Despite how good the current generation of foldable phones are, people will always have something to complain about. But if you look back just a few years, you can really appreciate how massive a jump these devices have made in such a short time.
The Z Fold 8 will be one of this year’s biggest sellers, and the Z Flip 8 is refined to the point where Samsung really can’t take it any further. That said, Samsung is officially sunsetting the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3, as they no longer appear on the brand’s software support page (via Android Authority).
Good, but things got so much better
Unlike more modern devices, Samsung promised only three years of major updates and five years of security updates for these phones. As a Galaxy Z Flip 3 owner, unboxing the phone for the first time felt absolutely magical. I held off on buying a foldable phone because I felt like the refinements just weren’t there.
With the Z Flip 3, Samsung made a huge jump, upping the inner display refresh rate to 120Hz for the first time. It also featured a much larger 1.9-inch external display that was actually useful. Furthermore, the Z Flip 3 introduced an IPX8 rating, making it a bit more durable than previous models, and it also had dual speakers.
It really was a huge leap forward from the previous models. Naturally, things kept getting better with each iteration. And while the Z Flip 8 is good, it seems Samsung has hit a wall, offering very few changes over its predecessor. It’s fantastic to see the technology evolve, but once a phone is refined to a point, do we really need yearly revisions?
Of course, if you’re a Z Flip or Z Fold 3 owner, now’s a good time to check out what’s new. You can always stick with what you have, but sooner or later the software just isn’t going to cut it anymore. This matters for security, because you don’t want something bad to happen if your phone isn’t up-to-date.
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SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
RAM
12GB / 16GB
Storage
256GB / 512GB / 1TB
Battery
4,800mAh
Operating System
Android 17 / One UI 9
Front camera
10MP main / 10MP cover
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 4:3 aspect ratio open screen, making it great for video and reading books, and when closed the device is compact, with apps on the cover screen appearing normally. It joins Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which has a more traditional tall-and-thin design.
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SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
RAM
12GB / 16GB
Storage
256GB / 512GB / 1TB
Battery
5,000mAh
Operating System
Android 17 / One UI 9
Front camera
10MP main / 10MP cover
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is a productivity-focused big-screen folding phone, with an emphasis on power and performance over the more media-focused Galaxy Z Fold 8. However, the specification is similar, with the camera and battery being the standout upgrades over the Z Fold 8.
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SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
RAM
12GB
Storage
256GB / 512GB
Battery
4,300mAh
Operating System
Android 17 / One UI 9
Front camera
10MP
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 takes the long-established compact folding phone formula and refines it further, reducing the weight and thickness to make the phone even more convenient to hold and carry. The rest of the specification is not a huge jump over previous models though.