Samsung\u2019s new Galaxy Z Fold8 is a reminder that you can\u2019t have it all.<\/p>\n
The Fold8, which launched in early August for $1,900, is Samsung\u2019s attempt to wipe away the last remaining compromises of earlier foldables in pursuit of broader appeal. The new passport-like shape is more pocketable than previous versions while unfolding into a small tablet, and the crease on the inner screen is barely noticeable. Samsung says it\u2019s targeting folks who consume video on their phones, which is to say pretty much everyone. It\u2019s probably no coincidence that the rumors of a forthcoming Apple foldable indicate a similar size and shape.<\/p>\n
But in using the Fold8 over the past few weeks, I\u2019ve noticed that the new shape doesn\u2019t really eliminate the compromises of a foldable phone. It merely introduces some different ones. I\u2019m still a foldable phone fan and have enjoyed my time with the Fold8, but while I was once\u00a0so sure that the perfect foldable was within reach, the new shape illustrates how foldable phones, like most tech products, will always have trade-offs.<\/p>\n
Why Samsung widened the Fold\u2019s front screen<\/p>\n
In a way, the Fold8\u2019s outer screen is a throwback, using the same 16:10 aspect ratio as Samsung\u2019s breakthrough\u00a0Galaxy Note from 2011. It\u2019s shorter and wider than any other modern flagship phone, and it takes some getting used to.<\/p>\n
The main challenge is one-handed use, as it\u2019s a struggle to reach across the screen with your thumb while gripping the phone in your palm. Balancing the phone under your fingers makes things easier, but feels precarious.<\/p>\n
Another issue, which hopefully improves with time: Some apps and websites aren\u2019t ready for squat displays. I nearly lost my\u00a0Connections\u00a0streak, for instance, when the Fold8 cut off the site\u2019s \u201cOne Away\u201d messages. I thought it was a bug, and only later realized the messages were appearing just out of frame.<\/p>\n
The funny thing is that Samsung spent years trying to make the Fold feel more like a normal phone. Until 2025\u2019s Fold7, the outer screens ran narrower than a typical smartphone, and while that made them easy to use one-handed, they looked awkward, and reviewers complained. Drew Blackard, Samsung Electronics America\u2019s senior VP of mobile product management, says I\u2019m pretty much the only one who didn\u2019t mind the narrower design.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year until probably last year, we were told, \u2018Too slim, too slim, too slim,’\u201d he tells\u00a0Fast Company.<\/p>\n
But in widening the Fold7\u2019s cover screen, Samsung introduced a new compromise: The inner screen, which resembled a small tablet on earlier foldables, became wider too, to the point that it\u2019s almost square. It\u2019s more awkward to hold than previous generations, and it leads to thicker black bars around videos.<\/p>\n
The Fold8\u2019s unorthodox shape is a response to the previous response. Unfolded, the 4:3 aspect ratio results in smaller black bars for widescreen videos, and the camera cutout in the screen\u2019s top-right section hides behind the videos\u2019 letterboxing instead of getting in the way.<\/p>\n
Rotate the screen into portrait mode, and it feels more like a Kindle for reading (though the camera cutout becomes more intrusive, sitting along the screen\u2019s side instead of at the top).<\/p>\n
Samsung still offers the old shape on its pricier Fold8 Ultra, but now the company is pitching that device as a\u00a0productivity \u00a0solution, able to run two full-sized phone apps side by side. The Fold8 caters to the more mainstream use of watching videos and playing games, which Blackard says is what people spend 60% of their time doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the Fold [Ultra] is still a multitasking powerhouse . . . there was certainly a more ideal form factor for someone who was focused primarily on content consumption,\u201d Blackard says.<\/p>\n
To that end, Samsung opted for one more strategic compromise: On the Fold8, you can\u2019t unfold the screen partway to prop up as a selfie camera or use as a kickstand for video consumption. Blackard says the hinge that supports those features creates a more noticeable crease, so it relegated partial folding to the Fold8 Ultra and smaller Flip8.<\/p>\n
Avi Greengart, founder and lead analyst at Techsponential, says it\u2019s a worthy trade-off given what Samsung is trying to accomplish.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re trying to prioritize video, then you\u2019re going to want a widescreen shape, and you\u2019re going to want that widescreen shape to have as minimal a crease as possible,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Looming large in this debate is Apple, which may launch a foldable phone as soon as this fall. Various leaks and rumors, as\u00a0aggregated by MacRumors, point to a phone with a similar shape to Samsung\u2019s Fold8 and a nearly invisible crease on the inner screen.<\/p>\n
The rumors track with how Apple approaches consumer electronics. While Samsung likes to throw out lots of ideas to see what works, Apple is more cautious and is unlikely to experiment in public with a wide range of foldable shapes.<\/p>\n
Room to disagree<\/p>\n
Not everyone agrees that a squat screen is the way forward. Google, for instance, adopted a passport-like shape for its original Pixel Fold in 2023, aiming to emphasize media consumption on the inner screen much like Samsung is doing with the Fold8. The company switched to a taller and narrower design for subsequent Pixel Folds in response to user feedback.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time we found more users prefer having many interactions on the outside screen, so we prioritized making that an uncompromised experience,\u201d Justin Savich, a group product manager for Google, says via email.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Samsung\u2019s Blackard acknowledges that he prefers the Fold8 Ultra for his own personal use. If I were buying a new foldable phone today, that\u2019d be my preference as well. Blackard doesn\u2019t believe the market will ever consolidate toward one particular format.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the exciting thing to me about foldable technology,\u201d he says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be one standard form factor. It can take on different shapes and sizes.\u201d<\/p>\n
ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/p>\n
Jared has been a freelance technology journalist for more than 15 years and is a regular contributor to\u00a0Fast Company,\u00a0PCWorld, and\u00a0TechHive. His\u00a0Cord Cutter Weekly\u00a0newsletter has more than 30,000 subscribers, and his\u00a0Advisorator\u00a0tech advice newsletter is read by nearly 10,000 people each week.<\/p>\n