Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: A Fun, Media-First Foldable with an Outstanding Screen

Eight years ago, I watched Samsung take to the stage and reveal the first Galaxy Fold – a phone that folds open into a large tablet, which you could buy at your nearest Samsung showroom. At the time, the Galaxy Fold felt miraculous, making my younger self ponder over all the possibilities it allowed. Could it replace my bulky desktop PC (spoiler alert, it didn’t), wondered my enthusiastic mind? When I held the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in my hands, I felt similar enthusiasm…the enthusiasm for what it can do with its expansive screens. It seems fun. For the rest of the world, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is just a passport-shaped foldable phone skipping out on certain features that the Fold 8 Ultra offers. For me (who’s been a foldable fanatic for the last eight years), this is more than just a ‘shape change.’ As someone who has experienced all eight generations of Samsung’s Fold models, the Z Fold 8 marks a wave of change for this class of smartphone. That wave of change is brought along not only by the wider aspect ratio of the two screens, but also by the basic philosophy behind the Fold 8 – simplifying complexity. The idea behind the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is rather genius – adjust the aspect ratio of the screens in such a way that you get to allocate the available display space more effectively. The cover screen has a wide aspect ratio of 16:10, which, when unfolded, translates to a wider aspect ratio of 4:3. This allows for slimmer letterboxing on videos with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which most YouTube videos offer. As a result of this wider-than-usual screen layout, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks shorter than the Fold 8 Ultra. It resembles the Indian passport booklet, or the old BlackBerry Passport. It is relatively light too at 201 grams – incredibly light for a smartphone with a mechanical hinge and a complex internal architecture. Though I wish the camera sensors were laid out in a vertical orientation midway to prevent the wobbling whilst using on a desk/table, but then I am no smartphone engineer. Coming back to the main display, which measures 7.6 inches, the viewing experience is nothing short of marvellous. The wider space makes it excellent for split-screen app usage, document editing, and side-by-side note-taking in Samsung Notes. Where it shines, though, is the movie experience – Netflix and YouTube content fills up the screen, giving a tablet-like experience – something you can fold into your pocket and carry around all day. For those concerned with the wider layout messing webpages, you can rotate the orientation and have a longer layout that suits websites and Instagram feeds. Trust me, browsing through Instagram on this device is a dangerously addictive experience. The display crease situation is a lot better than last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7. While the crease remains visible at extreme angles, the trough feels less intrusive to touch while swiping through menus. I appreciate the anti-glare coating on the main display, since it cuts down on reflections easily. The new hinge mechanism doesn’t allow holding the screen at desired angles like before, but it is far easier to flip open and shut. In fact, the curved edges allow for an easier gripping point for the finger to prop in and fold open the main screen. That said, I don’t miss the ‘angle retention’ feature of the Fold 8 as Samsung has omitted the Flex Mode software features from this standard model. Why? Because Samsung needs a reason to push you towards the more expensive Fold 8 Ultra. Wasted opportunity here, Samsung. With a wider cover screen, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a lot more fun to use. While Android apps are still not used to a 16:10 aspect ratio, Samsung’s One UI 9 does its best to iron out the inconsistencies and offer a polished user experience. A wider screen translates to a wider keyboard while responding to text messages, a wider viewfinder for the video call cameras, a ‘mini-TV’ screen for YouTube videos, and a wider social media experience. It’s a great-looking display too, with ample outdoor legibility and vibrant colours on offer. What brings together the experience is Samsung’s One UI 9 software. Based on Android 17, which is the latest OS version from Google, the One UI interface brings a layer of style and AI convenience to the feature-rich Android experience we expect from a Galaxy Z series device. While the usual multi-window system and Samsung app suite help you make the most out of the expansive display experience, it’s the little additions that make the usage pleasant. For example, the notification bar uses Samsung’s Galaxy AI to summarise messages cleverly, clearly indicating the AI logo to depict AI is at work. The ‘Now Brief’ is more useful than before, suggesting useful contexts like where I parked my car, a quick custom rain check before I head out to work, a rundown of the latest YouTube videos from channels I subscribe, and even news updates. I found it more useful than the Google Discover page for finding new content. I was also able to create custom widgets, cool lockscreen layouts for my wallpapers, edit out inconsistencies from my photos using Galaxy AI, and do more. The ability to have two distinct homescreen setups allows me to zone in on my entertainment