Samsung Electronics launched the Galaxy Z Fold8 foldable smartphone on August 7. A real-world review conducted during a trip to Hakone reveals a fundamental shift in design philosophy. Moving away from the traditional “maximize the big screen” approach, the product now emphasizes that it is “fully usable even when closed”—creating an operating feel closer to the clamshell-style Flip than a book-style foldable.
Closed-State Refinement Defines the Experience
The Galaxy Z Fold8’s camera system consists of two lenses: an ultrawide (0.6x optical, 50MP) and a wide (1x optical, 50MP). Digital zoom extends up to 10x, but it is primarily suited for capturing distant scenes as records rather than delivering high-quality zoom performance that demanding users might expect.
The color rendering leans closer to the Galaxy Z Flip series than the more restrained approach seen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Blue skies, clouds, and building colors come through vividly, producing results that are enjoyable to revisit as travel photos. When unfolded, photos can be displayed across the full screen, making for an excellent sharing experience on the spot.
What stood out most was the usability in the closed state. Reading, typing, and shooting all work without unfolding the device, and the sensation of only opening it when necessary feels more like a clamshell Flip than a book-style Fold. The closed-state aspect ratio is 16:10, and holding the device evokes memories of the keyboard-equipped BlackBerry smartphones of years past.
“It’s not that the wide screen makes you want to write—it’s that, even while closed, you somehow feel compelled to write.” The review notes that while the exact reason remains unidentified, this “somehow” factor is directly tied to the Galaxy Z Fold8’s overall evaluation. Despite having a smaller screen presence than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the subtle width and in-hand fit make reading text content genuinely appealing, elevating the closed-state experience.
Suggestions for When to Unfold Are Still Lacking
The tent mode familiar from 2-in-1 PCs comes in handy when casually checking news videos while multitasking. However, the camera position sits too low for video calls. Flex Mode is also not supported, so for those use cases the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra or Galaxy Z Flip8 are better suited.
For reviewing photos shot on a DSLR, the unfolded workspace proved excellent. In Lightroom, less of the interface is obscured, making it easier to spot blur, focus issues, blown highlights, and composition problems on the spot. This is practical utility beyond simply enjoying photos on a large display.
On the other hand, a lingering challenge is the weak proposition for how the unfolded state changes everyday life for average users. Explanations like running two apps side by side or watching videos on a big screen have existed for years, but the product still lacks clear, everyday scenarios that make users think, “I want to unfold it for this.” Users must still discover those use cases themselves.
A Flagship Model Wrestling with Its “Ultra” Name
This year, the foldable lineup has expanded to three models. The new wide-format design carries the standard Fold name, while the previous Fold design has been elevated to the “Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra.”
The Ultra measures approximately 158.4 × 72.8 × 8.9mm when closed and weighs about 215g. It is only 0.1mm thinner than its predecessor, with virtually no design changes. However, the previous model had already achieved significant improvements in thinness and lightness, and it still ranks among the most manageable Fold-type foldables available today. Hinge improvements have made opening smoother, and transitions between the main and cover displays are now more seamless.
The main display remains 8.0 inches but resolution has improved from 2184×1968 to 2504×2256. A new “Flex Titanium technology” employs a two-layer structure of titanium alloy film and titanium plate, delivering 20 times the rigidity of previous designs. The crease is said to be less noticeable than before, though the difference in real-world feel is not dramatic.
The true value of the near-square 8.0-inch display lies in multitasking. When two apps are stacked vertically, each displays in a layout close to standard design, making for excellent usability. It pairs well with “Now Nudge,” a first for the foldable series, which comes with a dedicated UI. When propped up in Flex Mode, the upper display provides space equivalent to a full slab smartphone—a notable advantage.
