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When the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 was first announced, my first reaction wasn’t actually “Samsung has made another new foldable,” but rather: why does this approach look so familiar?

Because before Samsung, Huawei had already taken the initiative regarding foldable screen aspect ratios. The 2025 Pura X didn’t continue following the traditional small foldable design, but instead directly stretched the inner screen to a 16:10 ratio, a form factor Huawei itself calls the “Wide Fold.” At the time, many people thought it looked a bit strange, but looking back now, Huawei was actually solving a problem in advance: why must foldable screens continue to follow the aspect ratios of traditional phones?

With the Galaxy Z Fold8, Samsung is clearly starting to think about this too. It’s certainly not the same folding style as the Pura X—it remains a book-style large foldable—but when folded, the outer screen has been changed to a 10:16 ratio, which is closer to the usage habits of a regular phone; when fully unfolded, it becomes 4:3.

With these two aspect ratios combined, the usage of the Fold8 is clearly different from previous slim and elongated foldables. When folded, you can watch short videos, reply to messages, or browse the web without feeling like the outer screen is just a temporary compromise; when unfolded, viewing photos, e-books, or information-dense pages is indeed more comfortable with the 4:3 ratio than traditional slim aspect ratios.

So, saying Samsung is “following Huawei’s lead” is definitely not a conclusion that can be drawn directly. But one thing is obvious: Huawei pushed the foldable screen in the direction of being “wider” first, and now Samsung is also starting to rethink screen aspect ratios. Previously, everyone was competing over who could make foldables thinner and lighter. Now it’s turning into a different question—what screen aspect ratio is actually better suited for foldables? In this regard, Huawei did indeed act earlier than Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Design: 201g is much more important than I imagined

We’ve been talking about why the Fold8 suddenly made the screen wider this time, but when I actually got my hands on it, the first thing I noticed wasn’t the 4:3 ratio, but the weight.

201g. A 7.6-inch large foldable at this weight really makes me pause when picking it up. Especially since I used the Fold series before, I always easily associated “large foldables” with being bulky, but holding it in one hand this time doesn’t feel like a noticeable burden at all.

The Fold8 is 9.7mm thick when folded and only 4.5mm when unfolded. The numbers already look very thin, but once actually held in hand, the feeling brought by the 201g is even more direct.

The 5.5-inch outer screen is also quite different from before. The 10:16 aspect ratio makes the entire device look wider and shorter, making it much more comfortable to scroll through feeds, reply to messages, and browse the web with one hand. After using it for a few days, I find myself no longer subconsciously unfolding the phone first; the outer screen itself is sufficient for most tasks.

When I truly need to read long articles, view photos, or handle more content, I unfold the 7.6-inch inner screen. This is where the 4:3 aspect ratio really starts to show its value.

It doesn’t look as narrow and elongated as some previous large foldables, with significantly more horizontal screen space. Especially when reading e-books and long articles, once you rotate the phone, the layout feels more like a small tablet rather than just a scaled-up phone interface.

The hinge has also been adjusted this generation. Samsung uses an ultra-thin precision armor hinge with beveled inner edges, making it easier to find the pressure point when opening it. There is also a dual-layer titanium shock-absorbing layer under the screen to reinforce the foldable structure. The crease is still there, of course. It’s not about how new it is, but rather that when folded, I am finally willing to hold it and use it as a regular phone for extended periods.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 screen: 4:3 is truly not just a gimmick this time

After changing the screen aspect ratio on the Fold8, I feel the actual impact is greater than the specs suggest. When folded, it has a 5.5-inch outer screen with a 10:16 aspect ratio, making scrolling through short videos, replying to messages, and browsing the web feel quite natural, without that narrow and elongated feel of some previous large foldables. After using it for a few days, I often don’t even bother unfolding it.

When fully unfolded, the 7.6-inch inner screen changes to a 4:3 aspect ratio. This ratio is indeed comfortable for viewing photos, e-books, and long articles, offering more horizontal space and feeling much like a small tablet when rotated. The dual inner and outer screens reach a peak brightness of 3000 nits, making it easy to view content outdoors in daylight, and the anti-reflective treatment on the inner screen also helps.

However, the 4:3 ratio isn’t an advantage in all scenarios. When watching 16:9 videos, the black bars are quite noticeable, and some apps still show that their optimization hasn’t fully caught up when displayed on the large screen. Therefore, what I like most about the Fold8 screen this time isn’t the “7.6 inches,” but that Samsung has finally figured out how each screen should be used when folded and unfolded.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Performance: Comparable to a Flagship Experience

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Performance: What I really care about is how to use the large screen. The Fold8 uses the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite (for Galaxy), so I haven’t really worried about its performance.