priorities on the main display, while I stay focused on productivity on the Cover screen. By the way, I still find Galaxy AI much better at editing images than Google Gemini or ChatGPT . Be it erasing unwanted entities photobombing my almost perfect selfie, or expanding the frame to adjust the angle, the Galaxy AI edit tools deliver satisfactory results most of the time. To back such a capable and versatile software experience, Samsung is utilising the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip – the “for Galaxy” bit refers to an overclocked processor. Paired with 12GB RAM, I found the Galaxy Z Fold 8 adequately capable at handling demanding mobile games. For example, I was charting my progress in CarX Street Racing for 2 hours at a stretch after every meal over the weekend, and the phone showed no signs of struggle. Note that I maxed out the graphics settings and retained my gaming experience to the main display. Samsung made a great deal about using a portion of ‘Silicon Carbon’ chemistry in its Lithium Ion battery – a technology that Chinese phone makers have been using for years to offer battery capacities as massive as 7,000mAh. Samsung, however, sticks to a far more conservative 4800mAh capacity battery and in my usage, it manages to last a whole day, with 20 per cent charge remaining for the night. On the weekends where I spent more time on the main display streaming videos, scrolling social media and my gaming sessions, the phone managed to last 6.5 hours with brightness set to automatic. On the weekdays, when I saw the cover screen more than the main display, the phone lasted longer with productivity-centric usage, giving an average stamina of 1.5 days. Note that this involved map navigation, calls, texting, emails, and quick scrolling on social media. While I believe Samsung could have offered more battery capacity with the Silicon Carbon tech, the software optimisations do a good job in ensuring all-day stamina. Moreover, with a compatible 45W charger, the phone fills up from 20 per cent to full within an hour. The phone also supports Qi2 20W wireless charging – a feature I couldn’t put to the test owing to a lack of a compatible wireless charger. The two 50MP sensors, for the main and ultrawide shooters, deliver as far as casual photography is concerned. Amidst the rainy weather with rare sunny days, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 managed to put up a good show with its imaging capabilities. Under brightly lit conditions, the Fold 8’s main and ultrawide cameras take consistently bright and vibrant photos with sharp details, well-suppressed noise, balanced contrasts and good exposure management. The colour consistency between the main and ultrawide cameras is nice too. When it comes to low light, however, the Fold 8 struggles to keep up with the sharpness in subject detailing, i.e., subjects look a tad softer. The colour consistency between the main and ultrawide shooter varies too, with the latter resorting to saturated colour tones. You still get great-looking photos though, regardless of the lower light levels. The lack of a dedicated telephoto camera leads to softer images beyond 2x digital magnification, and is best reserved for daylight use only. As far as selfies are concerned, the 10MP front camera on both the cover and main displays ensures vibrant and detailed photos, with good exposure management in the background. Even if we consider the price of the base Galaxy Z Fold 8, which retails at Rs 1,79,999, there are only two alternatives in competition: The Fold 8 Ultra has a traditionally taller aspect ratio for the display, features a versatile camera setup with a better 200MP main sensor and a dedicated telephoto shooter, a slightly bigger battery, and Samsung’s sought-after Flex Mode. It is pricey, starting at Rs 2 lakh, but it looks hotter. This one is more akin to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra as far as the shape is concerned. While the Razr Fold offers a nice screen experience, its software can’t match the polish offered by Samsung’s One UI 9. Samsung positions the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as a casual, everyday alternative to the productivity-driven Fold 8 Ultra. To achieve this, it strips away several staple features of the lineup, omitting Flex Mode, a dedicated telephoto camera, and the Ultra’s top-tier main and telephoto sensor. As someone who has critiqued the evolution of the Galaxy Z Fold series, these compromises feel like glaring sacrifices from the classic Samsung ‘Z Fold’ experience. That said, there is a compelling charm to the Z Fold 8’s streamlined philosophy. By stripping away extra complexity, Samsung doubles down on what matters most – a wider, far more ergonomic display that turns everyday browsing and media consumption into a genuine joy—all wrapped in a remarkably lightweight body (for a foldable). Ultimately, deciding whether to buy the Z Fold 8 comes down to your personal priorities and the price gap to the Ultra. For buyers deciding between this and the Ultra, the choice hinges on whether you are willing to trade an uncompromising, full-spec camera array for a lighter, more fun and more practical form factor. Backed by One UI 9 and top-tier compute performance that ensures longevity, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 hits a sweet spot. If your priority is a fun, media-first foldable with an outstanding screen and effortless daily usability, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is highly recommended.