GoKawiilZac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
When I first saw the Galaxy Z Fold 8 leaks and rumors, I was ready to write it off. I assumed it was just a half-hearted effort to make a wide folding phone before Apple — this year’s version of the trend-chasing we saw with the Galaxy S25 Edge.
I’m pleased to say I was wrong. I spent a few hours with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 last week, and of the three folding phones Samsung is releasing this year, this is by far my favorite.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Hot or not? 14 votes Hot 86 % Not 14 %
Compact and comfortable
The first thought I had when I picked up the Z Fold 8 is that it’s tiny. It’s a little wider than most phones, but the reduction in height more than makes up for it. At 201g, it’s the lightest book-style folding phone ever, and that immediately makes it feel special.
One reason flip phones have made a comeback is their compact size. My wife used one for years because it was much easier to fit in her pockets, but in the end, she went back to a normal phone because the cover screen couldn’t do enough, and it became a chore to unfold the phone every single time. The Z Fold 8 is the best of both worlds — it’s light and compact, barely takes up any space in the pocket, and is a fully usable smartphone while closed. Opening it up into a tablet focused on media consumption is just a bonus.
The only issue some people may have is using it with one hand. I didn’t find it to be an issue, but I used to use a Nexus 6 one-handed, so maybe I’m not the best person to comment on that. What I can say is that the lightness meant it didn’t feel unwieldy, even when I had to shuffle the phone around, and Samsung’s one-handed mode is easy to use.
What the Z Flip 8 has going for it is price. At $1,200, it’s $700 cheaper than the $1,900 Z Fold 8, and that’s an amount too significant to ignore.
The Z Fold 8 is a media machine
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