Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Review: Small design tweaks make a big difference
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Where do flip phones go from here? | Image by PhoneArena
Summary: should you buy the Galaxy Flip 8?
Flip phones have always been about some nostalgia and pure love for the form factor, but in 2026, only two companies make flip phones — Samsung and Motorola. And that cannot be a good sign for the category.
Samsung's new Galaxy Flip 8 shows that the potential for big hardware changes on flip phones is... well, not huge. Instead of offering more cameras or some other major changes, Samsung focused on making the Flip 8 thinner, lighter and improving its software. And despite a short list of new features, the Flip 8 still gets a higher price, now starting at $1,200 for the 12/256GB base model.
Which makes me thing: have we reached peak flip phone?
The Flip 8 is widely available in the US. At AT&T, you can buy it online and in select stores; at T-Mobile, it's also available in stores and online, while Verizon is a bit strange in that it is mainly offered through Verizon Authorized Resellers. You can also buy the phone via Google Fi at good discounts usually. The unlocked model is also compatible with smaller carriers like US Cellular, Visible, Cricket, Mint Mobile and Boost Mobile.
If you want a great trade-in offer, Samsung's official store is also a good place to look. The Flip 8 is also available at Best Buy stores and on Amazon, Target and even Walmart.
This review is based on four days of personal use and extensive testing of the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Samsung provided us with the review sample for this review, but as usual, they have had no impact on this review whatsoever: we have conducted all testing using our standard protocol and my personal opinion as a reviewer was not influenced in any way.
All design images in this review are original photography by the PhoneArena team. Beyond real-world use, the Flip 8 has undergone our extensive camera test that takes nearly a full day of use and dozens of controlled photos. We also run battery life measurements across three scenarios using our proprietary method.
Table of Contents:
Galaxy Flip 8 Specs
Let's start with an overview of the Galaxy Flip 8 specs:
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 166.9 x 75.4 x 6.1 mm (~8.05 mm with camera bump) | 166.7 x 75.2 x 6.5mm (~8.6 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 180.0 g | 188.0 g |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 6.9-inch | 6.9-inch |
| Type | |
| Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Samsung Exynos 2600 S5E9965 (2 nm) | Exynos 2500 S5E9955 (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB | 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) 12GB/512GB |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 4300 mAh | 4300 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 10.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL GN3 Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 23 mm Sensor size: 1/1.57" Pixel size: 1.0 μm | 50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 23 mm Sensor size: 1/1.57" Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 12 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Samsung S5K3LU Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/3.2" Pixel size: 1.12 μm | 12 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/3.2" Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
| Front | |
| 10 MP | 10 MP |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 specs comparison
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Galaxy Flip 8 Design and Display
Thin is in
Image by PhoneArena
Samsung focused on making the Flip 8 thinner and lighter than the already slim Flip 7.
The Flip 8 measures just 6.1mm when open (vs 6.5mm on the Flip 8), and it weighs 180 g (vs 188 g on the Flip 7).
But my favorite change in the Flip 8 are the slightly bevelled inner edges. This helps your fingertips to grip it and makes it much easier to unfold than the very flush-sided Flip 7.
But my favorite change in the Flip 8 are the slightly bevelled inner edges. This helps your fingertips to grip it and makes it much easier to unfold than the very flush-sided Flip 7.
The Flip 8 features an IP48 rating: the "8" means you get full water resistance, covering submersion, while the "4" means the phone is not fully dust-proof, it is only protected from larger dust (over 1mm) particles. Fine sand and grit remain a concern.
We measured significantly higher peak brightness on the Flip 8, reaching nearly 2,600 nits and making the phone much more comfortable for outdoor use.
The Flip 8 also has one of the lowest minimum brightness levels, which is crucial for comfortable bedtime use when you want your phone to get as dim as possible.
Image by PhoneArena
The 6.9-inch main display remains unchanged from previous years. It's still a slightly taller screen than on a non-folding phone, with a 21:9 aspect ratio (compared to 19.5:9 on most other phones).
Image by PhoneArena
Take a closer look, and you'd notice that the crease in the middle is now very minimal. Samsung improves that every year, but the Flip 8 finally feels like an "almost creaseless" device.
Galaxy Flip 8 Camera
No new hardware
Image by PhoneArena
The Flip 8 comes with a familiar dual camera system with a 50MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
There is no dedicated telephoto camera, which remains the biggest weakness of flip phones.
