Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 offers something a traditional smartphone can't: a passport-sized smartphone experience that opens into a handheld tablet. Previous iterations of Samsung's foldable ran into problems because getting that larger screen has historically meant accepting a bulky design, an awkwardly narrow cover display, and compromises to battery life and cameras.
After spending two weeks using the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 as my primary phone, those trade-offs don't feel nearly as significant anymore. Samsung hasn't completely reinvented its foldable this year. Instead, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is lighter, thinner, and substantially more comfortable to use. More importantly, Samsung has introduced a wider 4:3 aspect ratio that completely changes how I interact with the device.
I've used plenty of foldables over the years, but the Galaxy Z Fold8 is the first one that's made returning to a conventional smartphone genuinely difficult.
Galaxy Z Fold8 is comfortable to carry and use every day
The first thing I noticed when I started using the Galaxy Z Fold8 wasn't its display or Galaxy AI. It was how normal the phone felt in my pocket. At 201g, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is Samsung's lightest book-style foldable. It measures just 8.9mm thick while closed and 4.2mm when unfolded. The Galaxy S26 measures in at 7.2mm thick, making the foldable understandably thicker while folded but impressively thinner unfolded. However, when using the Z Fold8, the difference isn't a detractor at all.
Image: Steve Vegvari | WhistleOut
That makes a much bigger difference than you might expect. Previous Galaxy Fold models constantly reminded me that I was carrying a foldable. They were heavy, thick, and awkwardly narrow when closed. During my first day with the Galaxy Z Fold8, there were moments when I genuinely forgot I had a foldable in my pocket. In my hand, it feels like I'm holding a passport or small booklet. It's very comfortable to hold while both folded or unfolded for long stretches of time.
Samsung also redesigned the hinge, which requires less resistance to open. It still takes a little practice to unfold the phone one-handed, but opening it feels substantially more natural. The Fold8 also closes completely flat, giving the phone a cleaner and more polished appearance.
There is still one notable durability compromise. The Galaxy Z Fold8 carries an IP48 rating, offering solid water resistance but limited protection against fine dust. That's something to consider if you're frequently using your phone outdoors.
The 4:3 display completely changes the Fold
Samsung's biggest Galaxy Z Fold8 upgrade isn't its processor, battery, or even Galaxy AI. It's the shape of the display. The Fold8 features a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X inner display alongside a 5.5-inch cover display. Both offer adaptive 120Hz refresh rates and reach up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. Those are impressive specifications, but it's the Fold8's wider 4:3 aspect ratio that won me over.
Image: Steve Vegvari | WhistleOut
Older Fold devices often felt awkward when closed because of their tall, narrow displays. Opening them gave you substantially more room, but the nearly square interior screen could still feel strange with certain apps. The Galaxy Z Fold8 feels different. Scrolling through TikTok or Instagram Reels on the cover display feels natural, and I don't have to awkwardly stretch my thumb across the screen. Open the phone, and the Fold8 becomes one of my favourite devices for consuming content.
I watched movies like Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on the inner display, and the experience was fantastic. Samsung's AMOLED panel produces the vibrant colours and deep blacks you'd expect from one of its flagship displays. Though there is a catch. Most movies aren't produced for a 4:3 display, so you'll frequently see black bars. You can zoom in, but doing so cuts off portions of the image. However, some movies, like those aforementioned, can take up the entire display. With the 4:3 aspect ratio, it's almost like having a small IMAX display in the palm of my hand. I daydream about the day I can stream The Odyssey as a full-screen experience, just as Nolan intended.
Where the display really shines is reading. Websites feel closer to their desktop or tablet layouts, while PDFs, comics, ebooks, and spreadsheets have substantially more room to breathe. I've found myself opening the Fold8 simply to read articles rather than reaching for another device.
Gaming also benefits. Playing Pokémon GO, for example, gives the interface more horizontal space. PokeStops, Gym battles, and catching Pokémon all feel less cramped than they do on a conventional smartphone.
Galaxy Z Fold8 performance and battery life
The Galaxy Z Fold8 runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, paired with 12GB of RAM on the 256GB and 512GB models. The 1TB model bumps that up to 16GB.
Performance is exactly what I'd expect from a flagship Samsung phone. Throughout my testing, I jumped between CapCut, Chrome, YouTube, Google Docs, and Discord without noticing any meaningful slowdown. The Fold8 did become warm during longer gaming sessions but was never uncomfortable to hold.
Image: Steve Vegvari | WhistleOut
More importantly, Samsung has addressed another longstanding Fold compromise: battery life. The Galaxy Z Fold8 packs a 4,800mAh battery, with Samsung advertising up to 26 hours of video playback. In my own experience, I could wring out around 21 hours of battery life on a single charge.
My usage typically included photography, messaging, streaming, browsing, and roughly an hour of gaming. Under those conditions, I could consistently get through a full day without worrying about finding a charger. That's important because battery anxiety has historically been one of my biggest concerns with foldables. You're powering two displays, including a massive inner screen, so endurance naturally takes a hit.
With the Galaxy Z Fold8, battery life finally feels less like a compromise you have to accept for owning a foldable.
I would still like Samsung to push its charging speeds further, especially on a phone this expensive. The company's S26 Ultra sports a slightly larger 5,000mAh battery. With a starting price of $2,300, I'd love to see the Galaxy Z Fold leverage a larger battery cell in the future. This is especially true if Samsung continue to focus on the device being this content consumption machine.
The cameras are good enough but not at Ultra levels
Samsung's Fold lineup has traditionally forced you to decide if you want the company's best cameras or its best foldable. The Galaxy Z Fold8 narrows that gap.
