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Marques Brownlee - Galaxy Z Fold 8 Review: Honeymoon's Over

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Author: Marques Brownlee
Categories: Technology Science
Tags: technology, science
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 08:50 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a strong, distinctive foldable whose compact 4:3 form factor, thin-and-light feel, and bright displays make it enjoyable daily, but its shortcomings in app compatibility, camera quality, and wireless charging make its $1,900 price hard to justify on paper. The reviewer still likes the phone a week into daily use, describing the post-honeymoon stage as one where you learn and accept its flaws.

Key Points

  • The phone's shape is its main strength: the squarer, thinner, lighter design is easier to hold and operate one-handed, with the camera UI controls placed on the right side for reach.
  • Its 4:3 aspect ratio makes widescreen videos play bigger than on the Ultra, and it works well as a notebook-style canvas for two side-by-side apps or reading in vertical mode.
  • Battery life is all-day despite the thin body, using a 4,800 mAh battery and 45W charging, the fastest of any previous folding Samsung phone.
  • Weak points include incompatible apps (the reviewer could not play Crossplay because the play button doesn't appear), no flex mode for the halfway-open hinge, lopsided audio when open, and poor alignment with some wireless and in-car chargers.
  • Cameras are limited to two 50MP sensors with no telephoto, which is weak for a $1,900 phone; the same chip is used as other flagships.
  • The reviewer sees the thin form factor as a lesson for Apple's expected folding iPhone, expecting app support and thinness to matter, and mentioning that he and the Waveform podcast have been betting the upcoming folding iPhone could be around $2,500.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: No step-by-step setup or usage instructions are given. The actionable advice is to check app compatibility with the 4:3 aspect ratio before relying on the phone for apps you use heavily, to avoid expecting halfway-open flex mode (not available), to use a magnetic case if you rely on magnetic chargers (the phone has no built-in magnets), and to consider that wireless charger alignment and some in-car chargers may not work.
  • The phone runs One UI 9 on Android 17, which adds a responsive lock screen clock that moves with the wallpaper, thicker volume and brightness sliders in quick settings, and the option to make the inside and cover home screens separate layouts.
  • The display is a 5.5-inch slightly rectangular AMOLED with an anti-reflective coating and a Titanium Flex Hinge that the reviewer rates as a B+ at minimizing the crease.

Bottom Line

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is an appealing, novel-feeling phone that rewards users who want something genuinely different in hand, but its compromises in apps, cameras, and charging mean it suits a specific, money-to-spare audience rather than most buyers.