There’s a lot of pressure on this device, Samsung has re-imagined the smartphone entirely – but what’s it like to live with? Three weeks into using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, I’ve got thoughts!

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 review: a passport-shaped foldable with a sensational inner screen for video and reading, all-day battery life, but a cramped front-screen keyboard and app quirks. Is it worth buying?

EFTM Snapshot: The “passport size” of the Galaxy Z Fold8 is great in the hand, it’s a sensational device for viewing content and reading but there’s a few niggling bugs in third party software that can be frustrating.

The TL/DR of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8

Pros

  • Great Size
  • Sensational widescreen for watching video
  • Easy in the hand in any orientation

Cons

  • Keyboard dominates the front screen
  • Expensive
  • Some apps struggle on the inside screen

That Passport Feeling

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 is described as being passport shaped, and it’s the absolute best description – next to an actual passport the Fold8 is just slightly smaller but the same proportions as a passport which firstly makes this device entirely pocketable, and really comfortable in the hand.

We can argue for months about who did this first. For the record I’ll say that Apple’s “plans” for this were out first in my view, then some Chinese phone brands jumped in and built them. But, the first global launch of a passport shaped phone is Samsung. That cannot be challenged.

Using the Smaller Front Screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8

Given its passport shape, the pick-up and unlock use case for this phone is the 5.5 inch front screen, you don’t instinctively open the phone up. So when messages come through: you’re on the front screen, quick replies: front screen, phone calls: front screen.

If someone sends you an Instagram Reel on messages or WhatsApp you’ll watch it on the front screen.

While you’re watching that reel you’ll realise how small the front screen is – because Reels and TikToks are made for a large vertical screen, not a passport-sized screen. You get the “pillbox” effect on Reels with black bars left and right of the video. Once you’ve scrolled a few reels you’re going to be inclined to open up the fold and get the bigger screen experience.

What you get here is essentially the “big screen” smartphone experience, in a device the size of your passport. Side by Side with an iPhone 17 Pro Max you’re getting a tiny bit bigger TikTok experience, so you’re essentially folding open to what we already see as a bigger screen.

The Fold8 is a game of percentages, most of the time it’s a breeze to use and makes perfect sense. But there’s a percentage of the time when you are restricted by using the front screen because of the aspect ratio. When you’re typing, the keyboard takes up 50% of the screen. You can see the message you’re responding to, but barely anything before it.

I also found a few times I was typing and wrote more than one line of text and the second line was actually buried behind the keyboard. It’s little software glitches like that which will need to be ironed out over time, I think that’s the story of the Fold. If Samsung made the app – it’s all sorted, but third-party apps are potentially buggy.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 App Compatibility

Leaving aside the aspect ratio issues of the front screen, when you open up the Fold8 you’ve got yourself a 7.6 inch “tablet” and its 4:3 aspect ratio lends itself well to wide-screen video viewing when sideways.

Without question, viewing content is this device’s superpower.

Some apps, if you open on the front screen then view on the open portrait screen, simply cannot re-size when turned to landscape. You have to re-start the apps. Often happens when you return to the Home Screen too.

Often in that situation going from one “screen” to another, it all goes wrong and the app just gets confused.

Just strange little glitches within apps – many of which are the most commonly used.

And here’s a funny one. You can’t edit apps (add to Home Screen etc) in Portrait view 🙂 Only front screen or landscape view inside.

It’s really not a big deal, but as a first time Fold owner, I reckon2 there’s some frustrations in that.

Am I Opening the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 More Than Any Other Fold?

When compared to the larger screen of the “traditional” Samsung “Fold”, there’s more width – seems strange, but the 1:1 ratio of the Fold means it’s a larger measurement but just not as wide. There’s millimetres in it, but it matters.

Turned to portrait orientation, this thing is epic for reading websites, books and social media. Scrolling TikTok and Reels here is fantastic.

Thanks to the lightweight nature of this, it’s not a burden to hold in the hand in any way.

It’s for this reason you will find yourself using that inner screen. When you “remember” or “realise” that the front screen just isn’t doing it for you, you’ll open it up.

I’m not sure that’s a selling point for it, given I do love a traditional front screen use, but – I do think you’ll open this more than any other fold.

Impressively Simple Setup

Samsung has nailed the setup here. Some things are just simple. The fingerprint sensor setup – it’s not tap tap tap, it’s roll your finger around on the button.

Your print is recognised faster, and the unlock with fingerprint is fantastically fast. Well worth using.

It may be a setting, but I do wish the device would just wake up when my fingerprint hits that side button. To press and activate seems a simple thing made harder.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Battery Life

Outstanding, not an issue in the world. This is an all-day battery, every day. Even long days. Quite impressive actually, given how thin this is – but the 4,800mAh battery really works for you here.

Photos on the Galaxy Z Fold8

Some recent phones have pushed the boundaries of design but required a compromise on cameras – that thin form factor can’t pack in all the goodies for a cracking camera.

Or can it?

In simple terms, this isn’t the best camera on the market, it lacks a strong optical zoom and the dual 50 Megapixel sensors on the wide and ultrawide are excellent but fall short of Samsung’s own S26 Ultra and the Fold 8’s big-brother the Fold8 Ultra.

But, you wouldn’t notice in day to day use.

Check out this shot

Then we zoom

And Zoom

And Zoom

And one more Digital Zoom Step:

Not unimpressive at all.

General shots come up great across the board.

Would I Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8?

Yes, if I were a real consumer of content, a lover of mobile video or a reader of long pages of text.

Personally, I am missing the taller screen too much – so it’s not for me, but I can absolutely see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 being a first foldable for a large group of people – it’s so great in the hand, that large screen is fantastic, and the design, build quality and overall feel make this the best foldable yet.

Web: Samsung