Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Review: The Wide Foldable to Beat
Short answer: 8.9 out of 10
The Galaxy Z Fold8 is the most comfortable big foldable to carry and use, and reviewers agree its wide screen and battery life are a real step up. The trade-offs are a weak zoom camera, an IP48 rating and a price that only makes sense if you'll use the big screen every day. Wait for a deal if you can; it has already dropped to $1,549.
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Best foldable you can buy today
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8
From $1,900
What we like
- Light, slim passport shape (201g, 9.7mm folded)
- Wide 4:3 inner screen that suits video and reading
- Battery life well ahead of the Fold7 in independent tests
- 45W wired charging and seven years of updates
What could be better
- No telephoto camera
- IP48, so almost no dust protection
- No S Pen support and no Flex Mode
- Throttles heavily under long gaming sessions
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Ratings
Score breakdown
Design
Displays
Performance
Battery & charging
Cameras
Durability
Value
How we put this review together
This review is based on Samsung’s published specs and on the reviews and lab tests listed at the end, not on a long-term test of our own yet. Every measured result is credited to the outlet that measured it. Our scores are an editorial judgement of that evidence, and we’ll update the page when we’ve used the phone ourselves.
A new shape for the Fold
Samsung changed the formula this year. The Galaxy Z Fold8 is shorter and wider than the Fold7, closer to a passport than a TV remote. Closed, it has a 5.5-inch screen you can type on normally. Open, it becomes a 7.6-inch screen in a 4:3 shape, much like a small tablet. Tom’s Guide called it “the new form factor to beat for foldables”, and Engadget gave it 8.9 out of 10.
At 201g and 9.7mm thick when folded, it’s the lightest Fold Samsung has made. That matters more than any spec on a phone you carry all day.
Screens
Both screens are bright and easy to read outside. GSMArena measured 3,132 nits on the inner screen and 3,031 on the cover screen. The inner panel has an anti-reflective coating that Tom’s Guide and Engadget both singled out. Notebookcheck described the crease as “very shallow and barely perceptible”, though most reviewers say you can still feel it.
The wide screen is ideal for video, reading and two or three apps side by side. The catch is that not every app is ready for it. Android Authority found Instagram and Slack showing white bars. Notebookcheck also measured PWM flicker at 240Hz, which may bother people sensitive to it.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is as fast as any Android phone in daily use. Under sustained load it heats up. In Android Authority’s GPU stress test, the Fold8 held only 46 to 49% of its peak performance, and GSMArena and Notebookcheck saw the same throttling. For games played in short sessions, you won’t notice. For long gaming sessions, it’s a weakness.
Battery and charging
This is a clear improvement. The 4,800mAh battery lasted 12 hours 19 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s web-surfing test, against 10 hours 44 minutes for the Fold7. Engadget recorded 28 hours 14 minutes of video on the cover screen. In real-world use, TechRadar got a day to a day and a half.
Charging is now 45W, up from 25W. GSMArena went from empty to 65% in 30 minutes and full in 1 hour 9 minutes. Wireless charging tops out at 20W, and there are no built-in Qi2 magnets, so you’ll need a magnetic case for MagSafe-style accessories.
Cameras
Every reviewer we read named the camera as the main compromise. You get a 50MP main and a 50MP ultrawide, but no telephoto. Photos from the main camera are good, and there’s a 2x crop from its sensor. Beyond that, quality falls off. Android Authority found it struggles past 3x to 4x, and Tom’s Guide called the 10x digital zoom soft. If zoom matters, look at the Fold8 Ultra or a regular flagship.
Durability and early issues
The Fold8 is rated IP48. It handles water, but the 4 means almost no protection from dust, while rivals such as the Pixel 10 Pro Fold are IP68. Samsung reinforced the hinge and frame, and the phone opens fully flat, but it won’t hold itself half-open (no Flex Mode).
Some owners have reported inner-screen corners flexing inward (Talk Android ran a Reddit poll in which about a fifth of voters said theirs did) and a few cases of screens cracking along the crease (SammyFans). These are unverified owner reports and Samsung hasn’t commented. Buying from a retailer with an easy returns policy, and adding Samsung Care+, is sensible with any foldable.
Price and deals
The Fold8 launched at $1,899.99 for 256GB. Android Headlines spotted it at $1,549 on Amazon in early October, and Best Buy has sold open-box units from about $1,322. Samsung is offering up to $200 off until 2 November. At full price it’s a lot of money; at $1,549 it’s much easier to recommend.
Should you buy it?
If you’ll use a big screen every day, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is the best-balanced foldable you can buy right now. If you’re an iPhone owner weighing it against Apple’s first foldable, read our iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold8 comparison. And if you want a quick way to decide whether a $1,900 phone is worth it for you, our free tech buying checklist walks through the questions to ask.
Sources
- Samsung: Galaxy Z Fold8 product page and Unpacked announcement
- Tom’s Guide: review and battery tests
- Engadget: review
- GSMArena: lab tests and verdict
- Android Authority: review
- TechRadar: review
- Notebookcheck: review
- Android Headlines: Amazon deal
- Talk Android: corner flex reports; SammyFans: crease crack report
Specifications
Key specs
| Price (US) | $1,899.99 (256GB) · $2,099.99 (512GB) · $2,499.99 (1TB) |
|---|---|
| Cover screen | 5.5 in Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz |
| Inner screen | 7.6 in Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 4:3, 120Hz |
| Chip | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| Memory | 12GB (16GB on 1TB model) |
| Rear cameras | 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide |
| Battery | 4,800mAh |
| Charging | 45W wired, 20W wireless |
| Weight | 201g |
| Thickness | 9.7mm folded, 4.5mm open |
| Water and dust | IP48 |
| Software | Android 17, One UI 9, seven years of updates |
Our verdict
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8: 8.9 / 10
The Galaxy Z Fold8 is the most comfortable big foldable to carry and use, and reviewers agree its wide screen and battery life are a real step up. The trade-offs are a weak zoom camera, an IP48 rating and a price that only makes sense if you'll use the big screen every day. Wait for a deal if you can; it has already dropped to $1,549.
Buy it if…
- You want a tablet-sized screen in a phone that still fits a pocket
- You watch a lot of video, read or edit documents on your phone
- You want long software support (seven years)
Skip it if…
- You take a lot of zoom photos
- You work in dusty or sandy places
- You want a stylus or to prop the phone half-open like a laptop
Questions people ask
Is the Galaxy Z Fold8 worth it?
For people who will use the 7.6-inch screen every day, yes. Reviewers at Tom's Guide, Engadget and Android Authority rate it among the best foldables yet. If you mostly use one app at a time and take zoom photos, a regular flagship is better value.
How long does the Galaxy Z Fold8 battery last?
Tom's Guide measured 12 hours 19 minutes of web surfing over 5G, and Engadget measured 28 hours 14 minutes of video playback on the cover screen. Android Authority got 8 to 10 hours of screen-on time in real use.
Is the Galaxy Z Fold8 waterproof?
It is rated IP48. That covers fresh water up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes, but the 4 means it only keeps out objects larger than 1mm, so dust and sand can get in.
What is the difference between the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra?
The Fold8 is the wide, passport-shaped model with a 4:3 inner screen. The Fold8 Ultra is the taller successor to the Fold7, costs more ($2,099.99 according to Android Authority) and lasted longer in Tom's Guide's battery test (14h 09m).
Does the Galaxy Z Fold8 support the S Pen?
No. Samsung lists no S Pen support for the Fold8.
