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There was a time when buying a foldable smartphone meant accepting a long list of compromises.You had a thick phone in your pocket, a narrow cover display, questionable battery life, and cameras that were often a step behind conventional flagships.
Samsung has been slowly fixing those problems.
Last year’s Galaxy Z Fold7 was already a big step in the right direction. It was thinner and lighter, the cover display became much more usable, and Samsung finally gave the Fold series a 200MP main camera.
So when the Galaxy Z Fold8 came along, I had one question: what else can Samsung possibly improve?
As it turns out, Samsung had a different idea.
Aside from making the Fold8 thinner, lighter, or more powerful, Samsung gave its foldable a fresh perspective.
The Fold8 changes how the two displays are shaped and used, while also bringing a larger battery, faster charging, and new software features designed around the foldable form factor.
And interestingly, some of these changes are more significant than they look on paper.
So, is the Galaxy Z Fold8 a meaningful new direction for Samsung’s foldables, or is it simply another refinement of the formula?
Let’s find out.
Design and Construction
At first glance, the Galaxy Z Fold8 still looks unmistakably like a Samsung foldable.
You get the sharp corners, flat edges, vertical camera layout, and familiar book-style folding design. The overall aesthetic is still very Samsung, but there is a noticeable change once you actually start using the phone.
This isn’t simply the Fold7 with a few tweaks.
Samsung is taking a different approach to the form factor. The Fold8’s shape gives it a more balanced feel when you’re using the cover display, particularly when typing.
Whether you’re typing in portrait or landscape, there’s more room for the keyboard to work with, and the wider typing experience feels considerably more natural.
This is especially noticeable when using the phone one-handed. The cover display no longer feels like a screen you tolerate until you can unfold the phone. You can actually spend more time using it as a regular smartphone.
The Fold8 also weighs 201 grams, making it lighter than the 215-gram Fold7. Despite that, Samsung has managed to increase the battery capacity, which we’ll get to later.
The phone measures 81.9 x 123.9 x 9.7mm when folded and 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5mm when unfolded.
It uses an aluminum frame, with Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 protecting the front and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back. The rear panel also has a smooth matte finish.
The hinge is another part Samsung has refined.
It feels sturdy when opening and closing the phone, while still allowing the Fold8 to hold different positions. This is useful for hands-free viewing and photography, especially when you don’t want to hold the phone the entire time.
The Fold8 also has an IP48 rating, stereo speakers, and USB Type-C 3.2.
For biometrics, the Fold8 uses a side-mounted fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button. It’s positioned naturally for both folded and unfolded use, so unlocking the phone doesn’t require reaching around the device.
Face recognition is also available for quicker unlocking. While it’s convenient, the fingerprint scanner remains the more reliable option for secure biometric authentication, especially in situations where face recognition may have difficulty recognizing you.
I also like that Samsung kept the fingerprint sensor on the side rather than moving it underneath either display. It’s quick, familiar, and doesn’t add another cutout or compromise to either screen. Overall, the design isn’t about Samsung trying to make the Fold8 look radically different. It’s about changing the way the foldable feels.And I think that’s a more interesting direction.
Display and Multimedia
The cover display measures 5.5 inches and uses a Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1972 × 1192 resolution, and 428ppi.
Open the phone and you get a 7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X main display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, up to 3,000 nits peak brightness, and a 1848 × 2448 resolution.
But again, the most important part isn’t simply the specifications. It’s the aspect ratio.
The cover display uses a 16:10 aspect ratio, while the inner display uses 4:3.
And this is where the Fold8 really starts to feel different.
The cover display is comfortable enough for everyday smartphone tasks, while the inner display feels much closer to a small tablet. Reading articles, browsing websites, viewing documents, checking social media, and reading ebooks all benefit from the additional space.
The 4:3 ratio also works surprisingly well for watching YouTube and Netflix, gaming, and multitasking. Even when watching 16:9 videos, the black bars aren’t as distracting because the actual content remains large.
More importantly, the larger display feels natural. That’s probably the best way to describe it.
