A week with Fold8, Samsung’s first foldable smartphone that changes the form factor: the external screen is more square, so as to improve the visibility of 16:9 videos once the smartphone is opened.
It is the first smartphone that changes the form factor which we have been accustomed to for almost 20 years. Or at least, it is the first product and marketed in Europe by a Big Tech to follow this path. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 introduced some different sizes that we are used to. No longer a device stretched on the vertical line but as large as a passport. A little more square. However, it is able to open and reveal an internal screen as large as a small tablet. Of course, looking at all the rumors that are coming out about Apple’s first foldable it seems that these dimensions will start to reach see them often on the market. What it should be called iPhone 18 Ultra it will be the first foldable device from Cupertino and the dimensions of its renderings closely resemble those of the Fold8. To be fair, something in China had already appeared with these dimensions, even if we are talking about models that we will never see on our shelves. Huawei had presented the Pure X Maxalso here a square-looking foldable with photographic compartment on the back with three cameras.
We tried the Fold8 for a week. Using it as we would a primary device. Calls, messages and emails, and above all videos and readings. The idea of this form factor is to optimize the opening on the horizontal line. In short: in smartphones that have an elongated design, the ones we usually use, the internal folding screen effectively doubles the external one. The result when we see a video is to have a small tablet which however when we see a 16:9 format (a horizontal video) has two rather cumbersome black bars. The Fold8 is meant for more immersive use: once opened the bands almost disappear, the user concentrates on the video.
A day with Fold8: from newspapers to YouTube
The routine associated with using a smartphone varies greatly depending on the usersObviously. Ours always starts with the reading newspapers for the press review. The form factor allows you to read well pdf when the screen is open. From closed the display reaches 5.5 inchesfrom open it widens to 7.6 inches. If it is held vertically it becomes an excellent support for reading. PDFs with digital versions of newspapers are very easy to read, as are those of scientific articles or research. Not only that. Websites are also optimized for reading. Once opened the Fold8 supports the multitaskinggreat for taking some notes.
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For many things it can also be used easily closed. Email, social media and message notifications can be read from the external screen. We often used it to respond immediately when it came to small texts or shorter operations. It takes some getting used to seeing photos and scrolling through social media from the closed screen. Since the formats of this content are often in 4:5there is some black margin left at the edges of the screen.
Compared to the Galaxy S series and top-of-the-line devices in general, the Fold8 loses a few points on the cameras. There are two smaller ones on the front: one for the external screen, one for the internal screen. And then two in the rear compartment. They are both from 50MP: there is the main one and the ultra-wide angle one. On the main one we also find a zoom with optical quality guaranteed up to 2x. The telephoto lens is missing. It’s not a camera-phone but the quality is satisfactory: we leave you some shots to judge.
For the evening or during breaks, it is very convenient for watch videos. Especially those of medium duration: between 10 and 30 minutes. In short, those materials, from YouTube to TV series, that we don’t always want to show on television. Here the vision is indeed very immersive and above all comfortable. The crease in the center of the screen is now a memory of the first foldables. A note: compared to similar models, the Fold8 remains very quick to open.
Photos taken with the Fold8
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 prices
Of course, we are always talking about a phone that is configured as a top of the range. The costs to produce it are still high and the memory crisis doesn’t help. The Fold8 it is sold with three memory denominations: 256GB, 512GB And 1TB. Prices range from 2,099 to 2,699 euro.
