Pros & Cons #
-
Media-friendly aspect ratio is great for video
-
Nearly 17 hours of battery life
-
Strong, featherweight build
-
Significantly reduced crease
-
Useful AI software
-
Long-term support
-
No telephoto camera
-
Still vulnerable to grit
-
Only average cameras
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Specs #
| Battery Life (As Tested) | 16 hours, 30 minutes | | Camera Resolution (Rear; Front-Facing) | 50MP, 50MP; 10MP, 10MP | | CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | | Dimensions | 4.88 by 3.22 by 0.38 inches folded, 4.88 by 6.35 by 0.18 inches unfolded | | Operating System | Android 17 | | Screen Resolution | 1,848 by 2,448 pixels | | Screen Size | 7.6 |
The $1,899.99 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 brings a new short-and-wide shape to Samsung’s foldable lineup, while the classic tall-and-skinny design lives on as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra ($2,099.99). After testing it for a week, I’m ready to ditch my boring, single-screen Galaxy S26 Ultra ($1,299.99). The Z Fold 8 fixes nearly every foldable bugbear: “The battery life is awful.” Not anymore, it lasted nearly 17 hours in testing. “The crease is too irksome.” Samsung made it much harder to see. “All the black bars make watching videos annoying.” The Z Fold 8’s more media-friendly aspect ratio reduces the distracting letterbox look. Although the Z Fold 8 faces stiff competition from the $1,899.99 Motorola Razr Fold and $1,799 Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, its spacious main display, enduring battery life, and practical AI features earn it a comfy seat on our list of the best foldable phones and an Editors' Choice award.
Design: Thank You, Titanium #
Who do I have to thank at Samsung for making this design change? Perhaps Apple's rumored foldable galvanized Samsung to "panic pivot." Whatever sparked the departure, I'm enamored with the new short-and-wide aesthetic.
If you ignore the camera module in the top-left corner, you could mistake the Z Fold 8 for a passport book or pocket journal. Unfold it, and you're greeted by a spacious, 7.6-inch display with a hole-punch selfie camera on the top-right side. The front features a 5.5-inch cover screen with a selfie camera in the top center. The notorious crease for which folding phones are known is all but absent. Samsung credits a dual-layer structure called Flex Titanium for flattening the display and turning what was once a glaring trench into a subtle seam. A week in, though, that crease doesn't seem quite as stealthy as it did out of the box. Only time will tell if this is just the display settling in or an early preview of long-term wear.
Samsung made the phone easier to open than earlier foldables. Deeper scoops along the edges create a wider gap between the two halves, giving you more leverage to open the phone without resorting to your fingernails or fumbling for a grip.
My Z Fold 8 review unit is Lavender. Pastel colors aren't really my style, but I appreciate the matte, anti-fingerprint finish. You can get the phone in three other colors: Cream, Graphite, and Pistachio (exclusive to Samsung.com).
Dimensions and Weight
The Z Fold 8 measures 4.88 by 3.22 by 0.38 inches (HWD) when closed, and 4.88 by 6.35 by 0.18 inches when opened.
The Motorola Razr Fold features a taller, narrower design and measures 6.30 by 2.85 by 0.38 inches folded and 6.30 by 5.69 by 0.20 inches opened. This makes the Z Fold 8 shorter, wider, and thinner. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold sits between the two at 6.11 by 3.00 by 0.43 inches (folded) and 6.11 by 5.92 by 0.20 inches (opened).
Placing the Z Fold 8 next to its pricier Ultra sibling, which carries over the size and shape of last year's Z Fold 7, the new phone is shorter, wider, and thicker: The Ultra is 6.24 by 2.87 by 0.35 inches folded, 6.24 by 5.64 by 0.16 inches unfolded. Keep in mind that the Z Fold 8's wider waistline may not play nice with your jean pockets if they're too narrow.
Samsung boasts that the Z Fold 8 is the lightest book-like foldable on the market, weighing just 7.09 ounces. For perspective, the Z Fold 8 Ultra weighs 7.58 ounces, while the Razr Fold weighs 8.5 ounces. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is even heavier at 9.1 ounces. The Z Fold 8 is impressively light, considering it's basically two phones stuck together.
