Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

History

Development

Development of the Galaxy Z Fold 7's successor began shortly after its announcement. First signs of the successor surfaced in the GSMA database in December 2025 under the codename "H8" (with model number SM-F971U), initially thought to be assigned for a Flip-style foldable, but later suggested expansion for a new Fold-style product line.

Subsequent testing of internal One UI 9 builds in February 2026, later confirmed a Flip model and two different Fold-style models (SM-F776U for Z Fold 8, and SM-F971U, which was initially known as the "Wide Fold"). In addition, internal builds of the Wide Fold's animation files in One UI 9 ahead of its unveiling.

Early reports about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 began to surface as early as March 2026, wherein it be produced in two different versions: a standard version (which was considered to be the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7) and a wide screen version (similar to a passport). Dimensions for the two models were also known, suggesting that it may had a larger battery or S Pen support. In April 2026, reports confirm the Galaxy Z Fold 8 launch dates and its key features.

Design references and animation files of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series were reported in an early build of One UI 9 in May 2026. Early reports for the processor and the battery were also known, suggesting the use of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and two different battery capacities (5,000 mAh for the normal Z Fold 8, and 4,800 mAh for the "Wide Fold"). Multiple reports of the "Wide Fold" devices were also reported, ranging from supposed to be screen protectors, dummy units (with a rear camera module similar to the Galaxy S25 Edge), to employees seen using the upcoming Wide foldable.

The name of the "Wide Fold" device was originally presumed to be the Z Fold 8 Wide due to it having a version with a wide screen, but this was later refuted in May 2026, when it was revealed that the Wide variant would be known as the Z Fold 8, while the standard variant would be known as the Z Fold 8 Ultra (which would become the proper successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7). Multiple reports of the wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 would later be known in June 2026, ranging from its wallpapers (matching from the supposed device colors), to screen protectors.

Supposed thickness of the inner display were reported, which said it will jump to 60μm for the wider Z Fold 8 while the normal Z Fold 8 will be at 45μm, which is 30% thicker than the Z Fold 7. The wider Fold 8 would come with a “significantly enhanced” display resolution. Color options and storage options for the phones were revealed ahead of launch. Early hands-on impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series were known, with one mentioning the wider Fold having a lighter device weight. Renders of the supposed devices were also reported alongside the official cases in June 2026. The Z Fold 8's design was officially teased in a campaign on June 30, 2026, which showed a Galaxy Z Fold 8 series wallpaper and taglines teasing the new form-factor.

Other appearances

The Z Fold 8's design was teased twice in a Spider-Man: Brand New Day poster and video on July 9, 2026 and July 15, 2026, in partnership with Sony and Marvel Studios, showing a wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 with two rear cameras, and Spider-Man holding a wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 and carried the tagline "A brand new shape for a Brand New Day".

The Z Fold 8's design was leaked in a Instagram post shared by BTS on July 17, 2026 while on the Arirang World Tour, five days before the official launch, showing a BTS member J-Hope holding a actual wider Galaxy Z Fold 8. A day before the official launch, the Z Fold 8's design was teased in a X post shared by Samsung Mobile, showing a BTS member J-Hope holding a wider Galaxy Z Fold 8.

A day before the official launch, the Z Fold 8's design was leaked in an advertisement shared by T-Mobile for Business, which showed a wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 and calling it “pocket-size powerhouse”. On July 17, 2026, a customized Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra was listed for sale on Caviar's website.

Launch

On July 7, 2026, it was reported that Samsung was preparing to open up reservations for the next Galaxy Unpacked event. A few hours later, Samsung officially sent out invites for the next Galaxy Unpacked event set for July 22, 2026, in London, which showed a silhouette of the regular-sized Galaxy Z Fold 8, tearing off into a passport-like Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra were announced during that event with improvements to the battery, a new processor, upgraded display and introducing a new model to the lineup. Samsung called the Z Fold 8 Ultra its "most advanced foldable design" and the slimmest foldable that it has developed. Shortly before its official unveiling, reports as early as July 2026 suggested that Samsung would drop the free storage upgrade because of the RAM crisis. Samsung did kept the pre-order bonus but it only applied for the base 256GB models.

Line-up

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series includes two models: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. At 201 g, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is lighter than other book-style foldables released before it. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 both weigh 215 g, while contemporaneous competitors weigh between 217 and 226 g. The clamshell-format Galaxy Z Flip 8 is lighter still, at 180 g. The reduction is partly a consequence of the smaller inner display: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 7.6-inch panel, compared with 7.95 to 8.12 inches on competing book-style foldables.

Performance

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which powers the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra worldwide.

Design

At launch, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is available in four standard color options: Cream, Graphite, Lavender, and Violet Shadow. A fifth and sixth variant, Pistachio and Green Shadow is available exclusively through Samsung's online store. The devices continue to have an aluminum frame, similar to its predecessor. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series features Flex Titanium, a display technology that adds a titanium plate to make it durable, which also reduces crease visibility and better durability, using a titanium-alloy film to make it less flexible.

