Up next in 10
Is the new passport-style Galaxy Z Fold 8 worth $1,899, or should you spend a little extra for the Fold 8 Ultra? In this Buy or Skip review, we break down Samsung’s lightest book-style foldable yet. We test the new Flex Titanium display, silicon carbon battery endurance, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance, and handy AI features like Now Nudge.
But with no telephoto zoom lens, missing Flex Mode, zero dust resistance, and a $200 price gap to the Ultra, there are big trade-offs you need to know about before buying.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
What if I told you that Samsung's newest foldable is the best one they've ever made
0:03
but it's missing a potential deal-breaking feature? Welcome to my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review. If you ask me, there's something that feels just
0:11
right about this new style of Samsung foldable. It's super light, gives you a wide front display
0:16
and the big inside screen has two distinct orientations for video watching and for reading
0:22
But do I actually think you should shell out $1,900 for this wider form factor, or are the trade-offs too much to ignore? Let's break it down
0:30
Reason to buy at number one, Samsung finally fixed two of my biggest floatable pet peeves
0:38
First, the crease on the main 7.6-inch display is drastically reduced thanks to Samsung's
0:43
flex titanium tech. They used a titanium alloy film with micro perforation so the display sits virtually
0:49
air gap free. Yes, you can still feel it if you drag your finger across, but visually, it practically
0:55
disappears when watching content. Second is the anti-reflective coating. If you use this phone outside, the reduction in glare
1:04
compared to the Fold 7 is night and day. Plus, when unfolded, the 4 by 3 aspect ratio means
1:11
smaller black bars when streaming shows or trailers. Flip around to the 3 by 4 mode
1:16
and you have a screen that's ideal for browsing the web and reading ebooks. Typing here is a lot more comfortable because the keys are closer together. Yes, I know you have
1:25
the option of using the split keyboard if you have the Z Fold 8 Ultra but it just a lot wider on that phone So when it comes to just typing I prefer the regular Fold 8 One of the things that I most surprised about with the Galaxy Z
1:38
Fold 8 is the front display. So at 5.5 inches, I actually thought it was going to be too small at
1:43
first to use as my everyday phone. But I found that it's wide enough not only for comfortable
1:48
typing, but also for like scrolling through TikTok and using apps just as you would with
1:53
any other phone. And you have the option of going big whenever you want it
2:00
Win number two, performance and battery endurance. There's already a video live here on the channel
2:05
featuring the Tom's Guide battery test results for all three of Samsung's latest-gen foldables
2:10
But the Z Fold 8's 4,800 mAh silicon carbon battery lasted nearly an hour and a half longer
2:16
than the Fold 7. And with upgraded 45-watt wire charging, you can hit a 70% charge in just 30
2:23
minutes. Under the hood, the Fold 8 is packing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip for Galaxy
2:29
Multi-core performance in Geekbench and graphics benchmarks actually beat out the iPhone 17 Pro Max
2:34
Multitasking with three apps open simultaneously didn't show a single stutter. Gaming is a blast
2:41
on this phone too, and there's lots of titles that look great on the wide display
2:47
The third big reason I like this phone is that it has AI that actually makes sense on a foldable
2:53
My favorite feature is Now Nudge. If someone texts you asking to grab dinner next week
2:57
an icon pops up that opens your calendar automatically in split mode There also My Fan Cam which lets you pick one person in a video clip and automatically crops and tracks them Perfect for sports or concerts
3:18
Now for the downsides, and deal breaker number one is the cameras. Don't get me wrong, the dual
3:24
50-megapixel main and ultra-wide cameras take great photos. Dynamic range is solid
3:29
low-light nitrography is improved, and close-ups look rich. But charging $1,900 for a flagship
3:35
phone in 2026 and dropping the telephoto zoom lens entirely is frustrating. Digital zoom at 10x
3:41
looks noticeably blurry compared to the Fold 8 Ultra or even the Motorola Razr Fold
3:47
Deal breaker number two is a collection of somewhat confusingly absent hardware features
3:52
Because of the redesigned hinge, there's no flex mode on the standard Fold 8
3:56
That feature is exclusive to the $2,100 Fold 8 Ultra. That means you can't prop it open like a mini laptop for video calls or YouTube
4:05
There's also still no S Pen support, and durability is stuck at IP48
4:11
It handles water just fine, but has zero dust resistance, meaning taking it to the beach remains a gamble
4:17
while competitors like Google and Motorola offer an IP68 rating. And the last reason I'm hesitant about recommending the Z Fold 8, app optimization
4:27
While apps like Gmail and TikTok look great with side menus apps like X and Instagram just completely have stretched out phone apps Slack wastes massive amounts of screen real estate That likely won be the case for the upcoming iPhone Ultra which will essentially be an iPhone
4:43
and iPad mini in one device. Let me be real for a second. Despite being physically smaller and
4:50
lighter than the Fold8 Ultra, it's really not that much smaller price-wise. We're talking about a $200
4:55
difference between this and the $2,100 Ultra. In fact, if you upgrade this Fold8 to the 512GB
5:02
storage option, it costs $2,100, which is the exact same starting price as the Ultra. So you
5:08
aren't buying the standard full date to save cash. You should only buy the full date if you
5:12
specifically prefer the shorter, passport-style form factor and want the lightest, book-style
5:17
foldable in your pocket. To be clear, this is the foldable I'd rather carry on a day-to-day basis
5:23
But if you're already dropping nearly $2,000 and you want optical telephoto zoom, flex mode
5:28
and maxed out specs, you should skip the standard model and step up to the Ultra
5:33
What do you think? Is $200 enough of a gap to justify losing the telephoto lens
5:38
or would you jump straight to the Ultra? Or are you waiting for Apple's first foldable
5:42
Let me know in the comments below, and don't forget to like and subscribe to the channel
5:46
for all the latest reviews. For Tom's Guide, this is Mark Spoonhour. Thank you
Computers & Electronics