Durability
The Z Fold 8 (and Z Fold 8 Ultra) has an IP48 dust- and water-resistance rating. Plus, it's protected against dirt and debris larger than 1mm. The "4" means that while it can keep particles larger than 1mm at bay, sand at the beach is still a major threat. The "8" means it can survive submersion in water up to about 5 feet deep for about 30 minutes. The Razr Fold takes it up a notch with IP49 certification, which provides extra protection against high-pressure water jets, but it still has the same rating against dust and dirt. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold has an IP68 rating, giving superior dust and similar water resistance that surpasses both Samsung and Motorola.
Despite its lower price tag, the Z Fold 8 gets the same premium structural treatment as the Ultra model. This means an Advanced Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 on the front, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the rear. The Razr Fold has an aluminum frame, and Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 protecting the screen. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold's front features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the rear features first-gen Victus Glass.
Buttons and Ports
On the right side, where the edges meet, you'll find a volume rocker and a power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader. Registering my print was quick and easy. You can also opt for face unlock, though I'd stick with using your thumb for the best security. You can also use a PIN number, password, or pattern.
At the bottom edge are a USB-C port and a speaker grille. At the top edge, you'll find the SIM card tray and another speaker grille.
Display: Bye-Bye Black Bars #
Samsung finally pulled its fingers out of its ears and addressed one of its users’ biggest complaints. The candy bar-style design on older Z Fold models had one serious problem: its 10:9 aspect ratio led to aggressive letterboxing of 16:9 content that bordered videos.
The Ultra model still sports the 10:9, 8.0-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x panel with a 2,504-by-2,256-pixel resolution and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
Main Display
The Z Fold 8's passport-style aesthetic yields a 4:3 aspect ratio that's better suited for video playback than the tall-and-skinny design. It's a visual treat to stream my favorite videos on the 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, which features a 1,848-by-2,448-pixel resolution and an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. I watched *Shrek the Third, *and the protagonist's yellowish olive lime skin popped on the screen while allowing me to spot fine details like his pores and the burlap-like texture of his clothes.
I'm also impressed with how well the Z Fold 8's display handles bright, sunny days, thanks to its 3,000-nit peak brightness, which you also find on the Ultra and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. While I was drenched in sunrays during a walk in the park, content remained crisp and vibrant, whether I was scrolling through a PCMag article or watching a YouTube video.
The Razr Fold's incredible 6,200-nit display crushes both the Z Fold 8 and Ultra. Its larger 8.1-inch, 2K LTPO pOLED panel also has a higher pixel density, thanks to its 2,484-by-2,232-pixel resolution. Similar to the Z Fold series, the Razr Fold has a 120Hz refresh rate.
Matching the Z Fold 8 series, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has an 8.0-inch Super Actua Flex Display with a resolution of 2,076 by 2,152 pixels and an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. It looks like Samsung and Google's main screen specs just can't compete with the Razr Fold, which has more than double the brightness.
Cover Screen
Samsung claims that the best use case for the cover screen is social media scrolling, à la TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and reading ebooks. I'm not sure I agree.
I prefer the main display for both experiences because the larger canvas makes content easier to consume. Why opt for the smaller 5.5-inch, 1,972-by-1,248-pixel, 120Hz, 3,000-nit display when I can use the larger, inner display after rotating it 90 degrees into portrait mode?
Instead, the cover screen shines in two scenarios: typing messages with less thumb stretching and checking notifications at a glance.
If Samsung meant that the Z Fold 8's cover screen is more ideal for vertical content compared with the skinnier cover displays of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (6.4 inches), Razr Fold (6.6 inches), and Ultra (6.5 inches), I can get with that. The short-and-wide front display certainly makes for less claustrophobic reading and more comfortable doomscrolling.
Performance: 'Too Powerful' for Gaming #
The cheapest Z Fold 8 model costs $1,899.99; it comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can bump your storage to 512GB, with the same memory, for $2,099.99. The maxed-out configuration with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage costs a staggering $2,499.99. It's pricey, but not as expensive as the Ultra, which will set you back $2,099.99, $2,299.99, and $2,699.99 for the same configurations, respectively.
