I went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and this passport-shaped oddity has revived my interest in foldable phones

Date:
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Description:
Prefer watching Netflix to taking photos? I tried the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold
8, and it might just be the best phone for streaming video.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Ive tested plenty of the best foldable phones in my time at TechRadar, but Ive never opted to use one of these devices as my main handset long-term.

I use my phone for consuming content scrolling, reading, watching more than I do for productivity tasks, and so the appeal of having a heavier phone with a giant, square-sized foldable screen isnt, for me, all that strong. Why
would I watch a YouTube video with big black letterboxing above and below it, when I could simply use my regular phone in landscape for a better video-watching experience? The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a different proposition entirely. Its still a book-style foldable its got one smaller screen on the outside, and one larger screen on the inside that you open with both hands but its shorter, wider, and dare I say cuter than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 before it. Its the Galaxy Z Fold 7.5 in all but name (or maybe the Galaxy Z Fold Fat?). Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Image 1 of 2 The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (left) and Galaxy Z Fold 8 (right) (Image credit: Future) The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (left) and Galaxy Z Fold 8 (right) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original This passport-shaped foldable has a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main display, with aspect ratios that make it, when closed, easier
to use one-handed and better suited to video-watching when open.
Specifically, when closed, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 3:4 ratio in portrait meaning your thumbs can easily reach the top of the screen and a 4:3 aspect ratio in landscape. When open, its a 10:16 ratio thats optimized for widescreen content.

For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and indeed the new Galaxy Z Fold 8
Ultra, which retains the formers tall and narrow form factor has a 21:9
cover display and an almost square 1.11:1 inner display, which is great for spreadsheets and multitasking, but less brilliant for watching World Cup highlights on the train home. You may like I've spent an hour with the
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and I need it Here's how the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and iPhone Ultra will fix foldables in 2026 I've tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, and its new camera features make it an excellent vlogging camera alternative

Heres how the video-watching experience on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra which you can read about in our hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold
8 Ultra preview compares, in both orientations: Image 1 of 2 The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (left) and Galaxy Z Fold 8 (right) (Image credit: Future) The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (left) and Galaxy Z Fold 8 (right) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original Yes, I know the black bars are still very much visible when the Galaxy Z
Fold 8 is unfolded. But still, they're significantly smaller than those on
the Ultra, and as for the outer display, the difference is night and day. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

This is the key selling point of Samsungs new shorter, wider foldable. Its displays have the same 120Hz refresh rate and 3,000-nit peak brightness as
the pricier Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but they dont waste as much screen real estate as those on that square-sized premium model. If, like me, you use your phone primarily for watching videos and scrolling through social media, this is a big deal.

We realize that there's enough of a segment where consumers are very heavy on media, and basically you consume social media, you consume videos, you play games, and you read books in a mostly similar form factor, Samsung told us
for our deep-dive into why it built the Galaxy Fold 8.

The company also describes the phones unfolded screen size as the new
standard for viewing content, which makes sense when you consider that Apple is also rumored to be releasing a similarly sized foldable iPhone later this year. What to read next These are the updates I want to see from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Here's why SuperSaf is just as excited as we are about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's battery iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumor comparison @techradar

original sound - TechRadar Small but mighty The entire Samsung Galaxy Z 8 lineup (Image credit: Future) An important note: in the case of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, smaller does not mean less powerful. Its got the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset under the hood i.e., the same chipset as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the entire Galaxy S26 line plus 12GB of RAM in every storage configuration except 1TB, in which youll get 16GB of RAM.

Naturally, I didnt have enough time to really test the mettle of this
chipset, but lets be honest: we already know its a beast. It powers plenty of the best Android phones , and I dont expect the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to feel any different to those Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-equipped devices from a performance perspective.

The first real differences between the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its larger sibling come in the camera department. This wider foldable packs a respectable 50MP wide lens and a 50MP ultra-wide lens, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra gets a superior 200MP wide lens and a 10MP telephoto lens for zoom shots. Image 1 of 2 The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (left), Galaxy Z Fold 8 (center), and Galaxy Z Flip 8 (right) (Image credit: Future) The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (left), Galaxy Z Flip 8 (center), and Galaxy Z Fold 8 (right) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra also has a slightly larger battery (5,000mAh) than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (4,800mAh), but both phones finally finally! use silicon-carbon battery technology , so you should still get plenty of life from the latters smaller cell.

Silicon-carbon batteries can store up to 50% more energy in the same physical space as conventional smartphone batteries, so Im expecting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to deliver longer battery life than the 4,400mAh-equipped Galaxy Z Fold 7, which lasted for around 12 hours (standard use) in our testing.

For reference, Chinese foldable manufacturers like Oppo, Honor, and Vivo have been using silicon-carbon batteries for some years now, so Samsungs adoption of this technology is a significant (if long overdue) step forward in markets like the US, where it hasn't been readily available.

As for charging, youll get 45W wired charging and 20W wireless charging, regardless of which model you choose, so the choice here is really between content and cameras. Would you prefer the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 for scrolling and watching videos, or the taller Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra for productivity and taking photos?

Personally, I think the formers shorter, wider form factor will be better suited to my needs, though I'm intrigued to see how much weaker the Galaxy Z Fold 8's main camera is compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's. At $2,099.99 / 1,899, the latter phone is more expensive than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 which costs $1,899.99 / 1,699 so it's safe to expect a noticeable gulf in photo quality.

I look forward to testing both devices properly after Unpacked. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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