not very exciting
The Samung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to arrive in July with a larger battery and the possibility of faster charging. We don’t expect too many changes to the design, but the return of S Pen support and a model with a second, wider aspect ratio are in the works.
Pros
- Rumored to feature a large 5,000mAh battery
- Rumored to support fast 45W charging
- Expected to come with less visible creases
- Must have latest Qualcomm chip
- the price should remain the same
Shortcoming
- The Z Fold probably won’t look much different from the 7
- IP rating will remain the same
- S Pen support remains unclear
Samsung’s most popular fold so far
There has been a major change in the design of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, making it thinner and lighter than ever. Despite dropping support for the S Pen and being more expensive, demand for it was higher than Samsung had anticipated.
Pros
- The crease is practically non-existent
- The remote no longer feels heavy when folded
- Big and wide cover screen
- Truly a 2-in-1 device
- Shares the same camera as the S25 Ultra
- outstanding performance
- That blue is so blue, and looks incredible
Shortcoming
- no s pen support
- more expensive than before
- There is no dust protection system
- Battery life is great
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 7: Price and availability
I sincerely hope that Samsung will not increase the price of Galaxy Z Fold 8 again as its price has already increased last year. Since there’s no evidence to suggest that’s the case, let’s assume it starts at the same $1,999.99. This will be for the 256GB variant, with the price going up to $2,500 for the 1TB variant. With the Z Fold 7, only the 1TB variant had 16GB of RAM while the tiers below came with 12GB. I expect Samsung to offer 16GB on all storage tiers this year.
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As far as availability is concerned, the Galaxy Unpacked event is expected to take place in London on July 22 instead of New York like last year. This would mean that pre-orders will start by mid-July and open sales will follow after the launch date. However this is all very speculative so it is best to wait for official confirmation from Samsung. We’ll probably also get some new colors for the Z Fold 8 which might be worth waiting for.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will soon be a year old and is already selling at a lower price, starting at $1,599.99 for the 256GB and going up to $2,100 for the 1TB variant. The price may drop further before it goes out of circulation, so you should keep an eye on it if you want to save a chunk of change. The color of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was one of the best colors of all fold phones to date and has proven extremely popular Strong demand in American market.
However, recent increases in component costs have taken hold Samsung quietly raised the MSRP of the higher storage variant by $80. If this has affected Samsung’s current supply of the Z Fold 7, I wonder what this upcoming Z Fold 8 will be priced at. Either way, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 should eventually be cheaper to buy than the Z Fold 8, but probably not as much as we’d like.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 7: Design and display
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 isn’t expected to look much different from the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and that’s okay. Only last year, a major change was made in the design of Fold 7, which is the thinnest Fold till date. The Z Fold 8 should conform to the same dimensions at 4.2mm thickness when unfolded and approximately 8.9mm when folded. If Samsung decides to use a larger battery, the weight of the Z Fold 7 could increase slightly to 215 grams. However, overall, there shouldn’t be much difference. Renders of a ‘wide’ Galaxy Z Fold are also available with just two rear cameras and a wider (but smaller) book-style aspect ratio, but there’s not much evidence of that yet.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 scored well in terms of build quality and durability, but there are a few things we would like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to improve on. For starters, Samsung’s foldables still only have an IP48 rating, while others have passed the Fold 7. The Honor Magic V5 and Vivo I really hope Samsung increases the dust protection on the Z Fold 8 to stay competitive.
Another disappointment for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 comes in the display department. It is expected to use the same M13 screen material that Samsung has used in the last few generations. The problem here is that since this isn’t a true 10-bit panel, Samsung uses a method called dithering or frame rate control (FRC) to trick your eyes into seeing colors that aren’t actually present. For most users, it should look fine, but if you fall into the group that is sensitive to flicker, looking at such a screen for long periods of time can cause headaches.
