I Tried the Samsung Z Flip 8: This Compact Foldable Phone Ages Like Fine Wine, Only Slower

While Samsung has just unveiled an enticing new folding smartphone design with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the company continues to evolve its large-format folding smartphone, now named the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, as well as its smaller foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

Samsung continues to refine its clamshell-style folding smartphone (also known as “flip phone”). However, these improvements have been incremental, introduced over several years.

The almost non-existent competition (only Motorola offers a folding smartphone in this format, the Razr 70, which we recently reviewed) allows the South Korean manufacturer to develop its device at its own pace, slowly but surely, without significant technological upheavals with each new iteration. Similarly, since the introduction of Galaxy AI on the Z Flip 6 (in 2024), software innovations have also been introduced in small doses.

Once again, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 unfortunately follows this strategy. On paper, the smartphone is more powerful (new Samsung Exynos chip), more attractive (slimmer design), and more versatile (small screen now supporting all apps). But are these improvements as significant in practice? Let’s find out.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Our Video

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Design

If you liked the blue color of the Galaxy Z Flip 7, you’ll have to do without it for this year’s smartphone. Besides the black and white colors, you can now only opt for the pink model or the seafoam green color exclusively available on the manufacturer’s website.

According to Samsung, the casing of the Z Flip 8 is lighter and thinner than that of the Z Flip 7. And it’s true! However, is it really possible to be excited about a decrease of 0.4 mm in the thickness of the smartphone and a weight reduction from 188 grams to 180 grams? Not really! As these changes are not particularly significant.

Nonetheless, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is very appealing. Its handling is one of the most pleasant (thanks to its minimal thickness), and the hinge allows the smartphone to be folded so that the two sections of the main OLED screen are perfectly overlapped.

The smartphone is even more attractive as its finishes are flawless. Both screens are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which shields it from scratches that could occur when sliding the smartphone into a pocket with keys or into a bag.

Moreover, to ensure some durability in case of falls, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is surrounded by an aluminum frame.

In addition, the smartphone is IP48 certified, which means that while it’s not completely waterproof, it can be used in the rain.

The fingerprint reader is integrated into the power button. And, despite its compact dimensions, thumb recognition occurs without any hitches (face recognition is also possible).

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Display

After seven versions, the originality and practicality of this smartphone equipped with two OLED screens are no longer in question. The large, folding screen obviously offers the best display comfort. It proves more practical when it comes to displaying certain applications.

The small screen, on the other hand, facilitates quick consultation of basic applications that deliver relatively little information (alarm, calendar, calculator, contact management, etc.). At least, that was its original function.

With the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Samsung allows everyone the possibility to display any installed application on it. For example, one can play Fortnite on the small screen. While the interest may seem questionable, the freedom of action is now total. On previous models, one had to tinker via the Good Lock app.

Large Folding Screen

The large OLED screen has not evolved since the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Indeed, it still measures 6.9 inches diagonally and allows for displaying images in Full HD+ resolution, i.e., 2520 x 1080 pixels.

Like its predecessor, it supports a 120 Hz frequency and uses LTPO technology. Therefore, its frequency can be automatically adjusted by the operating system between 1 Hz and 120 Hz (if you are in Adaptive mode). This allows for very precise optimization of the screen’s energy consumption, thus offering the smartphone maximum battery life.

The edges of the screen, while not remarkably thin, are relatively discreet. The same is true for the crease, which is almost invisible when you are directly in front of the screen.

According to Samsung, the maximum brightness supported is 2600 nits. Using our Calibrite Display Pro HL probe and the CalMAN Ultimate software from Portrait Displays, we recorded the following measurements:

• Standard SDR brightness: 421 nits
• Additional SDR brightness: 724 nits
• Maximum brightness (Adaptive mode) SDR: 1380 nits
• Maximum brightness (Adaptive mode) HDR: 2500 nits

The contract is thus fulfilled. And this allows for excellent readability outdoors, even under a blazing sun. This is advantageous when you want to find your way with Maps, read an email or a notification that has just arrived, or consult a website.

However, the screen suffers from high reflectivity (like all OLED smartphone screens), and the display of dark images, such as when watching a film, reveals the reflections of the environment in which you find yourself.

For the rest, the colorimetry of the large screen is not stunning. For example, the average Delta E, in SDR mode, and with the color profile called Vivid Colors, is 4.41 (ideally, it should be less than 3). And switching to the profile called Natural does not improve things (average Delta E of 4.52).

Similarly, the average color temperature is 6804 K, which is slightly cold (very slightly bluish white). We therefore adjusted the white balance to obtain a warmer colorimetry, which brought the average color temperature to 6354 K. This is already closer to the ideal value of 6500 K. With this setting, the average Delta E improves slightly (3.94).

Finally, the color gamut coverage of the OLED panel is satisfactory, but no more. Indeed, the various gamuts (BT 709, DCI-P3, and BT 2020) could only be respectively reproduced at 134%, 90%, and 61%. This is quite close to the target set by all manufacturers (the ability to display the entire DCI-P3 gamut).

Small Screen

There is no change either in the small screen compared to the previous Z Flip. This one has a 4.1-inch diagonal and encompasses the two lenses.

It displays images at a resolution of 1048 x 948 pixels, with a refresh rate of 60 Hz or 120 Hz.

It is also noted that the display performances of the small screen are almost the same as those of the large screen.

Thanks to the same technology as the main screen, which Samsung calls Vision Booster (adaptive brightness) and which significantly increases brightness when you are in a very bright environment, the readability of the screen is perfect, regardless of the environment in which you find yourself:

• Maximum standard HDR brightness: 430 nits
• Maximum adaptive SDR brightness: 1365 nits
• Maximum adaptive HDR brightness: 2394 nits

And, as with the large screen, the other measurements are satisfactory, but no more (average Delta E of 4.74 in SDR and 6.88 in HDR, and DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of 84%).