You don’t simply get a bigger screen when you unfold the Fold8. You get a screen that’s shaped in a way that makes more activities feel appropriate for it.
Samsung has also worked on the crease. The company says the Fold8 uses a new display manufacturing process with a flexible titanium layer. Whatever Samsung changed, the result is a crease that’s much less noticeable during normal use.
There’s also an anti-reflective coating on the inner display. This is particularly useful outdoors. During travel and commuting, reducing reflections makes the large inner screen much easier to see, especially under bright conditions.
The stereo speakers are loud enough and clear enough for everyday use, although the soundstage isn’t particularly impressive when the phone is unfolded horizontally.
This is one of those areas where the Fold8 is good enough, but not exceptional.
Still, the display experience is easily one of the phone’s biggest strengths. The cover screen works as a proper smartphone display, while the inner screen provides a much more tablet-like experience when you need more room.
Cameras
The cameras are probably the biggest compromise of the Galaxy Z Fold8.
Unlike the Fold7, which received a 200MP main camera, the Fold8 uses a 50MP main camera and a 50MP ultra-wide camera.
There is no dedicated telephoto camera.
The main camera has a 50MP sensor, f/1.8 aperture, 23mm equivalent focal length, 1/1.56-inch sensor, 1.0µm pixels, Dual Pixel PDAF, and OIS. The ultra-wide camera is also 50MP, with an f/1.9 aperture, 120-degree field of view, 1/2.51-inch sensor, 0.7µm pixels, and multi-directional PDAF.
On paper, this might seem like a step backward. In actual use, however, the cameras are still capable.
The main camera produces the familiar Samsung look, with sharp images, natural-looking colors, and good HDR performance. For everyday photography, the results are generally good enough for most users.
The missing telephoto camera is more noticeable when you start zooming. Digital zoom around 4x remains usable, but going beyond that results in a more obvious loss of detail.
And this is where Samsung’s Ultra lineup has a clear advantage.
But there’s an argument to be made that cameras aren’t necessarily the primary reason to buy a foldable. The Fold8 is about its form factor first.
And that form factor also gives you some camera features that conventional phones can’t replicate as easily.
You can use the rear cameras while showing the preview on the cover display, making it easier to take selfies or let your subject see what’s being captured.
You can also position the Fold8 at different angles for hands-free photography and video.
For selfies, there are two 10MP cameras: one on the cover display and another on the inner display. Interestingly, the cover camera uses an ultrawide field of view, which makes sense for video calls and wider selfies.
For video, the rear cameras can record up to 8K at 30fps, while 4K recording supports up to 120fps.Overall, the cameras are good.
They’re just not the Fold8’s strongest selling point. And if you want the best Samsung camera experience, the Ultra is still the obvious choice.
Performance and Benchmarks
Powering the Galaxy Z Fold8 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, built on a 3nm process.
It features an octa-core CPU with 2× 4.74GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L and 6× 3.62GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M cores, paired with an Adreno 840 GPU.
For memory, Samsung offers 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, while storage options include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB UFS 4.0.
There’s no microSD card slot.
Performance is what you’d expect from a flagship powered by Samsung’s latest Qualcomm chipset. Apps open quickly, switching between applications is smooth, and the Fold8 has more than enough power for demanding games and productivity.
| Performance Benchmarks | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 |
|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) |
| AnTuTu V11 | 2,824,646 |
| AnTuTu Storage | 147,750 |
| S.Read Speed | 4,167.0 MB/s |
| S.Write Speed | 3,712.3 MB/s |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme | 4,245 | Avg. FPS: 25.42 |
| Geekbench 6 CPU Single-Core | 3,551 |
| Geekbench 6 CPU Multi-Core | 10,557 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU OpenCL | 20,776 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU Vulkan | 26,517 |
| PCMark Work 3.1 performance | 20,997 |
But once again, the interesting part isn’t simply how powerful the processor is. It’s what you can do with that power on a 7.6-inch display.
