Rumors of Samsung’s “wide” Galaxy Z Fold have been running for many months now, promising a shorter, broader form factor that is easier to use single-handed and opens up to reveal a more tablet-like landscape display instead of a square-ish one.
Ahead of the July 22 announcement, those rumors have multiplied and given us a better idea of what Samsung is planning with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8, and I have to say I’m thoroughly disappointed.
What Samsung has done here is take the nice idea of a wide foldable and ruin the best parts of it with the upcoming Z Fold 8.
Sure, it’ll have the promised form factor, but it will lack everything else that would make it an appealing foldable to someone like me.
What I expected from a wider Galaxy Z foldable
This should’ve been a proper flagship with all the bells and whistles
I’ve used the Google Pixel Fold for a few years now, and despite having both the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and 10 Pro Fold, I kept coming back to the original Fold because it just felt… right.
The outer display is easier to reach with one hand, and the inner display is better suited for watching video — not wasting half the screen on unusable black bars is a nicer experience after all.
My colleague Stephen agrees, saying he “wish[es] more companies would manufacture shorter phones with wider aspect ratios.”
So when rumors started floating around of Samsung following those footsteps to revive the wide book-style foldable, I was excited. Finally, we’d be getting a modern, powerful spiritual successor of the Pixel Fold that runs Android!
My expectations were high for this. I thought Samsung would treat it like a flagship device, throwing everything it had to compete with, perhaps even ridicule, the impending iPhone Fold.
I expected a high-end camera setup, the best-in-class processor, great battery life, and all the features that would help Samsung smugly say, “Your iPhone can’t do this.”
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is anything but that.
Quiz
Galaxy Z Fold series
Trivia challenge
From the original folding pioneer to the latest flagship — how well do you
know Samsung’s boldest smartphone series?
DesignHardwareHistoryFeaturesSpecs
In what year did Samsung officially launch the original Galaxy Z Fold, its first
commercially available foldable smartphone?
Correct! The original Samsung Galaxy Fold launched in 2019, after a
rocky start that saw its debut delayed due to screen durability concerns. It eventually went on sale in
September 2019 and marked a major turning point in foldable phone history.
Not quite. The original Galaxy Fold launched in 2019, though it was
initially announced earlier that year before a delay pushed its release back. Samsung used the extra
time to address hinge and display protection issues flagged by early reviewers.
What is the approximate unfolded display size of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6?
Correct! The Galaxy Z Fold 6 features a 7.6-inch inner display when
unfolded, making it closer to a compact tablet than a traditional smartphone. Samsung has maintained
this display size across several generations of the Fold series.
Not quite. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 sports a 7.6-inch inner foldable display
when open. This generous screen real estate is one of the key selling points of the Fold lineup,
allowing for genuine multitasking and productivity on the go.
Which processor powers the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5?
Correct! The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for
Galaxy, a slightly overclocked variant of Qualcomm’s flagship chip tuned specifically for Samsung’s
top-tier devices. It delivered a notable performance and efficiency jump over its predecessor.
Not quite. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for
Galaxy, a custom-clocked version of Qualcomm’s 2022 flagship chipset. Samsung has used a co-branded ‘for
Galaxy’ variant of Qualcomm chips across multiple Fold generations.
What major hinge improvement did Samsung introduce with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 compared
to the Fold 4?
Correct! The Galaxy Z Fold 5 introduced the Flexion hinge, which finally
allowed the device to fold completely flat with no gap between the two halves. Previous Fold models had
a noticeable gap when closed, which was a common criticism of the design.
Not quite. The big hinge upgrade in the Galaxy Z Fold 5 was the new
Flexion hinge, which let the phone close completely flat for the first time in the series. Earlier Fold
phones had a small but visible gap when shut, and eliminating it was a highly requested improvement.
Which Galaxy Z Fold model was the first to support Samsung DeX natively without
requiring a cable or dock?
Correct! The Galaxy Z Fold 4 was the first in the series to support
wireless Samsung DeX, letting users connect to a compatible display without needing a cable or dock. It
was a meaningful productivity upgrade for users wanting a desktop-like experience.
Not quite. Wireless Samsung DeX arrived with the Galaxy Z Fold 4. While
previous Fold models supported DeX via a wired connection, the Fold 4 cut the cord and made it easier
than ever to extend your foldable into a desktop-style workflow.
What was the original retail price of the Samsung Galaxy Fold at its 2019 launch in
the United States?
Correct! The original Samsung Galaxy Fold launched at $1,980 in the US,
making it one of the most expensive consumer smartphones ever released at the time. That eye-watering
price reflected both the cutting-edge folding technology and the limited production scale.
Not quite. Samsung priced the original Galaxy Fold at $1,980 when it
launched in 2019. It was a premium price tag for what was an experimental category, and it signaled that
foldables would initially be a luxury product rather than a mainstream one.
