Within the lead-up to the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely, the story wasn’t actually about this new “Extremely” branding for Samsung’s greatest foldable. As a substitute, all anybody may deal with was the brand new wider, shorter mannequin that may be often known as the Galaxy Z Fold 8. That’s honest, since all of us love a brand new toy, however switching the tried and true mannequin into the Extremely class appears noteworthy.
Tim already did his factor with the brand new form in his Galaxy Z Fold 8 review, in order that leaves my activate the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely. I’ve been on it for a stable couple of weeks now and have lots to speak by.
As you all know, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely is the usual form for the Fold sequence, brings significant upgrades in a few locations (like the new hinge) and carries the next beginning value this yr at $2,099.99. What makes it Extremely? I’m nonetheless undecided. What I do know is that this machine continues to be nearly as good because it will get within the foldable world.
Let’s dive in – that is our Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely evaluation.
What’s nice in regards to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely?
Shows. It’s not possible to start out evaluating a foldable with out first speaking in regards to the shows, since properly, you have got two of them. The entire level in proudly owning a foldable is to offer you extra flexibility, whether or not that’s by having a 2-in-1 machine that may be each cellphone and pill, or a mini cellphone that folds into nothing and opens into a standard machine. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely is the kind that goes from regular cellphone to 8-inch pill and it does so superbly, due to its shows.
The duvet display is a 6.5″ AMOLED at a full HD decision (1080p) and refreshes at as much as 120Hz. It’s quick, clean, and responds to your whole touches. This isn’t a canopy display from the early days, the place it felt like an area Samsung is likely to be reducing a nook as a result of they assumed you had been utilizing the folded show extra. It is a high-end display that appears good as your utility display.
The within display is an 8.0″ AMOLED at 120Hz and with a decision of 2504 x 2256. It too is quick, clean, and options responsiveness that I’m undecided we ever thought we’d see on Android telephones. It’s a pleasure to swipe round as you open a number of home windows, to view as you eat video, or to deal with as you play a cellular sport.
Each shows can attain 3000 nits peak brightness and might be considered open air, they’ve all the show settings it’s worthwhile to customise your viewing expertise (darkish themes, adaptive brightness, consolation protect, and Vivid or Pure modes with a cool-warm slider). You may even management the side ratio of particular person apps on the within display, determine the way you need the screens to deal with the selfie digital camera cutout, and the way apps are dealt with as you open or shut the machine by shifting from one display to the subsequent.
Samsung additionally made an enormous improve with this yr’s mannequin by placing an anti-reflective coating on the within show for the primary time. If you couple that with the brand new titanium hinge system that reduces the crease on the massive show, this seems like a model new expertise.
For one, you get much less crease disruption as you swipe throughout the larger show, so there are much less distractions as you make the most of a number of apps or watch a video. However perhaps extra importantly, this new anti-reflective coating makes virtually each state of affairs of use with this machine extra pleasant than earlier Fold units. All earlier units used to current this fixed glare that both requested you to wipe the display clear commonly or discover new lighting to try to keep away from content material being blocked. I didn’t assume this could be this huge of an improve, nevertheless it actually is.
Lastly, these shows have nice brightness vary to your low-light and sunny conditions and might be considered on the steepest of angles with out content material degradation. These are prime tier shows that showcase the enhancements Samsung nonetheless makes from one yr to the subsequent.
Design. With final yr’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung tweaked the design by making it so skinny when folded shut, that it felt the closest to a standard cellphone than any foldable earlier than it. For the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely, they’ve run that very same form again, so within the hand, you may maintain and use this machine such as you would another cellphone, you simply additionally get the bonus of it opening into an 8-inch pill.
This design is so sensible that it permits for one-handed use when closed, nevertheless it so skinny and balanced when opened that the transition from cellphone to pill occurs with out fear or hesitation or adjustment. The load stays at 215g this yr, which makes it really feel barely heavy when folded, but insanely gentle when unfolded and that weight distributes. There’s this stunning steadiness when in pill mode too, as a result of Samsung has found out the way to unfold parts all through and the big digital camera housing doesn’t really overwhelm the highest proper nook.
