GoKawiilSamsung has finally made a book-style foldable that’s geared less toward productivity and more toward entertainment. It seems the company has realized that some of us just want a better way to scroll and binge-watch.
The $1,900 Galaxy Z Fold 8 is Samsung’s new baseline book-style foldable, sitting between the $1,200 clamshell-style Z Flip 8 and the top-of-the-line $2,100 Z Fold 8 Ultra, which carries on the design of last year’s Z Fold 7. The phones debuted at the company’s Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, and they’re available for preorder now before hitting shelves on Aug. 7.
With a 4:3 aspect ratio and a passport-sized design, the Z Fold 8 feels equally optimized for watching horizontal videos, multitasking in landscape mode and browsing vertically oriented apps in portrait mode. That versatility and compactness make the Z Fold 8 one of the most enjoyable phones I’ve used so far this year — though I still have some lingering questions I look forward to addressing in my full review.
The boldly reimagined Z Fold 8 arrives at a crucial time, as Apple reportedly gears up to launch its first foldable iPhone in the fall. Rumors suggest that device could also have a squarish 4:3 aspect ratio (similar to some iPad models), so this may well be Samsung’s attempt to stay ahead of the curve. And while Apple’s expected entry will mean fresh competition, Samsung has the advantage of several foldable generations — and years of consumer feedback — under its belt.
“This is Samsung going on the offensive,” Francisco Jeronimo, IDC’s vice president of client devices, said. “By bringing a wider, passport-style foldable to market ahead of Apple, Samsung gets to define the new format on its own terms rather than reacting to it later.”
He added, “With Apple’s announcement less than two months away, this is the first Unpacked where Samsung has to defend the category it created, and that’s why it cannot play it safe.”
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 takes up less space when closed than many other phones. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
What makes the Z Fold 8’s design different
I first got my hands on the Z Fold 8 during a visit to Samsung’s Korea headquarters last month, and I was eager to spend more time with it at this week’s Galaxy Unpacked event in London. The phone feels compact and palm-sized while folded. It’s a welcome break from the monotony of today’s smartphones, including Samsung’s other foldables, which haven’t changed much from last year’s models.
The Z Fold 8 fits snugly in my hand, giving the feel of a small pocket notebook you’d use to quickly jot down notes. It’s simply a fun phone to use because of its size and design. It’s not much thicker than the super-thin Z Fold 8 Ultra, measuring 4.5mm when open and 9.7mm when closed. It’s also the lightest Z Fold device, clocking in at 201 grams.
... continue reading