How much RAM does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 include as standard across all
configurations?
Correct! The Galaxy Z Fold 6 comes with 12GB of RAM across all storage
variants. Samsung has kept this amount consistent throughout recent Fold generations, ensuring smooth
multitasking performance especially when running multiple apps simultaneously in split-screen mode.
Not quite. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 ships with 12GB of RAM in all versions.
Given how heavily the Fold series leans into multitasking and productivity, having ample memory is
essential, and 12GB helps keep multiple apps running smoothly side by side.
Which Galaxy Z Fold generation was the first to officially support the S Pen,
bringing stylus functionality to the foldable line?
Correct! The Galaxy Z Fold 3 was the first in the series to support the
S Pen, although it did not include a built-in slot for storage. Users had to purchase the S Pen Fold
Edition separately, but the large inner display made it a natural fit for note-taking and sketching.
Not quite. S Pen support arrived with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in 2021.
Samsung engineered the inner display with a specially hardened layer to handle stylus input without
damage, and while the pen wasn’t included in the box, the compatibility opened up a whole new use case
for the Fold lineup.
Your Score
/ 8
Thanks for playing!
Samsung is skipping the most important camera
Skipping the zoom lens on a $2,000 phone is a big mistake
According to the most recent and very believable rumors, Samsung plans to release its wide foldable as the regular Galaxy Z Fold 8, leaving the narrower and taller form factor to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Those names alone were enough to make my eyebrows raise in question because why is the wider model not an “Ultra,” and what is it missing?
A lot, as it turns out.
The most obvious downgrade is the removal of the zoom lens. The Galaxy Z Fold 8, a $2,000 phone, will sport one main camera lens and one ultrawide lens — no telephoto in sight.
I don’t understand how any flagship in 2026 can skip a zoom camera.
Parents need it to take pics of little Tom or Amy from more than five feet away; pet owners love it because it lets them snap cute shots without getting too close and waking up sleepy Max or Pumpkin; nature lovers use zoom to get better macros; and so on.
If you travel and shoot cityscapes, go to concerts or sports events, or want to take a picture to read the menu behind the counter at a new bar without moving too close through the crowds, a telephoto lens is essential.
When I pay $1,000 for a phone, I expect it to be there. At $2,000, it’s not even a question, and yet, Samsung has decided to skip it with the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Worse yet, the main camera is limited to a 50MP sensor, which will make any zooming beyond 2x a stretch. You might be able to get a decent shot at 4x with good stabilization, but forget about 8x or anything beyond that.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is delivering the bare minimum
No magnets for Qi2 and no IP68 rating
We don’t know the entire spec sheet of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, but it should have Samsung’s new Flex Titanium display for a less visible crease, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy, and a decent 4,800mAh battery.
No Silicon carbon here — Samsung is sticking with Lithium ion, so we don’t get those large 6,000mAh+ batteries that phones like the Honor Magic v6 sport.
It’s also looking unlikely that Samsung will pack in magnets for Qi2 charging inside the phone (you’ll need to buy a magnetic case) or give it a more resistant IP rating than IP48.
Dust ingress will remain a worry, so you’d better not take it to the beach or put it in a pocket full of lint.
Those two features — Qi2 magnets and an IP68 rating — already exist in last year’s Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. If Google’s small hardware team can find a way to make these work, I can’t believe how Samsung couldn’t.
And let’s not mention the inner display’s selfie camera still being stuck in the middle of the screen instead of off to the corner.
Android doesn’t deal well with it, so a lot of apps will show content or menu items that will be hidden by that camera.
This is the Galaxy S25 Edge all over again
Samsung has been on a reactionary “try and dump” strategy for the last couple of years.
The Galaxy TriFold was an answer to Huawei’s triple foldables and was discontinued quickly after. The Galaxy S25 Edge saw the same fate, but its story draws more parallels with the upcoming Z Fold 8.
Just like it, it was shoehorned in as an add-on to an existing, successful Galaxy lineup, and clearly a reactionary move to an upcoming Apple product.
Looking back, it was evident that the Galaxy S25 Edge strategy was nothing but “We have a slim phone too, and we did it first!” in answer to the iPhone Air.
It, too, skipped the zoom camera and stuck with a main lens and an ultrawide. It, too, launched at an exorbitant price for the specs. And it, too, had a better “Ultra” alternative that true Samsung fans could choose instead.
Repeating the same mistake and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, the saying goes, but what do I know?
I don’t have the Samsung execs’ financial projections, so maybe they know this wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be successful despite its shortcomings. Or maybe the marketing cred of doing it before Apple is worth all the sacrifices.
What is absolutely certain is that it looks lazy, uninspired, and silly from a Samsung fan’s perspective, and, as someone who had high hopes for the company’s take on a wide foldable, I am thoroughly disappointed. I’ll be skipping this one, Samsung.
