Editorials · Reviewer Insight

Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a design masterpiece with just one tiny flaw

From its impossibly thin build to the vanished crease, the Fold 8 feels like design perfection

This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a design masterpiece with just one tiny flaw
Fold 8 is thin, light and very cute | Image by PhoneArena
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 is finally here, and after a few days of using it, I think Samsung absolutely nailed the design.

The Fold 8 feels almost impossibly lightweight, and the wider form factor is undeniably cool. It's also super practical as most of the web is built for rectangles — either vertical ones when you scroll social media, or horizontal ones when you watch video. It just makes sense.

In this article, I go over every single design element and show you why the little tweaks in this design make a big difference. But I have to admit it: there is one inevitable compromise that still bugs me a tiny bit.


Unfolded, the Galaxy Fold 8 shines. In landscape mode, it's perfect for video watching.


In portrait orientation, it's great for reading, browsing and scrolling around social media.


And here is how the Fold 8 looks in both its folded and unfolded shape.


The Fold 8 Ultra is on the left, the Fold 8 is in the middle and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is on the right.


After the initial hype wore off, I started noticing that the extra-wide form factor is just a bit less comfortable in daily use compared to the iPhone 17 Pro that I used before that.


Samsung made this phone incredibly thin and light, it definitely feels lighter than a Galaxy S26 Ultra in your pocket. It's also very easy to open with the slightly tapered sides.

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The dual camera system on the back is fine, but if you are coming from one of the latest flagships, it won't impress you. It's got a smaller main sensor than most such flagships, the ultra-wide camera was just okay, and there is no telephoto camera on board.


The Samsung camera app interface is familiar and has not changed in the Fold 8.


It does support quite a few Pro features. In Pro Video mode, if you go with LOG footage, you now have the option to apply LUTs directly in the gallery app, so you don't need to transfer the video files to a video editor. Cool!


I also think that Samsung has the most intuitive AI editing experience. Magic Eraser works incredibly well removing photo bombers on the Fold 8.


Battery life was surprisingly good for such a thin and light phone, learn more about my experience in my Fold 8 battery diary.


Samsung now also bumped the charging speed to 45 watts (previous Folds charged at 25W). It took me a bit more than an hour to charge the phone fully.


The Fold 8 ships with Android 17 and the latest Samsung One UI 9.


One more detail: notice the camera bump on the back? The phone wobbles quite a bit when you lay it on a table.


The crease is almost gone. You can see it if you look real close, but I did not feel it at all when using the phone.


Gaming also feels like such an awesome experience on the Fold 8.


Using the Fold 8 felt like using a small tablet.


I really wish the price was a bit lower, but I definitely enjoyed using the Fold 8. Learn more in my in-depth review that is coming soon.

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