Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Flip8 hands-on review
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 hands-on review
The Galaxy Z Flip8 finds itself in a pretty hard spot. Not a lot has changed for this year compared to the Z Flip8. We aren't sure what is happening exactly. Perhaps it is hard to meaningfully innovate in this particular form factor. Or maybe Samsung's priorities have shifted. There have been ongoing rumors that this might be the last in the Z Flip line, so maybe the consumer interest just isn't there? We certainly can't say for sure, but what is certain is that Samsung won't be drawing in any new crowds with the sorts of upgrades the Z Flip8 offers.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 specs at a glance:
- Body: 166.9x75.4x6.1mm, 180g; Plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2); IP48 dust and water resistant (dust > 1mm; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min), Armor aluminum frame.
- Display: 6.90" Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1080x2520px resolution, 21:9 aspect ratio, 400ppi; Cover display:, Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 2600 nits (peak), 4.1 inches, 948 x 1048 pixels (Gorilla Glass Victus 2).
- Chipset: Exynos 2600 (2 nm).
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.x.
- OS/Software: Android 17, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 9.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm, 1/1.57", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚, 1/3.2", 1.12µm.
- Front camera: 10 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@60/120/240fps, HDR10+; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps.
- Battery: 4300mAh; 25W wired, 55% in 30 min, 15W wireless, reverse wireless.
- Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4; NFC.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX (desktop experience support).
Design-wise, it is pretty much the same device. The new model is supposedly minimally thinner (like 0.4mm when closed) and something like 8 grams lighter. Other than that - same familiar shape and size.
While it doesn't stand out compared to the rest of the Galaxy Z crowd, we wouldn't exactly say it fits the exact same design mold neatly. The Z Flip8 has generally softer lines with a lot more rounding here and there. Certainly in the corners of both the device and its displays. It is not nearly as "boxy".
While probably purposefully a bit vague about things, it seems that Samsung's quoted upgraded brightness figure of 3,000 nits applies to all three new Galaxy Z devices, including the Z Flip8. So, there's an upgrade for you - around 400 nits more at peak output than last year's model. Still seemingly no LTPO on the cover display, in case anyone was hoping for that in particular.
Also, presumably, Samsung applied similar tuning to the hinge and the magnets to make the opening smoother and easier. We can't say that we noticed it on the Z Flip8 demo unit quite as much as we did on the Z Fold8 Ultra one. So, it's another "take it or leave it" situation.
Other than that - seemingly the same display with the same resolution. Still a noticeable crease on the inside panel.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8
The color selection this year includes the Graphite and Cream shared among all the new Galaxy Z family, a Pink hero color and a Samsung.com exclusive Mint color. We got the frankly boring Graphite color on the demo unit.
No battery or charging upgrades here - still the same 4,300 mAh and 25W charging support. Samsung didn't go through the effort to unify charging across the lineup at 45W.
No camera upgrades either: a 50MP main unit and a 12MP ultrawide from what we can tell - the exact same units as last year.
The chipset has been refreshed from the Exynos 2500 to the newer Exynos 2600. We frankly don't expect a massive performance difference as a result, so perhaps we can hope for some battery life improvements from the better manufacturing node and other hardware and software optimizations.
Honestly, the Z Flip8 left us thoroughly underwhelmed. Last year's Z Flip7 will almost certainly be a better and smarter buy at its lower price point.
