Galaxy Z Fold 8 Review: This Changes Everything

Quick summary: I’ve had the Galaxy Z Fold 8 since July 22, about nine days. Its new passport form factor makes foldables fun again. It’s the lightest foldable ever at 201 grams, with a wide 16:10 cover screen I actually live on, a 4:3 inner screen, much better battery life and great performance. I’m sticking with it over the Fold 8 Ultra.

Design

• The best-looking passport foldable yet, better than the Pixel Fold and Oppo Find N2, with squared-off edges and barely any bezels. Mine is the lavender color.
• Lighter than the S26 Ultra and the brick-like iPhone 17 Pro Max, despite two displays.
• No built-in magnets, so you’ll want a magnetic case.

Battery and charging

• 4,800mAh, up from 4,400mAh.
• From 7 a.m. to about 6 or 7 p.m., I get 5 to 6 hours of screen-on time with heavy notifications, video and social media. A friend got 15 hours with about 8 hours of screen time. My Fold 7 needed a charge by about 1 p.m. near the end.
• 45W wired charging (about 70% in 30 minutes) and 20W wireless.

Performance

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with 12GB RAM (16GB on the 1TB model). Mine is 256GB. It’s the smoothest Fold I’ve ever had, with no lag, and Fortnite runs great.

Displays

I barely used the cover screens on the Fold 2 through 7. This one is big enough for videos, games, reading and everyday use, and easier to type on. Now other phones feel tall to me. The inner screen has a much better crease. You can still see it, but like a notch or punch hole, you get used to it. The crease is overblown. You get two wide side-by-side windows or three vertical apps, which only the TriFold can otherwise do. The inner display is anti-reflective, too.

Cameras

There’s no telephoto: zoom goes up to 10x. You get a 50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide and two 10MP selfie cameras. If you nitpick, the S26 Ultra and Fold 8 Ultra take better shots. Switching to 24MP helps. It’s good enough to be my only device.

Software

Samsung’s software is my favorite on any phone: monthly updates, Good Lock for customization and easy, quality multitasking.

Should you get it?

It has no S Pen, isn’t the fastest-charging and doesn’t have the biggest battery. It’s rated IP48, while the latest Pixel Fold is IP68. But it’s the best overall foldable experience, alongside the Fold 8 Ultra. People buy it for functionality and cuteness: it’s like a mix of a Z Flip and a mini TriFold.

• Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 from Samsung
• OhSnap SnapGrip Stand
• Benks case for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, code GREGGLESTV
• dbrand Grip case
• WSKEN for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 on Amazon