The folding screen should still be 8 inches and we might get a bump in peak brightness over the Galaxy Z Fold 8. We never faced any issues with the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s screen as the touch response and brightness were more than adequate. There are rumors that support for the S Pen will be brought back to the Z Fold 8, as well as a new creaseless folding screen technology that debuted at CES. If that happens, it will be a solid rival to the Oppo Find N6’s creaseless display.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 7: Hardware and software
Samsung usually ships Galaxy Z Fold devices with flagship chipsets, and I expect the same for the Galaxy Z Fold 8. there should be a change in this Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset for Galaxy devices, similar to the chipset used in the Galaxy S26 series. I hope we get 16GB RAM this time across all storage tiers.
Another big upgrade that was honestly long overdue is a bigger battery in the Galaxy Z Fold 8. We may eventually see a larger 5,000mAh capacity, which should boost good battery life compared to the 4,400mAh in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The charging speed is also expected to increase from the average 25W charging speed to 45W. I would hope to see 60W wired charging like the Galaxy S26 Ultra but I’ll take anything above 25W at this point. I’m not expecting native Qi2 charging but with a case it should be possible.
|
Social class |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (rumored) |
samsung galaxy z fold 7 |
|---|---|---|
|
operating system |
One UI 9 (Android 17), seven years of OS upgrades |
One UI 8 (Android 16), seven years of OS upgrades |
|
Display |
Internal: 8-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, crease-free External: 6.5-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz |
Internal: 8-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, crease-free External: 6.5-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz |
|
processor |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
|
to hit |
12GB/16GB |
12GB/16GB |
|
storage |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
|
rear cameras |
200MP wide; |
200MP wide; |
|
front camera |
10MP (Internal), 10MP (External) |
10MP (Internal), 10MP (External) |
|
Battery |
5,000mAh |
4,400mAh |
|
charge |
45W wired |
25W wired, 15W wireless, Qi2 support |
|
ip rating |
IP68 |
ip48 |
|
weight |
unknown |
215 grams |
|
DIMENSIONS |
unknown |
(open) 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2 mm; (folded) 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm |
|
Colour |
unknown |
Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, Jet Black, Mint |
With Android 17 expected to launch in the middle of this year, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 may release with the next-generation One UI 9. Early development testing of One UI 9 is reportedly already underway, so it’s possible it could debut with the Z Fold 8. Along with the new UI changes for Android 17, you should also expect new Galaxy AI features to headline this launch. Many of these features should also come to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a future update.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 7: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 got a 200MP main camera upgrade just last year, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 may also use the same. But hopefully it will eventually get better ultra-wide and telephoto cameras. A leak suggests that Samsung will ship the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a 50MP ultra-wide camera (up from 12MP) and a 12MP telephoto (up from 10MP). Optical zoom for the latter sensor is still expected to be 3X.
We don’t have any news about the selfie camera on the outside and the folding display but I suspect there will be no changes to them. We loved the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 when we tested them, so the Galaxy Z Fold 8 having better sensors should make it more competitive against foldables like the Oppo Find N6.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 7: Should you wait?
We are still a few months away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and from the looks of it, it won’t be much different from the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Some upgrades that could make a practical difference would be a larger battery, faster charging, the return of S Pen support, and hopefully a better IP rating. But again, we don’t know how many of these upgrades will actually be successful. If you’re not in a rush or are still on the older fold phones, it’s definitely worth the wait as this is definitely going to be one of these. Best Samsung phone.
If you need to pull the trigger quickly, you can’t go wrong with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It now sells for a lower price than it did at launch, it’s incredibly thin and light, and you won’t have any issues with performance. Keep in mind that we didn’t find the battery life great and there’s no S Pen support if you feel you’ll need it.
waiting to appear
It doesn’t seem like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be a major upgrade, but some changes like a bigger battery and proper dustproofing might make it worth the wait.
current best
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung’s best foldable for most users and it’s now a slightly better value after the price drop. You are looking for a slim device that is well built and offers excellent global after sales support.
