Why you’ll be able to belief What Hello-Fi?
Our professional group evaluations merchandise in devoted check rooms, that can assist you make your best option in your price range. Find out more about how we test.
Foldable telephones have intrigued us for a few years now, however they’ve hardly ever nailed the AV expertise in the way in which we would hoped.
Having an increasing, tablet-style show that may neatly fold away and slip right into a pocket must be a sure-fire hit for us; the idea lends itself properly to taking films on the go, in principle. However there’s been one sticking level that stops us from going all-in on ditching our “slab” telephones in favour of those foldables: the side ratio.
That every one adjustments with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which has gone extra movie-focused with its display screen dimensions.
Newest Movies FromWhat Hello-Fi?
That’s to not say we haven’t loved earlier Samsung foldable telephones – the Z Fold 6 and Z Fold 7 have been each spectacular handsets for films – however this completely redesigned smartphone takes Samsung’s Galaxy Z collection in a complete new AV-focused path, and it’s all the higher for it.
Worth
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold smartphones have at all times been costly, and the Fold 8 isn’t any exception. At £1699 / $1899 / AU$2699 for the beginning 256GB configuration, this cellphone is greatest averted if you happen to’re trying to persist with a strict price range.
Samsung additionally provides the handset in a 512GB storage choice for £2069 / $2100 / AU$3299, and a 1TB choice for £2239 / $2700 / AU$3599. It’s value noting that the 1TB mannequin is the one one to characteristic 16GB of RAM, whereas the others sport 12GB of RAM.
Curiously, the Z Fold 8 launches at a barely lower cost than the Z Fold 7 (£1799 / $1700 / AU$2899); nonetheless, that’s as a result of the Z Fold 8 isn’t technically this yr’s equal of the Z Fold 7. That honour goes to the Z Fold 8 Extremely, which begins at £1899 / $2099 / AU$2999.
Wanting on the wider smartphone market, we reviewed the five-star Galaxy S26 Ultra at £1279 / $1300 / AU$1799, and the iPhone 17 Professional (evaluation incoming) will be discovered for £1099 / $1099 / AU$1199. For a extra like-for-like foldable comparability, Google’s new Pixel 11 Pro Fold begins at £1799 / $1899 / AU$2799.
Design
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the most important departure from Samsung’s foldable method to this point. The slender folded and sq.(ish) tablet-style unfolded type issue is traded for a stockier, extra compact design this yr.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 tech specs
Display screen measurement Cowl: 5.5-inch, foremost: 7.6-inch
Display screen kind Dynamic AMOLED
HDR HDR10+, HDR10
Display screen decision Cowl: 1248 x 1972 (428ppi), foremost: 1848 x 2448 (404ppi)
Finishes Lavender, Cream, Graphite and Pistachio (Samsung retailer unique)
Working system Android 17 (One UI 9)
Storage 256GB/12GB, 512GB/12GB, 1TB/16GB
When folded, the Z Fold 8 takes on a passport-like form, which is surprisingly charming and satisfying to make use of. The 5.5-inch cowl show is right for transient duties – assume rapidly typing out a textual content or discovering a monitor in your streaming service of selection – whereas the interior 7.6-inch display screen is greatest suited to leisure and internet searching.
We’ll dig additional into the shows shortly, however for now we have now to marvel at how skinny the cellphone is. At 9.7mm when folded, the Z Fold 8 is simply barely thicker than the Galaxy S26 Extremely, and at simply 4.7mm unfolded, the cellphone is barely thicker than the USB-C socket on the underside of the gadget.
On the opposite edges you’ll discover a mixture energy/lock button with an built-in fingerprint sensor and a quantity rocker.
Samsung can be difficult the notion that foldable telephones are fragile, because it’s clad the Fold 8 in robust supplies that ought to keep at bay dings and scratches. The quilt show incorporates a Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 3 coating, whereas the again glass is roofed in Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
The steel body is constructed from Samsung’s upgraded Armour Aluminium materials, so the cellphone ought to resist the odd drop, however we received’t be throwing our evaluation unit on the ground any time quickly.
Samsung has drastically decreased the crease that runs down the centre of the show. That is because of the brand new Flex Titanium Expertise show construction, which now incorporates a skinny titanium mesh layer and versatile titanium plates beneath the AMOLED panel.
This has been carried out to enhance show uniformity, improve structural rigidity, and cut back air pockets beneath the show. Whereas it’s tough to say within the quick time period, this could be sure that the show isn’t compromised by a deep crease the extra it is used.
