You'll excuse me, dear reader, for once again bringing you down to the trenches for yet another Apple versus Samsung confrontation, but the eternal rivalry in the mobile tech world is far from over. Cupertino's latest debut of the iPhone Duo has really breathed new life into the foldable segment, one that has been mostly dominated by Samsung for the past seven years.
And while the iPhone Duo is definitely an exciting development, it has made me cherish Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 that much more, especially when it comes to the ergonomics and overall physical presentation.
While Apple got plenty of things right from the get-go, like the zero-crease display and the full IP68 water and dust resistance, Samsung's long-standing advantage in the foldable niche has resulted in a foldable device that I find significantly more compelling.
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The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is Samsung's first-ever passport-style device, offering a unique approach to the foldable experience. Right now, you can get the device with a maximum trade-in discount of up to $800. Alternatively, you can get it with a $250 Samsung Instant Savings, no trade-in required.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a triumph of design efficiency
I have to admit that even though I knew what the Galaxy Z Fold 8's weight was before it arrived at the PhoneArena office, holding this foldable in my hands for the first time instantly recalibrated my expectations of what a modern foldable phone should feel like.
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At just 201 grams, or 7.09 oz, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the lightest foldable I've ever used, a rather big contrast with the iPhone Duo's significantly higher weight of 254 grams (8.96 oz).
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a near flawless weight distribution for zero hand strain. | Image by PhoneArena
It feels unnatural, but in a good way, and after years of hauling heavier candybars on me, having such a practical but featherlight foldable in my pocket was an eye-opening experience.
Using the device in portrait unfolded mode, which is great for short-form video consumption, also reveals a near-perfect weight distribution. When used in this position, the phone doesn't feel top-heavy at all, making it a joy to use in its portrait orientation. The same applies when using it in landscape mode, which comes in particularly useful when I'm catching up on my favorite TV shows and reading e-books.
Samsung is actively curing my curved screen fatigue
Then there's Samsung's deliberate use of right angles all throughout the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which I can only applaud from the sidelines. I genuinely can't stress enough how tired I am of the same old curved screen corners that Apple made popular years ago.
This design language has been aped by pretty much any other phone manufacturer and is only absent from a tiny selection of phones, most of which are Samsung-made. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is luckily part of that exclusive club, and it's a breath of fresh air.
The lack of childish rounded corners is just pure class. | Image by PhoneArena
Right-angled display corners work quite well with this form factor and make the Galaxy Z Fold 8 look professional and sophisticated, separating itself from all of its rivals in the niche, the iPhone Duo included. Being an elder millennial that grew up with those early PDAs and pocket PCs with their old-school monochrome displays, right-angled screens look that much better and more natural to me, and the wallet-style Samsung foldable is bridging that nostalgic gap for me, marrying the best of the old world with the new.
Not using curved display corners has also allowed Samsung to make the frontal design completely symmetric, whereas Apple's foldable honestly looks like an eyesore. Having the left portion of the Duo's cover screen right-angled and the right one with curved corners feels way off. Yay for symmetry!
It's not all perfect, though
There's just one tiny design caveat to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that doesn't isn't a dealbreaker for me but might throw many potential buyers off. It's the IP48 rating on board, which means the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is sealed well against freshwater and dust particles larger than a millimeter but isn't protected against finer dust.
Samsung's biggest rivals in the US, Google and Apple, both have protected their foldables against all elements as indicated by their more impressive IP68 ratings.
I usually pamper my devices, especially all the foldables I use, but an IP48 rating would make me extra cautious and mindful of where I take the Galaxy Z Fold 8. A stronger protection and higher IP rating would have given me much greater peace of mind.
Peter is a skilled writer with over 13 years of experience at PhoneArena. He has published nearly 300 phone reviews and comparisons. This vast experience helps him navigate the mobile tech landscape with ease. He enjoys everything Android but relies on a MacBook Pro daily.
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