The Razr Fold offers more RAM and storage in its standard configuration: 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $1,899.99. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold, starting at $1,799, comes with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, the Razr Fold is the winner here.
The Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the Razr Fold share the same chip: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold has a different processor: the Google Tensor G5.
Geekbench 6
On Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip inside the Z Fold 8 delivered single- and multi-core scores of 3,136 and 8,975, respectively. The Razr Fold did worse on the single-core test (2,642), but was victorious on the multi-core test (9,468). The Pixel 10 Pro Fold scored 2,340 on the single-core test and 6,430 on the multi-core test, placing last here.
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
I ran the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test on the Z Fold 8, but the chip is so beastly that I got a message that said, "Your device is too powerful for this test," with an overall score of "Maxed out!" On 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, the Razr Fold scored 5,120 frames at 30.66fps.
If you're a mobile gamer, sprint to the nearest Samsung store to grab the Z Fold 8; I can't think of a more fitting form factor. Playing games on the Z Fold 8 is absolutely glorious. I don't miss contorting my arms to play games on a narrow slab phone. I played Temple Run on the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and it turns out, I was never bad* *at it; I just didn’t have enough space. I also fired up the graphics-intensive game Genshin Impact on the Custom 60fps preset, and the GPU delivered smooth frame rates while I attacked gelatinous enemies and furry, faceless guards.
Battery Life: Nearly 17 Hours #
The Z Fold 8 comes with a 4,800mAh silicon-carbon battery, which is 200mAh short of the Ultra's 5,000mAh battery. Based on its own video playback test, Samsung claims it can last for up to 26 hours on a single charge.
Based on our testing, Samsung is off by about 10 hours. In the PCMag battery test, which streams a 1080p video loop over Wi-Fi with the screen set to max brightness, the Z Fold 8 lasted 16 hours and 30 minutes, surpassing the Z Fold 7's 13 hours.** **It's also better than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold's 13 hours and 42 minutes of battery life.
The Z Fold 8 supports 45W wired charging and 20W wireless charging. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn’t much of a contender at 25W wired and 15W wireless, but the Razr Fold recharges rapidly at 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
When connected to a compatible charger, the Z Fold 8 reached 44% in 15 minutes, 76% in 30 minutes, and 100% in one hour on the dot.
Connections: Upload Speeds Could Be Better #
For cellular connectivity, the Z Fold 8 offers dual-SIM support, allowing you to pair a physical nano-SIM with an [eSIM](https://me.pcmag.com/en/sim-cards/29854/the-best-esim-for-2025) or run a dual-eSIM combo. Both the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra support [5G](/cell-phone-service-providers/82400/what-is-5g) (sub-6GHz, [C-band](/networking/130722/what-is-c-band-and-what-does-it-mean-for-the-future-of-5g), and mmWave). They also come equipped with [Wi-Fi 7](/wi-fi-mesh-networking-systems/139609/wi-fi-7-explained-everything-to-know-about-tomorrows-fastest-wireless-spec) and [Bluetooth 6.0](/networking/163473/bluetooth-is-getting-an-upgrade-heres-what-it-means-for-your-devices), a step up from the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s [Wi-Fi 6](/switches/127734/the-best-wi-fi-6-routers-for-2020) and Bluetooth 5.4, which should translate to faster wireless speeds and improved connectivity with accessories.
While connected to Verizon’s network at a Long Island shopping strip, the Z Fold 8 reached a maximum download speed of 307Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 3.91Mbps. Compare this with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which reached download and upload speeds of 311Mbps and 161Mbps, respectively, in the same location.
When connected to my home Wi-Fi 6 router, the Z Fold 8 reached peak speeds of 302Mbps (down) and 35.1Mbps (up). The iPhone 17 Pro Max topped out at 305Mbps (down) and 87.1Mbps (up). At the edge of my Wi-Fi network, the Z Fold 8 (43.3Mbps for downloads and 5.49Mbps for uploads) couldn't beat the iPhone 17 Pro Max (88.4Mbps for downloads and 6.37Mbps for uploads).