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Performance

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is equipped with the Samsung Exynos 2600 processor. It is the same one present in this year’s high-end non-folding smartphones from the manufacturer, the Galaxy S26.

Again, the switch from the Samsung Exynos 2500 processor (Z Flip 7) to the Exynos 2600 is not enough to cause great excitement.

Admittedly, Samsung’s chip is powerful. Very powerful even! Various benchmarks show that the Exynos 2600 has little to envy the best Qualcomm processor, such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, since the average of its performances is only 5 to 10% lower.

And, if we focus on the GPU of the Exynos, we see that it ranks among the most efficient of the moment, which brings appreciable versatility to the smartphone (especially for players).

The only (big) problem is the significant heating up of the Exynos 2600. Indeed, after only a few minutes of intensive tasks, it very quickly leads to significant throttling of performance. The drop in performance is then spectacular: up to 60%. The Exynos 2600 then proves to be significantly less efficient.

This is more or less noticeable when playing. For example, when launching a 3D game like Fortnite, you generally benefit from excellent fluidity. Nevertheless, the framerate varies constantly, between 70 and 120 frames per second.

So, while the variations are significant, this does not prevent you from enjoying responsiveness at all times, even with the maximum graphics level (Epic quality).

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Software

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 runs on Android 17, with the in-house overlay OneUI 9. Good point, no bloatware is present (just the most common apps, like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.).

Good point, the whole benefits from 7 years of updates, both for Android and for security functions. These are among the best update conditions on the market, on a par with Google.

All the functions of Galaxy AI, introduced two years ago, are included. The range of AI-boosted tools is expanding year by year. Some are now offered on almost all other manufacturers’ smartphones, such as writing assistance, translation, transcription of recordings, etc.

Samsung also offers the function called Now Brief, which provides a synthetic view of your daily activity, events to do during the day, etc.

We also find the main photo retouching functions, particularly the automatic beautification mode of photo colorimetry by AI.

Many other tools using AI are available, to erase or move objects, to change the visual style of a photo (for example to transform a simple landscape into a science fiction setting or an oil painting), or to add elements, by drawing them or describing them in writing. The icing on the cake, these options can be used at will, without daily limitation (as can be the case on other smartphones).

Those who enjoy playing with their photos, or who regularly generate images using AI, will appreciate the presence of the Creation Studio app. This offers the possibility of using AI to generate various types of images (wallpaper, sticker, greeting card, etc.), in different styles (engraving, 3D cartoon, marker drawing, etc.). And this from a prompt, a sketch drawn on the screen with a finger, or a photo.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: Photography

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 has the same photo equipment as its predecessor:

• A main wide-angle lens (focal length equivalent to 23 mm, with an aperture of F/1.8), equipped with a 50-megapixel sensor. Photos are captured by default in 12 megapixels, i.e., 4000 x 3000 pixels. This one has an optical stabilization system.
• A second lens, ultra wide-angle (focal length of 13 mm), associated with a 12-megapixel sensor. Its aperture is F/2.2.

The whole is completed by the small opening in the screen, which houses the front lens, which is used to take selfies in 10 megapixels.

Practically, when you take someone’s picture, the external screen can display what is seen by the main rear sensor. The person can thus ensure that their position and attitude match the image they wish to leave.

And, if you fold the smartphone at 90 degrees and place it on a table, you can – thanks to this functionality – succeed in taking selfies in Portrait mode. You trigger the shot by showing your palm or by a voice command. Cheeeeese.

Wide-Angle

The quality of the shots captured in wide-angle mode (23 mm) is impeccable. There is nothing to complain about, provided that the ambient brightness is sufficient.

At night, a few extra seconds of exposure are enough to capture very convincing images. Quad Pixel Binning technology enhances the brightness of the scene, which makes many details that seemed invisible in the dark appear in the final image.

Portrait

The portraits made using the main rear sensor are very precise. Good point, the outlining of the subject does not lead to the systematic erasure of all the protruding hairs.

Ultra Wide-Angle

Taken in 12 megapixels (4000 x 3000 pixels), the photos taken in ultra wide-angle mode also benefit from appreciable sharpness.

And, at night, the images are much less catastrophic than what we are generally used to. During our test, some even turned out to be very realistic.

Zoom

According to Samsung, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is capable of taking photos with a 2x digital zoom offering a quality equivalent to that obtained with an optical zoom.

If this is nothing exceptional nowadays, it must be admitted that the shots are of excellent quality. This is quite normal, since the software interpolation remains very low at this very limited level of magnification.

Even with a 4x digital zoom, the results are still very convincing, with an almost invisible loss of precision, even on a monitor (and therefore even less on a smartphone screen).

The highest digital zoom offered provides a magnification factor of 10x. This is rather cautious, as the various treatments applied to the image, to optimize its precision, begin to be visible (especially on a large screen!). However, some photos still benefit from quite satisfactory precision.

At night, if the various light sources are not too far away, the photos taken with the 2x zoom turn out to be quite satisfactory. Moreover, in some cases, the 4x zoom delivers correct images.

Selfie

For selfies, two focal lengths are offered: 24 mm and 30 mm (the latter offers a slightly wider field of view).

Of course, we have the traditional options allowing more or less smoothing of the skin, or modifying its tone, the fineness of its jaw, and the size of its eyes. Not to mention numerous colorimetric filters.

In the end, the self-port

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Maya Singh

Maya Singh is a senior editor covering tablets and hybrid devices. Her work explores how these tools reshape digital productivity and learning. She also contributes to feature editorials on emerging tech.