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A CNET reviewer says the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has become their favorite phone to use daily, citing its slim 4.5mm unfolded profile, 9.7mm folded thickness, and light 201-gram weight. The device lacks a telephoto camera and has an average 4,800-mAh battery, but its compact form factor and versatile display have made it stand out compared to past innovative designs like the Galaxy S25 Edge and iPhone Air.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a wider 16:10 cover screen and 4:3 main display ships without Flex Mode, the laptop-like propped-open feature Samsung has offered on foldables since the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The change stems from a hinge redesign that no longer locks the device at a half-open angle, a tradeoff a reviewer initially feared but ultimately found preferable after using the phone.
Amazon has issued its first discount on the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, lowering the price from $2,099.99 to $1,799.99, a 14% reduction. The Ultra is Samsung's premium foldable variant, featuring a larger 6.5-inch cover display, 8-inch main screen, Snapdragon flagship chip, roughly 5,000mAh battery, and a 200MP main camera.
Best Buy is offering the 256GB Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra for $1,799.99, a $300 discount that marks the lowest price since the phone debuted last month. The foldable brings brighter screens, sharper cameras, faster charging, and a larger 5,000mAh battery compared to its predecessor, though its hinge durability and IP48 rating trail some rival foldables.
Android Authority outlines five foldable phones that could serve as alternatives to Google's new $1,899 Pixel 11 Pro Fold, including Motorola's Razr Fold and Razr Ultra, plus Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra. The comparison highlights that despite the Pixel 11 Pro Fold being thinner and lighter than its predecessor, it has a smaller battery than last year's model and faces stiff competition on price, charging speed, and battery capacity.
Despite underwhelming sales, Apple's ultra-thin iPhone Air appears to have served as a testing ground for thinner designs and component choices that could enable a foldable iPhone. Analysts suggest Apple may debut a foldable device, speculatively called the iPhone Ultra, at its September event, with a second-generation Air possibly following in early 2027.
Google has quietly updated its developer documentation to reveal that just seven Android phones currently support Gemini Nano 4: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra. These are the only devices officially equipped to run Google's latest on-device Gemini Intelligence features.
A hands-on video from reviewer Vincent Zhong shows Huawei's new wide-format Pura X View can detect whether it's held in the left or right hand and shift on-screen elements accordingly. The keyboard, call accept/reject buttons, and some music player controls all reposition to match the holding hand, and the power button appears usable to flip e-reader pages.
Leaked images shared by Weibo user Peter show what appears to be an engineering prototype of the Xiaomi 18 Fold, a book-style folding phone with a camera island resembling the rumored iPhone Ultra design. The device reportedly comes in a dark cherry color, echoing speculation about one of the iPhone 18 Pro's colorways.
Tipster Tarun Vats found a new internal test build ending in "ZZHK" on Samsung's servers, suggesting a seventh One UI 9 beta for the Galaxy S26 series may still be coming despite six betas already released. A separate internal build ending in "BZHI" was also spotted, which Vats speculates could instead be the first stable release candidate.
Apple has confirmed a product event for September 9 at the Steve Jobs Theater, with invitations carrying the tagline 'Surprise and shine.' The showcase is expected to include updated iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, and possibly Apple's first foldable iPhone, reportedly using a book-style design similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Samsung has launched the Galaxy S26 FE with nearly identical specs to last year's S25 FE, including the same 6.7-inch OLED display, 4,900mAh battery, and triple rear camera. The main changes are an upgraded Exynos 2500 chipset, a slightly wider selfie camera, new color options, and a redesigned camera island, but the phone now starts at $699.99, a $50 increase over its predecessor.