squeeze greater capacity into this new form. I suspect this is the brand's first foray into what will become the norm for its flagship products going forward.

In opting for a new aspect ratio, however, Samsung has cut back on the cameras – it's a dual rear offering, lacking any optical zoom – which also seems a sensible cost-saving move. The Ultra maintains a trio of cameras, not that they've evolved over their equivalent predecessor's spec.

Displays

• 5.5-inch external AMOLED display, 10:16 aspect ratio
  • Wider and shorter than Z Fold 8 Ultra
  • 3000 nits peak brightness
  • 1264 x 1848 resolution
  • 120Hz refresh
• 7.6-inch internal AMOLED display, 4:3 aspect ratio
  • Flex Titanium Technology for anti-crease
  • Anti-reflective coating finish
  • 1828 x 2584 resolution
  • 120Hz refresh

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There's more going on here than just a new display size, though, in what's called Flex Titanium technology. The fundamental workings in how Samsung has attempted to further negate the much-maligned 'crease' down the centre of the foldable panel is mighty impressive.

Not that you'll ever get to see much of what's actually going on. I found the device 'snaps' into position when unfolded, so there's no half-mast unfolding into a V-shape here. It's either open or closed, such is the nature of this new hinge – and I think that feels great.

What exactly is Flex Titanium, though? In what sounds seemingly impossible, Samsung has devised a way to seat the panel onto a titanium plate that's laser-etched in such microscopic detail that this elemental metal can literally flex. It's topped with a titanium-alloy film that's a third the thickness of a human hair to ensure smoothness.

So why does all that matter? Titanium is light yet strong, stable and largely resistant to permanent deformation – which is why you'll find it used in golf clubs, for example. That stable layer is how the Z Fold 8's unfolded display remains flatter than you'll have seen before – and this helps negate the crease.

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Has the crease been banished completely? I struggled to see it whatsoever when looking front-on, but viewed at 45 degrees and with a light source, you can catch a slight indentation (see my gallery of images, above, for examples). I've never seen any foldable perform this well, though, including Oppo's impressive Find N6 (which never launched in most regions).

My other frustration with folding phones, however, is fingerprints. Samsung hasn't made further headway in negating the natural oils prevalent in human skin, which see coated flexible displays show up marks more than most standard flagship devices. The surface is anti-reflective, though, so it does at least hamper sunlight better than before for an improved viewing experience.

The unfolded device's display is a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is... well, it's an iPad ratio, isn't it? I think it's fair to call that unusual for an Android device, as Samsung doesn't make tablets with such an aspect ratio, whereas Apple does. And it's probably no surprise that Samsung is likely to produce the panel for Apple's incoming foldable, too, so you may well be looking at the exact format of what its other-OS competitor will deliver later this year.

Personally, I think that's a good thing, if it rings true. If it aids the adoption of foldables across a wider section of the market, then there could be broader software adoption and adaptation to such an aspect ratio. This Samsung could be the first foldable to normalise the aspect ratio that's expected – and I'm sure it is better for media consumption too.

Other raw specs are solid, too, with ample resolution, high dynamic range (HDR) support, considerable brightness (3000 nits peak), and fluid refresh rate (120Hz) ensuring it's every bit the flagship.

Hardware & Performance

• Colours: Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Pistachio (Samsung store exclusive)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 'for Galaxy', 12GB RAM
• 4800mAh Si-C battery type, 45W charging
• 256GB / 512GB / 1TB storage options

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What I'm a little light on at present is precisely how this new foldable will perform – having only handled a device for a couple of hours. Its specification is abundant, I can confirm, with Qualcomm's top-tier 'for Galaxy' processor rolled out here for the utmost clock speed of any Android device you'll lay hands on (until the next-generation of hardware anyway).

What Samsung has told me, however, is that the Flex Titanium technology actually frees up space in this design, as does the adoption of the new battery technology, so there's 7% more graphite for a thermal performance uptick compared to what the previous-gen Z Fold 7 could muster. Not that they're like-for-like device formats, but an increase is no bad thing.

How Samsung adapts its One UI software over Google's Android base is something that's yet to be fully realised, I feel. We're currently on version 8.5, but this new aspect ratio surely offers greater potential for exploration. There's long-term software support promised for 7 years, though, so plenty of time for more to feature. But no S Pen stylus compatibility here – that's not possible with this metal-backed screen technology.

The Si-C battery inclusion is a major boost for Samsung, too, as people have been asking for this for yonks. Many competitors have used it for three generations already, with the greater density meaning more capacity from physically smaller cells. The 4,800mAh here is moderate rather than massive, mind, when some competitors are leveraging 50% more than that in their devices.

Cameras

• Dual rear cameras:
  • Main: 50-megapixel
  • Wide: 50MP
• Selfie cameras:
  • Both: 10MP, f/2.2

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A phone's cameras tend to be the biggest sign of its flagship nature these days. The Z Fold 8 doesn't go quite as far as the Ultra model here, however, dropping any optical zoom lens and relying on tried-and-tested 50-megapixel cameras in wide and ultra-wide.

If you want this new format, then you can't have the most sophisticated camera setup, therefore, but Samsung's well-established work in its photographic capabilities is already well documented. I'll be exploring the Z Fold 8's camera duo more fully for my full review, when I can really assess its offering.

What I do already know is that the suite of Galaxy AI features here will deliver plenty of tools to manipulate images on device and with ease. And the new FanCam feature is designed for auto-cropping for social media-friendly posts, able to auto-track you in the frame without needing to further intervene.

Early Verdict

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a bold vision for the future of foldables – and a format that I think will quickly become a more established norm in the near future.

That said, foldables being as costly as they are, that hurdle is going to remain a considerable obstacle for many would-be buyers at this stage. As has always been the case.

But if you are looking for a folding phone upgrade, then the crease-negating Flex Titanium technology on show here is second to none. It's an ideal platform for media consumption, as unusual as a 4:3 aspect ratio is in today's Android market.

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