Samsung simply shook up its foldable lineup at Unpacked with the brand new Galaxy Z Fold 8—and I have already got one in my arms proper now forward of its Aug. 7 launch.
Till now, each Galaxy Z Fold sequence has featured a tall, candy-bar-style design. That’s now unique to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely, whereas the usual Galaxy Z Fold 8 debuts a shorter, passport-style kind issue with a 7.6-inch internal show as a substitute of the Extremely’s 8.0-inch panel.
Now, the ground is yours. What would you want me to check? Whether or not it’s gaming efficiency with the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, out of doors show visibility, battery life, or the speaker’s sound high quality, go away your questions within the feedback.
In the meantime, as I experiment with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, I will drop my findings right here. Be happy to bookmark this web page to test in on my testing updates.
Galaxy Z Fold 8’s Foremost Show: Is It Really Higher for Movies?
The place the Galaxy Z Fold 8 really shines over the Extremely is as a media consumption gadget. Certain, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely gives extra vertical actual property, however the Galaxy Z Fold 8 delivers extra horizontal width. The internal show is 6.35 inches broad, whereas the Extremely is far narrower at 5.64 inches.
I watched a YouTube video on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. There’s some letterboxing, however it’s not as unhealthy because the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely (Credit score: Kenneth Butler)
In different phrases, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a extra video-friendly 4:3 side ratio, which suggests you may see much less letterboxing round your content material.
The letterboxing on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely is sort of distracting (Credit score: Kenneth Butler)
The operative phrase right here is “much less” as a result of the black containers are nonetheless there, however they are not as unhealthy because the distinguished letterboxing that plagues the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely.
The Zoom to Fill characteristic in motion on the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s internal show (Credit score: Kenneth Butler)
You need to use the “Zoom to Fill” characteristic on the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s internal show with the pinch-to-zoom gesture, however it cuts off the sides of your content material.
What, Precisely, Is the Cowl Display For?
Samsung says the outer and internal shows serve totally different functions, with the previous greatest for digital studying and social media, significantly apps that help doomscrolling (e.g., TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts). In fact, I put this to the check, and I am not fairly positive I agree.
Check out the image beneath, which captures me scrolling by way of PCMag’s Instagram Reels on the 5.5-inch cowl display screen. It is a nice, pocketable expertise the place I can wrap my fingers across the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with one hand and scroll with the opposite.
I scrolled by way of PCMag’s Instagram Reels on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon)
However I most well-liked scrolling on the extra spacious, 7.6-inch internal show. That is as a result of opening the remark part whereas watching Instagram Reels on the smaller cowl display screen causes the UI to hijack your complete show, utterly hiding the video.
On the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s cowl display screen, PCMag’s Instagram Reel video disappears once I launch the feedback (Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon)
On the internal show, the remark part as a substitute acts as an overlay, so the video retains enjoying within the background. Though it’s nonetheless not an ideal structure, it beats the video vanishing fully.
On the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s internal show in portrait mode, the feedback part acts as an overlay (Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon)
Doing the identical factor on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely ends in a a lot better structure: the video neatly minimizes on the prime whereas the feedback part occupies the underside half.
Remark part on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely (Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon)
At Unpacked, Samsung highlighted a brand new YouTube Shorts UI the place feedback load on the suitable facet of the internal show whereas the video performs on the left.
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At Unpacked, Samsung demonstrated YouTube Shorts operating feedback side-by-side with the video on the internal show (Credit score: Samsung)
I examined it out, and as you possibly can see beneath, the side-by-side view works simply as Samsung confirmed off at Unpacked.
YouTube Shorts side-by-side remark structure on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon)
There is a catch, although: it solely works on YouTube Shorts. It seems that neither Instagram Reels nor TikTok helps this structure but.
How does the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s Display Fare in Harsh Daylight?
Replace 5:28 p.m. ET: Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s fundamental display screen, which encompasses a 1,848-by-2,448-pixel Dynamic AMOLED 2x panel with a 120Hz adaptive refresh charge, emanates a peak brightness of three,000 nits. These are simply specs, although. The actual query is, how does it do beneath shiny, direct daylight?
Even beneath direct daylight, the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s display screen remained clear as day. (Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon)
No squinting right here. I took the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to the park, and I used to be impressed by how seen and vibrant the display screen was, whilst I used to be drenched in daylight. Take a look at the photograph beneath. Though the solar tried to dim (pun supposed) my viewing expertise, watching a cheetah strutting by way of the savannah remained clear and crisp. The identical may very well be stated for textual content. Whereas scrolling by way of a PCMag article, I wasn’t struggling to make out effective print, nor did I’ve to protect the display screen with my hand simply to observe alongside.
Whether or not you are studying textual content or watching a video, I had no points with the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s fundamental show. (Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon)
I had the same expertise with the 1,972-by-1,248-pixel, Dynamic AMOLED 2x cowl display screen. Additionally full of as much as 3,000 nits of brightness, I had zero points with textual content legibility or video viewing.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s cowl display screen is simple to see in harsh daylight (Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon)
Whether or not you’re chilling on the seashore or checking off errands at midday, the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s show stays brilliantly seen.
About Our Skilled
Kimberly Gedeon
Senior Author, Cellular
Expertise
I’m PCMag’s Senior Author for Cellular on the Shopper Electronics staff, diving into the newest telephones, tablets, Bluetooth audio system, audio units, and different moveable gear. I’ve been protecting shopper know-how for six years. Earlier than becoming a member of PCMag, I contributed my tech experience to Laptop computer Journal, Mashable, Tom’s Information, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, and extra.
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