Galaxy Z Fold8 review cycle highlights excellent tablet experience but awkward phone proportions

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 has entered its first major independent review cycle, with its unusual passport-style proportions becoming the central point of debate. The device opens to a 7.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, giving websites, books and productivity apps a shape closer to a small conventional tablet.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy provides flagship-level performance, while Samsung's One UI 9 allows as many as three applications to run simultaneously in split-screen configurations with additional floating windows. A recent extended review measured around 40 hours of mixed battery use, a strong result for a foldable. The compromise becomes more obvious when the device is closed.

Its short, wide shape can make one-handed operation difficult, and the on-screen keyboard consumes a large proportion of the cover display. The Fold8 also lacks a dedicated telephoto camera despite its $1,899.99 US starting price. For gaming, however, the large internal display and powerful processor are obvious advantages. The Fold8 shows that Samsung is willing to experiment with foldable proportions even after the wider market had largely settled on taller book-style designs.