Samsung redesigned its foldable lineup on Wednesday around a shorter, wider $1,899 Galaxy Z Fold 8, previewing the shape Apple is expected to adopt in September.
Key Points:
- Samsung launched three foldables in London: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at $1,899, the Fold 8 Ultra at $2,099 and the Flip 8 at $1,200.
- The standard Fold 8 abandons the tall, narrow silhouette for a 7.6-inch inner screen in a roughly 4:3 ratio, built for video.
- Apple's first folding iPhone, due in September, is rumored to use nearly identical proportions and Samsung-made panels.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trades Height For Width
Samsung introduced three foldables at its Galaxy Unpacked showcase in London, pricing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at $1,899, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra at $2,099 and the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 8 at $1,200. Preorders opened the same day, and shipments are set to begin Aug 7.
The redesign is the whole story here.
The standard Fold 8 drops the tall, narrow shape of earlier models for a 7.6-inch inner screen at roughly a 4:3 ratio, paired with a 5.5-inch cover display.
Launch coverage pegged the phone at 201 grams, the lightest book-style foldable the company has built, with two 50-megapixel rear cameras and a 4,800 mAh battery marking the trade-offs against the pricier Ultra.
Buyers who want the older silhouette can still get it. The Ultra keeps the tall inner display and adds a 200-megapixel main sensor, a 5,000 mAh battery and 45-watt wired charging. A titanium support layer under both new screens softens the crease that has dogged the category for years.
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Apple Foldable iPhone Points To The Same Design
Apple is expected to introduce its first folding iPhone in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. Rumor roundups place the inner screen at 7.7 to 7.8 inches, with a cover panel of 5.3 to 5.5 inches, in the same 4:3 ratio Samsung just shipped. Leaked dummy units point to a device that opens to roughly the footprint of an iPad mini. Samsung's display arm is also expected to supply those panels, so both phones will lean on the same crease-reduction work.
Francisco Jeronimo, a vice president at research firm IDC, said in an email statement that arriving first lets Samsung define the new format on its own terms rather than react to it later.
The wide shape also answers a complaint that has trailed book-style foldables since the start, because squarer inner screens left heavy black bars around video and pushed owners back to the cover display.
Samsung Foldable Line Reaches Eighth Generation
Samsung has sold a Fold every year since 2019, when it created the category. Last July's Galaxy Z Fold 7 started at $1,999 and drew praise for its thinness, although the tight build made the phone awkward to pry open at times. The Fold 8 now sits $100 below that launch price, while the Ultra moves $100 in the other direction.
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