Main Camera
Zoom Quality
Ultra-wide
The Flip 8 is a decent camera phone, but it is definitely not on the same level as non-folding flagship camera phones. The form factor means you get smaller sensors for the cameras, and details suffer a bit because of that.
You also have the typical oversaturated Samsung colors here, and I really wish there was an option to change that.
In a direct battle with arch-rival Motorola Razr Ultra 2026, the Flip 8 holds its own and scores a few wins, but mostly, it's a draw between these two.
Both phones clearly lack in the zoom quality department — expected, knowing you don't get a telephoto camera on either one.
Video Quality
The Flip 8 does a fine job for video recording when you use the main camera, but because the sensor size is slightly smaller than on standard flagship phones, the level of detail and dynamic range is just slightly lower. Ultra-wide video also looks quite good. Unfortunately, zoom quality is the weak side of the Flip 8. Even at 2X zoom, you can notice the drop in detail and zooming further results in even bigger drop in quality.
One big advantage of the Flip, however, is that you can use that main camera to record selfie videos. The main camera might not be as big as on a flagship non-folding phone, but it's still much bigger than a typical front camera, so you get better quality for y our vlogs.
The most notable camera feature this year is Super Steady with Horizontal Lock. This locks the horizon, so it stays level even if you rotate your phone 360 degrees.
Galaxy Flip 8 Performance & Benchmarks
Different chips for different markets
Image by PhoneArena
Under the hood, the Flip 8 has different chips depending on where you buy it. We have the global model with the Samsung-made Exynos 2600 processor, while in the US, buyers get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. The Flip 8 comes with 12GB of RAM for both the 256GB and 512GB configuration in all markets.
We have the global/Exynos model for this review. The notable thing about this Exynos chip is that it's made on the newest 2nm manufacturing technology, which helps with both power and efficiency.
CPU Performance Benchmarks:
GPU Performance
You can see quite the big jump in performance. Single-core CPU performance is up 35%, a very welcome change, but what's even more impressive is an incredibly 50% jump in graphics/gaming performance.
If you were looking for a flip phone that you could do some serious gaming on — the Flip 8 is finally the one.
Storage speed is mostly in line with the previous model (both have UFS 4), which was already fast enough.
Galaxy Flip 8 Software
The Flip 8 ships with One UI 9 on top of Android 17, and it comes with a promise for seven years of major OS upgrades. That means this phone will remain relevant for years to come. Awesome!
The most notable software feature this year is change to the cover screen. You can finally easily customize the apps on the cover screen — just swipe up to see supported apps, while previously you had to use Good Lock/MultiStar for that.
Cover Screen on Flip 8 | Images by PhoneArena
The cover screen now also supports typical phone-like navigation. You can swipe up to see an app drawer, swipe down for notifications and quick settings, swipe sideways to see widgets and home panels. The notification change is particularly useful: on the Flip 8 cover screen you can just swipe down to see them, while you had to open a separate panel on previous models.
You can also edit widgets directly from the cover screen, you have better support for apps and you can even generate custom Now Brief cards (I personally don't get the appeal of Now Brief, but that's personal preference).
Galaxy Flip 8 Battery
Some efficiency gains despite unchanged battery size
One thing that makes me think we have reached peak flip phone is the unchanged battery size in the Flip 8 — it's still a 4,300mAh cell, not the largest around.
We run three battery tests in house, and the Flip 8 performed slightly better on the web browsing test, mostly on par with the Flip 7 in YouTube video streaming, but it scored much higher for 3D gaming (likely because of the better GPU this year).
Overall, we estimate a slightly higher battery life this year than on the previous model, despite the unchanged battery.
Charging speeds also remain the same at a slow-ish 25 watts, so a full charge takes 1 hour and 21 minutes on the Flip 8 in our testing. A 30-minute top-up gives you 54% power back.
You also have wireless charging support, but no Qi 2 magnets built inside the phone.
Galaxy Flip 8 Audio Quality and Haptics
Image by PhoneArena
I did not find major changes in audio quality on the Flip 8 — it sounds good for a flip phone, but it's a step down from a non-folding flagship phone, which traditionally has a slightly larger chamber and richer sound with louder volume.
Haptics on the Flip 8 are fine, but not quite the best out there.
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