Right here is the place we also needs to point out that the Z Fold 8’s new hinge feels a lot smoother and slicker to function than the Z Fold 7’s. Much less drive is required to pry the 2 halves aside, and the folding mechanism feels buttery clean.
The Z Fold 8 is available in 4 finishes; ours is the calming Lavender shade, although you’ll additionally discover the Graphite and Cream finishes broadly out there. Samsung additionally sells a Pistachio model by its official channels.
Options
Cease us if you happen to’ve heard this earlier than, however that is one more feature-packed handset from Samsung.
We’ll start with the AV-focused specs, beginning with the shows. The Z Fold 8’s 5.5-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X cowl display screen sports activities a 1248 x 1972 decision with a pixel density of 428ppi and a 1-120Hz variable refresh charge.
The extra compelling of the 2 shows, nonetheless, is the inside one. It’s a 7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X show, with a 1848 x 2448 decision and a 404ppi pixel density. Samsung claims that it could attain a formidable peak brightness of 3000 nits, and its 1-120Hz variable refresh charge makes for clean scrolling and gaming.
Nevertheless, the brand new side ratio is what actually makes this a killer moveable AV machine. Samsung has switched to a 4:3 side ratio on the Z Fold 8, which signifies that the letterboxing bars above and beneath most content material have been considerably shrunken down in contrast with the earlier technology of Z Fold units.
Whereas the scale of the content material on display screen isn’t drastically completely different to the Z Fold 7, the smaller bars imply that content material fills extra of the display screen, leading to a extra immersive expertise, and it usually signifies that extra of that huge inside display screen is put to make use of.
And whereas it might not be the commonest use for this cellphone, older 4:3 content material (assume TV exhibits from the early 2000s and earlier than) seems to be completely improbable, because it fills the whole show with no black bars in any respect.
HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos – the latter supported by way of headphones and the stereo audio system – flesh out the AV options, and whereas we don’t have Dolby Vision assist right here, that’s to be anticipated given Samsung prefers to push its HDR10+ rival.
The Z Fold 8 is powered by Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, backed by both 12GB or 16GB of RAM relying in your storage configuration. This underpins the Android 17 software program expertise, which is delivered by way of Samsung’s One UI 9 software program platform. It’s value noting right here that Samsung is promising as much as seven years of software program updates.
In follow, the Z Fold 8 may be very responsive and slick to make use of. Apps load rapidly, and the 120Hz refresh charge makes scrolling and app animations buttery clean.
One space during which the Z Fold 8 lags barely behind the opposite Samsung smartphones we’ve examined just lately is within the variety of cameras. It options simply 4 cameras: two rear cameras and two selfie cameras.
The duo of rear cameras features a 50MP foremost sensor and a 50MP ultrawide digicam, whereas the primary show’s selfie digicam is a 10MP ultrawide digicam. The quilt show incorporates a 10MP vast digicam, though we discovered little or no use for it when the primary cameras are readily available for selfie duties.
Unfolding the cellphone and flipping it round permits us to make use of the duvet display screen as a viewfinder, which has been a godsend for selfies with mates, and even for taking pictures movies for our social channels.
As it is a fashionable Samsung smartphone, you’ll be able to anticipate a raft of Galaxy AI options. This contains the anticipated suite of auto translation, writing prompts and photograph enhancing instruments, in addition to Samsung’s Now Transient app, which might ship contextual info based mostly in your routines and data from all through your calendars, texts, e-mail inboxes and extra.
There’s an exhaustive listing of options, and so they can sound overwhelming, however Samsung has accomplished an excellent job of integrating them into the working system pretty naturally.
Nevertheless, there’s one AI-backed characteristic that appears to have been eliminated this yr, and sadly it was the most effective side of latest Samsung smartphones. ProScaler – the video upscaling characteristic we’ve raved about on different Samsung handsets – hasn’t been talked about in the identical breath because the Z Fold 8 by Samsung, and whereas we’ve quizzed the model a few instances to examine if it’s been quietly included on the Fold 8, we’re but to get a solution.
Lastly, we must always point out battery life and charging. Samsung has carried out a brand new 4800mAh silicon carbon battery, which is cut up throughout the 2 halves of the Fold 8, and it may be charged rapidly with 45W wired USB-C charging or 20W wi-fi charging.
Battery life has been extremely strong all through our testing, with the cellphone lasting properly over a day even beneath our video-heavy testing procedures.
