Tech Guide has taken a first hands-on look at the brand new Galaxy Z Fold 8 – the newest member of Samsung’s foldable range.
The device has a brand new shape and its own look and feel, which will be attractive to customers who are considering their first foldable smartphone.
With its shorter and wider 5.5-inch front screen and useful 7.6-inch inside display, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 could very well be the on-ramp to the foldable category for many new customers.
For us one of the complaints we’ve always had about the Fold devices over the years was the narrow front screen that made it difficult for us to type out our messages.
But the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has solved that problem with its wider front screen that offers enough room for even our fat thumbs to comfortably write our messages.
The 5.5-inch display was also big enough to scroll social media and even browse the web.
But what sold us was the inside 7.6-inch display with its 4:3 aspect ratio.
This wider shape means it can be used in two ways.
In landscape it’s ideal for watching content like YouTube and your streaming services.
You can also run apps side by side.
But when you turn it around into portrait mode, it’s the precise shape of an e-reader and a tablet which makes it perfect for reading, browsing the web and scrolling social media.
The advantage it has over the Fold8 Ultra, despite it having a slightly smaller display, is the fact that it has these two distinct modes.
The Fold8 Ultra might have a larger 8-inch display but it has a square shape which means so no matter how you hold the device it’s going to look the same.
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 is a lot more approachable, especially for customers who may have thought the previous Samsung foldables were too much phone or too big and bulky.
We think the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be a popular product in the lineup but the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, which is a noticeable improvement over the Galaxy Z Fold7, will still attract the already growing number of foldable users.
Last year Samsung said the Galaxy Z Fold7 enjoyed a 48 per cent growth over the Fold6 with 62 per cent new to foldables.
Since 2021 the Samsung foldable user base has tripled.
But we need to address the elephant in the room.
And that’s the fact that Apple’s rumoured foldable iPhone will also likely adopt a similar passport shape that Samsung has just released.
We suspect Apple’s entry into the foldable market will not only validate the whole category but also help Samsung sell even more foldable devices.
Apple releasing its first foldable iPhone will no doubt have a seismic effect on the category.
But a rising tide lifts all boats and Samsung will no doubt win new customers especially those loyal Android users who see the foldable iPhone and want the Android alternative, which will be the Galaxy Z Fold8.
* Stephen Fenech travelled to London as a guest of Samsung
