Galaxy Z Fold 8 Launched as Samsung Looks to Pre-Empt Apple's Foldable iPhone Ultra

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8, its latest book-style foldable smartphone and perhaps one of its most strategically important launches in years. The new model arrives with a lighter design, new display proportions, upgraded cameras and a larger battery, as Samsung attempts to strengthen its position before Apple makes its widely anticipated entry into the foldable smartphone market.

At 201 grams, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is Samsung's lightest Galaxy Z Fold yet. The company has also redesigned the phone around different display ratios intended to make it more practical both when folded and unfolded.

The timing of the launch is significant. Apple is widely expected to introduce its first foldable iPhone, rumoured to be called the iPhone Ultra, later this year. While Samsung has spent eight generations refining its Fold series, Apple's arrival could fundamentally reshape the premium foldable market.

With the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung appears to be pre-empting that challenge by tackling some of the biggest complaints historically associated with foldable phones, particularly weight, durability, display creasing and usability.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Price and Availability

Samsung's latest foldable with a square design is priced at:

1. ₹1,79,999 for the 12GB/256GB variant,
2. ₹1,99,999 for the 12GB/512GB model, and
3. ₹2,39,999 for the 16GB/1TB variant.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is available for pre-order in select markets, including India, starting today. It comes in Graphite, Cream and Lavender colours, while Pistachio is available as an online-exclusive option.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Is Samsung's Lightest Fold Yet

One of the biggest changes to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is its weight.

The phone weighs 201 grams, making it considerably lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which weighed 215 grams. The reduction means the Fold 8 is moving closer to the weight of conventional flagship smartphones, potentially addressing one of the biggest practical drawbacks of carrying a book-style foldable every day.

Samsung has also introduced its new Flex Titanium technology. The display structure combines a titanium-alloy film with an enhanced titanium plate, which the company says helps strengthen display support and absorb pressure and impact while allowing the overall device to become slimmer.

Samsung also claims the new construction can reduce crease visibility over time. The opening mechanism has been refined by balancing the hinge, display tension and magnetic force to make unfolding the device feel smoother and more natural.

These improvements could become particularly important once Apple's foldable iPhone arrives. Apple is expected to focus heavily on creating a thin foldable with a less visible display crease, meaning Samsung's latest engineering changes appear well timed.

New Display Ratios Target Different Types of Content

Samsung has taken a different approach to the displays on the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

When folded, the phone offers a 5.5-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X 120Hz cover screen with an approximately 10:16 aspect ratio. Samsung says the screen is designed for everyday tasks such as messaging, browsing social media and watching short-form videos.

Opening the device reveals a 7.6-inch main 120Hz Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, intended to provide more space for watching movies, gaming and other immersive content.

Rotating the unfolded device also makes the display better suited to reading articles, documents and e-books.

The main display can reach up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness and comes with Vision Booster and a low-reflection finish to improve outdoor visibility.

The Fold 8's screen dimensions also put it close to the territory reportedly being targeted by Apple. The upcoming foldable iPhone is expected to feature an inner display measuring roughly 7.8 inches when unfolded.

Samsung, however, will enter that potential confrontation with eight generations of foldable hardware development behind it.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Gets Bigger Battery Despite Lower Weight

Samsung has also increased the battery capacity of the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The new model packs a 4,800mAh battery, up from the 4,400mAh unit found in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The combination of a larger battery and significantly lower overall weight is one of the more notable generational improvements.

Powering the phone is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, Samsung's customised version of Qualcomm's flagship smartphone chipset.

The upgraded processor is expected to handle demanding workloads including gaming, multitasking and the growing number of on-device and cloud-based Galaxy AI features.

Dual 50MP Cameras Come to the Galaxy Z Fold 8

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with dual 50MP cameras covering wide and ultra-wide perspectives.

The company says the setup is designed to provide consistent high-resolution detail across different shooting scenarios.

The phone also introduces Dual Recording, allowing users to capture multiple perspectives while using the cover screen for previews.

Another addition is My FanCam, which can automatically track a selected subject and reframe footage into a preferred aspect ratio. The feature is aimed particularly at users creating videos for social media, reducing the amount of manual reframing required after recording.

Galaxy AI Takes Advantage of the Foldable Display

Samsung is also using the Fold 8's larger display to expand its AI features.

Now Nudge can recognise when a conversation could lead to another action and suggest relevant next steps, such as checking a calendar, finding a location or saving a place.

Gemini Intelligence can perform connected actions across more than 40 supported apps and services. Samsung says users can make natural-language requests to perform tasks ranging from searching for tickets to finding nearby restaurants and making reservations.

Gemini Notebook, meanwhile, allows users to combine notes, images, recordings, files and documents in a persistent workspace. The Fold 8's Split View supports dragging and dropping content into the workspace, which can then be used to generate audio overviews, infographics, reports, meeting recaps and visual summaries.

One UI 9 also introduces an AI Assistant Activity dashboard that lets users review AI automations performed on their behalf.

Samsung Is Getting Ready for the iPhone Ultra

For years, Samsung has effectively competed against other Android manufacturers in the global foldable smartphone market. Apple's expected entry changes that equation.

The rumoured iPhone Ultra is expected to feature an approximately 7.8-inch foldable display and could cost more than $2,000, positioning it squarely in the ultra-premium segment where Samsung's Fold devices operate.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 therefore arrives at an important moment.

Samsung has reduced its weight from 215 grams to 201 grams, increased the battery from 4,400mAh to 4,800mAh and introduced a new titanium-based display structure aimed at improving durability while reducing crease visibility.

Those are precisely the areas where Apple's first foldable is expected to face intense scrutiny.

Apple may bring its enormous ecosystem and premium customer base to the foldable market, but Samsung has something its rival cannot replicate immediately: eight generations of experience.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 appears designed to capitalise on that head start. Rather than waiting for Apple's foldable iPhone to arrive and then responding, Samsung is refining the fundamentals of its Fold formula ahead of time, effectively setting the benchmark Apple's first-generation device will have to beat.