Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8’s Passport Design: Love at First Sight, But Is It Practical? My Review

I got my hands on the brand-new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. Don’t let the ordinary name fool you; the design is anything but. Unveiled during the Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, 2026, this foldable smartphone features a unique squashed and wider format that’s a first for the brand.

To give you an idea: picture a passport. That’s right, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, when closed, closely resembles this essential travel document. This raises a significant question: is this new format genuinely practical?

A Delightfully Cute Foldable Smartphone

I must confess, I immediately fell for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. This mini foldable aspect—measuring 123.9 mm in height compared to 158.4 mm on the Ultra version—is genuinely adorable. It’s tempting to flip it open and closed just for fun. There’s a satisfying feel to being able to almost entirely encompass it with your hand when it’s folded.

Moreover, Samsung continues to deliver flawless finishes with an aluminum frame that fits comfortably in your palm, a neat matte back that always feels nice under the fingers, and a moderate weight of 201 grams.

There’s also a certain pleasure in slipping it into a pocket like a passport. Just be mindful of its thickness when folded, at 9.7 mm. Indeed, the initial moments with the device are very positive.

It’s only later that some doubts begin to surface. But before dwelling on those, let me continue with more positives.

No Real Compromise in Tablet Mode

First off, the opening mechanism of the smartphone has been reworked by Samsung. The manufacturer has improved the hinge on all three foldable models in the 2026 Z series. Thus, on the Fold 8, unfolding the device has become simpler, especially thanks to a sort of aid felt at the very end of the motion, as if assistance kicks in.

Once unfolded, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 transforms into a small 7.6-inch tablet that is also impressively thin at 4.5 mm. Despite the smartphone’s reduced size when folded, its unfolded tablet mode remains uncompromised. You can still enjoy the main advantage of owning a Fold. This is THE reason to buy such a device.

It’s worth noting that when you unfold the Galaxy Z Fold 8, you naturally find yourself in landscape mode. Samsung claims that this design is perfect for consuming multimedia content. However, the limitation remains: the black bars at the top and bottom of movies or series are still there, as with a classic Fold.

Moreover, I suspect many will rotate the phone to use it vertically. The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s format indeed allows for a truly giant smartphone that’s practical for scrolling through content. In comparison, the more traditional Fold shapes, which are squarer when unfolded, do not offer much difference between landscape and portrait use.

Additionally, multitasking is still feasible for those times when you’re looking for productivity, with the ability to have three applications open simultaneously. However, the Fold 8’s format naturally lends itself less to this than a more traditional Fold like the Ultra version.

Once you’re looking at the internal screen, it’s time to focus on the crease. The new Flex Titanium display is supposed, among other things, to lessen the indentation. Personally, I felt that the crease was less noticeable to the touch, but I compared it with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 owned by my colleague Arnaud, which already had a year of wear. So, this feeling might need some adjustment. Visually, I saw no difference: the line in the center is still more or less visible depending on how light reflects off it.

However, this is a minor issue as the crease becomes negligible within seconds. Moreover, the anti-reflective coating has been significantly improved compared to previous generations, making it a bit harder to find just the right viewing angle to make the crease stand out under different lighting conditions.

Closed Mode: Small Screen, Big Question

As I continued to explore the device, one question began to nag at me. The external screen, with its odd 10:16 ratio on a 5.5-inch diagonal, is it really practical, or does it represent a compromise?

This external display certainly promises more utility than that of a Flip, obviously. But questions remain. Does the screen’s width hinder one-handed use comfort? Are everyday applications truly adapted to this display? In the Messages app, for example, bringing up the keyboard occupied just over half of the screen. This might bother some users.

These are issues that I will address as soon as I can delve into a full review. It will also be fascinating to see, over time, how users adapt to this external screen. By studying its customers’ habits, Samsung may discover uses it hadn’t anticipated and could then develop some appealing features. I’m optimistic!

No Telephoto Lens

However, there’s no need to wait for the complete review to already point out a flaw of the Galaxy Z Fold 8: it has only two rear camera sensors and thus sacrifices the telephoto lens as on the Flips.

It’s truly a shame for a phone whose official price starts at 2000 euros. This is a significant drawback. To get an optical zoom, you have to go for the Fold 8 Ultra model, which is even more expensive.

There are no compromises, however, when it comes to the chip with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The same goes for the software side: Android 17 and One UI 9 are included with the promise of seven years of complete software support. And regarding the battery, this generation marks a turning point for Samsung, which finally adopts carbon-silicon technology.

The brand is still somewhat timid compared to its Chinese competitors (the Honor Magic V6 has a battery enriched with 20% silicon content, whereas Samsung does not communicate its dosage).

However, this allows it to reach a capacity of 4800 mAh in the compact form of the Fold 8. This is complemented by a fast charging capability of 45 W (up from 25 W in previous generations).

Price and Release Date of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is available for pre-order and will be officially on sale from August 7, 2026.

As for pricing, expect to pay 1999 euros for the base 256 GB version. The 512 GB and 1 TB configurations are priced at 2199 and 2399 euros, respectively.