I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for a couple of weeks now. I can safely say that the honeymoon period is over, and I can now clearly see some of the phone’s drawbacks as well, in addition to its strong suits.
While I still do believe that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the ideal form factor for a foldable smartphone, there are some improvements that can be made; the phone is not perfect.
Before we get to it, do note that I previously wrote about the phone’s form factor and why I do believe that it’s the perfect one for a book-style foldable. It just makes so much sense, and I’m shocked it took the companies so long to release something like this. In any case, case you can read more about that if you’d like.
Now, let’s get to it. Do keep in mind there are a lot more positives to this phone that listed here, but I wanted to keep the list in a 5+5 format.
5 things I love about the Galaxy Z Fold 8
Form factor
Form factor is the first thing that always comes to mind when the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is concerned. A book-style foldable, in my mind, should be easily handled with one hand when folded, and its display needs to make sense when unfolded. Your opinion may differ, of course, but a (near) 1:1 aspect ratio of the main display on foldales makese no sense. It’s not good for vertical media consumption, and the same goes for horizontal media consumption. IT’s also not the best idea for multitasking either.
A 4:3 aspect ratio, on the other hand, makes a lot more sense. That’s what you’re getting with the Galaxy Z Fold 8. A compact phone in general when folded, with a still large enough 5.5-inch display. When unfolded, a 7.6-inch main panel shows itself, with a 4:3 aspect ratio. That aspect ratio is great for both vertical and horizontal media consumption, not to mention that I had a great time running apps side by side.
Weight
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is… shockingly light. I knew its weight before I put my hands on it, and yet it still managed to surprise me. Just to be clear, I’m used to using large book-style foldables, as those have been my daily drivers for years and years. Their weight has slowly but surely been decreasing, but not a single one has been as light as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, not even close to that.
This phone feels so great to hold and use in both folded and unfolded forms. Just to give you some points of reference, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 32 grams heavier, and it’s a slab phone. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is shockingly light for its size as well, but it’s still 13 grams heavier, and it’s also a slab phone. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra also feels very light for its size, and it’s 14 grams heavier. The OPPO Find N6, which I used prior to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, weighs 225 grams, and it’s not that heavy to me… still, it’s 24 grams heavier. You get the idea.
One-handed use
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the best book-style foldable for one-handed use; I truly believe that. It’s true that I have above-average hand size, but it’s no problem for me to reach across the display. I do have to tilt the phone a bit, but still. I love the fact that it’s so short, as it makes reaching the top of the screen a breeze. Regular book-style folables feel odd to hold and use after this; they literally do feel like TV remote controls.
The main display is a different story, of course, but holding the phone when it’s unfolded is a breeze, and to a degree, I do use it with one hand. It’s impossible to reach everything, of course, not even close, but still… it’s a great experience.
Battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 4,800mAh battery. That’s not exactly plenty, especially compared to the likes of the OPPO Find N6, HONOR Magic V6, and many other foldables which have stepped over the 6,000mAh level. Still, I had no issues with the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s battery life thus far, not even close.
In fact, it offers really, really good battery life. Even on heavier days of use, the phone managed to keep up until the end of the day. I did manage to get it close to dying a couple of times, but I really overdid it on those days. If you’re a power user, I do believe you’ll be happy with this phone. Gaming is not my thing, though, so things could change if you throw that into the equation. I only play casual games and very short gaming sessions, nothing serious. Gaming is the biggest battery drain, in addition to high-res video recording, of course.
Display crease
I still remember that huge display crease on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and especially previous models. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 made a major improvement in that regard, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 follows in its footsteps. Granted, I’ve been using Chinese book-style foldables mainly for years now, and the display crease hasn’t been an issue for me for a long time. I expected the same from the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the phone delivered.
The display crease on the phone is visible if you look at it from certain angles and when the phone’s display is off. It’s a minimal crease, though, and when you’re actually using the phone you’ll basically never notice it. Until I started getting ready to write this article, and actually think about the positives and negatives, I forgot that the crease was there… you will too.
5 things that Samsung could improve
Wobble
I have to admit that this is one of two things that annoyed me the most about the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Thanks to the camera placement on the back, the phone wobbles when placed on a tabletop so, so much. I have to admit I’ve mainly been using phones with centered camera setups on the back for quite some time now (as my daily drivers), so wobbling was a non-issue for me. This phone changed that.
This is less of an issue when the phone is unfolded, but when it’s on a tabletop, it’s folded 99% of the time… at least for my use cases. Interacting with the phone causes it to wobble considerably, and even shaking the table slightly will do the same. I didn’t expect this would bother me as much as it does. I do hope Samsung goes for a centered camera setup with the Galaxy Z Fold 9.
Cameras
Along with wobbling, the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s cameras are the biggest annoyance for me personally. I was quite disappointed with the setup here. Coming from the OPPO Find N6, these cameras are simply not up to par. The sheer fact that a periscope telephoto camera is not included, or a regular telephoto camera as a matter of fact, is very disappointing. I realized that I’m using that camera as much as the main shooter, if not more, so I always had to carry a second phone with me.
Furthermore, the main camera on the phone is not great. It simply is not. The sensor is not good enough for a high-end foldable, I’d say, plus it takes too long to take images in low light, not to mention they don’t turn out as good. Taking the OPPO Find N6 as a comparison point, these cameras are disappointing. I did expect that going in, though; I just expected them to be a bit better than they are. In good lighting, both the main and telephoto cameras do a decent job, though.
Wireless charging
While I do appreciate Samsung included wireless charging here, I’d love to see faster wireless charging next year. 20W wireless charging sure is an improvement, and many of you will be more than happy with that. Considering I’m used to 50W wireless charging at this point, I’d love to see an improvement in that area. What would also be great to have is magnets built into the phone, but that’s another story entirely. I’d rather have a thinner foldable phone than magnets, in all honesty.
S Pen
This is not a problem for me at all. I never had much use for an S Pen, and I’d rather it not be included or supported, if that means a heavier/thicker foldable. Still, many of you would probably like for it to be supported at least, and that’s entirely understandable, especially considering the size of the main display. A nice halfway point would be supporting the S Pen without providing a dock for it inside the phone. That way, the design wouldn’t suffer because of it. Who knows, we may end up seeing something like that with the Galaxy Z Fold 9.
Ingress protection
This did not exactly bother me, but I did have it in mind while I was using the device. Granted, I’m very careful with my phones, regardless of whether they’re foldable or non-foldable, despite the fact I’m using them mostly without a case. So an IP rating was never an issue for me, but it would be nice to have that peace of mind here.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Pixel 10 Pro Fold do offer an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, showing it can be done. If Samsung managed to get that rating for the Galaxy Z Fold 9, that would be a huge improvement. You’d have more peace of mind when it comes to dust particles. Regardless, I would not recommend taking your foldable to the beach, a construction yard, or anywhere where there’s a lot of dust at hand. It will probably be fine, but just one mistake is enough to complicate things.
The post Galaxy Z Fold 8: 5 Things I Love, 5 Things Samsung Should Improve appeared first on Android Headlines.
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