AI Summary
In this review, the creator shares his long-term impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 after daily driving it for a week. He highlights the phone's impressive design and display, as well as its trade-offs in cameras, app compatibility, and accessory support, concluding that the foldable's unique feel is its biggest selling point despite underwhelming specs on paper.
Chapters
The reviewer has been daily driving the Galaxy Z Fold 8 since his initial hands-on and is now ready to share honest, long-term impressions after the honeymoon period.
The Fold 8 is 'pretty sick, mostly': it outperforms normal smartphones in many ways but is also definitely worse in several important areas.
The squared-off shape, lightweight build, and relocated buttons make almost the entire display reachable with one hand—no hand gymnastics required.
The screen is excellent with an anti-reflective coating and a B+ crease rating. The unfolded 4:3 ratio is wide enough for side-by-side apps and still plays widescreen video well.
Samsung is using silicon battery tech and the Fold 8 charges at a respectable 45W—the best battery performance on a folding Samsung phone.
Some apps show awkward black bars or are missing UI elements; for example, the front screen is too short to show a required button in Crossplay.
The upgraded spring-loaded hinge doesn't support flex mode; you can prop it halfway but not in a fully supported way.
Stereo speakers sit on the left side, making sound lopsided; many in-car chargers don't work, and the phone rocks on flat tables without a case.
The 50MP primary and 50MP ultrawide aren't as sharp, colorful, or strong in low light as flagship slab phone cameras—a letdown at the $1,900 price point.
Android 17 brings subtle tweaks like a wallpaper that moves with the display and the option to turn off home screen mirroring.
The reviewer expects an iPhone in about two months and hopes app support and responsive design for this aspect ratio will be better than what the Fold 8 experiences.
Objectively, the Fold 8 has a smaller outer screen, smaller inner display, smaller battery, and the same chip as other flagships—yet the genuinely different feel is its true appeal.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a phone that wins on feel and polish but loses on raw specs and camera performance. If you value a truly different smartphone experience and have the budget, it may be worth it; otherwise, the compromises are hard to justify.
Mentioned in this Video
Study Flashcards (8)
What is the display aspect ratio of the unfolded Galaxy Z Fold 8?
easy
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What is the display aspect ratio of the unfolded Galaxy Z Fold 8?
4:3
03:06
How fast does the Galaxy Z Fold 8 charge?
easy
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How fast does the Galaxy Z Fold 8 charge?
45 watts
04:44
What are the camera megapixel counts on the Z Fold 8?
easy
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What are the camera megapixel counts on the Z Fold 8?
50MP primary and 50MP ultrawide
06:55
What is the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 8?
easy
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What is the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 8?
$1,900
07:21
Which Android version does the Z Fold 8 run?
medium
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Which Android version does the Z Fold 8 run?
Android 17
07:51
What is the reviewer's on-paper verdict of the Z Fold 8?
medium
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What is the reviewer's on-paper verdict of the Z Fold 8?
It's not convincing because it has a smaller outside screen, smaller inside screen, smaller battery, and the same chip as other flagships.
09:27
What phone does the reviewer expect in about two months?
easy
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What phone does the reviewer expect in about two months?
An iPhone
08:19
What happens when trying to play Crossplay on the Z Fold 8?
medium
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What happens when trying to play Crossplay on the Z Fold 8?
The front screen is too short and a required button won't show up.
05:28
💡 Key Takeaways
Honeymoon period over
This frame sets up the review's premise: a genuine long-term assessment rather than a rushed first look.
00:344:3 display shines for productivity
The wide unfolded ratio enables genuine side-by-side multitasking, a distinct advantage over traditional phones.
03:35Camera compromise at a premium price
At $1,900, the camera downgrade is a significant trade-off that could deter flagship buyers.
06:55Software polish is underrated
Small Android 17 touches like the moving wallpaper add personality that hardware specs don't capture.
07:51Specs vs. experience verdict
The review highlights that on-paper specs aren't everything—the Fold 8's unique feel is its real value.
09:27Full Transcript
[00:01] it has to come from something know.
[00:17] Just kidding. and I've been daily driving it ever since. You can actually hear me practically falling in love with it during
[00:34] A week later, I've taken a lot of pictures, I've gotten to know what it's really good at and what it's also worse at, its quirks. The honeymoon period's over.
[00:49] And you know what's crazy about calling it the... It's actually kind of perfect, because And then you understand
[01:03] all of the flaws and all of the downsides that come with them. upsides that come with it... And at the end of the day, you're closer together because of it.
