RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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At a glance:
Key specs: The Z Fold 8 weighs just 201 grams and is just 4.5 mm thick when unfolded; the 7.7-inch inner AMOLED display is huge, bright, and virtually glare-free.
Its biggest flaw: The dual 50MP wide and 50MP ultrawide cameras are fine, but not elite. Professionals and creators used to 200MP main cameras or iPhone 17 Pro Max video will notice a difference.
Price: The $1,899.99 price isn't unreasonable amidst the global memory crisis , but it still hurts.
Our 50-word review: This stylish foldable is so much fun to use, and there's nothing else like it. The spacious inner screen looks fantastic and is great for videos and gaming, yet the phone still folds up and slips into your pocket like a flip phone from 2010. The Gemini-backed AI features make photo editing a breeze, too.
Galaxy Z Fold 8: In-depth review
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the new passport-style foldable smartphone from Samsung that officially launched today. And as much as Samsung might wish that it wasn't living in the iPhone's shadow here in the United States, we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. The wider design of the Z Fold 8 matches the rumored shape of the iPhone Ultra , the biggest open secret in Silicon Valley. If Apple does indeed reveal its first folding phone in September , it will be going head-to-head with the Z Fold 8 (and to a lesser extent the Z Fold 8 Ultra), which has a more familiar design and an Ultra-level camera array.
I'll do my best not to mention Apple again in this review, because the Z Fold 8 is a damn fine phone that stands on its own.
Starting with last year's generation of foldables, I've been telling everyone that these devices are finally ready for primetime . And if the Galaxy Z series' record-breaking preorders are any indication, consumers are ready, too.
So, is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 worth it's $1,899.99 price tag? Overall, I had a great experience with this phone, which is only really hampered by one flaw: The camera array is just fine. Without a doubt, it's the best foldable I've tested yet.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: By the numbers
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 fits much more comfortably in your pocket than most smartphones.
Credit: René Ramos / CNET Group
This phone is remarkably thin, yet Samsung packed some impressive hardware into its svelte frame:
Inner display: 7.6-inch inner and 5.5-inch outer AMOLED displays with 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset
Colors: Lavender, cream, graphite, and pistachio
Dimensions: 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5 mm unfolded / 1123.9 x 81.9 x 9.7 mm unfolded
Weight: 201 grams
RAM: 12GB to 16GB RAM
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage
Battery: 4,800mAh battery
Charging: 45W wired, 20W wireless
Cameras: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP selfie camera
Galaxy Z Fold 8 introduces an awesome new form factor
Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group
The 7.7-inch inner display is far and away the Z Fold 8's best feature. I've never used a phone with this large a screen, and you immediately appreciate the difference in a variety of ways. The larger size results in a much more comfortable feel in your hand, and the keyboard is designed for you to use both thumbs, making typing faster, more accurate, and easier.
When unfolded, this is definitely a phone designed for two-handed use, but you can also leave it unfolded and operate it one-handed using the external display. I actually found myself using the phone while folded quite a bit, and you can easily use the camera, messages, phone, and other apps without opening it. One important note: The Z Fold 8 doesn't support Flex Mode, meaning you can't leave it half-opened on your desk in an L or A shape.
Overall, it feels more like a small tablet than a big phone.
Credit: René Ramos / CNET Group
Both displays offer up to 120 Hz refresh rates and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. Combined with Samsung's glare-free display tech, I never had trouble using the phone in direct sunlight. And if you're worried about a visible crease, don't be. The crease is virtually invisible while using the phone, and Samsung introduced new Flex Titanium hardware to make the hinge more durable.
You can just do so much more with the larger screen, which looks incredible. I generally avoid streaming TV shows and movies on my phone, but not with the Z Fold 8. Likewise, while I've never been a huge fan of mobile gaming, the mobile version of Mario Kart looks and plays awesome here.
Mobile gamers will definitely appreciate the Z Fold 8.
Credit: Nintendo / Screenshot by Timothy Werth
Credit: Nintendo / Screenshot by Timothy Werth
There is a small, annoying cutout in the screen for the 10MP selfie camera, and I wouldn't be surprised if it gets eliminated in the future. The 10MP selfie camera is pretty low-quality anyway, and I expect it will either disappear under the screen or be cut in future versions of the phone. (Keep scrolling to see the results of my camera test.)
The large size does have some drawbacks. Accessing the fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone can be tricky depending on how you hold it, and you can't easily open or close it with one hand, which is annoying.
I have to note one other complaint: The phone still has the characteristic wobble of all smartphones with a camera bar, and as my colleague Abrar Al-Heti at CNET aptly demonstrated, wireless charging is a pain without magnets. (Disclosure: Mashable and CNET are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)
Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: Strong performance and a versatile user experience
Credit: René Ramos / CNET Group
Under the hood, the Z Fold 8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset. Think of this mobile chipset as the phone's engine. The chip offers powerful performance, and on the Geekbench 7 benchmark test, the phone earned a single-core score of 2,375 and a multi-core score of 6,766. The single-core score is double tha...
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