I discussed the brand new titanium hinge system earlier, nevertheless it’s value noting that it has allowed for the machine to unfold in a barely extra satisfying snap. As you progress the show open, it type of takes over and pushes the show outward to pop into a totally unfolded format. Sadly, the brand new hinge doesn’t allow you to place the hinge at any angle, so Flex Mode is mainly lifeless. You may’t prop this show at numerous angles to eat YouTube or different content material by laying the machine partially-opened on a desk. So the brand new hinge provides us each upgrades and downgrades.
As for the remainder of the design, there aren’t any worrisome sharp components that’ll damage your hand, even when there may be nothing spherical or curved about this machine. It’s comfy to carry, the matte end on the again glass has principally resisted fingerprints, and this Violet Shadow model I’m testing is sort of nice to take a look at. It appears like a matte black in lots of lighting eventualities, however then lets you recognize it’s certainly not black at these particular moments when you end up glazing Samsung’s design.
Software program. Exterior of the shows, you might argue that the software program on a foldable is the second most essential factor. If the circulate between two shows or using house or the methods to assist with multi-tasking aren’t prime notch, what’s the purpose of all of it? For the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely, Samsung is actually exhibiting that it is aware of the way to enhance upon the bottom model of Android that can assist you get probably the most out of a foldable on this kind issue.
This machine runs Android 17 out of the field with One UI 9 on prime of it. When closed and in cellphone mode, this machine works like another prime tier Samsung cellphone. If you open up it, you actually do get a mini-tablet expertise with the choice to run as much as 3 apps directly in cut up display, there’s a taskbar that can assist you get into different apps simply, and there are tons of the way to customise all of it. Samsung additionally made the right determination to have the duvet show residence display setup mirror to the within, so that you don’t should handle two setups.
For probably the most half, I feel this is a wonderful software program expertise. It appears trendy sufficient, nothing is misplaced or anti-Android, and there actually are settings for nearly all the pieces. You may change icons, add climate results to the lock display, herald a theme of your selecting, present notifications in numerous methods, set customized modes and routines, tinker with a number of Superior options, and simply “Optimize” the machine with a single button press.
It’s not all excellent with Samsung. I very a lot dislike the best way Samsung stacks notifications from apps and doubles apps like Calendar as a result of they need you to make use of theirs as an alternative of Google’s. Out of the field, there are a number of options and settings which might be lacking or that I want labored another way, just like the app switcher.
Fortunately, Samsung has this app suite known as Good Lock that may repair all of it. Whereas it is a separate app with modules that must be put in, it allowed me so as to add a swipe down on the house display to simply entry the common search. It let me change animations and make them faster, repair the app switcher to point out the app I need it to point out always, and folders might be adjusted to my most popular styling. Good Lock has mainly made the software program on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely virtually excellent. It did take some work, although, which I can’t think about everybody needs to do or be taught.
Battery life. For the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely and Fold 8, Samsung switched to silicon-carbon batteries and that has allowed for larger capacities with out a rise in wanted house or weight. The Fold 8 is nearly equivalent in weight and measurement to the Fold 7, but it has a 5000mAh battery vs. the Fold 7’s 4400mAh battery. That’s a giant enhance!
When it comes to battery life, I’m seeing what I’d name “good” battery life with this cellphone. I feel I’ve had sooner or later throughout testing the place I hammered on it so arduous that I wanted to plug-in through the night to ensure it will final. Apart from that single day, I’ve been going to mattress with 30% or extra remaining and three.5-4.5 hours of display on time. That quantity of every day utilization is fairly typical for me.
What makes up a typical day for me? I take advantage of a number of Chrome, Threads, YouTube, Google Maps, Android Auto, Instagram, Telegram, and Google Well being, plus I play a good quantity of Pokemon TCG or Pokemon GO. I’m probably not the heaviest of customers of any cellphone, however I’m constant. These numbers look completely good to me and seem to be a fairly large enchancment over the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which was very weak in battery life.
In relation to charging the Fold 8 Extremely, there may be nothing new or particular happening right here. This cellphone helps as much as 45W wired charging and 20W wi-fi charging. There are not any Qi2 magnets constructed into this cellphone, so wi-fi charging forces you to make use of a daily and dated wi-fi charger. My house is full of Qi2 magnetic chargers, so charging this cellphone at evening has been a little bit of a chore. I’ve been utilizing a Pixel Stand and the digital camera housing has made it tough at instances to get the cellphone into the proper place. Charging the Fold 8 Extremely has not been a spotlight – fortunately battery life is nice. For those who do cost through wire, you might see as much as 67% cost in “round” 30 minutes.
