Rumors have been floating around that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 will be Samsung’s last foldable flip phone. After spending a bit of time with this latest generation, I’m not exactly sad at the thought of seeing it go, but I also see the writing on the wall as to why Samsung might be considering leaving it behind.
Let’s start with the good.
Galaxy Z Flip 8 is about as good as you can ask for from a flip phone foldable. The hardware is seriously just top-notch, even if it’s not all that new. I didn’t get to spend much time with the Flip 7 last year, but this year’s generation benefits from the same improvements as the Fold 8 – a chassis that’s easier to open, less of a crease on the display, and an anti-reflective inner display that’s just so much better to use.
The other noteworthy change is the overall bulk. While the smaller footprint is the big selling point of a flip phone foldable, I’ve always been a little bit annoyed at just how thick these devices tend to be. Samsung has slightly addressed this on Flip 8, shaving off around a millimeter from the folded device. It’s not a ton, but it’s enough to make the device feel better in the hand and in my pocket. And thanks to the switch to silicon-carbon, that doesn’t come with a battery hit – not to say the 4,300 mAh battery shouldn’t be bigger, as endurance is still mediocre. Performance out of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has been snappy, as expected, and heat management is fine. It is nice to see Samsung going back to Snapdragon here after a year of Exynos-only. The cameras are largely unchanged – in other words, they’re fine – and One UI 9 is just as good here as it is on the Fold 8.
