Not super exciting
The Samung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to arrive in July with the possibility of a larger battery and quicker charging. We don't expect many design changes but there is talk of S Pen support returning and a second, wider aspect ratio model in the works.
Pros
- Rumored to feature a larger 5,000mAh battery
- Rumored to support faster 45W charging
- Expected to come with a less visible crease
- Should have the latest Qualcomm chip
- Pricing should stay the same
Cons
- Probably won't look much different than the Z Fold 7
- IP rating to stay the same
- S Pen support remains unclear
Samsung's most popular Fold yet
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 got a major design overhaul, making it slimmer and lighter than ever before. Despite ditching support for the S Pen and being more expensive, demand for it was higher than even Samsung anticipated.
Pros
- The crease is practically non-existent
- Doesn't feel like a heavy remote when folded anymore
- Larger and wider cover screen
- Truly a 2-in-1 device
- Shares the same camera as the S25 Ultra
- Excellent performance
- That blue is oh so blue, and looks incredible
Cons
- No S Pen support
- Even more expensive than before
- There's no dust protection
- Battery life is meh
With the Galaxy S26 series launched and out of the way, it's time to turn our attention to Samsung's even more premium foldable launch. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to arrive in July with a larger battery, faster charging, and maybe even S Pen support, but no other significant changes that we're aware of at the moment. We might actually get to see a second 'Wide' edition launch alongside the regular Z Fold 8. With prices expected to be the same (if not more), the Galaxy Z Fold 7 might just be a much better "value" buy.
It'll soon be a year in July for the Galaxy Z Fold 7's existence and it's already officially selling for $400 lower than the launch price, and this is outside sale season. This could dip further as July rolls around. Since we don't have the official specs of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 right now, let's hypothetically compare Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 7 based on all the rumors so far.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 7: Pricing and availability
I sincerely hope Samsung doesn't bump up the price of Galaxy Z Fold 8 again as it already got a price bump last year. As there's no evidence to suggest this might happen, let's assume that it starts at the same $1,999.99. This would be for the 256GB variant, with the price going up to $2,500 for the 1TB variant. With the Z Fold 7, only the 1TB variant got 16GB RAM while the tiers below came with 12GB. I do hope Samsung offers 16GB across all storage tiers this year.
As for availability, the Galaxy Unpacked event is expected to happen in London on July 22, instead of New York like last year. This would mean pre-orders would begin by mid-July and open sale post the launch date. All of this is very speculative though so it's best to wait for official confirmation from Samsung. We'll probably also get some new colors for the Z Fold 8 which could be worth looking forward to.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be a year old soon and is already retailing for less, starting at $1,599.99 for 256GB and going up to $2,100 for the 1TB variant. There could be a further price drop before it goes out of circulation so you should keep an eye on this if you want to save a good chunk of change. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 had one of the best colors of all the Fold phones yet and has proven to be hugely popular showing strong demand in the U.S. market.
The recent rise in component costs have caught up though as Samsung quietly bumped up the MSRPs of the higher storage variants by $80. If this has affected Samsung's current supply of the Z Fold 7, I wonder how it will price the upcoming Z Fold 8. Either way, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 should eventually be cheaper to purchase compared to the Z Fold 8, but maybe not by as much as we'd like it to be.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 7: Design and display
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is not expected to look much different than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and that's fine. The Fold 7 got a major design overhaul just last year making the slimmest Fold yet. The Z Fold 8 should follow suit with similar dimensions of 4.2mm thickness when unfolded and about 8.9mm when folded. The weight could increase a bit from the 215 grams of the Z Fold 7, if Samsung decides to use a larger battery. Overall, there shouldn't be much of a difference though. Renders of a 'Wide' Galaxy Z Fold is also out there with just two rear cameras and a wider (but shorter) book-style aspect ratio, but there isn't much proof of this yet.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 scored well in terms of build quality and durabililty but there are a few things that we would like improved on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. For starters, Samsung's foldables still only have an IP48 rating while others have zoomed past the Fold 7. The Honor Magic V5 and Vivo X Fold 5 feature IP58 and IP59 dust and water resistance, while the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold has an IP68 rating. I really hope Samsung bolsters the dust protection on the Z Fold 8 in order to stay competitive.