Efficiency. Describing efficiency on a tool just like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely is straightforward and likewise arduous. I want I may sit right here and inform you that this outperforms all the pieces I’ve ever used within the historical past of smartphones. Nevertheless, telephones have been good for therefore lengthy that the variations are so refined. The large leaps from one chipset and cellphone to the subsequent simply doesn’t occur anymore.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 similar to the Galaxy S26 sequence earlier than it. That is probably the most high-end chip within the Android house, so there may be loads of juice right here to energy not one, however two shows. Samsung contains 12GB RAM within the 256GB and 512GB fashions, whereas the 1TB mannequin will get a full 16GB RAM. The shows refresh at as much as 120Hz, the One UI software program is properly tuned, and there simply isn’t something to gradual this cellphone down.
Look, we don’t run benchmarks as part of our testing, as a result of I don’t discover them helpful. What I can inform you is that in every day use, I haven’t discovered a single efficiency concern or met a second the place I stated, “Wow, this cellphone has actually slowed from that app and I ought to in all probability reboot it.” Efficiency gained’t be an space of concern for those who personal this machine.
Assist. I’ve regarded in every single place and have but to seek out affirmation, however Samsung needs to be offering the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely with 7 years of updates, each OS and safety. They first made this commitment when the Galaxy S24 series launched they usually’ve saved it for all units that arrived after. For the Fold 8 Extremely (and Fold 8), nothing has modified, in accordance with official documentation. On Samsung’s Cell Safety web site, they nonetheless recommend that as of January 2024, they’ve prolonged software program help to 7 years.
What does that imply as a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely proprietor? You’d obtain month-to-month safety updates for almost all of the cellphone’s life. Presently, Samsung drops units down from a month-to-month to a quarterly replace schedule of their ultimate yr. For main OS updates, 7 years value is lots and I really surprise what number of of you’ll preserve a cellphone by to the tip.
Google is the very best at updating its Android telephones, however Samsung actually isn’t far behind them.
What’s bugging me about it?
Digital camera. Every time I’m testing a foldable, like this $2,100 Fold 8 Extremely, there’s at all times been a hesitation to be fast at taking footage. I don’t know if it’s the worry of dropping a tool this costly or the awkwardness of the form, however I at all times get up to now in a evaluation and notice I’ve not taken almost as many footage as I would love. I’m not saying I don’t have footage from this digital camera – I’ve lots – it’s simply that I don’t have as many as I usually would.
I convey that up as a result of that’s value declaring. I feel the thought of a foldable does one thing to my thoughts that pushes it away from me pondering it has a succesful digital camera or that it’ll be the proper digital camera always. And certain, I do assume that due to the load and form it carries, that I do hesitate as a result of these Fold units aren’t that enjoyable to take footage with.
The setup here’s a foremost 200MP sensor paired with 50MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto sensors. It additionally has a pair of 10MP selfie cameras. On paper, it’s actually succesful and this digital camera was made to have the ability to do all the pieces. You could have your normal Portrait, Photograph, and Video modes upfront, however then Samsung additionally provides you professional video and photograph controls, RAW taking pictures if that’s your factor, and different lesser-used modes like Panorama, Sluggish Movement, and Hyperlapse. It is a $2,000+ cellphone and it has what you anticipate it to have.
That stated, in relation to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely digital camera, I’m undecided I’m fully bought on it being the place it must be. Past the awkwardness of utilizing it, the outcomes I’ve seen have actually been blended and I simply don’t assume this digital camera retains up with one thing like a Pixel 10 Professional or iPhone 17 Professional.
Right here’s only one instance of how behind I really feel the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely is in comparison with Google and Apple’s greatest cameras. For one, the Fold 8 Extremely took a half-second to snap this shot after which left it darkish. It’s actually a extra pure illustration of the scene, however the different two cameras snapped immediately with zero shutter lag after which brightened the pictures sufficient to make them usable.
So far as efficiency goes, this cellphone has 12GB RAM and the latest and strongest Snapdragon chip on the planet. It needs to be quick. Taking footage needs to be snapped right away. The factor is, they simply aren’t.