Samsung equips the device with a 50MP wide camera and 50MP ultra-wide camera as its rear array. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 also offers a 10MP front-facing camera. The cameras still don't quite compete with something like the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but I've been consistently happy with photos taken primarily in the daytime.
Image: Steve Vegvari | WhistleOut
Samsung's ProVisual Engine does a lot of the heavy lifting. Photos retain the vibrant colours Samsung is known for, but image processing feels more restrained than on some older Galaxy phones. While walking around downtown Toronto, I was particularly impressed with how much detail I could pull from cityscapes. Even using 10x digital zoom, I walked away with photos I was happy to share.
Low-light photography is more of a mixed bag. Nightography produces cleaner shadows and retains a decent amount of detail, but I'd still like Samsung to improve its nighttime processing. The Fold8 isn't quite at the level of the company's Ultra phones after dark. Samsung still has work to do when we look at some of the competitors that fly under the radar. Phone brands like Oppo and Xiaomi continue to excel in Nightography.
Video is arguably more interesting. Dual Recording lets you record yourself and your subject simultaneously, which I've found useful for vlogs and demonstrations. Horizontal Lock also keeps your footage level if the phone tilts while you're recording. I originally thought Horizontal Lock sounded fairly niche when Samsung introduced it on the Galaxy S26 series. After actually using it while walking through busy streets, I've come to appreciate it. Handheld footage simply looks smoother without needing to carry a gimbal.
Samsung also offers My FanCam, which uses AI to track a subject and automatically reframe your video after you've recorded it. I can see this being particularly useful when filming sports, concerts, pets, or kids who refuse to stay in one place.
Galaxy AI finally feels useful on a foldable
Samsung has spent the past couple of years heavily promoting Galaxy AI. I've found some of those features useful, while others have felt more like demonstrations of what's possible. The Galaxy Z Fold8 is where Samsung's AI technology starts making more sense.
Now Nudge is one of the better examples. The feature can understand what's happening across multiple apps and surface relevant information. If you're discussing dinner plans in a messaging app, for instance, Now Nudge can suggest nearby restaurants and help connect that information with Maps and your calendar.
Semantic Search is similarly practical. Rather than remembering whether you saved something inside Messages, Notes, or another app, you can search using natural language.
Photo Assist has also improved. Generative Edit now supports voice and text prompts, so removing an unwanted object or changing part of an image feels far more conversational.
None of these features is enough to justify buying a $2,000-plus smartphone on its own. However, they complement the Fold8 particularly well because its larger display gives you more room to work across apps. That's ultimately what I want from Galaxy AI: features that remove a few steps from something I was already doing rather than AI for AI's sake.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 worth it?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 isn't a revolutionary smartphone. Instead, Samsung spent another year addressing the small frustrations that have followed its foldables for generations.
That strategy worked. The lighter and thinner chassis makes the Fold8 substantially easier to carry. Battery life comfortably gets me through the day. The cameras have improved enough that I don't feel like I'm sacrificing photography for a foldable, and Galaxy AI is becoming more useful.
The 4:3 display is what keeps bringing me back. Whether I'm reading an article, editing a photo, watching YouTube, scrolling through social media, or playing Pokémon GO, I appreciate having additional screen space available whenever I want it.
Of course, there are still drawbacks. The camera doesn't quite match Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra, charging speeds could be better, and the premium price means this isn't a phone I'd recommend to everybody.
However, the Galaxy Z Fold8 has done something very few phones I've reviewed recently have accomplished: It's changed what I want from my next smartphone. After becoming accustomed to opening my phone into a tablet whenever I need more room, going back to a traditional display suddenly feels restrictive.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 may not reinvent the foldable, but it's the first one that's made me question why I'd ever want to go back to a regular smartphone.
Find the best deals on a Galaxy Z Fold8
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 is available now, with many Canadian carriers like Rogers, Bell, and Telus offering the device with an unlimited data plan. If you're interested in the Galaxy Z Fold8, check out some of the hottest deals below.
Galaxy Z Fold8 5G 256GB
- 7.6 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 50MP, 50MP
- Front Cameras: 10MP, 10MP
Galaxy Z Fold8 5G 512GB
- 7.6 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 50MP, 50MP
- Front Cameras: 10MP, 10MP
Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra 5G 256GB
- 8 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 200MP, 50MP, 10MP
- Front Cameras: 10MP, 10MP
Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra 5G 512GB
- 8 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 200MP, 50MP, 10MP
- Front Cameras: 10MP, 10MP
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8: FAQ
How much does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 cost in Canada?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at $2,399 in Canada for the 256GB model. Samsung also offers 512GB and 1TB storage configurations at higher prices.
Is the Galaxy Z Fold8 waterproof?
The Galaxy Z Fold8 has an IP48 rating, which protects against water and some larger solid objects. However, it isn't fully dustproof, so you'll still want to be careful around sand and fine debris.
How long does the Galaxy Z Fold8 battery last?
The Galaxy Z Fold8 has a 4,800mAh battery, which Samsung rates for up to 26 hours of video playback. In my testing, the Fold8 comfortably lasted through a full day of regular use, including streaming, photography, browsing, messaging, and gaming.
Does the Galaxy Z Fold8 have Galaxy AI?
Yes, the Galaxy Z Fold8 supports Galaxy AI features including Now Nudge, Generative Edit, Semantic Search, and AI-powered photo and video editing tools.
Is the Galaxy Z Fold8 worth buying?
The Galaxy Z Fold8 is worth considering if you want a phone that can double as a small tablet. Its lighter design and 4:3 foldable display make it particularly useful for multitasking, reading, gaming, and watching content, though its $2,399 starting price makes it a significant investment.
Steve Vegvari
Staff Writer
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