Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Review: The Foldable That Makes Sense

Verdict: A Foldable That Finally Feels Practical

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a book-style foldable phone with a short-and-wide, passport-like design that pairs a 5.5-inch cover display with a 7.6-inch inner Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, aiming to fix earlier foldable complaints around battery life, display crease visibility, and awkward video letterboxing while keeping flagship-level performance and durability. At USD 1,899.99 (approx. RM8,750) for the base model, this is not an impulse buy, but it finally feels like a foldable that could replace a traditional flagship for people who live in split-screen apps and media streaming. If you mostly use your phone one-handed and hate bulky hardware, the Z Fold 8’s wider, thicker footprint and price make it a harder sell. For power users, though, it is the first Samsung foldable that legitimately justifies its premium for day-to-day use.

Design, Hinge, and Everyday Comfort

The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s defining change is its passport-like shape: shorter, wider, and easier to use as a mini tablet when open, and as a chunky phone when closed. Deeper scoops along the edges create a bigger gap between the halves, making the hinge noticeably easier to open without digging in your fingernails. Samsung’s Flex Titanium dual-layer structure flattens what used to be a pronounced crease into a subtle seam, though it becomes more visible after a week of use, hinting that long-term wear is still a question mark. The Advanced Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 on the front, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back give the phone a premium, sturdy feel without excessive weight. At 201g, it is impressively light for a book-style foldable, but the wider waistline can be awkward in narrow jean pockets. You get IP48 protection, which is reassuring for rain and splashes, but you still need to treat sand and fine dust with care.

Displays and Media: Finally Great for Video

Earlier Samsung foldables were infamous for aggressive letterboxing when you watched 16:9 video on their tall 10:9 displays; the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s 4:3 main screen almost eliminates that annoyance. The 7.6-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel with 1,828 x 2,448 resolution and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate looks lively and sharp, with HDR10+ support and a claimed 3,000-nit peak brightness that keeps content readable in bright sun. The 5.5‑inch cover display is also Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X with 120Hz, protected by Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3, and is far more usable than the narrow candy-bar covers on older Folds for typing and scrolling. According to testing, colors and contrast make movies and games look detailed enough to spot fine textures on characters’ clothes. The trade-offs: the subtle crease is still visible at certain angles, especially on light backgrounds, and the short-and-wide shape is less comfortable for one-handed thumb reach than a conventional phone.

Performance, Battery Life, and Foldable Phone Comparison

With the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and up to 16GB of RAM, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 delivers flagship-class performance on par with rival foldables from Motorola and Google. In Geekbench 6, it posts single- and multi-core scores of 3,136 and 8,975, respectively, confirming plenty of headroom for heavy multitasking. One UI 9 on Android 17 supports split-screen and floating windows smoothly, and Samsung promises up to seven major OS upgrades, which is a strong longevity story for a pricey device. Battery life is where this generation finally feels ready for prime time: the 4,800mAh cell and upgraded 45W charging help the Z Fold 8 last around 16 hours in a demanding video-streaming test at max brightness, with earlier testing quoting nearly 17 hours. Wireless and reverse wireless charging round out the package. Compared with the similarly priced Motorola Razr Fold and slightly cheaper Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the Z Fold 8 trades their higher base RAM or different chipsets for Samsung’s software ecosystem, AI features, and more media-friendly aspect ratio.

Price, Value, and Final Verdict

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at USD 1,899.99 (approx. RM8,750) for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, rising through 512GB to a 1TB model with 16GB RAM at USD 2,499.99 (approx. RM11,510). That is a steep jump over mainstream flagships, and even within Samsung’s own range it sits above a single-screen Ultra at USD 1,299.99 (approx. RM5,980). You are paying for the foldable form factor, premium materials, long software support, and the comfort of a book-like device that finally fixes many of the pain points that kept earlier Folds feeling experimental. In the wider foldable phone comparison, it matches the Motorola Razr Fold’s price while offering less RAM at the base tier but a more media-friendly aspect ratio, and it costs more than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which starts at USD 1,799 (approx. RM8,290). If you value a tablet-like experience, improved crease, and long battery life more than absolute value per dollar, the Z Fold 8 is worth buying.

• Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 if you want a foldable that can genuinely replace a slab-style flagship for multitasking and media.
• Skip the Galaxy Z Fold 8 if you mostly use your phone one-handed and prioritize pocketability over a larger inner screen.
• Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 if you care about long software support, with up to seven major Android upgrades promised.
• Skip the Galaxy Z Fold 8 if you are price-sensitive and can’t justify spending from USD 1,899.99 (approx. RM8,750) on a phone.
• Buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 if you want a wide, 4:3 display that reduces black bars for movies compared with older tall Fold designs.
• Skip the Galaxy Z Fold 8 if you’re worried about long-term crease visibility and prefer tried-and-true flat-screen durability.