Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 is a foldable smartphone featuring a brand-new form factor unlike anything before.
With a display size that ensures easy content viewing whether folded or unfolded, it feels exceptionally well-suited for gaming.
Samsung Launches 3 New Foldable Models!
Samsung released three foldable smartphone models in August 2026: the Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip8.
Among these, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is a horizontally folding book-style model, while the Galaxy Z Flip8 is a vertically folding flip-style model.
Both are thinner and lighter than last year's models, enhancing overall usability.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is a model featuring a brand-new form factor introduced for the very first time.
The Galaxy Z Fold8's Completely New Form Factor
When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is shorter vertically and wider horizontally than a typical smartphone.
While it might feel slightly unfamiliar if you are used to tall, narrow displays, the extra width also gives app icons plenty of breathing room.
The display size is 5.5 inches, offering a compact footprint that extends just slightly past the palm of your hand.
Moreover, weighing in at 201 g, it is remarkably lightweight for a horizontally folding smartphone.
Its folded thickness is just 9.7 mm—dipping under the 10 mm mark—making it quite slim, and holding it in your hand reveals just how amazingly thin it feels.
Inside this chassis sits a built-in 4,800 mAh battery.
While it might seem slightly modest, considering how thin, light, and easy to hold the device is, pairing it with a portable power bank during long gaming sessions feels like an easy tradeoff.
A Fresh Experience with a 4:3 Aspect Ratio Display
Unfolding the device reveals a 7.6-inch display with a resolution of 2448 x 1848 pixels.
With its 4:3 aspect ratio, it offers a natural and intuitive viewing layout.
The display delivers a peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits alongside a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.
There is a front camera on the inner screen as well, with both front cameras sporting 10-megapixel sensors.
When unfolded, the thickness is just 4.5 mm, making it thinner than almost any commercially available smartphone or tablet.
While foldable smartphones often feel awkward to hold when open, the Galaxy Z Fold8 measures 161.4 x 123.9 mm.
Thanks in part to this extreme slimness, it is easy to carry around even while kept unfolded.
Great Content Presentation, Excellent for Gaming
Photos fill this expansive screen edge-to-edge, and you can also view 16:9 widescreen videos at a generous size, despite the black letterboxing bars on the top and bottom.
When immersing yourself in movies or shows, a display this large provides significantly deeper immersion than a standard smartphone.
When launching gaming apps, you will immediately notice that the screen displays more vertical information compared to standard smartphones.
Because the 4:3 aspect ratio is close to PC displays, it feels less like playing on a mobile phone and more like gaming on an ultra-compact PC or tablet screen.
The same applies when the device is folded, allowing you to comfortably enjoy games on a spacious outer screen.
Incidentally, the outer display features a 16:10 aspect ratio.
When turned horizontally, the width is narrower than a traditional smartphone, making it exceptionally comfortable to grip in landscape orientation.
Flexible Split-Screen Functionality
Furthermore, it fully supports split-screen multitasking.
Until now, book-style foldables sold by Samsung and other manufacturers featured nearly square inner displays when unfolded.
While you could open multiple apps simultaneously, stacking them vertically was limited to two.
However, because the Galaxy Z Fold8 features a wider horizontal profile, you can stack and run three vertical apps horizontally at the same time.
You can also arrange apps in a 2+1 configuration, placing two stacked vertically on one side and one on the other.
This lets you watch videos or view photos while running two other apps side-by-side.
Switching between layouts and a three-column vertical split takes just a single tap.
Clear and Legible in Portrait Mode
Beyond using the display in landscape mode, orienting it vertically also provides a comfortable and spacious view.
Looking at this aspect ratio, it feels reminiscent of operating an ultra-compact tablet.
Testing it with a web browser showed that the wider horizontal reading area makes browsing effortless, while it renders e-books and digital reading materials with superb clarity.
Effortless to Use Even While Folded
On the cover screen, 16:9 videos fill more of the display area, making it ideal for watching videos while keeping the phone folded on crowded trains.
You can also run any app directly on this screen, enabling versatile functionality even when closed.
By folding the chassis into an inverted L-shape and angling it slightly, you can place it in this kickstand-style setup to rest the Galaxy Z Fold8 on a desk and watch content hands-free.
The hinge holds its position anywhere from a 90-degree angle down to a partially closed position.
The only noticeable drawback is that the hinge cannot firmly hold its position past 90 degrees when opened wider.
When using the internal front camera for video conferences in an L-shaped configuration, you might want to tilt the screen back a bit further, but pushing past this angle causes the device to open completely flat.
Miniaturizing the hinge mechanism to achieve such a slim body likely prevents it from locking at wider angles.
When using the inner camera, your best bet is simply propping the Galaxy Z Fold8 on a dedicated stand.
A Smartphone Well-Suited for Mobile Gaming
The device runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset and comes in three memory configurations: 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 512GB storage, and 16GB RAM + 1TB storage.
While it lacks dedicated gaming phone features like touch triggers, heavy-duty cooling mechanisms, and bypass charging, the Galaxy Z Fold8's display excels for gaming whether opened or closed. For anyone dissatisfied with conventional smartphone screen sizes, this device delivers a remarkably satisfying experience.
▼Photo & Written by Yasuhiro Yamane/山根康宏
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