Multitasking is one of the Fold8’s biggest advantages. You can run two applications side by side, use floating windows, and save an exact layout so that the same applications return to the same positions and sizes the next time you open them.
With One UI 9, you can also run three apps side by side.
On a regular smartphone, that sounds excessive. On the Fold8, it actually makes sense.
Gaming also benefits from the large display and powerful chipset. Demanding titles can run at high settings, while lighter games have no trouble taking advantage of the available performance.
However, heat remains something to consider. The Fold8 can become noticeably warm during extended use, including gaming and some productivity tasks.
That isn’t particularly surprising given the combination of flagship hardware and a thin foldable body, but it’s something we’ll be paying attention to in our own testing.
OS, Apps, and Features
The Galaxy Z Fold8 runs Android 17 with One UI 9, and Samsung has added a few features that make particularly good use of the foldable design.
One of my favorites is the ability to use the Fold8 as a webcam when connected to a PC.
Connect it using USB, select the Webcam option, and compatible video conferencing applications can use the Fold8 as a UVC camera.
Because it’s a foldable, you can also position it at the angle you want without necessarily needing a separate stand.
It’s a small addition, but it’s one that makes the Fold8 more useful beyond being just a smartphone.
Multitasking is another highlight. One UI 9 lets you run three apps side by side, along with floating windows and saved app layouts. On the Fold8’s large inner display, these features actually have a practical purpose.
Samsung also includes Call Screening, which can help deal with unknown callers and suspected spam or scam calls before you decide whether to answer.
These are the One UI 9 features I think most Fold8 users can actually maximize.
There are still some app optimization problems, however. Some applications don’t fully take advantage of the inner display. Hopefully, more developers will eventually optimize their applications for the Fold8’s display.
Battery and Connectivity
Samsung finally made a significant change to the battery this year.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 comes with a 4,800mAh battery, up from 4,400mAh on the Fold7. It also gets faster 45W wired charging, alongside 20W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
In our battery testing, the Fold8 delivered some impressive results, although the display you use has a noticeable impact on endurance.
Using PCMark Work 3.1 Battery Life, the Fold8 lasted 17 hours and 51 minutes with the cover screen and 12 hours and 43 minutes with the main inner screen.
That’s a useful demonstration of the trade-off with a foldable: the larger 7.6-inch display gives you considerably more screen real estate, but it also consumes more power.
For gaming, the Fold8 lasted 6 hours and 29 minutes in our Mobile Legends gameplay test.
Meanwhile, our video loop test lasted 28 hours, showing that the Fold8 can stretch its battery considerably when running a relatively light and consistent workload.
| Battery Benchmarks | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 |
|---|---|
| PCMark Work 3.1 battery life (Folded) | 17 hrs & 51 mins |
| PCMark Work 3.1 battery life (Unfolded) | 12 hrs & 43 mins |
| Video Loop Test | 28 hrs & 0 mins |
| Mobile Legends Gameplay | 6 hrs & 29 mins |
Overall, the battery performance is one of the more interesting aspects of the Fold8. The results show that you can get significantly longer endurance when using the cover screen, while the larger inner display naturally comes with a bigger power draw.
For connectivity, the Fold8 supports 5G, Wi-Fi 8, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BDS, and QZSS. You also get USB Type-C 3.2 with OTG, Ultra Wideband, and Samsung DeX.
The combination of a larger 4,800mAh battery and 45W charging makes the Fold8 a more convincing everyday device, especially considering how much screen it offers.
Pricing and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at PHP 109,990 for the 256GB model.
Here’s the official Philippine pricing:
- 256GB — PHP 109,990
- 512GB — PHP 123,990
- 1TB — PHP 151,990
At these prices, there’s no getting around the fact that the Fold8 is a very expensive smartphone. You can get a conventional flagship for considerably less, and some of those phones will offer more capable camera systems or other hardware advantages.
But that’s also the point of the Fold8.
You’re paying for a device that can work as a regular smartphone when folded and transform into a 7.6-inch tablet-like display when unfolded. Whether that’s worth the premium ultimately depends on how much you’ll actually use that flexibility.