Regardless of what number of instances I open this digital camera, level at one thing, after which hit the shutter button, there’s a refined vibration adopted by a noticeable lag earlier than the digital camera completes and an image is taken. It has been driving me nuts. Now, this isn’t new to Samsung telephones, however I nonetheless can’t imagine I’m seeing it in 2026 and with a cellphone that prices this a lot and has this {hardware}. This implies a cellphone that you simply’ll query the outcomes from, as a result of that slight vibration and look of a delay may enable motion earlier than it’s achieved taking an image. And I’ve observed some pictures which have simply this contact of movement blur as a result of I feel I moved earlier than it was achieved.
The outcomes themselves might be fairly good, fortunately, assuming you stay rock regular. The digital camera is great at capturing depth, discovering high quality particulars on up-close objects, presenting a clear blue sky, including the correct amount of distinction and shadow, and providing you with drama with out it trying unnatural.
Anyhow, beneath are a number of samples of different photos I shot that I assumed turned out fairly good. Once more, the cameras listed below are actually good, it’s principally a efficiency concern that I really feel has troubled many Samsung cameras over time. Maintain that hand regular for those who purchase one.
The wobble. I do know I praised the heck out of this design and love 95% of it, however I’ve to level out how obnoxious the wobble is from the digital camera housing. Whether or not this cellphone is in folded or unfolded mode, that giant digital camera setup within the prime proper nook makes this factor by no means lay flat. In case you are the kind to depart your cellphone on a desk and attain for it right here and there all through a day, you’ll get aggravated fairly shortly at simply how wobbly it’s. Tim joked final yr with the Fold 7 about its hidden telegraph feature and I can (sadly) affirm that it has returned. I’m undecided there’s a repair for this, I simply need you to find out about it.
Sturdiness. Samsung is utilizing Corning’s Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 and Glass Victus 2 on the Fold 8, making it principally sturdy to scratches and every day use. They saved its water and dirt resistance at IP48, although. With corporations like Google bringing final yr’s Pixel 10 Professional Fold as much as IP68, we’re a bit stunned that Samsung didn’t do the identical right here.
The “8” in IP48 provides this machine stable safety from water, however everyone knows the killer of foldables is mud and grime. That “4” in IP48 is the issue. Google discovered a approach to make their foldable immune to mud and grime getting inside, however Samsung nonetheless hasn’t. They really want to repair this for the Fold 9.
Galaxy AI. One of many largest pitches for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely is that it’s full of AI powers. As your resident AI hater, I can inform you that I take advantage of virtually none of it. Many of the Galaxy AI suite is so nugatory or made for such particular causes, that I can’t think about I’m alone in ignoring it. It is a showcase of AI that just about none of us want, however is compelled upon our lives and worlds and can possible solely make the communities we dwell in, worse.
The Fold 8 Extremely has a Galaxy AI suite that features a number of the following, with touch upon if I’ve used it:
- Name Help: Helpful, as a result of it screens incoming requires you in the best way that Google’s Pixel telephones do. It’ll bug spam callers into explaining who they’re earlier than the decision ever will get to you.
- Writing Help: As a author, I’ll by no means use this. Most individuals shouldn’t. Converse for your self, you don’t want the machine to do it. Sounding genuine will at all times be higher.
- Be aware Help: If I had been a pupil, perhaps I’d use this? Because it stands at the moment, no use for it.
- Transcript Help: I’m not within the behavior of recording folks’s calls, so I gained’t use this…ever.
- Shopping Help: Does anybody use Samsung’s web browser?
- Photograph Help, Inventive Studio: By no means. At all times say “no” to generative AI rubbish.
- Climate Wallpaper: Simply look exterior, man. You possibly can additionally simply faucet your climate icon and save the world some water.
- Now Temporary: A private briefing that seems like the final word waste of an thought. I flip it off on all Samsung telephones.
We dwell in such un-fun tech instances.
Do you have to purchase the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely?
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely is a wonderful foldable and would greater than possible be thought-about the best choice available on the market. Nevertheless, the smaller, wider and new Galaxy Z Fold 8 exists with a barely cheaper price tag and a form that is likely to be higher for most individuals.
Ought to the common Fold 8 not tempt you, then yeah, get the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely. This factor has flawless efficiency (exterior of some digital camera slowness), actually nice battery life, is a pleasure to carry and use each open and shut, and has all the software program bells and whistles to assist make the machine actually yours.
I’m a giant fan of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Extremely, simply as I used to be the Fold 7 final yr. If it’s in your funds and a foldable is your subsequent, this might be the one.
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