ItemGalaxy Z Fold8Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraRear camera setupDual (50MP ultrawide + 50MP wide)Triple (200MP wide + 50MP ultrawide + 10MP telephoto)Telephoto cameraNone (digital zoom up to 10x)3x optical (digital zoom up to 30x)Flex ModeNot supportedSupportedMain displayWide-format, 16:10 equivalent8.0-inch near-squareS Pen supportNot supportedNot supportedBattery capacity4,800mAh5,000mAhVideo playback time (rated)Up to 26 hoursUp to 27 hoursRetail price (256GB/512GB/1TB)¥269,880 / ¥299,880 / ¥359,880¥296,780 / ¥326,780 / ¥386,780
Note: Battery capacity, video playback time, and retail prices are based on specifications published by Samsung Electronics Japan’s official website and retailers (the standard Fold8’s battery capacity was not mentioned in the review, so it has been supplemented here).
The Ultra’s rear camera is a triple-lens setup: 200MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto. The telephoto offers 3x optical zoom, and combined with the main camera’s optical-equivalent 2x zoom, users can shoot at 1x, 2x, and 3x—the most frequently used magnifications—at optical-equivalent quality. Digital zoom extends to 30x, with AI correction making up to roughly 10x practically usable.
There is little to complain about in photo quality; every camera produces the vivid color expression characteristic of the Galaxy series. Noise in low-light shots is reduced, ultrawide distortion is negligible, and shutter lag is barely perceptible. It is a well-rounded, polished camera system.
That said, the 10MP telephoto camera has its limits, and photos can appear slightly rough when viewed on a PC. While it is understandable that a higher-performance telephoto would add bulk and drive up the price, the assessment is that “as it stands, the Ultra name feels like a burden it can’t quite carry.”
A Three-Model Strategy to Capture the Market
The Ultra packs a 5,000mAh battery—a 600mAh increase over its predecessor (Galaxy Z Fold7, rated at 4,400mAh). Achieving this capacity while maintaining the same thinness is noteworthy. Rated video playback time extends to 27 hours, a 3-hour improvement. In a test playing YouTube videos at maximum brightness, zero volume, in Flex Mode, the battery dropped to 96% after one hour and 74% after five hours—well within acceptable range. The standard Fold8, by comparison, has a 4,800mAh battery and a rated 26 hours of video playback.
Both models share Qualcomm’s “Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy” chipset, with 12GB of RAM as standard. Only the 1TB storage model gets 16GB of RAM. Dust and water resistance meets IP48 standards, with both face and fingerprint authentication supported. Mobile wallet (Osaifu-Keitai) functionality and dual-SIM operation are also supported.
Pricing on Samsung’s official store: the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is ¥296,780 for the 256GB model, ¥326,780 for 512GB, and ¥386,780 for 1TB. The standard Galaxy Z Fold8 is roughly ¥27,000 cheaper than the Ultra, at ¥269,880 for 256GB, ¥299,880 for 512GB, and ¥359,880 for 1TB. Rising component costs and yen weakness have influenced pricing, and none of these models can be described as an impulse purchase.
By expanding the foldable series to three models, Samsung is enabling users to choose the product that best fits their usage patterns. While questions remain about the Ultra naming, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra’s strengths lie in its unmatched multitasking comfort, stable Flex Mode, and the only telephoto camera in the lineup. The lack of S Pen support and the modest 10MP telephoto are unfortunate, but the thinness, lightness, and hinge stability born from eight generations of accumulated expertise represent engineering that is anything but ordinary.
Market research firm Counterpoint Research forecast on July 21, 2026, that global foldable smartphone shipments will grow 21% year-over-year in 2026. Assuming Apple’s entry into the market, the firm projects Samsung’s share to decline from 40% in 2025 to 32%, while Apple—entering for the first time—is expected to capture 25% in its debut year. Huawei follows closely at 24%, with Motorola at 8% and HONOR at 3%.
If Apple does indeed release a foldable smartphone as rumored, Samsung’s strength in offering foldable styles across three models will come to the fore. Rather than winning users with the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra alone, the strategy is to capture the market with the foldable series as a whole. The standard Fold8 centers on closed-state usage, while the Ultra wields multitasking and Flex Mode as its weapons. The differentiation among the three models—including the Flip8—looks set to underpin Samsung’s competitiveness in the foldable market.