Audio: Clear Calls and Clear Sound #
I'd describe the call quality on the Z Fold 8 as middle-of-the-road. In a test recording, I banged on some pans, slammed some doors, and scraped a chair across the floor; I barely heard any of the background noises upon playback. However, the sound quality was nothing extraordinary. I sounded fine.
Placed right against the earpiece, my sound meter measured a peak output of 86.4dB, which is plenty loud enough for calls. Positioning the sound meter six feet away, it reached a maximum of 85.8dB.
Then I fired up PCMag's test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout." On the same six-inch test, the tune never got above 82dB. The sound quality is pretty solid. “Silent Shout” delivered punchy bass, crisp synths, and clear vocals, but it won't have you replacing your Bluetooth speaker.
Although the Z Fold 8 sounds decent on its own, you'll still want to pair it with a good set of headphones for a richer audio experience.
Cameras: Dual-Display Fun #
Samsung takes full advantage of the Z Fold 8’s form factor in the camera experience. For example, if you’re taking a photo of a friend, you can launch the viewfinder on the cover screen, allowing them to see how they look while you’re capturing the shot.
Better yet, the Z Fold 8 lets you take selfies with its rear cameras by using the cover screen as a viewfinder, producing sharper, more detailed shots than the front-facing camera.
The Z Fold 8’s camera playground is powered by a pair of 50MP rear cameras, including a standard wide lens and an ultrawide-angle shooter. Plus, there are two 10MP selfie cameras: one on the inner display and one on the cover screen. Pixel binning on the rear cameras is enabled by default to produce 12MP shots with improved processing, but you can always switch to full resolution when you want to capture the finest details.
Main Camera
I live in a sleepy, residential suburb in Long Island, so finding interesting subjects to capture isn't easy. But I still managed to snap some colorful shots with the 50MP, f/1.8 shooter that features autofocus and optical image stabilization (OIS).
At my local library, I spotted what looked like a typical world globe from afar, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was a celestial globe—one that maps constellations like the Big Dipper.
The 12MP sample above is brighter, capturing more light from the library's overhead fluorescent lights. However, the 50MP shot does a better job at reproducing crisp text. For example, the word "March" on the wooden horizon ring is sharper and crisper in the 50MP picture than in the 12MP capture.
Despite having fewer pixels, the 12MP shot of this basketball court just embarrassed the 50MP image. The latter struggled to capture fine details, creating softer pond ripples and less-defined tree leaves. Colors also appear more muted, whereas the 12MP shot produced richer yellows and greens.
Looking at the 12MP shot on its own, though, it’s not quite as impressive as it seems when you're *not *comparing it against a 50MP shot. The camera does an excellent job capturing the bench’s weathered wood grain, including the cracks and subtle textures across the surface. Despite the squirrel being the main character here, it got lost in the shot. This could be because the camera struggled to distinguish the squirrel from the similarly colored bench.
When fewer objects compete for attention, the Z Fold 8's main camera shines. I was impressed by this picture of wild sunflowers.
Every fine detail in the golden petals and fuzzy green stems comes through crisp and sharp, popping against the dark asphalt.
Ultrawide Camera
One thing I noticed is that if you bring your camera a little *too *close to an object while using the main lens, the Z Fold 8 will automatically switch over to the 50MP, f/1.9 ultrawide shooter, which has a 120-degree field of view. This happened to me while taking a picture of this red daylily.
At first, the override frustrated me—but the results quickly made up for it. The ultrawide camera captured the intricate, velvety texture of the red petals, the tiny yellow pollen grains, and the surrounding foliage with crisp clarity and rich, well-balanced color.
Harsh midday sunlight makes shooting landscapes a real test for any phone camera. Still, the ultrawide lens handles the light blue sky impressively. It's not blown out, and it preserves the wispy-cloud detail rather than clipping to white. Some parts of the image remain sharp (the foliage in the stream and the bridge), while the edges appear a little too soft for my tastes (the grass on the bottom-right of the picture).
Zoom
You won't find a dedicated telephoto lens on the Z Fold 8; you'll need to secure the Z Fold 8 Ultra for that. You can use the main lens, which supports up to 10x digital zoom, to zero in on subjects that are further away.
