Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: Wider really is better

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

RATING : 8.9 / 10

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The large alteration for nan Z Fold 8 is reworked dimensions that consequence successful a shorter but wider handset. Its 5.5-inch AMOLED screen surface features a 10:16 facet ratio, which feels for illustration a callback to nan original Pixel Fold and moreover older handsets earlier phonemakers adopted nan skinnier displays astir phones usage today. In hand, this throwback creation makes nan Z Fold 8 consciousness much for illustration a passport, giving you tons of room to cheque maps aliases respond to texts without ever emotion pressured to unfastened it.

The existent payoff for nan phone's wider creation comes connected nan inside, wherever you get a caller 7.6-inch AMOLED main show pinch a 4:3 facet ratio. Not only does this trim nan magnitude of letterboxing you get erstwhile watching widescreen content, but nan guidelines Z Fold 8 really offers a mini spot much viewable area erstwhile displaying 16:9 shows and movies. And if you for illustration older media primitively meant for conduit TVs, nan ZF8's dimensions are perfect. I could watch Looney Tunes each time connected this thing, and aft precocious getting addicted to Pokemon Champions, I recovered I for illustration battling connected nan Z Fold 8 complete nan Switch 2 too. Its surface is glorious for scenery gaming, particularly erstwhile developers put successful nan effort to support move resolutions.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Admittedly, if you're dense into multitasking, nan Ultra remains nan champion choice. Its larger 8-inch sheet lets you much easy tally 2 full-size apps astatine erstwhile while maintaining other surface height, which whitethorn travel into play for superior doomscrollers. But for almost everything else, nan guidelines Z Fold 8 is simply a amended contented depletion device. My 1 mini gripe astir this is that erstwhile you move it to image mode, your location surface gets each jumbled up because nan numbers of columns for apps don't lucifer what you get successful landscape.

As for nan panels themselves, they are crisp and saturated. Peak brightness has accrued to 3,000 nits connected some nan Z Fold 8 and nan Ultra, truthful there's nary discrepancy location betwixt nan 2 models. Samsung added a caller anti-glare coating that cuts down neatly connected annoying glare without impacting image quality. This besides makes nan telephone easier to open, which I did not genuinely admit until I went backmost and compared it to past year's Z Fold 7. The dreaded crease is little evident too.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Perhaps nan astir subtle upgrade is that Samsung yet addressed nan erstwhile model's wont of not opening up each nan measurement and stopping short astatine 179 degrees. The 1 trade-off to this is that nan Z Fold 8 tin nary longer support its position astatine 90 degrees for tabletop mode. Thankfully, there's a elemental alternative: flipping nan telephone complete and utilizing it for illustration a tent, akin to what you'd do pinch a 2-in-1 laptop.

Elsewhere, nan Z Fold 8 features a thoroughly premium build pinch respective titanium layers wrong to summation nan sturdiness and rigidity of its elastic display. A reliable Armor aluminum framework and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and 3 clasp nan telephone together. There's besides a useful side-mounted fingerprint sensor built into its fastener fastener and IP48 particulate and h2o resistance. And while technically astatine 9.7mm, nan Z Fold 8 is simply a touch thicker than nan Ultra (8.9mm) erstwhile folded, but anyone who tells you this point isn't bladed capable needs to get their caput checked.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Aside from their surface sizes, nan biggest quality betwixt nan guidelines Z Fold 8 and nan Ultra is their rear camera setup. The modular exemplary comes pinch a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide. But that's it, there's nary dedicated zoom cam for illustration you get connected nan Ultra. This is astir apt my biggest rumor pinch nan telephone because I usage nan zoom lens erstwhile snapping pics measurement much than an ultra-wide. If giving nan guidelines ZF8 a existent telephoto zoom was ne'er going to happen, it would person been bully to astatine slightest put nan higher solution 200MP main sensor from nan Ultra connected this exemplary too. At nan very least, that would springiness you a spot much state to harvest successful erstwhile needed.

That said, this Samsung's telephone still makes image shots look bully and crisp, moreover without nan zoom lens coming connected nan different 3 models. And during nan day, nan Z Fold 8 had nary issues capturing crisp pics pinch rich, vivid colors. Admittedly, Google's Pixel phones person a mini advantage erstwhile it comes to low-light shots — particularly erstwhile it comes to really acheronian environments and immoderate textures — but Samsung's guidelines foldable much than holds its own.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Z Fold 8 comes pinch a 4,800mAh artillery that's a touch smaller than what you get connected nan Ultra (5,000mAh), but moreover so, it's surely not hurting for artillery life. On our section video rundown test, nan telephone lasted 28 hours and 14 minutes erstwhile utilizing its smaller exterior display. Admittedly, nan Ultra fared amended astatine complete 32 hours, but nan guidelines exemplary still has plentifulness of runtime to easy past a time of dense use, moreover aft factoring successful plentifulness of gaming and show watching connected its main display.

Additionally, Samsung has fixed some of its book-style foldables notable upgrades to their charging speeds. Wired charging now tops retired astatine 45 watts (assuming you person nan correct adapter, because you don't get 1 successful nan box) which is up from 25 watts connected past year's model. Meanwhile, wireless charging has gotten a smaller boost to 20 watts, up from 15 watts previously. The 1 caveat is that if you for illustration utilizing magnetic pads aliases accessories, you'll request to get a compatible lawsuit aliases add-on, because erstwhile again, Samsung's attraction connected thinness caused nan institution to forgo adding a magnetic ringing wrong nan telephone itself.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Ultimately, your penchant for nan modular Z Fold 8 aliases nan Ultra will astir apt travel down to whether you walk much clip playing games and watching videos aliases multitasking. To me, nan guidelines exemplary is simply a superior contented depletion device. Shows and movies conscionable fresh amended connected nan ZF8's wider screens (both wrong and out) while nan device's smaller dimensions make it a touch easier to transportation around. And if you ever tally into a business wherever an app aliases webpage functions amended successful image mode, you tin ever rotate nan telephone manually. It's that easy.

The guidelines Z Fold 8 besides gets nan aforesaid performance, charging speeds, show brightness and wide camera value arsenic what's disposable connected nan Ultra. Its somewhat shorter artillery life has mostly been inconsequential successful my experience, which leaves its deficiency of a dedicated zoom camera arsenic its 1 awesome shortfall. But past again, nan modular Z Fold 8 costs $200 little than nan Ultra, and connected a telephone that starts astatine $1,900, immoderate measurement to lighten nan load connected your wallet for your adjacent upgrade goes a agelong way.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

By switching up its creation and really honing connected what group usage their telephone for nan astir (aka gorging connected games and videos), Samsung has made a superb foldable. In fact, it's truthful bully I wish nan Ultra sewage a akin treatment. Regardless of if you're a first-time bendy telephone purchaser aliases a returning fanatic, for those reasoning astir getting a caller foldable, nan guidelines Galaxy Z Fold 8 is your caller premier contender.