Samsung has taken a rather different approach with the Galaxy Z Fold8. Rather than simply refining the existing foldable formula, the company has significantly changed the phone’s proportions, making it shorter and wider than its predecessors. The result is a foldable that feels more like a passport when closed and offers a much more practical canvas when unfolded.
At RM7,299, however, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is positioned firmly in premium territory. While its new form factor makes it particularly appealing for reading, multitasking and retro emulation, Samsung has also made several compromises that could make the Fold8 less appealing to users expecting an uncompromised flagship experience.
After spending time with the device, here is what we think of Samsung’s latest large-screen foldable.
Design
The most noticeable change is the Galaxy Z Fold8’s design. Samsung has moved away from the tall and narrow form factor of previous Galaxy Z Fold models and adopted a shorter, wider shape.
When folded, the phone takes on a passport-like appearance. While this does make the device feel different in the hand, the real benefit becomes apparent once the Fold8 is opened.
The main display now approaches a 4:3 aspect ratio, creating a considerably wider canvas than before. This is particularly useful for content that benefits from additional horizontal space. Reading ebooks is one example, as the display feels much closer to a traditional book page. Comics also benefit from the larger, squarer canvas, while two apps can be placed side by side with less of the cramped feeling commonly associated with foldables.
For productivity, the wider screen is arguably one of the Fold8’s biggest strengths. However, Samsung’s redesigned hinge comes with a significant trade-off.
The new hinge is noticeably less stiff than before. Rather than letting the phone sit comfortably at various angles, the Fold8 essentially wants to either open fully or stay at about 90 degrees. That means Flex Mode has been removed entirely.
This is an odd decision considering Flex Mode has been one of the defining software and hardware features of Samsung’s foldable phones. Being able to partially fold the device and use it at different angles was useful for everything from video calls to watching videos. With the Fold8, that flexibility is gone.
Display
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Z Fold8 with a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main display. Both panels support refresh rates of up to 120Hz and deliver the sort of brightness and colour consistency expected from a premium Samsung smartphone.
The cover display is also more practical than before thanks to the wider form factor. It feels less like a narrow secondary screen and more like a conventional smartphone display, making everyday tasks easier without necessarily requiring the phone to be unfolded.
Open up the device and the 7.6-inch panel provides a large workspace. Text is sharp, colours are accurate, and the high refresh rate keeps scrolling and animations smooth.
Unfortunately, there is one rather obvious problem. The main display features a large selfie camera punch-hole cutout.
Samsung previously experimented with an under-display camera on its Fold devices, but the Galaxy Z Fold8 goes back to a conventional punch-hole implementation. While a traditional camera generally offers better image quality than an under-display solution, the large cutout is particularly intrusive on a display designed around reading and consuming content.
It is difficult to ignore when watching videos, playing games or reading comics, especially because the surrounding display is otherwise so immersive.
The near-4:3 unfolded display is excellent for reading ebooks and comics. It also provides a spacious interface for multitasking and works particularly well for retro game emulation, where the wider display can provide a more natural layout.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
The Galaxy Z Fold8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, giving it flagship-level processing hardware on paper.
In everyday usage, performance is excellent. Apps launch quickly, animations are fluid, and the large amount of screen real estate allows the processor to handle multitasking without much trouble.
Gaming, however, reveals a major weakness. The Fold8 has an extremely low thermal limit, so aggressive thermal throttling kicks in.
This becomes particularly obvious in demanding games. Performance may initially be strong, but sustained workloads quickly result in the processor reducing its performance to keep temperatures within the phone’s thermal limits.
For a premium smartphone carrying a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, this is disappointing.
The problem is not the lack of processing power. Rather, Samsung appears to have restricted how long the hardware can maintain that performance. Users who primarily play lighter games probably will not encounter major issues, but those buying the Fold8 specifically for demanding titles should take note.
It is a particularly strange limitation given that the device has such a large unfolded display, which seems perfectly suited to gaming.