[01:17] This phone's pretty sick, mostly. Like, Even though we've seen this general shape, this more squat aspect ratio before,
[01:30] and it's just a different execution than those past phones... this thing is way better than a normal smartphone at a bunch of stuff. But it turns out that comes with being definitely worse than a normal smartphone
[01:44] You want the good news or the bad news? I feel like probably most people will want to start with the good news because, And I think a lot of people will have the same thoughts as me,
[01:59] looks. slightly rectangular AMOLED display. They do all this stuff well...
[02:12] and then it's squared off... like this. This thing is just awesome. your finger perfectly lines up with the power button,
[02:24] And I know I have big hands, but I find almost the entire display... which is something you don't say about most phones these days. to reach all four corners,
[02:37] without the hand gymnastics. Notice that they've moved all of the buttons you ever need to press... Every single function is reachable with one hand on the screen...
[02:51] it almost kind of looks like it's cut off at first, without all the normal blank space all the way around it. This aspect ratio is also slightly worse...
[03:06] which technically makes it right? 4:3
[03:19] The screen itself is great. anti-reflective coating in there. does like a B+ job at minimizing the crease.
[03:35] It's wide enough for two side-by-side apps, so I can legitimately do the occasional productivity stuff But it's also really nice for a single vertical app when you turn it sideways,
[03:49] I just find it just such a nice thin piece of hardware to hold And I know you wouldn't think 4:3 displays are great for watching videos, fun fact, this plays back widescreen videos...
[04:04] I mean, it's more widescreen than a square, And then of course you have the occasional older or newer... And those look... amazing.
[04:18] you can see how the honeymoon phase would be awesome with this thing, It's lightweight, it's easy to open and close, Like,
[04:31] And Samsung is also finally starting to put some silicon in their batteries... Not as aggressively as the Oppos and Vivos and Xiaomis of the world, which has proven to be...
[04:44] And it recharges at a respectable 45 watts, folding Samsung phone ever... You know, you install all your apps, you get into your routines and you,
[05:00] you really start getting to know it and use it and durability test it... didn't initially pay as much attention to. Like, which
[05:14] it's just kind of inconvenient or makes like some awkward black bars on the But also sometimes it means apps are Like when I try to play Crossplay, don't judge me.
[05:28] Like, the front screen is too short, I cannot get that button to show up. And depending on what other apps you use,
[05:43] no flex mode, so you may have noticed that awesomely upgraded spring-loaded hinge that makes Also means there is no
[05:55] I mean you can kind of prop it halfway open, There's also the slightly awkward speaker situation, And it's stereo because the speakers are at the top and the
[06:12] both those speakers are now on the left hand side... the sound is kind of lopsided... Not gonna lie, And you notice that.
[06:25] especially the ones where the phone's supposed to sit up Like a lot of in-car chargers just don't work. so it makes a lot of chargers I used to rely on
[06:41] And it's also a big-time rocker on a table with no case on. less cameras... So in pursuit of...
[06:55] So you have a 50-megapixel primary and then a 50-megapixel ultra-wide. they're just not as good as flagship cameras,
[07:09] like the stuff you would ordinarily get in a slab phone. They're not super sharp, they're not incredible colors or great low-light performance.
[07:21] Which kind of sounds like nitpicking, but on a $1,900 phone, just kind of hits a little harder not having some of the best cameras. that's what you start noticing as you really start to get
[07:38] and it's not perfect. There's even some stuff about this phone that goes underappreciated Like a lot of the software stuff.
[07:51] on Android 17. that like moves according to my wallpaper. It's super sick... bunch of other subtle tweaks that,
[08:06] I also like that you can turn off the mirroring of a home screen and But I think what I'm thinking about most now,
[08:19] is iPhone that we're expecting probably in like two months. what can we learn... from this...
[08:32] app support... And for different aspect ratios and responsive apps for the past
[08:46] So ideally we don't see too many hiccups like I've seen on this phone. it really does matter that we're coming back to this shape displays, vapor chambers and cameras are all smaller
[09:02] makes a really big difference to make me look forward to taking is probably going to do that phone dirty like they did with the iPhone Air by
[09:15] and I am already... like... But then three, this is a
[09:27] Is it worth it? Objectively on paper, it's actually kind of not that convincing, It's a smaller outside screen, smaller inside screen, smaller battery,
[09:39] and the same chip as all the other flagships. what's crazy is this is marketed as the, like, more casual... We start taking bets over at the Waveform podcast on,
[09:53] But obviously has money to spend but wants something that genuinely feels you might just have something.
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[10:54] But there's also their ultra-popular 5-in-1 power bank, and an Apple Watch charging pad. with just how popular the Atomic Purple power bank has been,
[11:08] And so if you wanted the MagSafe version, they improved that too stronger attachment to an iPhone. So yeah, Or at the very least, enter for free, just because...
[11:24] thanks for watching. Peace!
