What the reviewers said
The wider, shorter Fold8 feels more natural than the Ultra despite weaker zoom and battery. Expensive, but the best book-style foldable for most buyers.
- Wider, shorter shape is easier to use
- Lighter design than the Ultra
- Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance
- Strong main and ultrawide cameras
- Less visible crease
- No zoom camera on the Fold8
- Camera bump makes phone rock on flat surfaces
- Very expensive
- Built-in keyboard and voice typing are weak
Pocket-lint UK
4/5Aug 12, 2026A fun, practical foldable with a wider passport-style design and strong screens and battery, though the high price and missing telephoto lens hold it back. Recommended for foldable first-timers.
- Wider passport-style design is fun and pocketable
- Excellent cover and main displays for media and reading
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance is strong
- Solid battery life for a full day plus
- No built-in magnets for Qi2 charging
- No telephoto lens
- Steep $1,900 starting price
- Inner selfie camera is distracting
Digital Trends US
8/10Aug 11, 2026A wider passport-style foldable that feels far more pocketable and usable than past Fold models, with excellent screens and software, though it has a missing telephoto, weak dust protection and…
- Passport-style folded body is slim and pocketable
- Bright, high-refresh inner and cover displays
- Hinge holds angles reliably for Flex Mode
- Strong software with long update support
- Sustained performance is solid for everyday and gaming use
- Expensive starting price
- No dedicated telephoto zoom lens
- Thermal throttling under prolonged heavy load
- IP48 rating offers limited dust protection
- Hinge gears vulnerable to fine dust and grit
Android Central US
4.5/5Aug 8, 2026A compact book-style foldable that blends foldable utility with flip-phone pocketability. Thin, light, fun on both screens, with strong performance, though it runs warm and needs some app scaling fiddling.
- Small, thin and light; very pocketable
- Crease is nearly invisible on the inner display
- Spectacular performance with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- All-day battery life
- Bright, great-looking displays
- No Qi2 magnets
- No telephoto camera
- Apps don't always scale well on external display
- Gets warm when gaming
- Battery capacity modest at 4,800mAh
Android Police US
9/10Editor's ChoiceAug 7, 2026A wider, more compact foldable that feels equally good open or closed. Camera is average, but the hinge, screens, and software make it a standout.
- Genuinely usable open and closed
- Well-balanced, silent hinge with satisfying snap
- Minimal crease on inner screen
- Lightweight at 201 grams
- Bright, sharp inner and cover screens
- Average camera with no telephoto
- Galaxy AI features feel niche and unhelpful
- No built-in Qi2 wireless charging
- IP48 rating is modest
- Cover screen picked up scratch without protector
TechRadar UK
4.5/5Aug 3, 2026A strong, more affordable book-style foldable with a pocketable, tablet-like feel and good screens, though pricey and missing a telephoto camera.
- Pocketable design that opens into a tablet-sized device
- Attractive, bright inner and outer displays
- Useful software and AI features
- Lighter and thinner than other book-style foldables
- Strong chipset, memory and battery specs
- Expensive for the category
- No telephoto camera
- Screen hard to read in direct sunlight
- IP48 rating lower than some foldable rivals
- Small price gap to the Z Fold 8 Ultra
Tech Advisor UK
4.5/5Aug 3, 2026A novel passport-shaped foldable that feels fresh and exciting, with strong software and support, but a cramped cover screen, no telephoto, and thermal limits hold it back.
- Compact, pocket-friendly passport-style folded shape
- 4:3 inner screen is great for movies and gaming
- Solid battery life and fast charging
- Strong multitasking tools and video features
- Excellent build quality and long support promise
- No telephoto camera
- Cover display cramped and hard for one-handed use
- Gaming performance limited by thermal throttling
- Software needs some tweaks
- Single physical SIM slot only
The Verge US
8/10Jul 29, 2026A wide, short foldable that feels natural when closed and excels for video and reading. Better as a foldable than past Fold models, though it needs to get cheaper.
- Comfortable to use when closed despite unusual shape
- 4:3 inner display is great for reading and video
- Impressive battery life for its thickness
- Lightest Z Fold yet at 201g
- Improved ultrawide camera and smaller crease
- No telephoto camera; only two rear lenses
- Main camera downgraded from previous generation
- No IP68 rating; IP48 only
- Occasional app errors with the outer screen
- Expensive at $1,899 and needs to get cheaper
Engadget US
8.9/10Jul 28, 2026A wider, shorter base foldable that suits media consumption well; lacks a zoom camera but offers near-Ultra performance for $200 less.
- Wider 4:3 inner display suits videos and gaming
- Brilliant anti-glare displays with 3,000 nit peak brightness
- Same flagship performance as the Ultra
- Strong battery life, nearly 28 hours video rundown
- Faster wired (45W) and wireless (20W) charging
- No dedicated telephoto zoom camera
- Pricey despite being $200 cheaper than Ultra
- Magnetic accessories need a case or add-on
- Home screen layout jumbles when switched to portrait
Verdicts, pros and cons are short summaries in our words of each publisher's review; scores are as the publisher gave them. Specs are taken from the reviews' spec boxes — where they differ, we show the value most of them give; price is the US launch price of the base model. Read the originals for the full picture.
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