One UI 9.0
The Galaxy Z Fold8 runs One UI 9.0 based on Android 17, with Samsung continuing to build its software experience around the foldable form factor. You can read more about it in our Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra review here.
Multitasking remains one of the strongest reasons to buy a Galaxy Z Fold device. The large screen provides plenty of room to run multiple applications simultaneously, and the wider display makes this experience even more comfortable.
Samsung has introduced additional multitasking features with the Fold8, further improving how applications can be arranged and used together.
However, software optimisation is still inconsistent. Some applications do not properly take advantage of the Fold8’s unusual aspect ratio. Facebook, for example, can struggle with scaling and orientation when used on the wide unfolded display.
This highlights one of the challenges of making a foldable with such a different aspect ratio. Samsung can optimise its own applications, but third-party developers still need to make sure their apps behave correctly.
As more devices adopt wider foldable displays, this should improve. For now, however, expect the occasional application that looks or behaves strangely.
Camera
Samsung has also made a significant change to the camera system. The Galaxy Z Fold8 now comes with only two rear cameras, meaning there is no dedicated telephoto lens.
For a smartphone costing RM7,299, this is difficult to overlook. Samsung has instead provided shortcuts for 2x, 4x and 10x digital zoom. While having these shortcuts may make the camera interface look more convenient, the reality is that digital zoom cannot replace a proper telephoto camera.
In our view, these zoom shortcuts should never really be treated as proper alternatives to optical zoom. The further you push digital zoom, the more image quality deteriorates, particularly when lighting conditions are less than ideal.
Putting 10x directly into the camera interface almost feels overly optimistic. A dedicated telephoto camera would have made far more sense on a flagship foldable at this price point. Samsung has effectively reduced the versatility of the rear camera system while asking consumers to pay more for the device.
For users who prioritise photography, this is one of the Fold8’s biggest compromises.
Battery Life
The Galaxy Z Fold8 packs a 4,800mAh silicon-carbon anode battery. While the capacity itself is not particularly enormous for a foldable, battery life depends heavily on which display you use.
With the cover screen alone, the Fold8 can deliver nearly 19 hours of battery life. That is a very respectable result.
Once you start using the large unfolded display, however, endurance drops to around 13 hours and 44 minutes.
This isn’t surprising given the larger screen, higher refresh rate, and increased power requirements, but it reinforces an important point about the Fold8: the main display is best used when you actually need it.
Charging is supported at up to 45W. A full charge takes slightly more than an hour, which is acceptable but hardly class-leading. Considering the phone’s premium positioning, faster charging would certainly have been welcome.
Final Words
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 is a bold redesign rather than a straightforward generational upgrade.
Its shorter, wider body makes the device significantly more useful for reading, comics, multitasking, and retro emulation, while both displays deliver excellent brightness, refresh rates, and colour accuracy. Battery life is also respectable when using the cover screen.
However, Samsung has made several compromises that are difficult to ignore at RM7,299.
The removal of Flex Mode is a genuine step backwards, the two-camera setup lacks the versatility expected from a premium flagship, and the extremely conservative thermal limit prevents the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset from sustaining high performance during demanding games.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 is therefore not a universal flagship. It is a highly specialised device that makes a lot of sense for people who genuinely want a larger, squarer screen in their pocket.
If your priorities are reading, multitasking and emulation, the new form factor is compelling. If gaming performance, camera versatility and Flex Mode matter more to you, Samsung’s latest foldable may leave you wanting more.
At RM7,299, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is impressive in what it enables, but equally notable for what Samsung chose to take away.
- Z Fold8
- 12GB+256GB: RM7,299
- 12GB+512GB: RM8,099
- 16GB+1TB: RM9,699
Yay
- Nice 4:3 main display
- Good for media consumption
- Feature-rich software utilises the screen
Nay
- Unimpressive speakers
- No telephoto camera
- Small silicon-carbon battery
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