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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 First Impressions: The Passport Style Redesign Changes Everything

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 First Impressions: The Passport-Style Redesign Changes Everything

The new form factor is great for everyday use.

Written by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 22 July 2026 18:30 IST

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 First Impressions: The Passport-Style Redesign Changes Everything

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Highlights

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 features a 5.5-inch AMOLED cover screen
The internal display spans 7.6 inches
The Fold 8 weighs 201 grams

Samsung wants potential foldable smartphone buyers to have different screen size options, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is one of the best examples. The company showcased the all-new book-style foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and after spending some time with the new device, I can say that this form factor is designed to move easily from cover screen interactions to media consumption, reading and browsing on the main larger internal display. What Samsung has done this year is design a foldable with an aspect ratio that's designed the way people naturally consume content, and kudos to the team for bringing a more refined screen size with almost the same firepower as the big brother Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Is Designed for All Age Groups

The all-new Galaxy Z Fold 8 weighs just 201 grams, which means it's lighter than some of the flagships available in the market. For context, the iPhone 17 Pro Max weighs 233 grams while the Galaxy S26 Ultra weighs 214 grams. Interestingly, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the company's lightest Galaxy Z Fold yet, and that says a lot about the device. When folded, the Fold 8 offers a 10:16 cover screen that feels familiar and comfortable to use, be it for unlimited doom scrolling on social media apps or even typing messages. Numbers-wise, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 features a 5.5-inch AMOLED display and offers a 120Hz screen refresh rate.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Discussion

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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 features a compact foldable design with its new wide-open folding mechanism.

When unfolded, the Z Fold 8 offers a 4:3 aspect ratio on the main display, which is ideal for working on presentation decks, photo edits, or multimedia consumption in general. The best part about the Z Fold 8 is that the moment you rotate the main display, it becomes naturally suited to reading e-books or just browsing on the Internet. I can confidently say that the Z Fold 8 gave me the best Internet browsing experience among all foldables I have tried in the last decade.

The foldable smartphone from Samsung comes with an Armour Aluminium frame for improved durability.

Samsung again leads the pack with a host of Galaxy AI features that the company says have been optimised for the form factor. The new Galaxy Z series also gets Gemini Intelligence. However, in the limited time at the experience zone, I couldn't test all the Galaxy AI features, so stay tuned for the review for a deep dive on AI features on the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is available in three different colour options.

Samsung's New Flex Titanium Tech Is Here

One of the biggest additions this year is the introduction of the all-new Flex Titanium technology. Long story short, Samsung has shifted to a titanium-based display structure, which helps it design thinner foldables without compromising durability. In product briefings ahead of the Galaxy Unpacked event, a Samsung executive detailed how Samsung achieved this by combining a titanium-alloy film with an enhanced titanium plate. The company claims that "Flex Titanium helps strengthen display support, absorb pressure and impact, and reduce crease visibility over time." One area where Samsung R&D worked closely is refining the structure so the unfolding feels smoother and lighter. The hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 feels more natural, and it gives you confidence day in and day out.

Samsung executives touched upon how the team worked on new hinge mechanics, display tension and magnetic force to make unfolding feel lighter.

The handset comes equipped with a new Flex Titanium technology that offers better durability and minimal crease.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Initial Thoughts

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be available in Graphite, Cream, Lavender, and an online-exclusive Pistachio. I experienced all colours of the Fold 8 for this first impression piece, and I feel the Lavender is the most classy. The rear doesn't attract smudges, and it's a great thing for people who love to use their device without a rear case. The 5.5-inch cover AMOLED screen also gets a 120Hz variable refresh rate, same as the main 7.6-inch AMOLED display.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 packs a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch inner display.

The main display offers a maximum of 3000 nits of brightness and also comes with features like Vision Booster, and it gets a non-reflective finish on the main screen, which remains vivid and excellent under direct sunlight. In the limited time I spent on the Galaxy Z Fold 8, I really liked the display, and it's a great device for binge-watching and even general browsing.

The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 packs the top-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which means the performance is really beast-level, be it for heavy-graphics gaming or video editing on the go. In the limited time I spent on the Galaxy Z Fold 8, it was able to run multiple apps in the background along with Galaxy AI image editing. It comes in 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 512GB storage, and 16GB RAM + 1TB storage options.

Of course, I can't give a verdict on the performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at this point, so you will have to stay tuned for the review that drops in a few weeks. The phone also packs a massive 4800mAh battery and comes with 45W fast-charging support. It can charge up to 63 percent in 30 minutes with a 45W adapter and also gets 20W wireless charging support. The Z Fold 8 gets an IP48 rating and will run One UI 9 based on Android 17 out of the box.

The handset features a dual-camera setup on the rear panel.

Talking about the cameras, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 does impress with a solid dual camera at the back that comprises a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor. There's also a 10-megapixel cover screen selfie camera, along with a 10-megapixel sensor on the internal main display. The phone supports 8K at 30fps video recording and also gets features like dual recording, which lets users capture both sides of the moment through the cover screen and rear cameras. In the limited time, I also tried My FanCam, which can automatically track a selected subject and reframes footage into a preferred aspect ratio, turning social media-ready videos within seconds.

Talking about prices, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 price in India starts at Rs. 1,79,999 for the 12GB + 256GB variant. The 12GB + 512GB option is priced at Rs. 1,99,999, while the top-end variant with 16GB + 1TB configuration comes with a price tag of Rs. 2,39,999.

Overall, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 offers a solid package for people who are looking for a book-style foldable. Stay tuned to Gadgets 360 for our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review that drops in a few weeks.

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Further reading: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Design, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Display, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Features, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Launch, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 price and features, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Price in India, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 first impressions

Ketan Pratap

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Ketan Pratap is the Editor at Gadgets 360. His primary role - debugging the tech hype, benchmarking the future, and compiling it all into precise news, features or reviews. He has spent over 14 years calling out vaporware and identifying the best tech. He’s your guide for everything from chipsets to smart-home meltdowns. When his own batteries are low, he heads for the hills—literally. He’s someone who prefers a remote mountain pass, appreciating a 12,000-foot view that no VR ...More