Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 - Branding Nightmare. Dream Phone

It's not every day we get a whole new kind of phone.

Since pioneering the folding screen on a handset back in 2019, Samsung has pretty much dominated a section of the market it literally created out of thin air.

Well, until recently.

Over the last couple of years it seems like all the big names have caught up, releasing their own folding phones and in some cases, laying down the gauntlet to Samsung with innovative form-factors and pushing the boundaries with hinge technology, latterly eliminating the dreaded "crease" almost completely.

Samsung hasn't taken this lying down, also continuing to refine its Z Fold and Z Flip lines, making each generation more durable, thinner, lighter and yes, less creasy.

And now they've got a new one entirely.

The confusing thing is, it has an old name. Last year's Galaxy Z Fold7 has been updated but it isn't the Z Fold8. It's become the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra instead. That's fine. The first one didn't have a Z in its name, it was just a Fold. If they want to add an Ultra to the title too, whatevs.

The trouble is, that's not the phone I'm reviewing today.

Today we're looking at the Galaxy Z Fold8. So, essentially last year's name on a brand new phone. Could Samsung actually have made this any more confusing?

I can only speculate as to why they've done this - and I'll touch on that shortly - but first, let's just enjoy something new and exciting.

Let me start by admitting I never quite understood why the original Fold was the size and shape it was. I mean, I get that when opened up, the proportions of the internal display matched up quite nicely with those of a small tablet. But in my view, Samsung's design team put too much focus on getting that part right and didn't pay enough attention to the cover (outer) display.

Sure, it's fun to show off that folding screen to your mates and when you're doing actual work on your phone - browsing websites, editing documents, pictures and video, obviously that larger display is just the ticket.

However, the rest of the time (and by "the rest" I mean "most") many people would be using the Fold in its folded state, kind of like any other phone. That meant a very long, skinny outer display, literally too tall for most people to be able to operate with one hand. Too long to fit comfortably in a pants pocket and too narrow to comfortably fit all your usual apps and widgets on the home screen.

Anecdotally, casual users spend 70% to 80% of the time using folding phones folded, so unless you're the kind of power user who tends to reverse those stats, perhaps a tall skinny phone has limited appeal.

Well, seven generations later and Samsung has finally come up with what I like to think of as "The People's Fold." Simply by making it shorter and wider, the new Z Fold8 solves pretty much all of those complaints in one fell swoop - with very little compromise on durability, power or performance.

The Z Fold8's more squat display measures 5.5-inches diagonally as opposed to 6.5-inches on the Ultra - but because of its extra width, the difference in screen size when opened isn't nearly so dramatic; 7.6-inches vs 8.0. 

As far as I'm concerned, this is a major win, certainly in terms of sheer pocketability. The Z Fold8 slips into my front pants pocket, or the inside pocket of my jacket in much the same way Samsung's clamshell foldable, the Z Flip8 does, taking up so much less vertical space and not stabbing me in the thigh or armpit with its sharp corners every time I move.

It still has the same flagship CPU as the Ultra; the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, both inner and outer displays offer 1-120HZ adaptive refresh rates and peak brightness levels top out at a dazzling 3000nits - all just like the Ultra.

The battery is slightly smaller, although given the screens are too, there's only about an hour's difference in how long the charge will last and the benefit is, the Fold8 ends up being noticeably lighter than the Ultra too.

The only significant tradeoff is the camera array. Both inner and outer selfie cams are the same; 10MP - which is fine, although these days that's lagging behind some competitors by quite a margin.

More conspicuously, there's a whole sensor missing on the Fold8 's main camera module compared to the one on the Ultra - no telephoto lens at all. The primary Wide shooter is 50MP as opposed to the 200MP option on the Ultra but the 50MP Ultra Wides are both the same.

So... Does that actually matter? Obviously, not if you take a lot of wide-angle shots and because Macro shooting uses the Ultra Wide sensor too, there won't be any difference in close-ups either.

However, keen-eyed camera buffs will probably detect the difference in detail and the accuracy of the background blur in portrait (or bokeh) shots taken with the main lens. Don't get me wrong, 50MP is great. But 200MP is super-great.

Then, depending on what you use your phone's camera to take photos of, the missing telephoto lens could be an issue if you take lots of sports shots or perhaps things like your kids/pets/partner playing in the surf.

To be honest, I've been clicking away with the Z Fold8 quite happily and not once have I thought to myself, "Gee, I wish I had a bit more optical zoom here" or "I wonder if I'm going to be able to blow this photo of my dog up to be a ten-foot mural on my wall?"

It is another interesting design decision from Samsung though, as this new aspect ratio (both on the outer and inner displays) was clearly focussed on creating and consuming more streamable, meme-able, portable content.

And I assume the slight camera compromise is the main reason the new shaped phone is now the Z Fold8 and the "Zoomier" one becomes the Ultra. Understandable? Maybe. Still confusing as hell though.

Name confusion and camera mismatch aside, I really love this phone. I've noticed how quickly I've taken to using it as my daily device - so easy to handle and recent upgrades to Samsung's durability ratings with its foldables mean I no longer feel as if I have to treat a handset like this with kid gloves. I also think, because it's more comfortable in the hand, that I do actually use the inner (sorry, "Main") display more often - especially when dealing with emails or watching video.

It has all the high-end features I've come to depend upon with a flagship; it charges wirelessly, connects via Wi-Fi 7 for incredible download speeds and One UI is certainly one of my favourite Android interfaces.

As for that squishy home-screen issue I had on the previous Folds - now I have the opposite challenge of course; plenty of room to fit my widgets widthways but a whole row of app icons shorter. Oh well, I'll get used to that, I guess.

Please don't ask me about AI . Like most Galaxy phones, this one is packed with it; Gemini, Co-Pilot - Galaxy AI itself - and as usual, I'm not always sure which one I'm using when. Just rest assured, the Z Fold8 does all the tricks. And when it comes to features like real-time translation, Samsung is one of the best I've tried.

Available in Cream, Graphite, Lavender or Pistachio(Online only) - the Z Fold8 is potentially one of the most exciting phones of the year - if for no other reason because it really is new. There's no other phone quite like it at the moment - well, not for another couple of months anyway.

But don't get one just because it's the new thing - get one because it's the right thing. I'm not saying the taller, skinnier Ultra isn't still the best option for many users, and I'll be reviewing that one in more detail in the weeks to come.

I just happen to think for the more casual, drop-it-in-your-pocket and forget it's there users like me, the Z Fold8 might just be a better fit.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8.