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Hands-On With Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, the Closest Thing Yet to a Foldable iPhone

Samsung today debuted its latest foldable devices, including the Galaxy Z Flip8, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, and the new Galaxy Z Fold8, which has a design similar to what we're expecting from the foldable iPhone coming this September. We were able to take a look at the new Samsung foldables ahead of launch.


The Galaxy ZFold 8 Ultra has a 6.5-inch cover screen when closed, and an 8-inch display when it's unfolded. Both displays are OLED with 120Hz refresh rates. The device is just 4.1mm thick when open.

Samsung included a three-camera setup with a 200-megapixel wide lens, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 30x Space Zoom. There are also two selfie cameras, one on the cover screen and one on the main display.

Samsung's Z Fold8 has a 7.6-inch display when open and a 5.5-inch display when closed, and it looks like Samsung read the foldable iPhone rumors and beat Apple to it. It has a passport-style form factor, so it's not as tall as prior Samsung foldables. It's wider and more square than the designs Samsung used in the past.

The aspect ratio of the unfolded Z Fold8 makes it feel similar to using an iPad mini, which feels more natural than using taller foldables. It's a size that's perfect for watching videos or running two apps side by side. The Z Fold8 gives us a pretty clear look at what the Apple foldable will look like and what it will feel like to use.

Samsung is reserving higher-tier specs for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. The Z Fold8 also has a three-camera setup, but with lower-end camera options. Both devices support the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, and offer up to 16GB of RAM. Samsung is also releasing the Galaxy Z Flip8, which has a 6.9-inch display when unfolded and a 4.1-inch cover screen when closed. The Flip8 doesn't open like a book, and instead has a clamshell design.

Samsung is now offering foldables in three sizes and two form factors, and it has had multiple years to refine its foldable designs. Samsung is on its eighth-generation devices, while Apple's first foldable hasn't launched yet.

Along with new foldable smartphones, Samsung also launched the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9, which have the same round display that Samsung watches have used for several years. The titanium Watch Ultra2 is 47mm, while the Watch9 is available in 40mm and 44mm sizes.

Samsung's watches offer a bioelectrical impedance analysis, reading body composition from the wrist. They also have heart rate tracking, sleep apnea detection, and other features that mirror what's available on the Apple Watch.

Samsung's new Galaxy foldables and smartwatches are available for pre-order starting today from the Samsung website.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

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Top Rated Comments

H.E. Pennypacker Avatar
16 weeks ago
Looks pretty good. Apple is going to crush the market with the new foldable. The nay sayers are about to eat crow.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zito Abroad Avatar
16 weeks ago
Make no mistake, the upcoming Apple foldable will not be their first foldable. They've had 7 years of testing and studying Samsung's foldables. Their photocopiers have been running full tilt for 7 years. Do you think Apple was busy doing nothing while Samsung did all the heavy lifting for the industry? First off, thanks to Samsung for even envisioning this 13 years ago, and then developing the actual tech to make foldables possible. Then thanks to all the customers that didn't wait for coattailers like Apple to use Samsung's tech to release their own foldable. The industry only moves forward because of OEMs that dare dream and innovate on the edges, and the customers who buy into that culture.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 weeks ago
I played around with a prerelease model of the fold and I’ll say Samsung figured it out this year. It’s the best fold yet and now I’m really excited to see how Apple does it.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zito Abroad Avatar
16 weeks ago

I literally was just in the Samsung shop, watching doomsday on all 3 devices and like I said it was bigger on the iPhone, try it your self 16:9 video is better on iPhone
Wrong. 16:9 is not better. The Doomsday trailer is not 16:9, it's 2.33, also know as CinemaScope or Anamorphic Widescreen. These foldables will do much better for 16:9 videos (YouTube, Netflix/TV Shows), browsing, and social media/viewing photos. The only place the slab phones will do better are for watching theatrical movies. I created a little chart explaining this. Here's a screenshot of a 16:9 video on iPM and Fold 8. Doesn't get more clearer than this. Bottom line, to everyone, buy whatever fits your use case / agenda / narrative/ blind loyalty / etc...



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Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 weeks ago

I fail to see its appeal. Get an iPad or better even, a laptop.
Get a phone.
Done.
Same price, depending on needs.
The foldable is a compromise.
I've got zero desire for one, but that doesn't mean I can't see outside my own uses and realize that this form factor is just what other people want or need. A foldable phone isn't a laptop in any sense.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 weeks ago

I fail to see its appeal. Get an iPad or better even, a laptop.
Can you fit one of those in your pocket?

The foldable is a compromise.
Everything is a compromise.

A foldable like this is probably not for me but I can understand it. Folks I know who have Android foldables love them. I think I'm more intrigued by the flip form factor.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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