Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 review

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Introduction

Samsung expanded its foldable lineup in a major way this year. Admittedly, the naming could have been better selected, but we now have a brand-new form factor in the Z Fold8. The old, well-established Fold is also alive and well, but it is now called the Z Fold8 Ultra.

In isolation, the new naming makes sense. The traditional form-factor (the Z Fold8 Ultra) is the true foldable flagship - the one with all the bells and whistles. The regular Z Fold8 cuts a few corners to achieve the light, slender body, with the camera setup being the most obvious one.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 specs at a glance:

• Body: 161.4x123.9x4.5mm, 201g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 3) (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), Advanced Armor aluminum frame, IP48 dust and water resistant (dust > 1mm; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 7.60" Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 3000 nits (peak), 1828x2448px resolution, 12.05:9 aspect ratio, 403ppi; Flex Titanium technology, Cover display:, Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3, 5.5 inches, 1248 x 1972 pixels, 428 PPI.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm).
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB 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: 50 MP, f/1.9, 120-degree, 1/2.5", 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF.
• Front camera: Wide (main): 10 MP, f/2.2, 18mm, 1/3.0", 1.12µm; Wide (main): 10 MP, f/2.2, 24mm, 1/3.0", 1.12µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, gyro-EIS, OIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS.
• Battery: 4800mAh; 45W wired, QC2.0, 63% in 30 min, 20W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 6.0, aptX HD; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX (desktop experience support), Ultra Wideband (UWB) support.

Samsung made sure to give it the same impeccable build quality and materials as the Z Fold8 Ultra. The two displays, while different in size and shape, promise very similar features and performance. Both are 120Hz LTPO AMOLED panels.

You are not giving up on any of the performance by going for the new form factor, though - the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is still on board.

There rest of the specs also seem on par with the Ultra. The Z Fold8 gets stereo speakers, two 10MP selfie cameras and even the difference in battery capacity is negligible, with the Z Fold8 rocking a solid 4,800 mAh Si/C pack - only 200 mAh smaller than the pack inside the Z Fold8 Ultra. Not bad at all, especially considering that the Z Fold8 is about 15 grams lighter.

Samsung even went ahead and added its new optimized 45W charging on the Z Fold8. This is the fastest charging rating any Samsung foldable has had to date.

Unboxing

Seeing how this is a modern Samsung device, don't set your expectations too high in terms of accessories in the box. The Z Fold8 ships in what we would consider the standard Samsung box at this point. It is a two-piece cardboard affair with this kind of odd gray printing on the exterior, which starts to make more sense once you realize Samsung has eliminated all plastic from the packaging and prints everything in soy ink. Even so, the box is sturdy enough for safe transportation, and there is a cradle for the phone itself on the inside.

Accessories are pretty much non-existent. Samsung hasn't included a charger in the box for years now. There is no complimentary case either. All you get is a Type-C to Type-C cable. It is one of Samsung's passive, non-emarked 3A cables, so you don't even get a fancier 5A one. That said, we know for a fact that Samsung's modern 45W charging works just fine with a 3A cable, so there is that.