Another bit of disappointment for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 comes in the display department. It's expected to use the same M13 screen material which Samsung has used in the past few generations. The problem here is that since it's not a true 10-bit panel, Samsung uses a method called dithering or Frame Rate Control (FRC) to trick your eyes into seeing colors that don't actually exist. For most users, this should look just fine but if you fall in the group that's sensitive to flicker, looking at such a screen for prolonged periods of time can cause headaches.
The folding screen should still be 8 inches and we could get a bump in peak brightness on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. We never faced an issue with the Galaxy Z Fold 7's screen as the touch response and brightness were more than adequate. There are murmurs that support for the S Pen will be brought back in the Z Fold 8, along with a new creaseless folding screen tech which debuted at CES. If this happens, it would be a solid rival to the Oppo Find N6's creaseless display.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 7: Hardware and software
Samsung has usually shipped the Galaxy Z Fold devices with flagship chipsets, and I expect the same for the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It should have the tweaked Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset for Galaxy devices, same as the ones used in the Galaxy S26 series. I hope we do get 16GB of RAM though this time across all storage tiers.
Another big upgrade that's honestly been long overdue is a larger battery in the Galaxy Z Fold 8. We could finally see a larger 5,000mAh capacity which should deliver a good battery life boost over the 4,400mAh in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Charging speed is also expected to increase to 45W from the measly 25W charging speed. I would hope to see 60W wired charging like the Galaxy S26 Ultra but I'll take anything above 25W at this point. I'm not expecting native Qi2 charging but you it should be possible with a case.
Category |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Rumored) |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 |
|---|---|---|
Operating System |
One UI 9 (Android 17), seven years of OS upgrades |
One UI 8 (Android 16), seven years of OS upgrades |
Display |
Inner: 8-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, crease-less Outer: 6.5-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz |
Inner: 8-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, crease-less Outer: 6.5-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz |
Processor |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
RAM |
12GB/16GB |
12GB/16GB |
Storage |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Rear Cameras |
200MP wide; |
200MP wide; |
Front Camera |
10MP (internal), 10MP (external) |
10MP (internal), 10MP (external) |
Battery |
5,000mAh |
4,400mAh |
Charging |
45W wired |
25W wired, 15W wireless, Qi2 support |
IP Rating |
IP68 |
IP48 |
Weight |
Unknown |
215g |
Dimensions |
Unknown |
(Unfolded) 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2 mm ; (Folded) 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm |
Colors |
Unknown |
Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, Jet Black, Mint |
With Android 17 expected to launch mid-year this year, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 could release with the next generation of One UI 9. Early development testing of One UI 9 is reportedly already underway so it's possible it could debut with the Z Fold 8. Along with new UI changes thanks to Android 17, you should also expect new Galaxy AI features to headline this launch. Many of these features should also make their way to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 too with future updates.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 7: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 got a 200MP main camera upgrade just last year, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 could use the same one. But it is expected to finally get better ultra-wide and telephoto cameras. A leak suggests that Samsung will ship the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a 50MP ultra-wide camera (up from 12MP) and a 12MP telephoto (up from 10MP). The optical zoom for the latter sensor is still expected to be 3X.
We don't have any news about the selfie cameras on the outer and folding displays but I suspect they'd be unchanged. We loved the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 when we tested it so having better sensors in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 should make it more competitive against foldables like the OPPO Find N6.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 7: Should you wait?
We're still a few months away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and from the looks of it, it's not going to be drastically different than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Some of the upgrades that could make a practical difference would be the larger battery, faster charging, return of S Pen support, and hopefully a better IP rating. But again, we don't know how many of these upgrades will actually pan out. If you're not in a hurry or are still on an older Fold phone, it's definitely worth waiting as it's certainly going to end up being one of the best Samsung phones.
If you need to pull the trigger right away, you can't go wrong with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It now retails for lower than what it launched for, it's incredibly slim and light, and you won't have any issues with performance. Keep in mind that we didn't find the battery life to be great and there's no S Pen support if that's something you think you'll need.
Waiting to unfold
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 doesn't look like it'll be a major upgrade but a few changes like a bigger battery and proper dustproofing could make it worth the wait.
The current best
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung's best foldable for most users and is slightly better value now after a price drop. You're in for a slim device that's built well and has excellent global after sales support.