Specifications

Display

The Z Fold 8 features a 5.5 in (140 mm) cover display with a resolution of 1972 x 1248 pixels adopting a 10:16 aspect ratio. The main foldable display measures 7.6 in (190 mm) and has a resolution of 2448 x 1848 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra features a 6.5 in (170 mm) cover display with a resolution of 2520 × 1080 pixels adopting a 21:9 aspect ratio, offering a taller viewing experience. The main foldable display measures 8.0 in (200 mm) and has a resolution of 2504 x 2256 pixels, and can reach up to 3,000 nits of brightness under specific conditions, such as when using Vision Booster in direct sunlight. Samsung claims the main display is 15% brighter than that of the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Camera

The cameras of the Z Fold 8 Ultra carries over the 200 MP primary camera, 10 MP telephoto camera, and a pair of 10 MP front cameras from its predecessor, but it brings an upgraded 50 MP ultra-wide camera. Meanwhile, the Z Fold 8 utilizes a dual rear-camera setup (50 MP primary and ultrawide).

Batteries

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is powered by a dual 4,800 mAh battery, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is powered by a dual 5,000 mAh battery—and both models support 45 W wired charging (up from 25 W on the Galaxy Z Fold 7), 20 W fast wireless charging and 4.5 W reverse wireless charging. The Z Fold 8 Ultra introduces a new dual-path charging architecture, which Samsung says distributes power more efficiently across the battery system. This is the first charging upgrade for the Galaxy Z Fold line in several generations; the Galaxy Z Fold 4 through Z Fold 7 all shipped with a 4,400 mAh battery, 25 W wired and 15 W wireless charging. Samsung also claims the Z Fold 8 Ultra offers 14% longer battery life than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. This series marks the first time to introduce silicon-carbon batteries.

Memory and storage

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series launched with 12 GB of RAM. The two models start at 256 GB, The 1 TB version of the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra has 16 GB of RAM, and is available worldwide.

Software

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra were released with Android 17 and One UI 9. Alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 8, it is promised to get up to seven years of operating system and security updates, which was the software policy introduced since the release of Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

Reception

Critical reception

The Z Fold 8 series received a major upgrade from the Galaxy Z Fold 7, with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 having a 4:3 aspect ratio, and one criticism is that it only had an IP48 rating. Initial hands-on of the devices stated that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has the same amount of usable screen space as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but the new shape didn't work as well for videos. One reviewer said that it is the first time that the form factor has made it smitten, and the color choices were the most impressive aspects, which suggests opting for the online exclusive Pistachio color. Samsung talked about the new hinge assembly to make the foldable easier to open up, and talks about its decisions around the Z Fold 8’s new shape, and color choices. A reviewer commented about the new foldable lineup, with Violet Shadow on the Z Fold 8 Ultra being "chic" and "sophisticated", while the Lavender color on the Z Fold 8 was described as being "fresh" and "soft".

Several reviewers described the devices as the lightest book-style foldable available at the time and noted that it was also lighter than conventional flagship phones, such as Samsung's own Galaxy S26 Ultra. Another reviewer made a similar observation, identifying the weight and the 4.5 mm unfolded thickness as the characteristics distinguishing the model from earlier Fold devices. Criticism has been aimed at the lack of a Privacy Display (a feature used in the S26 Ultra), the lack of S Pen support (despite other foldables not made by Samsung having support for active stylus input on both displays), the lack of Flex Mode (on the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8), and performance differences between the wider Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra (even though both devices use the same chipset).

Following Apple, Samsung's new software made changes to the lock screen where after 13th failed unlock attempts, it would lockout the phone, requiring a factory reset to regain access (this only applies to devices that launched with One UI 9). iFixit's teardown of the Z Fold 8 had serious repair flaws, and it has given a repairability score of 4 out of 10 due to a fragile inner screen, a delicate hinge and impractical dust protection (that's when the hinge started making crunching and grinding noises after working on the Fold 8's hinge).

Sales

In late-July 2026, it was reported that the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 was selling faster, and that the Pistachio color was selling faster than expected. Earlier that month, It was reported that Samsung would produce 4.8 million units prior to its unveiling. Tipster Ice Universe suggests that the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 would become "the best-selling folding item in Samsung's history". Furthermore, Google started selling the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 during its pre-order phase, and it offers a discount of $150 on selected users during pre-order.

The Z Fold 8 series broke pre-order records in the first two weeks after its launch due to high demand, which experienced a delay in delivery, with multiple colors delayed for months. Korean media reported that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 was seeing 3x the pre-order demand, a notable increase from the Z Fold 7. Yonhap News reported that 1.44 million of the Galaxy Z8 foldables were preordered in South Korea, which broke the preorder record that was set in 2019 with the Galaxy Note 10 series. ETNews reported that Samsung would order an additional one million units due to high demand, and that the Z Fold 8 had received 30% higher pre-orders than the Z Fold 7.

Issues

Even before the general release, reviewers had problems where benchmark apps wouldn't install. Samsung had temporarily blocked benchmark apps because the Z Fold 8 series was running pre-release engineering firmware, and that Samsung would issue a software update to allow benchmarking apps to be installed and used normally.