Remember this guy? Squirrels tend to move when you get too close, so I used a 5x zoom to get a closer look at him.
Unsurprisingly, this digital zoom shot is disappointing. The text on the black plaque looks like hieroglyphics, and our furry friend is soft, but not in a good way.
If you know anything about Canadian geese, you know they can be aggressive, particularly if you're walking near their nest, so I used the 5x zoom to capture them from a distance. The Z Fold 8 does a better job at capturing the waterfowl, likely because it's easier for it to distinguish them from the background. The geese's feathers are rendered with decent clarity, showing off that distinct scalloped texture.
Selfie Camera
The Z Fold 8 has two 10MP, f/2.2 selfie cameras: one on the cover screen and the other on the inner display. I'd argue that most people don't actually want an unforgiving, ultra-sharp lens capturing every minor imperfection. At the same time, they want social media-quality selfies.
I believe the front cameras strike a decent balance. In testing, it still picked up my wayward eyebrow hairs and dark spots on my skin, but it didn't aggressively capture my under-eye wrinkles.
It also did a good job of capturing my shirt's ribbed texture and my colorful pants. My only critique is that I wish that these shots were punchier, as the bright background greenery feels a little washed out.
Video
The Z Fold 8 can capture up to 8K video at up to 30 frames per second (fps). The videos look good in sunny, bright environments. However, once you step indoors, even if it's still daylight outside, the footage suffers a steep hit in clarity.
On the plus side, I enjoyed using the dual-recording feature on the Z Fold 8, which lets me capture my face while recording what's in front of me. The Z Fold 8 supports different formats, too, with the front capture appearing on top and the rear footage appearing at the bottom.
You can also do picture-in-picture mode, which is my favorite because it favors a more social-media-friendly aspect ratio.
Software: The Cure for AI Fatigue #
With the Z Fold 8 running on Android 17 and One UI 9, I had a lot of fun playing with the new Galaxy AI camera features. For example, you can now use natural language to edit photos, allowing me to add a top hat to this squirrel.
I also had a blast using FanCam, which lets you lock in on a subject and frame them as the new focal point in a video—even if there are five other people running around in the same shot. Other Galaxy AI features worth noting are Audio Eraser, which lets you clean up background noise in your videos so wind or distant chatter doesn't ruin your footage, and Live Effects, which transforms your flat 2D photos into smooth 3D clips.
Samsung also updated Now Brief, giving you more control over which cards appear in your daily summaries. It’s a small tweak, but you can prioritize the information that matters to you. Now Nudge has gotten smarter, too. Instead of surfacing an occasional reminder, it's designed to better anticipate your needs, whether that’s adding an important event to your calendar or pulling up your boarding pass before a flight.
Gemini has become a little more agentic, too. My English spouse is a soccer-obsessed fan of the Premier League (I refuse to call it "football"), so I thought I'd put the schedule on my calendar so I can tell him about upcoming games.
The specific prompt I used was, "Add the first five games of the Premier League to my calendar." In just seconds, Gemini populated the first five games, including their dates and times, and asked whether I was sure I wanted to add them. I can't lie; that was pretty cool.
I was taken aback by Gemini Notebooks, which is designed to make sense of multi-modal information (e.g., audio, video, and photos) by organizing them into a more digestible format. As a tech journalist, I'm frequently juggling interview recordings, briefing audio, and endless photos of slide decks. But after feeding it a mix of old videos, photos, and voice notes, I was genuinely impressed; it generated a clean, scannable infographic that instantly organized all that chaotic media into an overview.
Overall, despite my AI fatigue, Samsung pretty much nailed the software on the Z Fold 8 in a way that didn't have me rolling my eyes. These features, particularly Gemini's agentic abilities and Gemini Notebooks, are *actually *useful.
Samsung said it will offer seven years of software and security support for the Z Fold 8, which matches Google's commitment to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and handily beats Motorola's four-year promise for the Razr Fold.
Final Thoughts #
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 sets a new standard for book-style foldables by pairing a squatter, video-friendly inner display with excellent battery life, quick performance, and genuinely helpful AI features, making it the foldable to beat.