Image
This can be a cellphone that’s been designed for content material consumption, which has naturally impressed us to place it by its paces to make sure its image efficiency is worthy of its appreciable price ticket.
The excellent news is that watching films on that expansive foldable display screen actually is a pleasure; nonetheless, we have to make just a few tweaks from the default settings to make sure that it performs at its greatest. We change to the pure color profile for our testing, and switch off auto brightness in favour of the additional brightness.
With these settings dialled in, the Z Fold 8 delivers a pointy, vibrant and strong picture that’s impressively impactful contemplating it could simply match into your pocket. Streaming Superman on HBO Max reveals a brilliant, punchy picture that fits the thrilling content material properly; the blues, reds and yellows of Superman’s swimsuit are particularly eye-catching.
These colors can typically be a contact too excitable, particularly with regards to the marginally rosy pores and skin tones of some characters. That stated, the Samsung’s pure color preset is unquestionably extra balanced than the vivid various.
As Superman zips across the air above Metropolis, we discover that movement – a famous shortcoming of the Z Fold 7 – is dealt with very properly. We don’t discover judder noticeable all through any of our testing, and we might even accuse the Fold 8 of being a little bit too slick at instances, although that doesn’t break our immersion.
Switching to the darkish and gritty Crime 101 on Amazon Prime Video in HDR10+, the Fold 8’s distinction capabilities turn into rapidly obvious. The shimmering lights of Los Angeles supply punchy bursts of brightness in opposition to the night time sky, and there’s a tangible sense of depth and solidity to the town skyline that makes all of it really feel impressively immersive.
Very similar to the Galaxy S26 Extremely, the Z Fold 8 seems like a little bit Samsung OLED TV right here, because it shares some traits with the model’s five-star S99H TV.
Curiously, the Z Fold 8 handles darkish element like a Samsung TV too. That’s to say that some element is sacrificed to take care of the solidity of shadows and common black depths.
Whereas a contact extra darkish element can be good, it does imply that the moody shadows current all through the opening sequence of this movie are conveyed with integrity.
Total, the Z Fold 8 serves up a really pleasing cinematic expertise that nearly makes us neglect that we are able to snap the display screen closed at any second.
Sound
As is the case with many latest Samsung smartphones, the sound efficiency isn’t fairly on par with the image. That’s to not say that the Z Fold 8 will get issues explicitly mistaken, but it surely doesn’t go above and past in the identical method that Apple and Sony smartphones do.
Plugging a pair of wired headphones into the Fold 8 by way of our trusty USB-C to three.5mm adapter – unsurprisingly there’s no headphone jack inbuilt right here – and streaming from Apple Music, we discover that this Samsung cellphone actually doesn’t put a foot mistaken.
Element ranges and the readability of vocals and devices alike are all very spectacular, and the position of sounds can be dealt with properly. There’s usually an excellent sense of house and openness to the sound; nonetheless, switching on Dolby Atmos makes this much more evident. You do sacrifice some focus with this setting utilized, but it surely’s not a detrimental tradeoff by any means.
Timing is strong, and dynamics are good too. Even so, the Samsung doesn’t really feel prefer it’s attempting all that tough to impress.
Swapping to an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max or the Sony Xperia 1 VIII (evaluation coming quickly) reveals a hotter, richer and extra textured sound, with a selected concentrate on dynamics that Samsung appears to neglect in its smartphones.
Swapping to the audio system, and the Z Fold 8 does have a smattering of optimistic attributes value celebrating. The sheer measurement of the gadget signifies that the stereo audio system are separated to an extent that sound has a stunning sense of scale and punch, and the audio system can even go fairly loud.
Switching Dolby Atmos on as soon as once more, we discover that the Z Fold 8’s positioning of sounds is actually fairly spectacular
At their most quantity, a little bit little bit of fuzz and distortion can creep in, however that is solely actually evident with the quantity cranked all the way in which up.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is probably the most compelling foldable cellphone we’ve examined to this point. The enjoyable and practical new type issue is a pleasure to make use of, and the improved display screen uniformity and sturdiness ought to soothe the nerves of these reluctant to embrace the folding format.
It additionally occurs to be a stellar moveable movie-watching gadget. That brilliant, vibrant and contrast-rich OLED show makes up for just a few audio-related shortcomings, though it’s exhausting to disregard that substantial price ticket.
SCORES
- Image 5
- Sound 4
- Options 5
MORE:
Learn our evaluation of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely
Additionally think about the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Learn our Apple iPhone 17 evaluation
