Samsung launched a square foldable: Is it worth the price?
Samsung's new generation of foldables offers an intriguing structural change: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is an almost square device, rather than elongated as is customary. The design is clean and premium, performance is good, and the battery is strong, but the price tag is particularly high.
Technological Review
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The foldable smartphone market is heating up, although it is still unclear whether this is an expensive and fleeting gimmick or a breakthrough that will change the way we use mobile phones. Parallel to the growing competition, rumors about Apple's intention to launch a foldable iPhone are further fueling interest in the category and raising the bar.
These days, Samsung is launching its new generation of foldables, which includes a rebranding and an intriguing structural change: the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which until now was similar in size to a regular smartphone that opens like a book, will henceforth be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The regular Fold, which we took for testing, looks almost square when closed - and when opened, it is similar to a small book. Does the new structure provide real added value?
The main innovation: the screen and design
The foldable smartphone market has long since lost the element of surprise. If you open such a device today on a train or in a cafe, it is doubtful that you will elicit even one curious look. However, Samsung's new foldable presents a fresh attempt to break the routine - mainly thanks to a change in structure and proportions.
When holding the device for the first time, its almost square structure stands out. While the market is characterized by elongated screens of 6.5 inches and more, Samsung chose an external screen of only 5.5 inches, which opens to an internal screen of 7.4 inches. The thickness is particularly thin: only 4.5 mm. When the device is closed, it feels almost like a compact wallet, and when it opens, its 4:3 aspect ratio makes it a small tablet, a format particularly convenient for viewing content, games, and multitasking.
On the other hand, the new proportions are a double-edged sword. Users looking for a large screen to read documents or view visually detailed content may be disappointed. In addition, one-handed operation requires a learning curve and adaptation here. Furthermore, some applications will need to be adapted due to the new ratio.
In terms of design, the aluminum frame gives the device - which weighs 201 grams - a clean and premium look. But the more significant news comes from the screen department: the fold line has been blurred so that it is not visible to the eye. It is still there if you look for it (certainly at a specific angle, but also in certain colors) - but in daily use, it is blurred.
In addition, the pair of AMOLED screens offer a dynamic refresh rate of 120 Hz and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. In practice, the combination of panel quality, rich color processing, and high brightness provides an excellent viewing experience, saturated with details and colors, even under harsh sunlight.
The main advantage: performance
The core promise of the foldable category has never been just the screen size, but the ability to use it for multitasking - splitting the screen for several applications, and running heavy tasks simultaneously.
In the new device, Samsung incorporates good capabilities: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor from Qualcomm, alongside 12GB of RAM and storage starting at 256GB (with the option to upgrade for a fee). This is the same chipset hosted in the new Ultra foldable device. In a real-world test, this specification translates into a fast and good Android experience. The device handles heavy workloads easily, switching between open applications happens without delay, and the high refresh rate of the screen complements smooth responsiveness.
The camera: the news is in usability
The camera array is where the device's design compromises are particularly prominent. Unlike the Ultra models equipped with a triple array, here Samsung settled for only two sensors: a main one and a wide-angle one, both 50 megapixels. The selfie cameras, both on the external and internal screen, are based on 10-megapixel sensors.
In the result test, in daylight and in a lit environment, the cameras provide good results. The image processing algorithm does an excellent job: the colors are rich and the dynamic range is wide. On the other hand, when the lighting drops, the device starts to stutter, night shots are less sharp, and there are much more successful alternatives on the market at this price level. Due to the lack of a telephoto lens, the digital zoom also suffers from a dramatic drop in quality.
The real news of the camera array lies precisely in the usability of the compact format. The ability to use the external screen while the device is open allows for taking selfies using the main and higher-quality cameras. Although this is not a technological innovation, thanks to the small and easy-to-grip structure, one-handed operation becomes easier and more accessible than before.
Samsung has also added an AI-based editing tool to the system. These are features for quick photo and video editing (like My FanCam, which edits the video to follow a selected object), but they are a nice addition and do not constitute game-changers in the market.
The battery: good
The new foldable includes a 4,800 mAh battery - an upgrade compared to the 4,400 in the previous generation, but still lower than the Ultra devices equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery, and the standard established in the premium market.
Naturally, compared to the classic Galaxy S series, the capacity here is smaller due to space and engineering considerations. However, in the result test, Samsung manages to get the most out of the hardware. With reasonable use, the device lasts a full day of work. Even under heavy load, including high screen brightness and prolonged use of the large internal screen, the device will finish a full workday without you needing to look for an outlet. The device supports 45W fast charging, which in practice allows reaching 100% in less than an hour.
The price: too high
The recommended price for the basic Fold model in Israel starts at 6,100 shekels and climbs up to 8,200 shekels for the configuration with maximum storage. This is an especially high price threshold, but the pricing is not unusual in the foldable smartphone landscape. It seems that until more aggressive competition is recorded in the market, the situation will remain similar.
The main competitors: Google and the Chinese players
The foldable smartphone segment is indeed controlled almost entirely by Samsung in Israel, but in the global market, the competition is wider. The most prominent competitor is Google with the Pixel Fold series, which offers a dedicated telephoto lens and a combination of AI capabilities.
Alongside Google, giants like Honor, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi present competitors themselves. However, they do not market their foldable models in Israel officially, and settle for parallel imports. This situation leaves the Israeli consumer without an accessible response, and effectively cements Samsung's status as the only company that makes the category accessible on a regular basis in the local market - at least until Apple officially enters the arena.
***Full disclosure: Samsung provided Globes with the device for testing