And that pricing makes the Fold8’s improvements particularly important. At this level, Samsung isn’t just competing against other foldables—it’s competing against its own Ultra flagships and other premium conventional smartphones.
Conclusion
So, is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 worth getting?I think Samsung has taken an interesting approach with this generation. Instead of simply trying to make the Fold8 better on paper, the company has changed the way the foldable experience works.The cover display feels more natural for everyday use, while the 4:3 inner display gives you a much more tablet-like canvas. And once you start using that larger screen for reading, browsing, gaming, watching videos, and multitasking, the reason for having a foldable becomes much clearer.
That’s probably the biggest thing I took away from the Fold8.
It’s not just a phone that happens to fold. The two screens serve different purposes, and both are useful.
Samsung has also addressed some of the smaller annoyances that come with foldables. The crease is less noticeable, the anti-reflective coating makes the inner display easier to use outdoors, and the phone weighs just 201 grams.
The battery has also grown to 4,800mAh.
Then there’s One UI 9. Features like three-app multitasking make sense specifically because of the Fold8’s large display, while being able to use the phone as a USB webcam is surprisingly practical.
But the Fold8 isn’t perfect.
The biggest compromise is the camera system. The 50MP main and 50MP ultra-wide cameras are capable, but the lack of a dedicated telephoto camera puts it behind Samsung’s Ultra phones. Some applications also still aren’t properly optimized for the inner display, and the speakers aren’t particularly impressive.
And, of course, there’s the price.
The Fold8 isn’t the phone I’d recommend to someone who simply wants the best specifications for their money. But if you’re buying a foldable, specifications aren’t the entire point.
You’re buying the flexibility—a phone that works normally when you need a phone, then transforms into something much closer to a tablet when you need more screen.
And I think that’s where Samsung’s fresh perspective starts to make sense.The Fold8 isn’t necessarily about doing more than every other flagship.
It’s about doing something that a conventional flagship simply can’t.
If you need more screen real estate for multitasking and productivity, or you simply want the convenience of carrying a phone and tablet in one device, the Galaxy Z Fold8 makes a strong case for itself.
It’s still expensive. It’s still not perfect. But Samsung is getting closer to making the foldable experience feel less like a compromise and more like a genuine alternative to the conventional flagship.
And that’s probably the most interesting thing about the Galaxy Z Fold8.
What we like:
- 7.6-inch 4:3 inner display
- Less noticeable crease
- 4,800mAh battery
- OneUI 9 Features
What we don’t like:
- No dedicated telephoto camera
- Speaker positioning
- Limited Flex Mode experience
- Expensive
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 specs:
7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X @ 1848×2448 pixels,
120Hz, HDR10+, 3,000 nits peak brightness, 4:3 aspect ratio,
~404ppi, anti-reflective coating, Flex Titanium technology
5.5-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X @ 1972×1192 pixels,
120Hz, 428ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3
Qualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm)
2×4.74GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6×3.62GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M
Adreno 840 GPU
12GB, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM
256GB, 512GB, 1TB UFS 4.0 internal storage
No microSD card expansion slot
50MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS (main camera)
50MP, f/1.9, 120˚, 1/2.51″, 0.7µm, multi-directional PDAF (ultrawide camera)
8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, gyro-EIS, OIS
10MP, f/2.2, 18mm (ultrawide, cover camera)
10MP, f/2.2, 24mm (wide, main-screen camera)
4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
Nano-SIM + eSIM, up to 2 active SIMs
Wi-Fi 8, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 6.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
NFC, GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS
IP48 Rating
Stereo speakers
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face recognition
USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
Ultra Wideband (UWB)
Samsung DeX
4,800mAh Si/C Li-ion battery
45W wired charging, 20W wireless charging, 4.5W reverse wireless charging
Android 17, One UI 9, up to 7 major Android OS upgrades
81.9mm × 123.9mm × 9.7mm (folded)
161.4mm × 123.9mm × 4.5mm (unfolded)
201g
Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Pistachio
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