During this period, I used it for photo editing, simple video editing, and played games like Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt 8, without encountering any noticeable lag. After 20 to 30 minutes of continuous gaming, the device starts to heat up, which is noticeable, but the temperature drops relatively quickly once I stop.

So the Fold8 doesn’t give me the impression of “exaggerated performance.” The chip is already fast enough. What truly determines whether this foldable is good to use is whether I will actually be willing to keep using its multitasking and large-screen features after unfolding it.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Camera: So expensive, yet still no telephoto lens

The Fold8’s camera is the part I’m most conflicted about after using it. It only has two lenses on the back: a 50-megapixel main camera and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens, with no dedicated telephoto lens. The main camera can achieve 2x optical-quality zoom, but it is essentially just a high-pixel crop, which is not the same as a true telephoto lens.

If it were on a foldable phone starting at 12,999 yuan, I would definitely care. Fortunately, when it comes to actual photography, the main camera did not disappoint me. There is plenty of detail in daylight, and the colors follow Samsung’s familiar style—slightly more vivid, but not so saturated that they look fake. Portraits and casual snapshots are quite reliable, though in my comparison, the sharpness of the Fold7 is actually more pleasing in certain scenes.

It works just as well at night. Processing time takes a bit longer in darker environments, and the phone automatically applies night mode optimization, resulting in decent brightness, noise control, and detail in the final photos.

The 50MP ultra-wide lens actually gave me a pleasant surprise. When shooting architecture and landscapes, the details and colors are quite stable, the autofocus is fast, and the night performance doesn’t drop to a “barely usable” level.

Foldable phones have another feature that is hard for regular phones to replicate: you can use the cover screen as a viewfinder and then use the rear main or ultra-wide camera for selfies. It is indeed convenient for group photos, and both the inner and outer screens are equipped with their own 10-megapixel front cameras. It can record video at up to 8K 30fps, which is more than enough for daily recording.

So my opinion on the Fold8’s camera system is not that it “takes bad photos.” On the contrary, I am willing to use both the main and ultra-wide cameras, but every time I want to zoom in a bit for a composition, I am reminded of one thing: at this price point, it really should have a telephoto lens.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Battery Life: 4800mAh, I originally didn’t have high expectations.

The Fold8 only has a 4800mAh battery, and when I first saw this number, I was actually mentally prepared for mediocre battery life. But after a few rounds of use, it seems more durable than its capacity suggests.

My day basically involves a few hours of watching videos, reading e-books, making calls, and taking photos, plus about an hour of gaming. With this level of usage, my screen-on time usually reaches 6 to 7 hours, and I still have over 25% battery left when I get home at night.

The 45W charging has finally caught up this time. When the battery is low, plugging it in for a while can recover a significant amount in just half an hour, and it takes about 70 to 80 minutes to go from 0 to 100%. I usually don’t wait for it to fully charge; I just plug it in while eating or showering, and it’s basically enough to keep going when I get back. Wireless charging is also retained, making it quite convenient to top up the battery on a charging pad on my desk.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Review: At 12,999 yuan, whether it’s worth it mainly depends on whether you use this large screen.

Having used the Galaxy Z Fold8 for a while now, my favorite part is still the new form factor. At 201g, it feels much lighter in hand than previous Fold models, and the cover screen is finally more than just a “temporary solution.” For replying to messages or browsing the web, I mostly use it folded; when I encounter long articles, photos, or need to run two apps simultaneously, I unfold the 7.6-inch inner screen.

I have gradually gotten used to this way of using it. But with a starting price of 12,999 yuan, it is still hard for me to ignore the fact that it only has two rear cameras.

The main and ultra-wide cameras are decent enough, but the previous generation Fold7 actually had a 3x optical telephoto lens. It might not matter if you rarely use the telephoto lens, but if you frequently take portraits, travel, or shoot distant objects, I don’t think this change can be simply dismissed as a minor issue.

The Fold8 Ultra can certainly provide a more complete camera experience, but the price also jumps to a whole new level. So when buying the Fold8 this time, I won’t just look at whether it’s a new model. What I care about more is how much you will actually use these changes—the 201g weight, the 10:16 cover screen, and the 4:3 inner screen—in your daily life.

From my own experience, I frequently unfold it for reading, photos, and split-screen multitasking, so this new form factor is indeed valuable. But if you buy it and spend most of your time using it folded like a regular phone, then spending 12,999 yuan on it becomes less necessary.

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