Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 hands-on: Wider is better
After seven generations, Samsung is making one of the biggest changes to its flagship book-style foldable phone line since the original came out in 2019
After seven generations, Samsung is making one of the biggest changes to its flagship book-style foldable phone line since the original came out in 2019: It's making not one but two different versions of the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Sitting at the top of the range is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which features a very familiar design alongside improvements to its performance, battery life, ultra-wide camera and more. However, despite its $2,100 price tag, it's actually the least interesting addition to the family. That's because slotting in right underneath the Ultra is a new base version of the Z Fold 8 starting at $1,900. It sports reworked aspect ratios for both its interior and exterior displays that has me thinking that wider really is better. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Instead of a long, skinny device that opens up to reveal a nearly square flexible screen, it seems like Samsung has taken a cue from the original Pixel Fold, while simultaneously getting out in front of rumors about the iPhone Ultra, by creating a broader device shaped more like a passport. The result is a squatter device with a 5.5-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel with a 10:16 aspect ratio on the outside that transforms into a small 7.6-inch tablet with a 4:3 aspect ratio on the inside. Now, I will admit that compared to the Ultra, the difference between 4:3 and 1.1:1 doesn't seem like a major change — especially when the Ultra still has a slightly larger overall panel at 8-inches across — but in practice, the impact is unmistakable. For things like watching movies and TV shows, the Z Fold 8 has noticeably less letterboxing at the top and bottom of its main display, which simply means there's more content to enjoy.
This was Samsung's main goal for this new base model, as recent versions of the Z Fold have leaned more heavily on the phone's multitasking capabilities. That said, I would argue that opening two apps side-by-side on the standard Z Fold 8's 7.6-inch panel is just as useful, while the wider dimensions of its cover screen makes it even easier to use for quickly checking messages, looking up directions and more. And you can do so without feeling like you need to open the phone to get to its main display. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Internally, Samsung also says both versions of the Z Fold 8 come with a new flexible titanium alloy that's combined with the existing titanium plate to create an even stronger support system for the phones' bendy displays. This means there should be even less gaps or air bubbles that form between the various layers of the display while also reducing the appearance of a crease. To be clear, there's still a very shallow trough that runs down the center of the screen, but unless you're really looking for it, it's not something that becomes distracting during general use. Another thing I noticed is that despite the base Z Fold 8 being a touch thicker than its more expensive sibling (at 9.7mm vs 8.9mm), it weighs just 201 grams (vs 215g for the Ultra), which actually makes the standard model the lightest Z Fold ever made. Meanwhile, you still get a very sleek chassis with an aluminum frame, IP48 dust and water resistance, a side-mounted fingerprint reader built into its power button and max brightness that tops out at 3,000 nits — all the same as the Z Fold 8 Ultra.
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